Training Conservation Biologists in Human Interaction Skills

Questionnaires were sent to 298 graduate programs in conservation biology and other areas of the biological and agricultural sciences and to 702 public and private organizations that employ, or might employ, conservation biologists. The focus of the questionnaires was on the need for training conservation biologists in human interaction skills (e.g., interpersonal communication, leadership, group decision making). Respondents were asked to indicate the current availability of such training at their institutions or organizations. Questionnaires were returned by 28.5% of the graduate programs and 21.1% of the conservation organizations. A majority of both groups of respondents indicated a high need for training in the following seven areas: written and oral communication; explaining science and values of biodiversity to the lay public; group decision making; interpersonal skills; group planning; leadership; and advocacy. Despite the high level of perceived training need, relatively few academic institutions and even fewer conservation organizations offer or require courses in human interaction skills (with the exceptions of written and oral communication and foreign languages). Sixty-four percent of the graduate faculty respondents and 78% of the employer organization respondents indicated that human interaction skills are equally important or more important to the work of conservation biologists than science knowledge and skill. We suggest that follow-up research should be conducted to delineate further the need for human interaction skills training and to assess the relationship between specific human interactions skills and conservation outcomes. We also recommend that a curriculum on human interaction should be designed and developed for conservation biologists, perhaps through a cooperative effort of interested faculty and employers facilitated by the Society for Conservation Biology and conservation organizations.     

Language Fouls in Teaching Ecology: Why Traditional Metaphors Undermine Conservation Literacy

Abstract: We believe that the language commonly used in teaching actually hinders the creation of conservation literacy. We examined four frequently used ecology and environmental studies textbooks and considered the ways in which commonly used language can obscure or enhance an understanding of ecology and conservation. Specifically, we used the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis (a.k.a. linguistic relativity) and framing theory to examine the approaches reflected in three elements of the texts: introductions and treatment of two key ecological concepts (matter cycling and energy). Language used in the texts contained implicit metaphors that portrayed nature as a resource; resisted ecological realities, such as the finite nature of matter and the loss of energy with each transformation; and fundamentally served to separate humans from nature. Although the basis of conservation literacy is understanding of the complexity of ecological systems, culturally based communication as exemplified in these texts does not encourage students or educators to recognize the feedback loops that clarify human membership in the ecosystem. Consequently, the language used to teach ecology perpetuates the idea that humans exist outside of its laws. With this paper, we hope to initiate a dialogue about how to retool the language used in teaching and communicating about ecology such that it resonates with, rather than undermines, conservation.     

Conservation of the African Great Lakes: A Limnological Perspective

The limnology of Lakes Malawi Tanganyika, and Victoria is discussed with the objective of examining how the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the lakes will determine the response of these ancient great lake ecosystems to human activities. Of the physical properties discussed, large dilution capacities and long flushing times can make the detection and removal of chemical pollutants in these lakes difficult. The outflows of all three lakes are small because of high evaporation losses, and as a result lake levels are responsive to climate changes that would alter evaporation:precipitation ratios. Increased nutrient input to these lakes will likely result in a decrease in the volume of oxygenated water and available fish habitat. Plankton community composition will also change, probably toward dominance by cyanobacteria. While the effects of eutrophication on fish production are difficult to predict, changes in plankton composition would almost certainly be accompanied by changes in fish community structure. Recent studies of water chemistry and plankton productivity in Lake Victoria provide evidence of possible eutrophication. Because land use has a diffuse but potentially large impact on these lakes, conservation strategies must take into account human activities within entire drainage basins. This requires cooperation between riparian countries and technological and financial input from the international community. An immediate need is the establishment of monitoring programs to determine the impact, real or potential, of human activities around the lakes.     

提高高职院校《思想道德修养与法律基础》课程教学实效性方法探索

高职院校的《思想道德修养与法律基础》作为高校新生的一门必修课,由于师资队伍不稳定,学生思想认识和主观偏差,教学方法不当和考核方式不完善等原因,导致《基础》课教学效果不佳,学生认同程度不高,更难以唤起学生的主动参与和体悟,要改变这一现状,应从做好课程设计、明确教学目标、改进教学方法、遵循德育规律、探索多样化教学途径和模式入手.     

Exotic Organisms: A Dilemma for Conservation Biology

Abstract: Human-induced problems in resource conservation fall into three categories: (1) inappropriate resource use, (2) pollution, and (3) exotic organisms. Problems of resource use and pollution are correctable; exotic organisms are frequently permanent and may be the most pervasive influence affecting biodiversity in many systems, particularly on oceanic islands. Invasive exotic organisms often have effects far in excess of what might be predicted by equilibrium island biogeographic theory; a single exotic species may cause numerous extinctions in addition to altering the physical environment. Exotic organisms frequently cause environmental crises. In such crises, calls for more research are commonplace, but research results may be an unaffordable luxury, providing information only for the eulogy. Programs to eradicate exotic organisms provide an opportunity to combine good science and good conservation into functioning conservation biology.     

"A Mission-Driven Discipline": the Growth of Conservation Biology

Abstract:  Conservation biology emerged in the mid-1980s, drawing on established disciplines and integrating them in pursuit of a coherent goal: the protection and perpetuation of the Earth's biological diversity. Opportunistic in its borrowing and application of knowledge, conservation biology had its roots within the established biological sciences and resource management disciplines but has continually incorporated insights from the empirical experience of resource managers, from the social sciences and humanities, and from diverse cultural sources. The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) has represented the field's core constituency, while expanding that constituency in keeping with the field's integrative spirit. Conservation Biology has served as SCB's flagship publication, promoting research, dialog, debate, and application of the field's essential concepts. Over the last 20 years the field, SCB, and the journal have evolved to meet changing conservation needs, to explore gaps in our knowledge base, to incorporate new information from related fields, to build professional capacity, and to provide expanded opportunities for international participation. In turn, the field, SCB, and journal have prompted change in related fields, organizations, and publications. In its dedication to advancing the scientific foundations of biodiversity conservation and placing that science at the service of society in a world whose variety, wildness, and beauty we care for, conservation biology represents both a continuation and radical reconfiguration of the traditional relationship between science and conservation.