Page 1 NATIONAL CENTER FOR CASE STUDY TEACHING IN SCIENCE Case Teaching Notes for “Complexity in Conservation” by Loren B. Byrne INTRODUCTION / BACKGROUND Preventing the continued loss of biodiversity is one of our most pressing environmental challenges. he largest cause of the decline in biodiversity is habitat loss due to transformation, fragmentation, and degradation. Other major causes include overexploitation (e.g., poaching, overishing), pollution, non-native species invasions, and climate change (Wilson 2002; Sodhi and Ehrlich 2011; Primack 2012). he science of conservation biology focuses on quantitative investigations of these causes to generate evidence-based methods for preventing popu- lation declines, increasing populations, and conserving and restoring habitats. hese conservation goals exist in a wide range of environmental and sociocultural contexts; thus, both the science and practice of conservation are, by necessity, interdisciplinary and require a wide range of knowledge, tools, and perspectives to be successful (Primack 2012). Despite the interdisciplinary nature of conservation, the average person may have a simplistic understanding of conservation practices. he traditional, and somewhat stereotypical, view sees conservation as creating clearly bounded, protected parks where wildlife will lourish without human interference. Although this approach still has a place in the conservation biologist’s toolbox, the contemporary view of conservation acknowledges that parks cannot conserve all (or even most) of Earth’s species; further, in some cases, biodiversity within protected areas is not actually protected due to external factors (Fraser 2009; Primack 2012). Conservation in parks, and everywhere, is inluenced by economic, political, and philosophical variables that interact to afect the fate of species and ecosystems. hus, good scientiic information alone is insuicient to ensure conservation success. As such, conservation biologists now recognize that conservation science and practice must consider many CASE T EACHING NOTES for “Complexity in Conservation: The Legal and Ethical Case of a Bird-Eating Cat and its Human Killer” by Loren B. Byrne Department of Biology, Marine Biology, and Environmental Science Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI human dimensions. Further, to increase the chances of success, conservation projects should help local people value and beneit from conservation eforts by integrating and, as much as possible, reconciling achievement of their needs with that of other species (Fraser 2009). As one conservationist in Africa commented, “Conservation is about managing people. It’s not about managing wildlife” (cited in Fraser 2009, p. 237). his contemporary view of conservation biology is essential to bring into biology and environmental science classrooms. Teachers should actively engage their students in examining and discussing the multidimensionality of conservation issues (especially relationships among scientiic, legal, political, and ethical aspects) to help them gain deeper awareness and understanding about the real-world complexity of conservation science and practice. his approach presents a challenge to both teachers and students, especially in science courses, because the subjective, open-ended, and politically- and emotionally-charged nature of these issues may lead to ambiguity and discomfort (e.g., because there may not be “right” answers every time). Rather than avoid these issues, however, teachers can bring them into the classroom to help students develop skills for higher-level critical thinking, self-relection, team work, and communication. hese outcomes can be achieved using factual case studies, which also help make course content more relevant by connecting it to the “real world.” he purpose of this case study is to enhance student understanding about the complexity and human dimensions of conservation biology, as articulated in the learning objectives below. Objectives hrough analysis and discussion of the case study, students should be able to: