This is a writing-intensive course challenging students to understand the biological relationship between wildlife fitness and environmental factors, how this relationship informs habitat managment efforts, and how the relationship has been translated into laws and policy.

Althought the taxonomic focus of the course is terrestrial vertebrates and the geographic emphasis is on North America, examples of the species-environment linkage are drawn from throughout the world and accross taxa.

There are two major writing assignments in the course. In the first, students conduct a detailed review of an existing habitat managment plan (such as an ESA species recovery plan). In the second, teams of students select a locally occurring species or species assemblage and compile an orignal habitat plan for an explicit, small-scale geographic area.

This is a graduate-level course providing a conceptual and practical framework for understanding large-mammal biology and ecology and how conservation of these species is being addressed. Topics covered in readings and discussions include:

• taxonomy
• physiology
• ecology
• predation
• plant-animal interactions
• parasites and diseases
• social dynamics and other behavioral aspects
• large mammal roles in ecosystem processes
• management / conservation challenges and approaches
• capture / immobilization
• current research / monitoring techniques

Meetings combine lecture, discussion, and presentations by course participants and invited guests. Geographic scope of wild large mammals is global, including terrestrial, marine, and freshwater biomes. Taxonomic and topical emphases reflects expertise and current research of both speakers and students.

This course provide participants with an overview of Thailand's culture and conservation challenges and then focuses on applying a set of well-developed field survey and conservation tools.

The course begins with a 2-day trip up Thailand's central waterway on a live-aboard barge designed for research and education. The group then travels to Thailand's premier conservation research site which will provide a comfortable home base for daily field activities and a launching point for a wilderness trip to more remote parts of western Thailand.

Many activities will revolve around and contribute to a long-term tiger conservation project of which UMN has been a principle partner. Specific activities include camera trapping, prey assessment methods and radio-telemetry approaches to the study of large mammals.