Forensic Science in Conservation Biology

Course Objectives

Students completing this course will have an understanding of wildlife ecology, biodiversity, current environmental and wildlife concerns, and wildlife and environmental forensics, as well as an overview of some wildlife forensic techniques. The student will have learned some of the various considerations in wildlife management and population assessments, in addition to how to evaluate animal populations for decreases, altered structure, or changing adaptations. The student will be familiar with the current trends in wildlife and ecology threats, including poaching, illegal trade, and environmental disasters, as well as some investigative tools such as soil and isotopic analysis, chemical fingerprinting, and microscopy, that can be used to combat these issues.


Course Topics

Module Topic
Module 1 Course Introduction/Conservation Biology & Biodiversity
Module 2 Biodiversity Threats
Module 3 Population Ecology
Module 4 Community Ecology
Module 5 Restoration Ecology
Module 6 Wildlife & Environmental Crime/Ethics
Module 7 Environmental Forensics I: Chemical Fingerprinting/Isotopes
Module 8 Environmental Forensics II: Microscopy/Denroecology/Palynology
Module 9 Environmental Forensics III: Soil & Subsurface Issues
Module 10 Information and Intelligence Gathering: Photointerpretation/Historical Records
Module 11 Emerging Sciences and Trends