The EU-funded GuardIAS project has announced the launch of its first free Massive Online Open Course (MOOC), focusing on the prevention of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) in European waters. This course is the first of five aimed at professionals, students, and anyone interested in protecting our aquatic ecosystems.
Course description
This course is developed within the framework of the HORIZON Europe project GuardIAS, “Guarding European Waters from Invasive Alien Species (IAS)”. GuardIAS focuses on aquatic invasive alien species, aiming to improve the detection and prevent the spread of invasive alien species in both marine and freshwater habitats using a range of novel methods.
Moreover, the project works also to increase the knowledge transfer between the scientific community and the society. For this purpose, GuardIAS has dedicated objectives and tasks directed to education and training, public engagement and raising awareness.
This course falls within the objective of education and knowledge transfer. It is the first of a series of five Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) tackling the issue aquatic IAS and covering relevant aspects for their effective management. The GuardIAS MOOCs deal with the following topics: (i) IAS prevention, (ii) early detection and monitoring, (iii) predicting and prioritizing for management, (iv) eradication and control of aquatic IAS, (v) mitigating IAS impacts to threatened species.
This first MOOC is, therefore, focused on the prevention of IAS. The course opens with baseline information on bioinvasions and the risks of biological introductions, providing a solid background relevant to the field. It then covers the aspect of introduction mechanisms and the impacts of alien species, ultimately leading to the last module specifically dealing with prevention approaches.
Enrol in this MOOC, get the certificate, and become a Guardian!
Course programme
- 1. Introduction to the course
- a. GuardIAS project and MOOCs
- b. Course navigation
- c. Course index
- d. Course objectives
- 2. Teaching Unit 1: starting with the basics
- a. TU1.1 Biological invasions: why are they an issue?
- b. TU1.2 Biological invasions: looking for the right terms.
- 3. Teaching Unit 2: Vectors and pathways
- a. TU2.1 How do alien species arrive elsewhere?
- b. TU2.2 Once introduced, what happens next?
- c. TU2.3 Impact of introductions
- 4. Teaching Unit 3: Prevention and challenges
- a. TU3.1 Which management approaches can we follow to ensure prevention?
- b. TU3.2 Risk identified! What comes after? Preventive measures
- c. TU3.3 Regulation, enforcement and awareness: best allies against aliens
- 5. Closure
- a. Wrapping up
- b. What comes next
Accessing the Course
GuardIAS MOOCs are hosted at the ECM platform of the University of Pavia (UNIPV). The ECM Offices are approved providers for Continuous Training. This is the virtual environment in which you will find all the materials and necessary steps to successfully complete the course.
For more information on accessing and completing the course, please see the GuardIAS MOOC Guidelines
