Zoology With Conservation

Highlights

This BSc (Hons) Zoology with Conservation covers a broad range of topics in biodiversity, conservation, environmental sustainability, cell and plant biology, animal physiology, ecology, behaviour and evolution. Excellent facilities include biological, chemical and environmental labs, environmentally controlled rooms, imaging facilities, extensive analytical equipment, and a dedicated student research hub. Access to woodlands, farmland, marine and freshwater aquaria, a herpetarium, small mammal facilities and natural history museum with diverse vertebrate and invertebrate specimens.

Opportunities for fieldwork at home and abroad. Friendly, supportive staff and active student community offering socials, excursions and talks, including well-established ZooSoc and Ocean Science societies. Expertise in biology, ecology, psychology, economics, sociology, geography, land systems science, policy, and more.

Our research is addressing the diverse threats facing species and ecosystems worldwide.

Course overview

With the Earth’s biodiversity under threat, urgent action is needed. Climate change, pollution, habitat damage, and changes in land and sea use are among the causes of a 69% decline in global wildlife populations since 1970. Our Zoology with Conservation degree will help you understand the factors affecting biodiversity loss, why environmental conservation is needed and the different ways to achieve it effectively.

You will gain a solid grounding in traditional zoology and animal ecology - studying taxonomy, anatomy, behaviour and how animals interact with their environment. You might observe ravens on Anglesey, learn about land use and management in the National Park or complete an international field course learning about conservation issues. Bangor University is home to the Environment Centre for Wales and Welsh branches of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and British Trust for Ornithology.

We have strong links with Natural Resources Wales, Dŵr Cymru/Welsh Water, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and North Wales Wildlife Trust, whose regional offices are based in Bangor. Situated next to the Irish Sea, Menai Strait and mountains of Eryri, the exceptional range of terrestrial, marine, and freshwater habitats nearby provide opportunities for field work and research projects. You will be taught by staff whose conservation research covers a wide range of species from invertebrates to mammals, and even human behaviour.

We work with researchers, conservation organisations, government agencies and local community groups all over the world. Projects range from increasing the size and number of woodlands in the UK to protecting endangered primates in Zanzibar. As well as large modern teaching and research laboratories, computer rooms, and study spaces, we have dedicated onsite facilities for reptiles, rodents and insects.

This includes venomous snakes. Treborth Botanic Garden has a pigeon loft for bird cognition, physiology, and biomechanics research, and you can find Alpaca, sheep and bee hives on the farm at Henfaes Research Centre. You’ll never be short of things to do.

The Students’ Union offers a full range of student societies for those with an interest in all manner of animals. Bangor University Zoological Society, Bangor Herpetological Society, Bangor University Birdwatching Society (BUBS), Bangor University Entomology Society and Endeavour regularly collaborate on social and educational events. A recent Bioblitz Weekend, for example, featured moth trapping, mammal print traps, bush beating, sweep netting, woodland searching, and pond dipping.

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Placement year

What is the Placement Year? This exciting opportunity allows you to spend a year working with a self-sourced, professional organisation relevant to your studies. You'll typically start between June and September of your second year and finish by the following June or September.

Placements…