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PLANT CONSERVATION
GIANNI BEDINI
Academic year2019/20
CourseCONSERVATION AND EVOLUTION
Code382EE
Credits6
PeriodSemester 2
LanguageItalian

ModulesAreaTypeHoursTeacher(s)
PLANT CONSERVATIONBIO/02LEZIONI56
GIANNI BEDINI unimap
Obiettivi di apprendimento
Learning outcomes
Conoscenze

Poiché il corso si tiene in inglese, il programma è disponibile esclusivamente in lingua inglese.

Knowledge

theoretical and practical bases for monitoring plant diversity; current theory and practice of plant diversity conservation; advantages and disadvantages of protected areas, seed banks and botanic gardens as conservation tools; international and local organisations involved in in situ and ex situ plant conservation; main international and national agreements and legislation about plant conservation.

Assessment criteria of knowledge

Final oral exam

Skills

students will learn how to monitor plant diversity, what are the best practices in plant conservation, what programmes on what species can be carried out in protected areas, botanic gardens and seed banks, what institutions should be involved in conservation projects, and what are the legal obligations for plant conservation.

Assessment criteria of skills

Final oral exam

Behaviors

Become aware that plant conservation provides an interface between academic teaching and conservation-oriented institutions like protected areas and botanic gardens.

Assessment criteria of behaviors

Final oral exam

Prerequisites

Working knowledge of general and systematic botany, with emphasis on adaptations, floral traits and characters of main families of the Italian vascular flora.

Syllabus

Definitions of plant diversity. Patterns of plant diversity distribution. Monitoring plant diversity for conservation. Why conserve plant diversity: economic uses, ecosystem services, legal obligations. Threats to biodiversity.

Theory of plant conservation. In situ conservation of species and habitats. Legal obligations for in situ conservation. Priority lists for habitats and conservation: Habitat Directive. A classification of threatened species: the red lists. Main organisations for in situ conservation. Conservation in a fragmented context: inspiration from the island biogeography theory. Ex situ conservation of species. Legal obligations for ex situ conservation. Main organisation for ex situ conservation. Closing the gap between ex situ and in situ: habitat restoration, introduction, reintroduction, reinforcement. Conservation psychology. Practical lessons will include visit to Botanic Gardens; visit to protected areas and evaluation of threats to biodiversity. Practical experience in habitat conservation in protected areas. Seed bank activities for ex situ conservation and reintroduction projects

Bibliography
  1. Sodhi N.S., Ehrlich P.R., 2010. Conservation Biology for all. Oxford University Press (available online at http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199554249.do)
  2. Primack R.B., Carotenuto L., 2003. Conservazione della natura. Zanichelli, Bologna.
  3. Hambler C., Canney S.C., 2013. Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, New York.
  4. Zuccarini P., Aguilella A., Bedini G., 2015. Spatial and temporal variation of community composition and species cover following dune restoration in the Devesa de Albufera (Valencia, Spain). Plant Biosystems, in press, doi: 10.1080/11263504.2015.1012134 

Other material will be available from the class' E-learning page

Non-attending students info

Teaching material will be available on the E-learnin page.

Assessment methods

Final oral exam

Updated: 12/12/2019 16:39