Course description
Biodiversity is increasingly threatened worldwide. Global policy agreements and actors try to reduce this threat through various instruments, including parks (in their various forms) and through collaborations with local actors. However, conservation is often hindered by its colonial history and a lack of diversity in conservation values, including respect for local and traditional knowledge.
The aim of this course is to provide students with elements for reflection and analysis concerning contemporary debates on nature conservation and protection and sustainability. The course looks at definitions as well as historical and cultural aspects of nature conservation and the implementation of various protected areas (from community to government led) around the world. It also uses examples and case studies to address current management issues in nature protection. Venice is an ideal place in which to teach this course: it shelters a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as several marine protected areas. We will use field trips to these different areas to understand the local challenges of conservation.

Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will understand current global trends in biodiversity policy and how it impacts local areas, be able to apply IUCN tools, and understand the application of these policies and tools to the case of conservation areas in and around the Venice Lagoon and worldwide.

Teaching approach
Teaching will be a mixture of classic teaching, discussion groups around key works, films and online presentation, a field visit to the Venice lagune and to the UNESCO World Heritage center in Venice.

Assessment

Evaluation:

1. group work: Assess a protected area of their choice (to be confirmed with the professor). A presentation of 10 minutes with powerpoint or similar (plus 5 minutes of questions) which presents the protected area history, protected area category, management system and challenges, engagement with stakeholders (30% of the grade). APRIL 14
2. group work: A0 size poster assessing conservation of the Venetian lagoon biodiversity from an assigned conservation actor perspective (e.g. the government, the City of Venice, World Wildlife Fund, Fishing communities, local conservation organisations, companies) (50%). May 21. Discuss in class the policy recommendations for the exhibit.
3. Exam week: In class 60 minute discussion followed by 30 minutes to write individual 3 suggestions of how the VIU conservation exhibit can be made more representative of lagoon conservation actors and improve the current content proposed by the Italian Carabinieri (20%)

Attendance: obligatory. If you cannot attend a class, please contact me via email to inform me prior to class, providing the reason.

Syllabus

Week 1: What is conservation? Conservation history

From definitions to the colonial history of conservation to the diverse voices that shape the discipline today.

Session 1: Definitions / History

Session 2: Colonial underpinnings of conservation: creation of PAs, western conservation roots

Reading: Kashwan, P. (2020). American environmentalism’s racist roots have shaped global thinking about conservation. The Conversation, September 2. https://theconversation.com/american-environmentalisms-racist-roots-have-shaped-global-thinking-about-conservation-143783

Conservation Profile test: https://www.futureconservation.org/ Background literature

Adams WM, 2004. Against extinction: the story of conservation. Earthscan, London

Mbaria J. & Ogada M. 2016. The big conservation lie: the untold story of wildlife conservation in Kenya. Lens & Pens Publishing, Auburn. (excerpts from this book will be assigned, and videos viewed)

Week 2: Protected areas, OECMs, Rights based approaches

Protected areas remain a key tool for conservation. This segment presents their role, challenges and opportunities.

Session 3: Intro to PAs. Case of the protected areas of the Lagoon. Protected Area Categories

Dudley, Nigel. 2008. Guidelines.for.Applying.Protected.Area.Management.Categories. International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Session 4: Fortress conservation, OECMs, Rights based approaches

Reading: Tauli-Corpuz et al. (2020). Cornered by PAs: Adopting rights-based approaches to enable cost-effective conservation and climate action. World Development, 130, 104923.

Background literature

Brockington, D., and J. Igoe. 2006. ‘Eviction for Conservation: A Global Overview’. Conservation and Society 4 (3): 424–70

Gurney, et al. (2021). Biodiversity needs every tool in the box: Use OECMs. Nature, 595(7869), 646–649.

Week 3: Actors

Understanding the role of the state, NGOs, rural actors, Indigenous peoples and youth in conservation.

Session 5: What are actors and stakeholders? Types of conservation actors

Reading: Jepson, Paul, Kathleen Buckingham, and Maan Barua. 2011. “What Is a Conservation Actor?” Conservation.and.Society 9 (3): 229.

TP: Assessment of VIU conservation exhibit.

Session 6: Focus on Youth in Conservation

Reading: Sithole, S. S., Walters, G. M., Mbatha, P., & Matose, F. (2024). Youth engagement in global conservation governance. Conservation Biology, 38(6), e14387.

Speaker: Dr. Samantha Sithole, Birdlife International, Zimbabwe, Youth in conservation

Week 4: Diversity of values, Indigenous peoples and local community perspectives

The necessity of a diversity of perspectives and the consequences of excluding them.

Session 7: IPLC conservation; ICCAs

Reading : Zanjani L.V., Govan H., Jonas H.C., Karfakis T., Mwamidi D.M., Stewart J., Walters G. & Dominguez P. 2023. Territories of life as key to global environmental sustainability. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 63: 101298.

Session 8: Diverse perspectives

Reading: Haudenosaunee. Thanksgiving Address: greetings to the natural world. Ohén:Ton Karihwatéhkwen. The Tracking Project.

Bartlett, Cheryl, Murdena Marshall, and Albert Marshall. 2012. “Two-Eyed Seeing and Other Lessons Learned within a Co-Learning Journey of Bringing Together Indigenous and Mainstream Knowledges and Ways of Knowing.” J. Environmental Studies and Sciences 2 (4): 331–40.

Ecosystem Services, Ecological Society of America (2 pages)

Exercise: Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address and Ecosystem Services exercise Background literature

Pascual et al. 2023. Diverse values of nature for sustainability. Nature: 1–11.

Week 5: Tools for conservation

This segment of the course presents a variety of tools in conservation including protected areas, perceptions and nature-based solutions with examples from the Venetian Lagoon.

Session 9: Perceptions, PA effectiveness

Reading: Bennett. (2016). Using perceptions as evidence to improve conservation and environmental management. Conservation Biology, 30(3), 582–592.

Session 10: Nature based solutions

Reading: Pernice et al. (2024). Co-Developing Business Plans for Upscaled Coastal Nature-Based Solutions Restoration: An Application to the Venice Lagoon (Italy). Sustainability, 16(20). https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208835

Background literature

Cohen-Shacham et al. (2016). Nature-based solutions to address global societal challenges. IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Hockings et al. (2006). Evaluating Effectiveness: A framework for assessing management effectiveness of protected areas. 2nd edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. xiv + 105 pp. Co-curricular activity: A visit to the Venetian Lagoon.

Reading: Salzano: Diverse proposals for the lagoon. 16 pages.

Week 6: UNESCO World Heritage Globally and in Venice

This segment presents UNESCO World Heritage sites, their governance and their challenges, with a focus on the Venetian lagoon.

Session 11: UNESCO office visit and presentation of regional work

Session 12: UNESCO process, threatened list, Lagoon status

Reading: Zan and Ferrarini. Threatening Venice and its Lagoon: the effect of international policies on management sustainability and heritage preservation

Background literature

UNESCO (2008). Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit Assessing management effectiveness of natural World

Heritage sites. World Heritage France 23. Paris, France: UNESCO. 106pp.

Trovo’, F. (2020). The Unesco site “Venice and its Lagoon”: Cultural heritage protection policies.

https://air.iuav.it/handle/11578/313459

Session 13 (April 14): Evaluation 1: Presentation of group work: Protected areas

Week 7: Threats and opportunities

From the Red list of ecosystems and species to the green list of protected areas and Nature’s contributions to people and Nature-based solutions

Session 14: Exploring the IUCN Red List of threatened species and ecosystems

Reading: Gora. 2023. Baccalà in Venice, Cod in the World. In Baldacci et al. eds. 2022. Venice and the Anthropocene: An Ecocritical Guide. Barene. Wetlands.

Session 15: IUCN Green List of protected areas

Reading: Soulé, Michael E. 1985. “What Is Conservation Biology?” BioScience 35 (11): 727–34. https://doi.org/10.2307/1310054.

Week 8: Threats & Opportunities, Lagoon Stakeholders

Reading: Walters, et al. (2016). Peri-urban conservation in the Mondah forest of Libreville, Gabon: Red List assessments of endemic plant species, and avoiding protected area downsizing. Oryx, 50(3), 419–430. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605315000204 Lagoon stakeholder class work; Green listing exercise

Week 9: Key discourses

Understanding discourses and their effect on conservation: from wilderness to degradation narratives and the institutions that may promote them.

Session 16: Wilderness

Reading: Cronon, W. (1996). The Trouble with Wilderness: Or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature. Environmental History, 1(1), 7–28.

Session 17: Local people and degradation narratives

Reading: Intro: Leach, M., & Mearns, R. (1996). The lie of the land: Challenging received wisdom on the African environment. James Currey. Film: Second Natures

Week 10: Governance, power and conservation

The role of decision-making, power dynamics and inclusive practices in conservation.

Session 18: Governance and power dynamics challenges in conservation.

Reading: Shackleton, et al. 2023. Navigating power in conservation. Conservation Science and Practice.

Session 19: Free, Prior, Informed Consent (FPIC) and participatory processes

Speaker: Dr. Olivier Hymas, World Commission of Protected Areas, FPIC and protected areas. Background literature

Borrini-Feyerabend, G. et al. (2013). Governance of Protected Areas: From understanding to action. Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series No. 20, Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. Xvi + 124pp. https ://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/PAG-020.pdf

Week 11: International policy frameworks and national implementation

This segment presents the major policy frameworks of conservation and their challenges.

Session 20: CBD-FCCC, Global Biodiverstiy Framework; domestication of policies, Restoration Session 21: IUCN, World Conservation Congress and impact

Background literature

Nguyen et al. 2025. Local-global linkages in biodiversity governance: The regime complex of the convention on biological diversity agenda for nature pledges. Environmental Science & Policy 173, 104246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104246

Sharma, K., Walters, G., Metzger, M.J., Ghazoul, J., 2023b. Glocal woodlands – The rescaling of forest governance in Scotland. Land Use Policy 126, 106524.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106524

Büscher, B. et al. 2017. ‘Half-Earth or Whole Earth? Radical Ideas for Conservation, and Their Implications’. Oryx 51 (03): 407–10.

Week 12: Decolonising conservation

This segment presents several perspectives on decolonizing conservation. Session 22: Decolonising conservation approaches; Parachute science

Trisos, C. H., Auerbach, J., & Katti, M. (2021). Decoloniality and anti-oppressive practices for a more ethical ecology. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 5(9), Article 9.

“Pack up the Parachute: Why Global North–South Collaborations Need to Change.” 2023. Accessed June 3, 2025. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02313-1

Background literature

Kashwan, Prakash, Rosaleen V. Duffy, Francis Massé, Adeniyi P. Asiyanbi, and Esther Marijnen. 2021. “From Racialized Neocolonial Global Conservation to an Inclusive and Regenerative Conservation.” Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development 63(4):4–19.

Raymond et al. 2022. “Inclusive Conservation and the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework: Tensions and Prospects.” One Earth 5(3):252–64.

Evaluation 2: Presentation of Lagoon Conservation Posters

Course duration: 40 hours of tuition
Credits equivalence: 6 ECTS

Last updated: June 11, 2026