Ecosystem Services: a Method for Sustainable Development (E-course)

Founded in 1559 by Jean Calvin, the University of Geneva (UNIGE) is dedicated to thinking, teaching, dialogue and research. With 16’000 students of more than 140 different nationalities, it is Switzerland’s second largest university. UNIGE offers more than 280 types of degrees and more than 250 Continuing Education programmes covering an extremely wide variety of fields: exact sciences, medicine and humanities. Its domains of excellence in research include life sciences (molecular biology, bio-informatics), physics of elementary particles, and astrophysics. 

About this Course

Ecosystem services are a way of thinking about – and evaluating – the goods and services provided by nature that contribute to the well-being of humans.

This MOOC will cover scientific (technical), economic, and socio-political dimensions of the concept through a mix of theory, case-studies, interviews with specialists and a serious-game. By the end of this course, their aim is to enable you to:

• define the concept of ecosystem services, its principles and limitations
• understand the key services associated with any ressource (e.g., fresh water) through readings and case-studies
• appreciate the advantages and potential risks of monetising ecosystem services
• appreciate the social dimensions (power issues, cultural biases) embedded within any method
• integrate tactical advice on mainstreaming this approach into policy and standard government practices
• Optional: learn how to map ecosystem services with GIS tools.

Attractions of the course:

• Flexible deadlines
• Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
• Shareable Certificate
• Earn a Certificate upon completion
• 100% online
• Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
• Intermediate Level
• Approx. 18 hours to complete
• Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish.