Contemporary natural resource and environmental policy problems/issues are addressed from a policy sciences perspective with emphasis on domestic policy solutions. Critical assessment of major policy initiatives and their implementation toward sustainable resource use and a healthy environment. Public policies are analyzed to determine the extent to which their implementation strategies have succeeded, and to assess their adequacy within a bioregional or ecosystem approach, and/or capacity to integrate economic and environmental decisions. Cases include national and local policies in their global context. Students apply public policy analysis and decision tools in laboratory sessions.

Introduces animal-habitat associations, including an examination of spatial and temporal features of wildlife habitat, the evolution of habitat selection, and how habitat suitability/productivity is evaluated.

Students examine policies for managing human activities to sustain the health of regional ecosystems and planetary life-support systems. Selected problems of the international commons (oceans, marine resources, atmosphere, migratory species); global and regional carrying capacity (population, resource consumption), internationally shared ecosystems (transboundary watersheds and waterbodies, tropical forests); and the relevant international institutions and politics for policy formation, conflict resolution, and implementation. Using a policy-analytic framework, students develop case studies to assess international policies and institutional arrangements to achieve the objectives of Agenda 21--Earth Summit Strategy to Save the Planet.

Provides an introduction to the major concepts associated with monitoring change in ecological communities. Students develop an appreciation for such issues as: identification of appropriate baselines for comparison; use of indicator species; the tools used to inventory common, rare, and secretive species; how trend data are analyzed; and the implications of failing to detect an indicator species. Lab.