Environmental Studies - Resource Management and Conservation

ES Faculty and Staff

Educational Objectives - Resource Management and Conservation Program - Environmental Studies - Antioch University New England

Educational Objectives

Beaverpond

“Energy and passion alone do not create comprehensive solutions to complex problems. It takes: leadership informed by science, theory tempered by practical experience, and the integration of diverse perspectives through systems thinking.”

We are training individuals who can manage complex solutions to complex challenges. This necessarily requires learning how to quickly locate and marshal the necessary expertise, economic support, stakeholder input so to address the challenge of conserving natural resources. This also requires learning the skills to manage the process that results in the sustainable use of those resources.

We are training effective communicators. Our students learn how translate the expert knowledge provided by scientists, engineers, lawyers and stakeholders so to effectively communicate, motivate and facilitate action by decision makers.

We are training critical thinkers. Our students develop the analytic and critical thinking skills so to be able to assess what researchers informs us about the natural environment and then apply such information in the context of the available human resources so to make recommendations about when to preserve, where to conserve and what to restore.

We are training conservationists. For our students “conservation” is not simply scientific understanding of the natural systems, nor just conducting research within the natural world. Both of these are necessary activities but not sufficient. Ultimately, conservation is “decision-making” and subsequently managing the implementation of those decisions.

Last Updated: 4/21/08