ENV 610a () / 2023-2024

Managing Ecosystems for Climate Change Solutions

This course will explore how natural climate solutions (i.e., actions to protect, better manage and restore ecosystems) can mitigate climate change. It will also assess the challenges and barriers that must be overcome in order to make natural climate solutions more sustainable. During the course, students will be exposed to concepts about how the conservation and management of natural and anthropogenic terrestrial ecosystems (e.g., conservation of natural ecosystems, forest and agriculture management, and restoration of degraded areas) have influenced the carbon and water cycles, two important climate services provided by terrestrial ecosystems. Students will also address some of the potential socio-ecological consequences of nature-based solutions, with a focus in the tropics. Finally, the course will cover some of the main challenges and opportunities for scaling up carbon natural climate solutions. The flipped classroom approach and active learning activities