Wildlife Conservation and Ecology (with placement)

Biodiversity underpins a range of ecosystem services which support our social and economic health and wellbeing, 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 at least one residential field course. In the first year, there are two residential field courses in the UK, while the second year field course is in Europe. In the final year, there is a UK field courses and an optional international field course. The latter is currently in South Africa. 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. Best practise 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 conservation of wildlife.

The first two years of the course include an emphasis on professional development and employability. In their third year, all students undertake a work placement in the sector of at least 44 weeks. Students will have a wide range of exciting opportunities available to them. During the placement year students will have the support of the placement manager and a dedicated tutor. After successfully completing the placement students return to the university to re-join their cohort for the final year of the degree.

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 is a new course, but is built on a long history of related courses, taught by staff with a wide range of academic and professional expertise. After the course has been running for one year, we will apply to have the course accredited by the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental

Management (CIEEM). The course has been designed to meet the requirements of the CIEEM competency framework. Accreditation by a professional body ensures that the curriculum is aligned to best practice in the sector.

Graduates will find a diversity of employment opportunities within the fields of ecological management, wildlife conservation, sustainable development and land management, including acting as ecological consultants and ecologists working to mitigate the impacts on wildlife of infrastructure projects, food production and climate change. Alongside these roles are opportunities with relevant organisations in the public and private sectors.