Keele Badge

ESC-40121 - Module Specification
School of Life Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences

For academic year: 2025/26 Last Updated: 04 December 2025

ESC-40121 - Key Topics in Conservation Ecology
Coordinator: Christian Devenish
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 7
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 734414

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

You will study the principles underpinning ecology and conservation and apply these throughout the module in workshops, addressing the needs of current key issues faced by practitioners. You will develop critical thinking, team working and project management skills through application.

Aims
This module aims to develop an advanced level of skill, knowledge and understanding in the practical and theoretical application of ecology and conservation principles through lectures, lab exercises, workshops and visits.

Intended Learning Outcomes

demonstrate critical awareness and detailed knowledge of current key issues in ecology and conservation: 1
explain core ecological and conservation approaches at the forefront of the discipline and how they are applied in various contexts and at different scales: 1
critically reflect on theoretically underpinned and evidence-based practice and how disciplines combine in applied ecology and conservation: 1

Study hours

20 hrs: 10 x 2hr lectures or class workshops
16 hrs: 2 field visits
4 hrs: tutorials or drop-in sessions
40 hrs: 20 x 2hr directed reading
70 hrs: assessment preparation and independent study, including:
- Assessment preparation
- Literature search for assessment
- Additional data search for assessment
- Writing assessment


School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Report weighted 100%
Problem solving in conservation ecology
3,500 word report to tackle a conservation ecology problem, chosen from a list of options, which will involve a mixture of literature review, critical thinking and analysis of secondary data.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 04 December 2025