This Assessment Task relates to the following Learning Outcomes:

• Communicate scientific research and issues in conservation to different target audiences in verbal and written form
• Identify how research in conservation biology influences environmental management practices and assess how effectively this is undertaken
• Demonstrate a capacity for undertaking literature-based research into key topics in conservation biology and synthesising the current state-of-knowledge

Many conservation strategies lack up-to-date insights from recent research findings, which is often because of poor communication of science outside of academia. It is just as important that scientific research be published as it is that can be understood by those who need to use the information. This leads to a long time between publication of scientific findings and their recognition and integration within conservation planning.

For this assessment, you are required to choose a specific topic of recent conservation interest in Australia (or New Zealand/ Oceania) (e.g. in the past five years). The topic you choose may be in relation to a threatened/invasive species, habitat or other threatening process such as fire, disease spread or human disturbance.

Your task is to give a 10-minute pre-recorded presentation (using powerpoint slides with audio only) to pitch an update on a conservation issue of interest, integrating the scientific literature published in the last FIVE years (since 2011).

Focus on the aspects of the scientific literature that relate to biological insights and conservation management of the topic you have chosen. The aim of your presentation is to provide a RESEARCH UPDATE AND SYNTHESIS of a specific conservation topic, supported by the peer-reviewed scientific literature.

­­­­Together with your Conservation Research Update Presentation (2a), submit a 400 word abstract that summarises your presentation, as if you were presenting it at a conference. Abstracts are a common way to explain your presentation in a short and interesting way and highlight the key points of your presentation and take-home messages.

This Assessment Task relates to the following Learning Outcomes:

• Describe theoretical concepts in conservation biology and current conservation issues in Australia and abroad
• Communicate scientific research and issues in conservation to different target audiences in verbal and written form
• Demonstrate a capacity for undertaking literature-based research into key topics in conservation biology and synthesizing the current state-of-knowledge

On the day following each lecture (i.e. excluding final lecture), a quiz will become available on iLearn (worth 3%) that you will have a week to complete (see timetable). The 12 online exercises will consist of short answers and multiple choice questions that revise the topic of each lecture (including tutorial discussions), encourage thinking and research skills, in alignment with the Austral Ark textbook chapters. The exercises may involve consulting the peer-reviewed literature, external websites, and chapters within the required textbook Austral Ark.

This Assessment Task relates to the following Learning Outcomes:

• Describe theoretical concepts in conservation biology and current conservation issues in Australia and abroad
• Evaluate literature on conservation issues within peer-reviewed scientific articles and their representation within the written media
• Demonstrate a capacity for undertaking literature-based research into key topics in conservation biology and synthesising the current state-of-knowledge

The media often reports scientific results and discoveries in mis-informed or mis-leading ways, in the interests of capturing reader attention or other motive. This occurs across many fields in science, but is also frequently the case in conservation biology. As scientists, it is important that we recognise when the media may be mis-representing other’s work, or omitting certain aspects of results to tell a ‘clear’ story. As conservation biologists we can be confronted with this, and therefore must learn to highlight discrepancies and learn to better communicate our work to the public, the media, managers and policy makers. This task is designed to raise your awareness of these issues and ability to recognise and evaluate them by directly verifying media articles that report on conservation research through consultation of both scientific and non-scientific literature.

In a 2000-word report in your own words, you will assess how effectively the media is communicating the scientific literature.

To do this, you will choose two recent (< 5 years old) media articles that each focus on a particular published scientific paper from a journal within conservation biology. Each media article must be on a separate conservation topic, with a different scientific paper associated with it. The chosen media/journal article pariing may focus on conservation issues occurring in any country (not restricted to Australia or New Zealand).

Each media article assessment is worth 17.5% and should be 1000 words (± 100 words) for each (x 2 media articles = 2000 words and 35%).