OVERVIEW

The course deals with issues related to the management and conservation of the Earth's resources. Particular attention is paid to environmental alterations produced by man, to problems deriving from pollution and to the concept of sustainable development.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide students with the knowledge necessary to achieve a sustainable management of ecosystems and therefore to ensure an exploitation of ecosystems by mankind that does not affect their characteristics and functionality. In this context, students will learn the principles for the conservation of species and ecosystems and how to achieve this goal within the contemporary ecological challenges to which the biosphere is exposed (e.g. climate change, extinction, resource scarcity)

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students will learn the basic tools to interpret the phenomena of the biosphere with an ecological approach and, to this end, will acquire in-depth skills regarding the basic concepts of ecology and applied ecology. Through the path developed within the teaching, they will know how to interpret ecological phenomena in a system way, then framing the ecological dynamics in terms of relationships between the components that constitute them, at different hierarchical levels and at different spatial and temporal scales.
Particular relevance will be given to the interpretation of the mutual interactions between nature and man and the interpretation of the consequences thereof related, contextualizing the issues related to all levels of biological organization both at energy and evolutionary levels and in wider socio-economic areas. 
Moreover, thanks to the tools provided during the course they will be able to carry out assessments on the management of ecosystems, understand whether human activities, existing production processes or territorial management interventions are effective and sustainable and formulate management guidelines and scenarios for the conservation and protection of ecosystems, territorial management or the implementation of productive activities.
In the classroom, students will be confronted with the use of techniques and practical tools to achieve these goals, becoming familiar with them. At the end of the course, they will be able to understand, evaluate and analyze the complex dynamics that characterize nature conservation faced with the great environmental and conservation challenges.

PREREQUISITES

Knowledge of the basics (concepts and vocabulary) of ecology

TEACHING METHODS

The course includes lectures with the active participation of the class members
 

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Basic definitions: ecology, applied ecology, conservation ecology
Systems theory
Energy flows in ecosystems
Environmental sustainability, concepts and definitions
History of sustainability
Weak and strong sustainability
Ecological economics
Natural capital and ecosystem services and services
Sustainable development goals
Biophysical and systemic tools for the assessment of sustainability and for the calculation of natural capital and ecosystem services: emerging analysis, ecological footprint, CO2 balance, ISEW
Reading and interpreting basic ecology concepts in the light of the skills learned

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Herman E. Daly, Joshua Farley. Ecological Economics, Second Edition: Principles and Applications. Island Press
• Herman e. Daly. Beyond growth: the economics of sustainable development. Beacon press
• Herman e. Daly. An introduction to ecological economics, second edition. Crc press
• Robert Costanza, John H Cumberland, Herman Daly, Robert Goodland, Richard B Norgaard, Ida Kubiszewski, Carol Franco. Ecological economics and sustainable development: selected essays of herman daly (advances in ecological economics). Edward elgar publishing

Literature will be available on Aulaweb

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Please check detailed timetable at the following link: https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti/

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam is an oral test

ASSESSMENT METHODS

during the exam will be verified the learning of concepts and methodologies presented and tested in class

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Professor Sara Ferrando (sara.ferrando@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.