Course summary

Biodiversity underpins a range of ecosystem services which support our social and economic health and well-being, yet the World is facing global crises of biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. If you have a passion for wildlife conservation and want to make a difference to the quality of the environment we leave for future generations both in the UK and internationally this is the course for you. The programme is founded on the study of ecological science: the interactions between species, their physical environment and humans; and its application to the conservation and management of wildlife. Key aspects focus on the ecology of protected species, animal behaviour, practical habitat management, ecological assessment of planning projects, and managing the ecological impacts of population growth, food production, land management and the climate crisis. Students will also develop professional skills in species identification, field survey techniques, data management, and project management. These topics will be underpinned by a sound knowledge of how key international and national legislation applies to practical conservation of species and habitats at home and abroad. Each year of the programme includes fieldwork and there is a residential field course in every year. There are international field courses in the second and final year. The final year course is currently in South Africa, while the L5 course will be in Europe. These residential field courses are supplemented by a wide range of field trips to local sites to contextualise material introduced in lectures and seminars. The programme has a strong applied focus using standard industry techniques underpinned by science. Industry best practice has been driven by technological advances in remote sensing, eDNA, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and GIS. The application of these technologies is embedded in the course to promote the conservation of wildlife. The university is situated in a rural location with easy access to the countryside of Cheshire and Shropshire, including the Meres and Mosses and the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The university also has its own estate of 400ha including a range of agricultural and semi-natural habitats. The estate and local sites are used in the course for site visits and practical exercises. This course is built on a long history of related courses, taught by staff with a wide range of academic and professional expertise. A version of this course with a placement year is also available.