Published January 12, 2011
by hdrdla
THEME: Science Policy Gap
TITLE: Missing the Boat on Invasive Alien Species: A Review of Post-Secondary Curricula in Canada
AUTHOR(S): Dawn R. Bazely, Andrea L. Smith, and Norman D. Yan
JOURNAL: Canadian Journal of Higher Education 2011. 41: 34 – 47
DATE: 2011
TAGS: Invasive Alien Species (IAS), ecological perspective, social, and economical problems with IAS, interdisciplinary approach
ABSTRACT: Invasive alien species (IAS) cause major environmental and economic damage worldwide, and also threaten human food security and health. The impacts of IAS are expected to rise with continued globalization, land use modification, and climate change. Developing effective strategies to deal with IAS requires a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach, in which scientists work co-operatively with social scientists and policy-makers. Higher education can contribute to this process by training professionals to balance the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of the IAS problem. We examined the extent of such training in Canada by reviewing undergraduate and graduate university curricula at all 94 member institutions of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada for IAS content. We found that degree and diploma programs focusing on IAS issues are lacking at Canadian post-secondary institutions. Furthermore, few courses are devoted solely to IAS, and those that are typically adopt an ecological perspective. We argue that the absence of interdisciplinary university curricula on IAS in Canada negatively affects our ability to respond to this growing global challenge. We present several international educational programs on IAS as case studies on how to better integrate training on invasive species into university curricula in Canada.
LINKS: To view the entire publication, go to http://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/cjhe/article/view/2174
COPYRIGHT: Copyright © 2011 Canadian Journal of Higher Education
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Bazely, D.R.; Smith, A.L.; Yan, N.D.; 2011. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 41. “Missing the Boat on Invasive Alien Species: A Review of Post-Secondary Curricula in Canada.”
Posted in: Publications
