About Course
European Green Deal highlights the importance of a healthy natural capital for the social and economic development in Europe. In the African continent, which social and economic development is crucial for the achievement of the UN SDGs, a wise management of the natural capital is the essential pre-requisite for any perspective of development. Africa is a hotspot of biodiversity, hosting some of the most endangered animal species and ecosystems types. Therefore, preserving and wisely manage natural resources, both the abiotic and biotic ones, is a major priority and challenge, facing with the increasing anthropogenic and climate change pressures on biodiversity, ecosystem functions, services and natural capital. Increasing awareness of young African generation on the importance of the natural capital as an opportunity for social and economic development and introducing them to the basic knowledge on natural capital conservation, as both abiotic and biotic natural resources, is essential to boost sustainable development of the African continent.
The proposed course aims at connecting young students to the ecology and environmental science, making them citizen scientists and advocate of natural resource conservation and wise management and exploitation in their respective countries. The course is organized giving to the students an introduction on natural resources, i.e., the natural capital, which services are made available by ecosystems to the local populations, and the basic knowledge on ecosystems’ structure, internal dynamics, functioning, service delivering and their responses to natural and anthropogenic perturbations. The course is also introducing students to the technologies for monitoring ecosystems and natural capital dynamics and supporting their conservation, protection and recovery, when both required and feasible in a long-time perspective. The course is close with the discussion of a few study cases, showing to the student the strength and weakness points of a few practical applications of the principle of biological and ecological conservation to natural capital in different typology of ecosystems.
Prof. Alberto Basset
Curriculum
- 3.1 - The biosphere and its biomes
- 3.2 - The biosphere and its biomes
- 3.3 - The biosphere and its biomes
- 3.4 - The biosphere and its biomes
- 04 - Ecosystems: history and meaning of the concept
- 5.1 - Definition and structure of ecosystem
- 5.2 - Energy flow in ecosystems
- 5.3 - Trophic relationships
- 5.4 - Ecological pyramids and ecological succession
- 6.1 - Ecosystems properties and stability
- 6.2 - Biodiversity and ecosystem stability
- 6.3 - Ecosystem functions and services
- 6.4 - Key issues and sustainability
- 7.1 - The biotic components of ecosystems: from individuals to community (part 1)
- 7.2 - The biotic components of ecosystems: from individuals to community (part 1)
- 7.3 - The biotic components of ecosystems: from individuals to community (part 1)
- 7.4 - The biotic components of ecosystems: from individuals to community (part 1)
- 8.1 - The biotic components of ecosystems: from individuals to community (part 2)
- 8.2 - The biotic components of ecosystems: from individuals to community (part 2)
- 8.3 - The biotic components of ecosystems: from individuals to community (part 2)
- 8.4 - The biotic components of ecosystems: from individuals to community (part 2)
- 9.1 - The abiotic components of ecosystems and their role
- 9.2 - The abiotic components of ecosystems and their role
- 9.3 - The abiotic components of ecosystems and their role
- 9.4 - The abiotic components of ecosystems and their role
- 10.1 - Intraspecific interaction and biological evolution
- Copy of 10 - Intraspecific interaction and biological evolution
- Copy of 10 - Intraspecific interaction and biological evolution
- Copy of 10 - Intraspecific interaction and biological evolution
- 11 - Interspecific interaction and species coexistence
- 12 - Coexistence mechanisms and community organization
- 13.1 - Taxonomic and functional biodiversity in ecosystems: basic concepts
- 13.2 - Taxonomic and functional biodiversity in ecosystems: Measures of taxonomic biodiversity
- 13.3 - Functional biodiversity: basic concepts
- 13.4 - Functional biodiversity: basic concepts
- 14.1 - Trophic structure of ecosystems: food webs and their stability - Evolution of food web theory
- 14.2 - Trophic structure of ecosystems: food webs and their stability - Representation of food webs
- 14.3 - Trophic structure of ecosystems: food webs and their stability - Methods for the study of food webs
- 14.4 - Trophic structure of ecosystems: food webs and their stability - Complexity of food webs and their stability
- 15.1 - Photosynthesis and production of organic matter
- 15.2 - Photosynthesis and production of organic matter
- 15.3 - Photosynthesis and production of organic matter
- 15.4 - Photosynthesis and production of organic matter
- 16 - Organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling (part 1)
- 17 - Organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling (part 1)
- 18 - Ecosystem goods and services
- 19 - Valuing ecosystem services and human well-being
- 20 - Anthropogenic pressures on natural resources and natural capital
- 21 - Natural resource conservation strategies
- 22 -The principle of no-regression for natural capital and ecosystem services
- 23.1 - Legal principles and directives for biodiversity and natural resource conservation (Part 1) - Loss of biodiversity and the role of law
- 23.2 - Legal principles and directives for biodiversity and natural resource conservation (Part 1) - International agreements and the Biodiversity Convention of 1992
- 23.3 - Legal principles and directives for biodiversity and natural resource conservation (Part 1) - The main norms of the Biodiversity Convention
- 23.4 - Legal principles and directives for biodiversity and natural resource conservation (Part 1) - The concrete application of the Biodiversity Convention
- 24.1 - Legal principles and directives for biodiversity and natural resource conservation (Part 2)
- 24.2 - Legal principles and directives for biodiversity and natural resource conservation (Part 2)
- 24.3 - Legal principles and directives for biodiversity and natural resource conservation (Part 2)
- 24.4 - Legal principles and directives for biodiversity and natural resource conservation (Part 2)
- 25.1 - Legal principles and directives for biodiversity and natural resource conservation (Part 3)
- 25.2 - Legal principles and directives for biodiversity and natural resource conservation (Part 3)
- 25.3 - Legal principles and directives for biodiversity and natural resource conservation (Part 3)
- 25.4 - Legal principles and directives for biodiversity and natural resource conservation (Part 3)
- 30.1 - Mapping the status of natural resources through remote sensing
- 30.2 - Mapping the status of natural resources through remote sensing
- 30.3 - Mapping the status of natural resources through remote sensing
- 30.4 - Mapping the status of natural resources through remote sensing
- 31 - Practical exercitation with geo-spatial software
- 32 - Digital technology to enhance the quality and efficiency of data collection and analysis
- 33.1 - Digital technology to empower local and global communities to be engaged in conservation efforts - Digital technology
- 33.2 - Digital technology to empower local and global communities to be engaged in conservation efforts - Local communities to global community
- 33.3 - Digital technology to empower local and global communities to be engaged in conservation efforts - Engagement of local communities
- 33.4 - Digital technology to empower local and global communities to be engaged in conservation efforts - Engagement of global communities
- 34 - Digital technology to aid real-time decision making
- 35 - Conservation case study on forest ecosystems
- 36 - Conservation case study on savana ecosystems
- 37.1 - Lake ecosystems: conservation
- 37.2 - Lake ecosystems: threats
- 37.3 - Lake ecosystems: actions to perform
- 37.4 - Lake ecosystems: case studies
- 38.1 - Conservation case study on river ecosystems: conservation
- 38.2 - Conservation case study on river ecosystems: threaths
- 38.3 - Conservation case study on river ecosystems: Nile river
- 38.4 - Conservation case study on river ecosystems: examples
- 39 - Conservation case study on marine ecosystems