Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology
Fourth year undergraduate course at The University Of Western Australia
The Science Directorate co-ordinates and teaches a semester long fourth-year university unit in Plant Conservation and Restoration Biology as part of the Bachelor of Science (Conservation Biology) degree in the School of Plant Biology at The University of Western Australia.
The unit provides students with a comprehensive induction into the integrated science of conservation biology and restoration ecology, taught by leading practitioners in their respective fields. First taught in 2004, the unit focuses on teaching practical skills in plant conservation and restoration biology.
This applied focus was recognised in student feedback, with 100% agreement in 2007 that the unit was a good educational experience. A major component of the unit is a 10-week research project conducted under the supervision of the scientific staff at the Biodiversity Conservation Centre at Kings Park.
More information on course content and projects is available by downloading the outline below:
Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology BIOL 4401 course outline 953.33 KB
You can contact the course co-ordinators This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.
Other courses available
Science Directorate staff also contribute to teaching in other plant biology, conservation biology, and restoration ecology courses at the University of Western Australia, Murdoch University, and Curtin University.
For more information, please contact Dr Kingsley Dixon or Science Administration.
Kings Park Summer Scholarships
Applications have closed for the 2012 - 2013 Kings Park summer scholarships. These annual scholarships provide the opportunity for talented contemplating honours or post-graduate research in native plant conservation biology or restoration ecology to undertake a 12-week research project, under supervision of scientists within the Biodiversity Conservation Centre, Kings Park and Botanic Garden.
Contact Dr Siegy Krauss or Science Administration for more information.
PhD project opportunities
Urban Bushland Restoration
- Towards a genetic provenance seed sourcing atlas for ecological restoration of Banksia woodlands on the Swan Coastal Plain.
- Control of Ferraria crispa and Euphorbia terracina, two highly invasive weed species on the Swan Coastal Plain.
- Identifying feral animal control techniques (Rabbit, fox, cat) for urban conservation reserves.
Rare Species Conservation and Restoration
- Genetic management of rare species re-introductions to optimize evolutionary potential and avoid erosion of genetic diversity in the Corrigin Grevillea.
- Genetic evaluation of the critically endangered species Philotheca basistyla and other endangered taxa in the genus Philotheca (Rutaceae).
- Physiology of micropropagated plant responses to transplantation stress.
Ecology and Conservation Biology
- Understanding evolutionary adaptations to fire in the Haemodoraceae.
- Storage physiology of Orchid seeds.
- Seed ecology of Ericaceae in two contrasting but biodiverse landscapes: South West Australia and New Caledonia.
- Hydrochory, strandlines and genetic structure in riparian trees.
Mine Restoration
- Between a rock and a hard place: optimizing seed sourcing distance for ecological restoration to avoid inbreeding depression and outbreeding depression in Jarrah forest triggerplants.
- Callus induction, organogenesis and cryostorage of in vitro cultures of Loxocarya cinerea to aid minesite restoration.
- Biological soil crusts in semi-arid and arid Australia: how do they function and how do we restore them.
- Bioremediation of contaminated land in the Great Sandy Desert.
- Seed persistence and drivers of seedling recruitment in a Threatened Ecological Community, and their implications for topsoil management in mine restoration.
- Are we providing the niche? Recruitment niches, biotic and abiotic filters of seed germination in natural and restored landscapes.
- Seedling physiology and survival over the first summer.
- Salt tolerance of Western Australian coastal species: implications for terrestrial restoration in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area
- Using plant physiological ecology and abiotic stress tolerance to understand and augment habitat restoration in arid coastal settings
- Achieving restoration outcomes in an arid, wind-blown and hyper-saline setting: a case of perseverance and a bit of luck.