Ecology/Conservation - Florida Keys Community College

Ecology/Conservation from Florida Keys Community College is a Campus Associate Ecology degree that prepares you for a Science career. Ecology is the study of how an organism interacts with its environment and conservation is the management of the environment by protection and wise use of these natural resources for future generations. With most of the world's fisheries in collapse and marine problems associated with the human overpopulation such as pollution and global warming, it is imperative to discover technologies and methods that can be implemented to reduce the effects of these impacts. The proximity of the Florida Keys to multiple marine protected areas, as well as one of the worlds largest living coral reefs makes us an ideal program for students interested in pursuing an education in marine ecology and conservation. Our curriculum will focus on core conservation and ecology courses with lab and field studies tailored to the uniqueness of the Florida Keys marine environment. Our vision is to offer a tropical marine ecology/conservation program that rivals and surpasses other institutions by providing education and research opportunities that are unique to the Florida Keys and taught nowhere else. These courses will focus on contemporary topics and issues such as the effects of global warming, overfishing, habitat loss and pollution of the marine environment. We will explore the history of these problems and develop research collaborations with those already involved in this type of research, such as Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) (Figures 1 and 2), MOTE Marine Laboratory, The Dolphin Research Facility, The Turtle Hospital, The University of Miami ??? Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (UM-RSMAS), Florida Keys Commercial Fisherman???s Association (FKCFA), Marathon Aqua Ranch and Symbiologics (MARS), Green Living and Environmental Education (GLEE) just to name a few. We are also proud to announce our involvement with ground breaking research on bycatch (i.e. unwanted organisms captured as a consequence of fishing) reduction for sharks and rays during fishing by using state of the art shark repellents (SharkDefense, LLC) as seen on the Discovery Channel during Shark Week (2006 ??? 2008). These technologies hold promise for reducing the mortalities of thousands of shark killed everyday during commercial and recreational fishing. View more details on Florida Keys Community College . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Ecology courses.