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Preparing students for the operational environmental career: an integrated project-based road map for academic programs

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Abstract

Although in academic courses of environmental disciplines, students may receive an interdisciplinary training on a VTR logic (V: “ecosystem Values”, T: anthropogenic Threats; R: conservation Responses), rarely they are prepared to work according to a problem solving and decision making approach, simulating operational circumstances in real project contexts. I propose a re-thinking of the teaching activity in academic conservation courses with a main focus on an operational project cycle. I reviewed a large number of trans-disciplinary conceptual tools and approaches developed by professionals and organizations belonging to the large arena of management disciplines, also not strictly related to the conservation world. I included these approaches and tools in a comprehensive framework following a project logic. This road map could be useful to communicate an operational approach to students in environmental conservation.

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Acknowledgments

I wish to thank to Professors Marco A. Bologna, Alicia T.R. Acosta, Giulia Caneva and Luca Luiselli (University of Rome III), Giovanni Amori (National Research Council, ISE), Alessandro Zocchi (Educational Neuroscientist, University of Tuscia, Viterbo), Fulvio Cerfolli (University of Tuscia), Spartaco Gippoliti (IUCN Specialist Group) that provided useful comments and suggestions. An anonymous reviewers provided useful comments and suggestions that improved the first draft of the manuscript. Prof. A. Zocchi reviewed the English language and style.

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  1. ‘Torre Flavia’ LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) Station, Città Metropolitana di Roma Capitale, Protected areas – Regional parks Service, via Tiburtina, 691, 00159, Rome, Italy

    Corrado Battisti

  2. Faculty of Biology, University of Rome III, viale Marconi, 446, 00146, Rome, Italy

    Corrado Battisti

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Battisti, C. Preparing students for the operational environmental career: an integrated project-based road map for academic programs. J Environ Stud Sci 8, 573–583 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-018-0506-5

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