Course Dates & Live Sessions:
This course is offered continually and can be taken at any time and according to your own schedule. There is no closing date for applications as this is a self-paced course.
Course Introduction:
Today, species in the wild face increasing threats and challenges, such as habitat loss and climate change, that reduce and fragment wild populations. For many taxa, intensive population management may be required to ensure short-term viability while concurrent efforts are made to reduce or eliminate threats driving species decline. To prevent further decline (or extinction) and achieve population recovery, we need to consider all potential conservation options and partners – a concept known as the One Plan approach. Ex situ conservation assessment (ECA) enables in situ and ex situ experts to evaluate if and how ex situ management should be a recommended component of a comprehensive conservation plan for a species. This process can be applied to all taxa (flora, fauna and fungi), regardless of current or historical ex situ management, and can be used to inform single or multi-species conservation or collection planning. The IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) led the development of the IUCN SSC Guidelines for the Use of Ex Situ Management for Species Conservation, published in 2014. ECA applies this five-step decision process to evaluate the value, feasibility and appropriateness of ex situ activities for the conservation of a species.
Learning Outcomes:
This course will equip participants with an understanding of how to conduct an ex situ conservation assessment as part of conservation or collection planning.
By the end, participants will be able to:
-Apply the IUCN SSC Guidelines for the Use of Ex Situ Management for Species Conservation.
-Describe the broad diversity of potential ex situ conservation roles.
-Evaluate the value, feasibility, and risks of potential ex situ activities for a species.
-Design an ex situ assessment process that meets the conservation planning needs for the species.
Course Format:
This online course (delivered through www.conservationtraining.org) consists of pre-recorded lectures, reading materials, and problem solving activities along with pre-recorded presentations by conservation practitioners around the globe to share their experiences. A knowledge check is provided at the end of each module.
Costs:
The cost for participating in this course is US $300. This does not reflect the true cost or value of this training as CPSG is committed to reducing financial barriers to training that will benefit threatened species worldwide. This is currently possible only due to the support received from the Global Conservation Network, (GCN) a group of committed institutions and individuals who support CPSG work. If you or your organization would like to consider becoming a GCN donor, or if you would like to learn more about CPSG, please contact: [email protected]. A limited number of scholarships are available for this course. If you would like to discuss this opportunity, or have other questions, please contact: [email protected]
Course Duration:
The course is comprised of seven modules, with 2-4 hours of work per module, depending on how quickly you work through the material. Estimated total time commitment is about 20 hours to complete the course.
Certification:
Participants successfully completing the course will receive a Certificate of Completion. Those going further to apply the skills to their work can be considered for a Certificate of Reflective Practice (additional assessment criteria apply).
Application:
To apply, please fill out the application form found on the left by clicking 'Apply Here'
For further information contact:
Jamie Copsey at [email protected]