Ecosystems, Impacts, and Governance

This unit examines biological diversity, ecosystem structure, energy and matter flows, and the multiple human activities that threaten or sustain natural systems. Students investigate pollution, resource extraction, energy options, and policy/ethical responses (including international conventions and indigenous perspectives) to prepare for applied management and conservation work in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze how evolution, species interactions, and biome characteristics determine biodiversity and ecosystem structure using examples from lessons on natural selection, biomes, and trophic transfers
• Evaluate the causes, pathways, and ecological and human-health consequences of human-driven impacts (air and water pollution, persistent organic pollutants, greenhouse gases, land-use change, and resource extraction) using case studies such as ozone depletion and urbanization
• Apply principles of energy and matter transfer, resource accounting, and uncertainty quantification to compare sustainability trade-offs among resource and energy choices (e.g., biofuels, hydropower, mining, and agricultural practices)
• Demonstrate the ability to compare and synthesize conservation and governance approaches—international agreements (CITES, Convention on Biological Diversity), economic frameworks, waste management strategies, and indigenous perspectives—to develop context-appropriate solutions for biodiversity and resource challenges