USM - Universiti Sains Malaysia

The main objective of the Environmental Biology thrust area is to expose students to the basic principles of the environmental sciences. Since about 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, fresh, marine and brackish water ecosystems are the major environment on Earth.  Environmental biology and aquatic biology is therefore very closely related. Students majoring in Environmental Biology are also exposed to the principles of aquatic sciences. For this reason, the thrust areas of Environmental Biology and Aquatic Biology are both coordinated under the same Programme Chairperson and come under the AQEN Bio (AQuatic & ENvironment Biology) group. With the basic knowledge acquired in these thrust areas, students can then utilise it in applied fields. The Environmental Biology thrust area is structured to strengthen the knowledge and understanding of the various concepts of ecology, function and interaction between the abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem.  This will give a broad understanding about the diversity together with structure and function of various tropical ecosystems. Students will also be exposed to basic ecological aspects of various ecosystems and the economics of management, exploitation and conservation of these resources. The importance of environmental protection and conservation of natural resources will be taught through lectures, laboratory practical, field visits and focused research projects as well as exposure to various ecological methods including EIA and GIS. Upon successful completion of the programme, students are expected to have grasped the necessary knowledge and skills to manage the exploitation of natural resources together with the proper use of these resources for the benefit of mankind.  Students should then also be able to carry out research in the field of aquatic and environmental sciences. Having a good understanding of current global issues such as global warming, pollution, environmental deterioration, loss of biodiversity, climate change, etc, will give Environmental Biology students a competitive advantage in many related job prospects as more and more companies are using the “eco-friendly” tag as a central theme of their company’s public image.