Course instructors: Dr. Juli Carrillo and Dr. Matt Mitchell (Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Course dates: May 15-May 26, 2023 (9-days total, Course meets M, T, W, Th, Fr. except May 22rd, which is a holiday). Summer Term 1.

Widespread biodiversity loss is occurring rapidly worldwide, often driven by agricultural activities. At the same time, the biodiversity present in agricultural systems contributes to the critical processes that underlie food production and a variety of ecosystem services that benefit people. Students in the course will participate in ongoing biodiversity monitoring in agro-ecosystems using real-world survey techniques and assessment protocols, evaluate how different management actions and decisions on diversified farms and landscapes influence biodiversity, and discuss how biodiversity contributes to ecosystem services and food production.

Course location and structure

This is an intensive summer field course, consisting of a combination of lectures, interactive class discussions, seminars from experts in the field, interactive field based lab activities, data analysis lab activities, and tutorials, primarily based at UBC Farm. The class meets every weekday while the course is scheduled (except the May 22 holiday), with lectures and expert seminars occurring daily in the morning, followed by a one-hour break, and then concluding with a three hour lab time in the afternoon. The course occurs in the field at UBC Farm, in the Farm Yurt, or in the Farm Marquee Space. Lab activities will be primarily group based, with individual components, led by the course instructors and TA. There is one nighttime lab activity (frog call/bat activity survey).

All lecture and lab activities occur on-site at the UBC Farm.