Programme info

Micro-credential: Biodiversity Restoration

Study load: 6 ECTS credits
Language of instruction: English
Location: Campus Drie Eiken
Faculty: Faculty of Science

Course content

The first halve of the course consists of a number of theoretical lectures that frequently makes use of real-life examples (3 credits).

The second halve of the course consists of the practical aspects of biodiversity restoration that will be visited during excursion days (3 credits).

In this second part we will be performing hands-on restoration actions of several different habitat types (forests, heathlands, grasslands, mires, specific populations of endangered species). We will focus attention on do’s and don’ts of restoration actions with particular focus on maintaining soil integrity, hydrological integrity, intensive care of relic populations of endangered species and climate-adaptive restoration.

We will also focus on different methods of restoration actions including manual and machinal labor and when to apply what method depending on habitat type, presence of relic and cryptic populations and climatic conditions. Furthermore, we will place particular emphasize on restoration in a phased approach.

We will learn monitoring methods to assess restoration success including plant population health assessment using matrix population modelling approach and insect population health using standardized tracking.

Finally, we will apply and monitor different approaches of restoration actions in an long-term experimental design that can be used as a template for restoration actions in the future and as output to identify the best restoration approaches.

Learning outcomes

This micro-credential focuses on the following learning outcomes.

1. The participant understands the basic principles of restoration ecology and is able to differentiate between restoration and conservation of biodiversity. Conservation of biodiversity is a topic of the course “Biodiversity Conservation”.

2. The participant understands and is able to quantify the differing mechanisms of (terrestrial) biodiversity decline including, but not limited to, land use changes, habitat loss and fragmentation, eutrophication, acidification, hydrology and climate change.

3. The participant understands that biodiversity restoration integrates all aspects of biological, ecological and environmental sciences and operates in concert at vastly different levels (e.g. site and population level, landscape level, global level) and that every level requires different approaches to biodiversity restoration, some of which very difficult to attain.

4. The participant is capable of formulating the necessary environmental and population restoration actions to rehabilitate and/or remediate the causes of biodiversity decline based on environmental and biodiversity characteristics of different habitats. These actions need to be formulated in specific stepwise approaches with respect to the sensitivity of highly endangered populations.

5. The participant is able to recognize degraded ecosystems and is able to reconstruct original ecosystem functioning and biodiversity based on historical data, environmental data, climatological data and landscape processes.

6. The participant is able to identify appropriate restoration actions for differing ecosystems based on original ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. In this context, the participant is also able to formulate alternatives for restoration actions based on desired targets and attainable goals in the context of global change (land use change, climate change, changes in nutrient cycles, restoration efforts, societal context, …)

7. Based on the general principles of landscape ecology, the participant can apply metapopulation theory, genetic erosion and Allee-effects of small populations to hierarchically quantify the priorities and necessity for restoration actions.

8. The participant understands that successful biodiversity restoration is dependent on understanding how a landscape is made up and can identify the factors influencing landscape functioning on the success of biodiversity restoration.

9. The participant is able to identify historical and contemporary anthropogenic influences (and changes in that influence) that differentiate between natural, semi-natural and anthropogenic ecosystems and is able to formulate when anthropogenic intervention remains necessary or under what conditions and to what extent naturally functioning ecosystems can be restored.

10. The participant is able to apply their knowledge to make a restoration plan using an integrated landscape ecological study of a specific (destroyed) habitat with its specific (lost) biodiversity that is followed by a concise and applicable restoration vision. This restoration plan must also differentiate between readily applicable actions and actions that need long-term environmental restoration.

11. The participant is able to put theory into practice at several restoration sites, performs real-life restoration actions of different habitat types, monitor and evaluates success of restoration actions and applies and monitors long-term experimental restoration schemes.

Practical organisation

Interactive class contact teaching that stimulates critical and independent thinking
• Lectures (at least 6 classes of 2 hours)
• Practice sessions (3x 2 days)
• Collaboratively working out restoration actions using students’ own insights
Personal study
Field excursions and practical work in the field

• The course is only possible to follow if students are able to attend at least 75% of classes. Classes are highly interactive which means many of the necessary skills can’t be acquired through distance learning or lecture recordings.
• The field excursions are mandatory.

Evaluation

• Exam - Oral exam with written preparation (part 1)
• Continuous assessment during interactive classes and excursions (part 1 and part 2)
• Pass/Fail (part 2)

Assessment criteria:
Part 1: You are able to apply the above stipulated learning outcomes to assess or make a restoration plan of a specific (destroyed) habitat with its specific (lost) biodiversity that is followed by a concise and applicable restoration vision. This restoration plan must also differentiate between readily applicable actions and actions that need long-term environmental restoration and must take into account when anthropogenic intervention remains necessary or under what conditions and to what extent naturally functioning ecosystems can be restored.

Part 2: You actively take part in the hands-on restoration actions of several different habitat types. Any and all initiative for input of potential alternative methods and improvement upon methods is highly welcomed. You are able to answer questions on the do’s and don’ts of restoration actions with particular focus on maintaining soil integrity, hydrological integrity, intensive care of relic populations of endangered species and climate-adaptive restoration. You are able to answer questions on different methods of restoration actions including manual and machinal labor and when to apply what method. You are able to answer questions on monitoring methods and potential experimental designs for restoration actions. The answers to the questions will then be formulated as a set of take-home-messages.