Urban Ecology

About this course

Demographic trends reveal that the proportion of people living in cities is increasing worldwide. The urban environment, the habitat on Earth with the densest population of humans, has catalyzed ecological and evolutionary changes in recent times. Explore which physical and biological factors drive the ecology of urban areas. Journey through the city landscape and examine the effect of human impact and a highly fragmented habitat for most of these organisms.

Copenhagen is in many ways a city not like other cities. One of the special features is the recreative use of the many parks and the harbor with a range of sustainable initiatives. Also, a deliberate policy aiming for clean sea water has resulted in a change of biota. In this course we will explore the many green and blue spaces in Copenhagen. We will examine both conceptual underpinnings and the application of theory to practice to improve human welfare and environmental quality, and do several case studies on-site.

Pre-requisites

One course in environmental or Earth science at university level. One course in biology or ecology at university level is recommended

Faculty

Peter Gravlund Nielsen

Faculty

Ph.d in biology, Københavns Universitet, 1998. Biologist & project manager Dyrenes Beskyttelse, Animal Protection Denmark, 2022- , Museum Director Østsjællands Museum 2019-2022. With DIS since 2018.

Astrid M. A. Schmidt

Faculty

Ph.D in Climate change & Ecosystems of the Arctic from University of Copenhagen (Niels Bohr Institute/Natural History Museum of Denmark). M.Sc in population genetics and conservation of African elephants.Current research interests are within citizen science on biodiversity and climate change. Work experience has involved science outreach, science education focusing on co-creation and community engagement e.g. of urban development with children and locals. With DIS since 2015.