Week

Lecture
File

LECTURE TOPICS

RESOURCES and READINGS

Week 0

Pre-Course Readings:

TOOLS--Textbooks and Study Guides

Robert Ford's BIOSPHERE links

• NBII - National Biological Information Infrastructure: see brochure (PDF) - About NBII

• Teaming With Life: Investing in Science to Understand and Use America's Living Capital [PDF] A major report from the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology, Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystems, this document represents the original call for a node-based, feature rich structure for the NBII

Week 1

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No. 1
(PDF)

No. 2
(PDF)

Defining Biodiversity--from Genes to Ecosystems (Dunbar)

A basic introduction to population, species and ecosystem biodiversity, the importance of biodiversity and macro-ecology.

Economic and Financial Aspects (Dunbar)

How and why put a value on biodiversity. Biodiversity as a commodity. The relationship between economic development and the loss of biodiversity. Assessments of biodiversity value.

TOOLS--Textbooks and Study Guides

Readings:

• Center for Biodiversity Conservation - American Museum of Natural History: Biodiversity, Science, and the Human Prospect. 1999.

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Biodiversity

• Biodiversity and Conservation: The Web of Life (Field Museum).

Other Resource Links

• Robert Ford's BIOSPHERE links

• GEO Year Book 2007 - Geo2007 - UNEP.net

• Planet in Peril: Atlas of Current Threats to People and the Environment - UNEP.net

• Conservation Ecology : A Publication of the Resilience Alliance  

• Fish & Wildlife Service -

  • International Programs -
  • Endangered Species Program -
  • GIS & Spatial data

Week 2

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No. 3
(PDF)

A) How and Why Biodiversity of the World is Threatened (Dunbar)

Study the Powerpoint No. 5 by Steve Dunbar (PDF).

B) Ecosystem Classification and Measurement of Biodiversity -

C) ESS Approach (Earth System Science)

D) Introduction to International Biogeography

TOOLS--Textbooks and Study Guides

• Robert Ford's BIOSPHERE link

• Stanford -Biodiversity

• AAG - Biogeography Specialty Group -

• The International Biogeography Society - First Announcement for the 2007 IBS Meeting - Canary Islands

• Biodiversity and Conservation-a Hypertext Book by Peter J. Bryant 

• Overview of Life Zones, Biomes, Zoogeographic Provinces (Radford University Biogeography course)

•  Living in the Biosphere (Dwight Brown)

• MSU-CEVL (Computational Ecology Visualization Lab) ESSE Program Powerpoint

Week 3

Top

Major Approaches to Mapping & Classifying Ecosystems and Ecological Regions (Ford)

Virtual Field Trips:

·          Muskegon River Watershed - CEVL

·          Indian Peaks Colorado

·          Pt. Reyes , California

·          Land and Life on the North American Prairie (Ford)

·          Colorado Plateau Ecosystems -LUHNA Project - Land Use History of North America

·          Big Bend National Park, Texas

·          Human-Environment Interaction in the Virunga Mts. Rwanda - Wiley Cases

·          Great Salt Lake Ecosystem - Virtual Fieldtrip (Robert Ford)

·         Saline Lakes & Global Climate Change (Zicus)

·         Envir. Hazards on the U.S. Mexico Border (Hepner)

·      Journey with CARE to Ecuador

Other Resources:

• WildWatch CAMS - Eagle Cams
• Birds & Butterflies & other tracking programs
• Space Today - Satellite Tracking
• Geese from Space
• ARGOS Satellite - Satellite Tracking of Threatened Species
• Ecosystems of Ecuador - Paramo and Inter-Andean Valleys, etc.
• Biodiversity and Conservation: The Web of Life (Field Museum).

California Bio-Resources:

• Wildlife, Fish and Plant Information Programs - California Fish & Game

• Data Resources and Applications - California Information Systems - GIS

• CASIL - California Geographic Information Systems (GIS) portal

• CERES - California Environmental Resources Evaluation System

• VegCAMP - Biogeographic Data Branch - Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program

• California and Atlas of Biodiversity

• BIOS-BIOGEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND OBSERVATION SYSTEM

Resources - Mapping & Classifying Ecosystems and Ecological Regions

• Conservation International - Biodiversity Hotspots

• National Geographic OnlineMapping of Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World - Wild World

• Ecological Regions of North America Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC) - see also EPA (Ecoregions of North Ametrica)

• Ecozones of Canada

• SCGIS – Society for Conservation GIS

• World Atlas of Biodiversity – WCMC (see IMAPS)

• ECOMAP Team, US Forest Service and Bailey's Ecoregions (1995) and Koeppen Climate Types - Climographs and Koppen Climates (used in US Forest Service classification system) - See also - Koppen Hypothetical Continent  

• Critical Ecoregions Program - Sierra Club

• Colorado Plateau Ecosystems -LUHNA Project - Land Use History of North America

• WRI - Pilot Analysis of Global Ecosystems (PAGE): World Resources 2000-2001: People and ecosystems: The fraying web of life

• FAOs Geonetwork

• Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

• NBII Portal - GAP Analysis Portal

• California GAP Analysis Project Home

• GBIF - Global Biodiversity Information Facility

• InfoNatura - Latin America - birds, mammals, Amphibians

• NatureServe - home - Coastal/Marine Systems of North America: Framework for an Ecological Classification Standard > Executive Summary (PDF)

• Earth Trends - Environmental Information Portal - World Resources Institute

• VIVANATURA - Mexico biological information systems database

• INBIO - National Biodiversity Institute - Costa Rica

• W3Tropico - Missouri Botanical Garden

• IABIN-US - Interamerican Biodiversity Information Network (International Node)

• Fish & Wildlife Service -

  • International Programs -
  • Endangered Species Program -
  • GIS & Spatial data

Other Resources:

• Madagascar - vegetation and biogeography

• Tropical forests - Suriname

• French Creek Project - aquatic biodiversity

Week 4 -

(TBA)

Top

No. 4
(PDF)

No. 5
(PDF)

Sustainability - Definitions and applications (PDF)

Health and Biodiversity

• Clark, William C. and Paul J. Crutzen, and Hans J. Schellnhuber. 2005. CID Working Paper No. 120, March 2005. Science for Global Sustainability: Toward a New Paradigm. (PDF document download)

• Kates, Robert W., Thomas M. Parris, and Anthony A. Leiserowitz. 2005. What is Sustainable Development? Goals, Indicators, Values, and Practice. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development 47(3): 8-21. (PDF)

• Long-term trends and a sustainability transition (Robert W. Kates and Thomas M. Parris)

• Introduction to the Human Dimensions of Global Change (AAG)

• CIESIN - ESI (Environmental Sustainability Index)

• Sustainability science forum resources

Case Studies (Choose or find one to review):

-Society for Environmental Education (SEE) - Biodiversity and Human Health -Ecology.org - Online Slide show

-Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment.

-Biodiversity: Its Importance to Human Health (PDF*). A Project of the Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Medical School, under the Auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

-Namibian National Biodiversity Programme - Biodiversity Information System Unit & Avifaunal Database Project

-French Creek Project - aquatic biodiversity

-Flow of Life in the Atmosphere - CEVL - MSU (see Powerpoint)

-PLEC - UNU Project on People Land Management and Ecosystem Conservation.

-Long Range Movement of Organisms, The Gypsy Moth in Michigan - CEVL - Computational Ecology and Visualization Lab - MSU - home

-EnvironSonics Lab - CEVL - Computational Ecology and Visualization Lab - MSU - home

-Frogwatch - all about frogs, educational links, etc.

-Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center - Bird-friendly coffee

-Drylands Goods and Services (African Sahel) - see WRI: 2003. Drylands, people, and ecosystem goods and services: A web-based geospatial analysis. Robin P. White and Janet Nackoney

ECOAGRICULTURE Partners project - see article: PDF] Reconciling Agriculture and Biodiversity

-CBNRM.net Project - Note documents/papers.

Week 5

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No. 6
(PDF)

Approaches to Monitoring Biodiversity - Drylands, Livelihoods and Agriculture (Ford)

• CGIAR-Consortium for Spatial Information

• CGIAR-SIMA (Systemwide Initiative on Malaria and Agriculture)

• CSI-KM - CGIAR Program on Knowledge Management

• Ecoagriculture Partners - homepage (Cornell Working Group)

• Sustainable Agriculture, Biodiversity and Livelihoods - IIED - International Institute of Environment and Development

• Climate change and sustainable livelihoods linkages in poor countries - IIED - International Institute of Environment and Development

• ICRAF (World Agroforestry Center) - a member of CSI-CGIAR

• FAO - Plant Genetic Resources and Food Security and Agricultural Heritage Systems - article

• Impact of Global Change on Agriculture - Iowa State University Global Change course

• CEVL - MSU - Ag. Biodiversity

• World Food Day

• Drylands Goods and Services (WRI)

• W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (LTER Network)

DISCUSSION CASE: The Desertification Convention & Agricultural Biodiversity

**Assignment: MEA - Millennium Ecosystem Assessment -

Overall Synthesis Report.

Desertification Synthesis Report - PDF)

Biodiversity Information Systems - see also WEEK 3 - Mapping/Classifying Ecosystems and Ecological Regions:

Week 6

Top

 No. 8
(PDF)

International Policy: Accountability, Governance and Transparency (Ford)

National and international treaties, conventions, and laws and governance. Sustainable development paradigm in theory and practice.

• Rio Summit (1992)--
• Earth Summit - 2002 (Johannesburg)-
• Agenda 21 - and WSSD (2002) - See also the
• Earth Charter Initiative. Applications of policy and adaptive management in practice, e.g. CRC, USAID, etc.

Resources:

• Multilateral Treaties and Conventions - Tufts University

• ENTRI - Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators (CIESIN)

• Fish & Wildlife Service -

  • International Programs -

  • Endangered Species Program -

• WCMC - International Agreements and Conventions

DISCUSSION CASE: The Global Policy Environment and Decision-making (Ford)

**Assignment: MEA - Millennium Ecosystem Assessment -

Overall Synthesis Report.

Other Readings:

• WEHAB Papers (WSSD)
• UN Chronicle (Kofi Annan)
• Indicators

Select Resources on International Conventions and Agreements:

• Millennium Challenge Corporation - Natural Resource Management Index

• IAC - Interamerican Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles

• CBD - Convention on Biological Diversity - Genetic Resources and Benefit-Sharing

• UNFCCC resources

• CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)

• CAFF - Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna - CBMP - Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program

• TFCA - Tropical Forest Conservation Act - U.S. State Department

• CMS - Convention on Migratory Species

• ASPIRE - Antarctic Treaty Documents

• UNCLOS (ENTRI FullText) - UN Conference on the Law of the Seas (commercial site)

• UNCCD (Desertification)

• RAMSAR - wetlands

• African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA).

• UNESCO World Heritage Convention

Week 7 

Top

No. 7
(PDF)

Marine Biodiversity Issues (Dunbar)

CZM (Coastal Zone Management) links (Robert Ford)

HYDROSPHERE (Limnology & Lakes)

HYDROSPHERE (Marine Science, Aquatic Ecology, Fluvial Systems, Hydrology, Water Quality)

University of Rhode Island (URI), Coastal Resources Center (CRC)

ESSC 575 Modeling Global Change - Honduras Field Research

DISCUSSION CASE: Marine Biodiversity e.g. Reefs at Risk, Ocean Policy (Dunbar)

**Reading Assignment (Blackboard):

Global Threats to Coral Reefs - Chapter 1: Global Threats to Coral Reefs: Coral Bleaching, Global Climate Change, Disease, Predator Plagues, and Invasive Species.(PDF): Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2004--Vol 1 (full document PDF) - Jeremy Goldberg and Clive Wilkinson.

Other Resources:

University of Rhode Island (URI), Coastal Resources Center (CRC) - TCMP (Tanzania Coastal Management Partnership) Project

PISCO - Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans

Status of South West Pacific Corals - SIDSNET - Small Island Developing States Network

ReefBase - World Fish Center

International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI)

Coral Reef Degradation in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO)

Global Climate Change - CMRC - Coastal and Marine Resources Center - EPA Climate Change Fellowship - Systematic Observations in Support of Climate Change

Week 8 

Top

No. 9
(PDF)

Trade Issues and Market Incentives for Valuing and Paying for Biodiversity (Dunbar & Ford)

·        IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Parks and Preserves management

·        Diane Fossey Gorilla Fund International and Mountain Gorilla Protection: A Geomatics Approach

·         Mountain Tourism, and the Conservation of Biological and Cultural Diversity - Practices for Linking Conservation with Enterprise - Mountain Forum - mountain regions/ecosystems (virtual library)

·         Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center ("bird-friendly" shade coffee) - see also below:

·         Dominican Republic Coffee website

·         USGS-EDC: Coffee Mapping and certification (Peru)

·         M & M Mars/Starbucks and "Fair Trade" issues (Organic Consumers Association)

Resources:

• Carbon Sequestration of crops - see USGS-EDC - carbon sequestration

• Video: Belize--Carbon Payments--the CDM (Climate Treaty) "Clean Development Mechanism"

• Ecotourism - Conservation International

• Ecotourism Success Stories - SIDS - Small Island Developing States Network

• Geography of Sustainable Tourism - Study Group - International Geographical Union

• Debt-for-nature Swaps and other market incentives

Assigned Readings:

Ecosystem Services (PDF) : Benefits Supplied to Human Societies by Natural Ecosystems (Ecological Society of America)

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES: Benefits Supplied to Human Societies by Natural Ecosystems

Do We Still Need Nature?
The Importance of Biological Diversity (Tony Janetos - WRI)

The Value of the World's Ecosystem Services
and Natural Capital - by Robert Costanza

Week 9 - Nov. 30

Top

Values and Ethics in Biodiversity Management (Dunbar & Ford)

DISCUSSION CASE: Ethics and Values in Biodiversity and Conservation

Heide, Gale. 1998. This is My Father's World. A Unique Perspective on Environmental Ethics. Joy Publishing. BUY THIS BOOK HERE.

Week 10 

Top

Group Presentations - Student Projects:

Powerpoint Overview of your paper - December 5.

Week 11

Final Papers & revised Powerpoint Due 5:00 pm December 14 posted on BLACKBOARD

LAST DAY (Wednesday December 12, 2007)