ECO 365 Biodiversity and Conservation Politics in the Mediterranean Basin

The Mediterranean basin is the largest terrestrial unit of the Mediterranean biome, which equally includes parts of California, Chili, the Cap region in South Africa and the southwest of Australia. With an estimated surface area of 2.3 million squared Kilometers covering merely 1.5% of the global land area, the Mediterranean basin hosts around 25 thousand vascular plant species, about 15% of all species identified on earth, of which over 50% are endemic. This fascinating biodiversity has attracted the attention of scientists and policy-makers alike. Today, the whole Mediterranean basin is defined as a biodiversity hotspot, the conservation of which is a prime priority for the global scientific community and regional authorities.

Throughout this course, we will examine the extent, the origins and the drivers of today?s Mediterranean biodiversity and review some of the up-to-date studies about its current situation. Towards this objective, we will thoroughly study the eco-geographical and environmental conditions in the region and explore how they, among other drivers, contributed and continue to contribute to the current situation. In addition, we will identify the most prominent threats to the future of the Mediterranean biodiversity including human-derived threats with direct impact such as warfare, urbanization, deforestation, desertification and intensive agriculture in addition to the projected consequences of the slow on-set of global climate change. Teaching this course involves in-class lectures, field trips and meetings with political actors from local and international organizations.