Aim

To equip participants with an understanding of the principles of modern biodiversity theory and its role in Conservation Biology. They learn practical skills for biodiversity fieldwork including sampling design and monitoring. Students learn how to analyze ecological data with R using some of the main packages for biodiversity data analysis and have the opportunity to try these out on their own datasets.

Course Contents

The course involves lectures, fieldwork, computer labs and an individual project in roughly equal proportions. There are also regular evening lectures and activities of a more general interest. The main course topics are as follows:

• Field techniques in biodiversity assessment
• Biodiversity theory
• Sampling design & monitoring
• Biodiversity and ecosystem function
• Statistical analysis of biodiversity data
• Biodiversity software packages (primarily R-based packages)
• Globalizing biodiversity networks and databases
• Frameworks for biodiversity management and protection

As familiarity with R is essential, we offer a special two day refresher course prior to the start of the school for those wishing to ‘brush up’ on R.

Principal instructors

• John M Halley, University of Ioannina
• Alessandro Chiarucci, University of Bologna, Italy
• Athansios S Kallimanis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
• Gabor Lövei, Aarhus University, Denmark
• Martin Wiemers, UFZ, Germany
• Natasa Tzortzaki, University of Ioannina

Visiting instructors

• Vassiliki Kati, University of Ioannina
• Despina Vokou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
• Kalliopi Stara, University of Ioannina