MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

Study Duration & Intake

Study mode: Full time only

Study duration: minimum 1 year to maximum 2 years (2 -4 semesters)

Intake: Two intakes per year (Mac & October)*

*Subjected to UKM’s academic calendar

STPD6024 Research Methodology
This course provides guidance in planning, implementing and succeed in scientific research. Students are introduced to the philosophy of science and ethics necessary to be adopted by researchers. Students are given exposure to determine and manage risks in scientific research. Apart from that, issues and rules related to research such as intellectual property, copyright, plagiarism etc. will be discussed. Subsequently, students are guided to plan their research and prepare a research proposal. For this, students are trained with techniques in information search both manually and on-line, identifying issues and research objectives, planning research and experimental design within their period of study. Students are required to prepare their research proposal according to the format and free from plagiarism. Students are given the opportunity to present and defend their proposal in a seminar. Students will be evaluated based on written and oral presentation of the research proposal, and final examination.

STAB6003: Biodiversity Conservation and Management
Conservation and management of biological diversity is a multidisciplinary field of science that encompasses the philosophies of morality, social justice, economics, politics and sustainable development, in addition to biodiversity and natural habitat protection. Both aspects of conservation and management of biodiversity are important to consider when using natural resources to ensure sustainable development. The multidisciplinary approach is applied through lectures and discussions on the history of conservation biology, international agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, and national attempts to safeguard biodiversity through various acts, strategies and policies. In-depth discussion is given to the issues and problems facing biodiversity, particularly the impact of climate change, habitat loss, and the introduction of invasive alien species. Among the topics on conservation include the establishment of protected areas; rehabilitation of species, populations, habitats and ecosystems; integrated conservation and development project (ICDP); conservation status guide in the IUCN Red List database; and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Fieldwork involves assessment of anthropogenic impacts such as the impact of tourism on the conservation and management of biodiversity at UNESCO/RAMSAR sites in Peninsular Malaysia. The use of latest technologies in conservation and management of biodiversity, especially those related to IR4.0, such as drone technology, IoT and nanotechnology will be discussed.

STAB6163: Biogeography
Biogeography is a multidisciplinary science related to various field such as biology, geography, geology, palaeontology and ecology. Biogeography explains about biological diversity covering aspects of species diversity, ecosystems and genetics. Biogeography seeks to answer basic question such as why are there so many living creatures? Why are they distributed in the way they are? How they occupied current distribution patterns? How are the present activities of human affecting these patterns? What are their prospects of future? The course is organized into four parts. The first part covers ecological aspects including geographical variations in physical environmental conditions and factors limiting the distribution of species. The second part covers historical aspects such as speciation, extinction, dispersal, endemism and reconstructing biogeographic histories. The third part covers the distribution of taxa in the context of time and space and the fourth part covers ecological biogeography such as equilibrium theory of island biogeography, island patterns and relation to conservation processes. Students will also learn data analysis methods in the field of biogeography that involve the latest molecular genetics approaches and big data applications in line with IR4.0.

STAB6054: Conservation Ethics and Law
Ethics and law are essential to conservation. The former sets the objective, and the latter the legal basis and mandate for conservation. This course will briefly introduce by way of background, the basic issues relating to conservation ethics and law. Current developments that have bearing on ethical understanding, the evolution of laws relating to conservation and sustainable development will be analysed. Various principles and concepts relating to conservation and sustainable development will also be discussed, to identify the inherent values (ethics). Institutional roles and functions of State parties will be outlined to describe the accountability and responsibility attached in implementing laws for conservation. The relationship between science, ethics and law will also be analysed to determine options that can be adopted by stakeholders involved in conservation. Selected national laws and/or multilateral environmental agreements will be used as reference and basis for assessment of the inculcation of ethical values and statutory compliance by all towards attaining the aspirations for sustainable development.

STAB6084: Natural Resource and Environmental Economics
This course is about the application of the principles of economics to study how natural resources and the environment are developed and managed. Natural resources have a double-edge effect on economic growth; i.e., the intensity of their use increases output but also increases their depletion rate. Thus, students will be exposed to economic methods, techniques and instruments in resolving issues such as resource scarcity, externalities, property rights, market failures, and public goods. These economic analyses provide a strong basis for well-informed decision-making that may directly or indirectly affect our environment. Fieldwork and interviews will be conducted to improve students’ understanding and aptitude for using environmental and natural resource valuation techniques. The implementation of fieldwork and interviews is through case studies, involving several environmental and natural resource sectors, such as fisheries and marine resources, forestry, wildlife (e.g. Jabatan Perhilitan), biodiversity, energy, and community-based geo-tourism (e.g. Man and Biosphere Reserve Tasik Chini dan Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark). Students should also discuss these case studies in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDGs 13, 14 and 15.

STAB6094: Ecological Data Analysis
Ecological data is a set of measurements collected by scientists which includes analytical and conceptual frameworks. Ecological data systems usually consist of many types of data. This course provides various numerical methods for analyzing ecological data. This course is divided into four parts. The first and second parts involve biodiversity assessment methods and approaches such as Bayesian method in ecological studies and wildlife management. The third and fourth parts are big data analysis using appropriate softwares such as R software and multivariate analysis to determine the interactions between biotic and abiotic data from ecological studies. Latest softwares will be introduced for statistical analysis, visualization and big data. This includes introduction and the roles of big data in ecological studies and metadata quality control. In addition, students will be exposed to a variety of experimental designs and statistical methods to answer various ecological questions, and critical evaluation on the results obtained from ecological studies.

STAB6113 EIA for Biodiversity Conservation
As the human population continues to increase and natural resources become more scarce, it is crucial to achieve the sustainable development through producing high-quality EIA studies. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an important tool to identify the potential risks of a project to environmental and human well-being as well as identify measures to eliminate and/or mitigate these risks. The focus of this course is to understand the methods and procedures for EIA implementation in proposed projects. The EIA study procedures include screening processes, identifying prescribed activities, identifying relevant planning policies and legislations, scoping, formulating terms of reference (TOR), delineating study area boundaries, modelling, using suitable assessment standards, identifying and prioritising environmental impact assessment, analysing risk and proposing mitigation measures, and preparing the EIA report. This course emphasises the assessment and description of the physical, biological and socio-economic environments. Environmental management plan (EMP) and wildlife management plan (WMP) will also be discussed. Students will be exposed to writing the TOR, EIA, EMP and WMP in EIA studies.

STAB6903: Diversity of Plant Genetic Resources
This course covers a wide range of topics in diversity of plant genetic resources, and focuses on plant species for food, livestock, horticultural, bio-materials, construction and medical industries. These include general principles of plant diversity (evolution, domestication, breeding), centre of origin and centre of diversity, categories of plant genetic resources, their values, importances and distributions, factors that threaten plant genetic resources, gene pool concepts, plant reproductive systems, cytogenetic variation , introgression, vulnerability and genetic erosion, and issues related to plant genetic resources including cooperation between various countries in conservation, management and research on plant genetic resources, as well as farmer’s and breeder’s rights. This course also has field visit.

STAL6064: Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing
This course will introduce the concepts and application of remote sensing and GIS. The course covers the characteristics of remote sensing sensors, image acquisition and data collection in the electromagnetic spectrum and spatial data analysis. The course is designed to comprehensively understand remote sensing and GIS application in solving research problems applied to various earth resources disciplines. Upon completion of the course, students should be able to use remote sensing and GIS for environmental assessment and monitoring.

STAB6024: Natural Resource Prospecting
Thi Natural resources (biotic and abiotic) are important for the preservation of ecosystem structure and function. Natural resources such as biodiversity are very important as genetic resources to ensure food security. Earth’s resources such as quarrying and mining materials are important in driving development and the nation’s economy. Therefore, the exploration of natural resources needs to be balanced between sustainable use and conservation to minimize environmental degradation and destruction. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), students will be exposed to Green Economy that is low in carbon, reduces pollution, improves energy efficiency, prevents the loss of biodiversity and protects ecosystem services. Among the issues that will be discussed are the food security crisis; climate change; pathogen, pest and disease outbreaks that affect public health. Students will be trained to identify the uses of natural resources and understand the formation and sustainable management of resources. This course will also discuss the latest technology related to IR4.0 in the exploration and management of natural resources.

STAB6034: Population Ecology and Community
Population and community are the two most important components in ecology. Population ecology is the study of populations of animals and plants and their interactions in the natural environment. A population is a group of interbreeding organisms, while community ecology is the study of any assemblage of populations in a natural environment. In this course, populations are analysed in terms of variability, density, and stability, and other environments and processes that can assess these characteristics. Among the determinants of a population are the birth and death rate; age and sex distribution; patterns of competitive and cooperative behavior; predator-prey, host-parasite, and other relationships with different species; food resources and the environment; and migration patterns. Communities were analysed based on traditional characteristics; diversity, dominance, growth form and structure, trophic structure, and relative abundance; and are described as a distinct system of life with its own development and function. In the analysis and evaluation of a population and community, mathematical models and indices that incorporate relevant determinants and variables are used to predict changes in determinants that may affect a community and population. These population and community assessments are conducted through field case studies of several groups of fauna (such as birds and mammals) and their natural habitats.

STAB6063: Curatorial Science
This course will discuss the science of curation which includes theory, practice and understanding of the role of natural history collections in biological conservation. The course also emphasizes the importance of natural history collections as a reference for education and research. Students will be trained on methods of sampling, preparation, identification and curation of animal and plant specimens at the flora and fauna repository facilities at UKM, namely the Insect Systematics Centre, Herbarium Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Bangi and the Natural History Museum Faculty of Science and Technology. Students will digitise specimens for data management in line with the latest curation method as part of the course assessment. Students will also have the opportunity to visit one of the national specimen repositories.

STAL6083: Sustainable Use of Marine Resources
This course covers the sustainable use of marine resources that are considered valuable, economically. The main focus is on the biological resources due to its renewable attributes. The aim is to maintain its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of present and future generations. At the early part of the course, explanation on the types, status and uses of marine resources is covered. This is arranged as such so that the candidate could clearly identify, compare and categorize marine resources. Furthermore, the course is conducted through discussions, assignments and presentations. It covers topics and issues related to marine resources and their sustainability of use in line with the SDG2030 agenda (United Nations Sustainable Goals 2030) such as in fishery activity, mangroves and coastal habitat and coral reefs use.

STAP6974 Research Project I 
This course aims to train students to conduct research in the field of biological sciences under supervision. Research is conducted through literature review and individual research. Students are required to prepare a preliminary research report with a chosen topic accompanied by a problem statement, hypothesis, significance or justification of the study, literature review and methods.

STAP6986 Research Project II 
This course aims to train students to do research in the field of biological sciences under the guidance of a supervisor. Research is conducted empirically and analytically. Students are required to prepare a final research report covering introduction, literature review, materials and methods, results, discussion and conclusion. Student is also required to give an oral presentation on the research findings.

• Bachelor’s Degree in relevant field with minimum CGPA 2.50 or equivalent, from any institutions of higher learning  recognized by the UKM Senate; or
• Bachelor’s Degree in relevant field with minimum CGPA 2.00 – 2.49 or equivalent, with minimum of 5 years working experience or research project in relevant field. Proof of the working experience of a foreign candidate should be acknowledge by the embassy of the respective country; or
• Fulfill Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL A) for local candidates only:
  • should be more than 30 years of age in the year of application; and
  • possess at least STPM or diploma in relevant field or other equivalent qualification recognized by the Government of Malaysia and approved by the UKM Senate; and
  • possess a certificate of MQA APEL with MQF Level 7
• An international student shall obtain minimum results of either
  • TOEFL iBT score 46 or
  • IELTS band 5.5 or
  • PTE score 51 or
  • CEFR band B2 or
  • MUET band 4 or
  • Higher Education English Test (HEET) score 7 or
  • An international student who comes from a country where English is the official language, or who has obtained academic qualifications from any institution of higher learning that uses English as the medium of instruction may be exempted from the requirement for HEET / TOEFL / IELTS)

1. Executive/Consultants (environmental/sustainability) in public and private sectors
2. Lecturers
3. Executive/Officer in public agencies (Perhilitan, Perhutanan)
4. Researchers in public and private agencies
5. Research officers in public and private agencies