CONSERVATION PLANNING Faculty Advisor: Frank Davis (1st and 2nd years) Specialization DescriptionConservation planning is concerned with societal activities to protect productive ecological systems, conserve native biological diversity and associated ecological and evolutionary processes, and maintain wild species of special interest. Conservation includes a diverse array of policy and management approaches (e.g., zoning, ex-situ and in-situ nature reserves, conservation easements, adaptive ecosystem management) and engages a wide range of disciplinary perspectives. Interdisciplinary research in systematic conservation planning is concerned with theory and techniques to improve the scientific basis of planning and the cost-effectiveness of conservation and management actions. The conservation planning specialization will teach students to assess and develop effective strategies for conserving, managing and restoring wild populations and ecosystems in a landscape and regional context. Conservation Planning students will be well grounded in the fields of population and community ecology, landscape ecology, conservation biology, and conservation planning with training in ecological inventory and monitoring, data analysis, mapping, and modeling. They will also learn about the regulatory and policy framework surrounding issues such as land use planning, endangered species protection and wetlands restoration. Potential employers for these students include domestic and international public agencies, NGOs and private firms involved in environmental planning, natural resource conservation, environmental impact and risk analysis, as well as endangered species recovery and habitat restoration. |
Course Work
We recommend that CP students take the following three classes:
ESM 211: Applied Population Ecology ESM 215: Landscape Ecology ESM 270:
Conservation Planning & Priority Setting
One of the following is also recommended:
ESM 212:
Biological Community Survey & Analysis
ESM 217:
Environmental Restoration
CP students should develop strong technical skills and consider taking at least one of the following classes:
ESM 232:
Environmental Modeling
ESM 261:
Management of Scientific Data
ESM 263:
GIS
ESM 266:
Remote Sensing
Geog 210C:
Geographical Data Analysis Geog 277:
Spatial Environmental Modeling Geog 278:
Practice of Geostatistical Modeling of Spatial Data Geog 296:
Technical Issues in GIS EEMB 278:
Statistical Methods in Field Ecology
We recommend that you take at least two classes to understand the economics and policy issues associated
with resource management and conservation. Although there are many more, a few possiblities are:
ESM 242:
Natural Resources Economics and Policy
ESM 243:
Natural Resources Economics and Policy
ESM 245:
Cost Benefit Analysis and Non Market Valuation
ESM 275:
Principles and Practice of Environmental Planning
ESM 280:
Organizations and Environmental Leadership
ESM 283:
Environmental Negotiation
Geog 242:
Land Use - Land Cover Change
There are a number of other Bren courses that may be valuable for CP students. In particular, they may
want to take some courses that focus on water resources and/or toxicology. Some possibilities include:
ESM 219/219L: Microbial Processes in the Environment ESM 222: Fate and Transport of Pollutants ESM 224: Sustainable Watershed Quality Management ESM 235: Watershed Analysis ESM 237: Climate Change Impacts on Hydrology and Ecology ESM 260:
Applied Marine Ecology
There are a number of courses in other departments that may be of value for students pursuing a
CP program of study. A few possibilities include:
EEMB 119:
Resources Ecology & Management of California Wild land Ecosystems EEMB 214: Global Change Ecology EEMB 222: Experimental Design Workshop EEMB 225: Dynamics of Ecological Systems EEMB 228: Ecological Constraints to Ecosystem Restoration EEMB 228RE: Restoration Ecology Seminar EEMB 230: Population Genetics EEMB 245: Advanced Population Biology EEMB 276/276L: Advanced Biostatistics EEMB 259: Tropical Ecology EEMB 279: Modeling Environmental and Ecological Change EEMB 295A: Soils and Ecoystems Geog 272: Advanced Topics in Biogeography Geog 291: Optimization Models for Geographic Problems.
The following variable topic courses may also provide curriculum opportunities of value for CP students:
ESM 294, 296, 297 & 299:
Advanced Special Topics in Environmental Science and Management
ESM 430 & 436 Workshops in Environmental Science and Mangement ESM 437: Writing for Environmental Professionals ESM 595A-Z: Seminars/Group Studies in Environmental Science and Management
Sample Programs of Study
Example I Example II
• Landscape Ecology • Applied Population Ecology • Conservation Planning • Biol. Community Survey & Analysis • Remote Sensing• GIS • Modeling Env. and Ecol. Change • Natural Resource Econ & Policy • Organizations and Env. Leadership • Advanced Topics in Env. Law • Seminar in Applied Ecology |
• ESM 215: Landscape Ecology • ESM 211: Applied Population Ecology • ESM 270: Conservation Planning • ESM 212: Biol. Community Survey & Analysis • ESM 232: Environmental Modeling • ESM 224: Sustain. Watershed Qual. Mgmt. • ESM 235: Watershed Analysis • ESM 283: Environmental Negotiation • ESM 237: Climate Change Impacts on Hydrology and Ecology |
Example III Example IV
• Landscape Ecology • Applied Population Ecology • Conservation Planning • Restoration Ecology • Mgmt. of Scientific Data • GIS • Environmental Policy Analysis • Cost Benefit Analysis • Technical Issues in GIS • Optimization Models of Geographic Problems |
• Landscape Ecology • Applied Population Ecology • Conservation Planning • Restoration Ecology • Princ. & Practice of Env Planning • GIS • Environmental Negotiation • Survey Design and Environmental Public Opinion • Advanced Topics in Environmental Mgmt. • Land Use - Land Cover Change
|
Career Opportunities
The following are examples of organizations that seek CP graduates:
| Public Agencies | Private Companies | Non-Governmental Organizations |
| International World Bank Federal U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service USDA Forest Service BLM State DNRs Heritage Programs EPAs Forestry and Range Departments Transportation Departments Fish and Game Land and Water Conservation Programs State Conservancies Public Utilities County and Local Planning and Development Departments |
Land Developers Timber Companies Oil and Gas Companies Mining Companies Energy Companies Environmental Consulting Firms Specializing in:
|
The Nature Conservancy Trust for Public Lands Conservation International Defenders of Wildlife American Farmland Trust |
MESM