About this Course

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Conserving and restoring tropical forest landscapes offers an opportunity to address pressing environmental and social challenges. Effective conservation and restoration initiatives support multiple objectives, including ecosystem functioning, climate change mitigation and adaptation, food security, and economic growth.
This seven-week course explores the technical, social, and funding aspects of this timely topic. You will learn:
The importance of tropical forest landscapes and the actors and motivations driving restoration and conservation efforts.
How tropical forest ecosystems work, and how they relate to climate change and biodiversity.
Fundamental human dimensions to consider in any project, including human livelihoods and local property rights.
Conservation theory and dynamic aspects of conserving species and landscapes.
A spectrum of restoration strategies and key considerations for restoration, such as species selection and planting design.
How agroforestry systems can integrate trees and production to meet different goals.
Basic financial concepts and potential sources of conservation and restoration funding.

The materials in this course offer a selection of key content from the Yale School of the Environment and Yale Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative's yearlong Tropical Forest Landscapes: Conservation, Restoration & Sustainable Use online certificate program.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 20 hours to complete

English

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What you will learn

(1) Fundamentals of tropical forest landscape management
(2) Conservation & restoration strategies
(3) Funding conservation & restoration

Skills you will gain

Reforestation
Conservation Science
Agroforestry

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 20 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.78/5 (15 Ratings)

Eva Garen

Ph.D., Director, Principal Investigator

School of the Environment

3,430 Learners

1 Course

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week

1

Week 1

3 hours to complete

Why conserve and restore tropical forest landscapes?

3 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 38 min), 7 readings, 2 quizzes

7 videos

Welcome!2m

The important role of tropical forest landscapes5m

Threats to tropical forests and degradation drivers4m

Opportunities and priorities for conservation and restoration2m

Defining "forests"6m

How definitions and values shape management8m

Who conserves and restores, and why?7m

7 readings

Course structure10m

Pre-course Survey5m

Speaker introduction: Eva Garen5m

Forest and landscape restoration10m

Speaker introduction: Alicia Calle5m

What is a forest?10m

Conclusion and what's next10m

2 practice exercises

Importance, threats, and opportunities20m

Motivations for conservation and restoration20m

Week

2

Week 2

3 hours to complete

Ecology of tropical forest landscapes

3 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 58 min), 4 readings, 4 quizzes

9 videos

Climate, history, and nutrients of tropical forests8m

What causes biological diversity?4m

Quantifying biodiversity7m

Theories on species coexistence11m

How forests influence climate4m

How climate change influences forests7m

Disturbance and equilibrium in forests4m

Documenting forest change - determing the baseline2m

Interactions between human and natural disturbances7m

4 readings

Speaker introduction: Liza Comita5m

Climate change solutions10m

Drivers of degradation10m

Conclusion and what's next5m

4 practice exercises

Characteristics of tropical forests20m

Biodiversity in tropical forests20m

Tropical forests and climate20m

Forest disturbance and degradation20m

Week

3

Week 3

3 hours to complete

Social considerations for restoration and conservation

3 hours to complete

13 videos (Total 71 min), 6 readings, 2 quizzes

13 videos

Forests and livelihoods3m

Defining livelihoods2m

Competition for resources and decision-making3m

Perspectives on livelihoods and conservation6m

Community forest management8m

Take home messages on livelihood considerations2m

Property rights vs. land tenure6m

Property rights as windows into society7m

Types of property7m

Key distinctions in different property rights6m

Hybrid systems of land tenure5m

Decoding multiple property relations in a landscape3m

Tenure security8m

6 readings

Introduction to social considerations10m

Speaker introduction5m

Community forest management examples10m

Speaker introduction: Amity Doolittle5m

Conservation strategies

In this module, we will look at some fundamental conservation concepts. At its core, conservation involves protecting existing habitat or forest cover, but selecting where to prioritize protection, is more complicated. Conservation decisions depend on a suite of considerations, such as how one measures biodiversity, how one considers changes in the landscape over time, and how conservation affects other goals, such as ecosystem function.

3 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 56 min), 4 readings, 4 quizzes

8 videos

Prioritizing areas to protect species7m

Biodiversity metrics6m

Species rarity5m

Diversity across landscapes3m

Dynamism across landscapes10m

Climate change and conservation4m

Conserving functional diversity8m

Animals and ecosystem services7m

4 readings

Speaker introduction: Oswald Schmitz5m

Conservation practices10m

Climate and conservation10m

Conclusion and what's next5m

4 practice exercises

Conservation fundamentals20m

Conserving biodiversity20m

Conservation and landscapes20m

Functional diversity and ecosystem services20m

Week

5

Week 5

3 hours to complete

Restoration fundamentals

3 hours to complete

12 videos (Total 65 min), 7 readings, 3 quizzes

12 videos

Definitions of restoration4m

Degradation levels and restoration treatments5m

Natural processes as the foundation for restoration5m

ANR: Reducing disturbance and competition4m

ANR: Facilitating growth and enrichment planting4m

ANR: Putting it all together1m

Definitions of reforestation4m

Species selection6m

Tree planting design9m

Other approaches and putting it all together4m

Farm-scale restoration7m

Landscape-scale restoration6m

7 readings

Speaker introduction: Mark Ashton5m

Speaker introduction: Gillian Bloomfield5m

Agroforestry and agroecology

3 hours to complete

11 videos (Total 52 min), 4 readings, 3 quizzes

11 videos

Agroforestry systems5m

Ideal characteristics of MPTS3m

Classification of AFS2m

Permanent crops with tree shade6m

Temporal systems5m

Agrosilvopastoral systems5m

Roles of agroforestry5m

Agroforestry and ecosystem services4m

Adoption of agroforestry systems3m

Monitoring and evaluation of agroforestry systems6m

Conclusions on agroforestry3m

4 readings

Speaker introduction: Florencia Montagnini5m

Agroforestry guides10m

Agroforestry adoption10m

Conclusion and what's next5m

3 practice exercises

Agroforestry: basic concepts20m

Classification of agroforestry systems20m

Roles, adoption, and monitoring of AF systems20m

Week

7

Week 7

4 hours to complete

Funding conservation and restoration

4 hours to complete

13 videos (Total 67 min), 9 readings, 3 quizzes

13 videos

Using financial tools2m

The time value of money3m

Net present value (NPV)5m

Investment example with scenarios4m

Introduction to foundations7m

Types of philanthropic support5m

Theory of change5m

Submitting a successful proposal10m

Limitations of foundation support3m

The importance and role of public finance6m

Subsidies, donors, and specialized funds7m

Blended finance1m

Conclusion2m

9 readings

Introduction to this module5m

Current state of conservation financing10m

Speaker introduction: Dominick Grant5m

Additional tools for financial assessments10m

Speaker introduction: Marina Campos5m

Speaker introduction: David Meyers5m

Conservation Finance Guide10m

Congratulations and additional learning10m

Post-course survey10m

3 practice exercises

Using financial tools20m

Foundations and philanthropic support20m

Public finance for nature20m

Reviews

4.9

4 reviews

5 stars
94.44%
4 stars
5.55%

TOP REVIEWS FROM TROPICAL FOREST LANDSCAPES 101: CONSERVATION & RESTORATION

by CBJul 2, 2022

The course gave me a cleared perspective and wider understanding on this very complicated issue of tropical forest restoration, and tropical conservation.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
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The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Tropical Forest Landscapes 101: Conservation & Restoration