Applied Ecology

Course Overview

In recent years, governmental policies have sought to integrate this ecological awareness in the economic decisions that are taken and in the evolution of societies. Moreover, this evolution at the decision level is accompanied by a change in the practices and daily gestures of the citizens of our planet. In this crucial evolution of human society, the European Community has played and continues to play an important role and its leadership is recognized worldwide. The Master of Science in Applied Ecology offers an integrated European course which adresses the global task of applying ecological knwoledge to protect and sustain environmental entities. The competences mediated cover among others the understanding of human-related or natural disturbances and being able to carry out ecological diagnostics; Understanding the dynamics and functions in temperate continental and aquatic ecosystems; Understanding the consequences of global change on the equilibrium of ecosystems; Understanding the risks in population dynamics, biodiversity impoverishment and interspecific relationships. The competences acquired in this kind of professional programme can be assets in the realisation of a wide variety of ecological projects throughout the world, especially those carried out in developing countries, which are committed to positive environmental policy. The consortium involves 4 universities with a wide-range leadership in ecology: the University of Poitiers (UP) in France (Coordinator), the University of Coimbra (UC) in Portugal, the Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel (CAU) in Germany and the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich, UK. These universities have been working together for many decades on various research projects and these valuable ties have also led to exchanges of undergraduate or graduate students and invited researchers.