Global Change Ecology and Novel Ecosystems

The Master’s programme Global Change Ecology and Novel Ecosystems focuses on the complex causes and far-reaching consequences of global change. Students will learn about the multifaceted nature of global change, encompassing changes in climate, land use, water and biogeochemical cycles, as well as environmental pollution and the loss of biodiversity, and how these changes impact all levels of biological organization, from molecules to ecosystems.

Important focus of the Master’s programme will be ‘Novel ecosystems; that are human-built, modified natural, or engineered niches of the biosphere (antroposphere). They exist in places that have been altered in structure and function by human agency. Novel ecosystems are part of the human environment and niche (including urban, suburban, and rural), they lack natural analogs, and they have extended an influence that has converted more than three-quarters of wild Earth.

Specific attention within the Master’s programme is given to the development of nature-based solutions, where fundamental knowledge of ecosystems is translated into applied ecosystem management that addresses the negative impacts of global change.

The increasing recognition that global change poses a clear challenge to society makes expertise on the subject a widely sought asset for any future professional career. As a specialist in global change biology, graduate will develop the skills to analyze policy, influence decision-making and implement novel solutions for a sustainable economy.