International Wildlife Conservation Practice

Study mode:On campus Study type:Full-time Languages: English
Local:$ 14 k / Year(s) Foreign:$ 14 k / Year(s) Deadline: Jun 16, 2024
1 place StudyQA ranking:4897 Duration:1 year

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The Recanati-Kaplan Centre Postgraduate Diploma in International Wildlife Conservation Practice will equip you with the practical skills and theoretical understanding needed to contribute effectively to conservation research and action in the developing world.

You will benefit from the high calibre teaching and research at the world-renowned University of Oxford, a centre of academic excellence. The course is delivered by the Department of Zoology’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), which has been active in conservation research and practice for more than two decades, growing out of the Department’s pioneering history of ecological research. The course is made possible by a donation from the Recanati-Kaplan Foundation, and benefits from our collaborations with the University of Oxford’s Department for Continuing Education (DCE), and Lady Margaret Hall. For a list of more DCE courses in the environmental sciences, please click here.

The Diploma is suitable for those already working in conservation, and also for recent graduates, provided they have gained field experience during the course of their first degree. Although a degree in an appropriate natural science is normally required, we may make an exception if you can demonstrate equivalent accomplishment and aptitude for field-based conservation, and the potential to study at postgraduate level.

The full time, seven month residential course runs from March to September each year, and is preceded by one month of distance learning. The residential component consists of taught courses (4 months) and independent research on two projects (3 months).

This unique post-graduate diploma will equip you with the practical skills and theoretical understanding to enable you to contribute effectively to conservation research and action in the developing world.

The full program specification is available to read here.

You will study the following five modules, under two principles:

Principle 1 – Ecology, population biology and habitats

  • Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour
  • Species and Biodiversity Monitoring
  • Population Management
  • Habitat Assessment

Principle 2 – Conservation as an interdisciplinary field

  • Human Populations/Actions and Conservation

You will also learn transferable skills throughout the course.

ECOLOGY, POPULATION BIOLOGY AND HABITATS

Common themes

  • Use of the scientific method, quantitative analysis and hypothesis testing in conservation science
  • Statistics and computer-based modeling
  • Critical appraisal of science and conservation action

Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour

  • Predator, prey and community ecology
  • Behaviour and socio-ecology, including radio-tracking and dietary analysis
  • Species and Biodiversity Monitoring  Species and individual identification
  • Species/population monitoring techniques using sign, audio and visual recording, including camera-trapping
  • Trapping, handling and animal welfare
  • Distance sampling

Population Management

  • The role of genetics in conservation
  • Emerging diseases
  • The impact and management of invasive species

Habitat Assessment

  • Practical skills in habitat assessment, including Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS), creating maps and analysing spatial data

CONSERVATION AS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY FIELD

Human Populations/Actions and Conservation

  • Human-wildlife conflict, wildlife utilization and community involvement in conservation
  • Human beliefs, attitudes and education
  • Conservation as a global problem
  • Biodiversity loss and climate change
  • The ethics and economics of conservation

Transferable, professional and operational skills

  • Fund-raising
  • Field project management and reporting
  • Communication with different audiences through reports, posters and presentations
  • Health and safety

You will also undertake two projects in the field of conservation research and action.These will be arranged within the diverse family of WildCRU programmes, and will build on the material studied in the taught modules. Projects offer the opportunity to put into practice your newly-acquired skills in an on-going and applied conservation project, which may be based on your own work, or in a conservation scenario new to you.

The course will be examined through the two project reports and five assignments, one on each of the five taught modules.The project reports will be a maximum of 7000 words, and each worth 30% of the marks.The assignments will be up to 2000 words, and each worth between 10% of the final mark.

Most module assignments will be short-answer questions, presenting data to be analysed, scientific research to critique, a problem for which you will design solutions, or information to be synthesized into a brief report/recommendation.

You will be taught all necessary software during the course, including the use of sector-specific professional software such as Presence, Mark and Distance.

We will assess all applicants based on your individual merits and potential shown in your CV, a statement of your career plans and your referees’ statements. In order to apply for the diploma, you must have:

  • A minimum of a BSc-equivalent qualification in a biology/natural resources-related field, OR in exceptional cases demonstrated equivalent experience in the field of wildlife conservation practice.  If you already have, or currently studying for, a doctorate in the natural sciences, you would not be considered a priority candidate.
  • Considerable first-hand experience of field work and conservation issues in the developing world.
  • A basic working knowledge of Microsoft Office programmes, in particular Word and Excel, email and internet.
  • The agreement of your employer to allow you time to attend and complete the course.
  • A completed Application Form.
  • A Statement of Purpose detailing why you want to take the course, and your subsequent career plans. This should demonstrate your motivation and ability to complete the course, and offer a clear and well argued understanding of the benefits of the course to your current employment and future prospects.
  • A concise Curriculum Vitae, describing your qualifications and experience.
  • Academic transcipt(s) from your degree(s), translated to English.
  • Evidence of English Language skills. If your first language is not English, or it is English but you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country (as defined by UK Boarder Agency – see here), you must provide evidence that you meet the University’s English language standard for graduate level taught courses in the form of a certificate of an English language test (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS; minimum component scores must be met, otherwise UKBA will not issue a student visa). These certificates must be taken within two years of the date of the course start. If you have completed a full-time degree-level course of a minimum of nine months at a recognised institution where English was the sole language of instruction and assessment, you may request a waiver of the English language proof requirement. To do this, include in your application a) a letter explaining on what grounds you are requesting the waiver, and b) an official signed letter from your institution confirming that English was your language of instruction and assessment. These can be attached to your online application form on page 16, ‘English Language Test Waiver Request’.
  • References from three referees, at least one of whom is qualified to comment on your academic potential.
  • A Scholarship Application Form, if needed (see our Financial support webpage for more details).
  • An Application Fee of £75 (pounds sterling).

The Recanati-Kaplan Foundation Scholarship

The Diploma administers a grant from the Recanati-Kaplan Foundation which can provide sponsorship of candidates who attained their qualifications and training from less economically developed countries with financial support during their attendance on the course. If you are eligible, you can apply for varying levels of sponsorship from the course if you are unable to secure funding yourself. For students without their own funding, bursaries will be available to cover the following:

  • Course fees
  • International travel, to and from the UK
  • Accommodation, and
  • Living expenses for the duration of the course.
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