Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem services as the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to human well-being are gaining increasing attention in science, policy, and society. Identifying, mapping, and capturing the values of ecosystem services and the integration of this knowledge in public and private decision-making are important objectives of national, European, and international biodiversity and sustainability strategies. The MSc programme in Ecosystem Services is devoted to understanding the causes of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation as well as to analysing their impacts on ecosystem functioning and human well-being in an interdisciplinary manner. Core modules (Zittau and Görlitz): Ecosystem Services – Concepts and Development Applied Ecology Introduction into Key Taxa Methods of Empirical Social Research Intercultural Communication and Foreign Language Skills Biodiversity and Ecosystem Governance Ecological Economics Elective modules: In the focus area of Environmental Social Sciences (mainly Zittau) Nature and Ecosystem Services in the City Resource Management and Sustainability Ecosystem Services – Case Studies Quantitative Methods of Empirical Research Biodiversity Management and Sustainability Environmental Law In the focus area of Biotechnology (Zittau) Environmental Chemistry Environmental and Fungal Genomics Environmental Analysis Applied Microbiology In the focus area of Ecology and Collections (mainly Görlitz) Field Ecology Museum and Collections Collecting and Analysing Biodiversity Data Diversity and Ecology of Fungi and Lichens Systematics and Bioindication of Bryophytes Zoology – Special Aspects of Collection Management In the focus area of Forestry (Tharandt) Management of Vegetation and Soil in Watersheds Forest-Related Development Policy and Culture Assessment and Evaluation of Forest Resources Modelling Communication and Conflict Management Management Systems and Restoration in Natural Forests of the Tropics Management Systems of Forest Plantations and Rehabilitation of the Landscape in the Tropics In the focus area of Spatial Development and Natural Resource Management (Dresden) Integrated Water Resources Management Circular Economy Ecological and Revitalising Urban Restructuring Global Perspectives of Spatial Development Environmental Development and Risk Management Applied Landscape Ecology Strategic Sustainability Management Resource Management In addition, students are requested to conduct an internship of either three or six weeks.