Reptile Conservation Certificate Online Course

Here at Careers Collectiv, we specialise in 100% online short courses that allow our students to study when it suits them – with the 24/7 support of an expert. Whatever course you choose, you will have access to knowledge and skills in a practical way that is relevant to real life. We have carefully chosen the courses we offer so that they can be used to develop a new career, pursue a hobby, deepen knowledge, or explore a passion, in the way that suits them best. With courses ranging from photography to animal welfare, to beauty, to bookkeeping, there is something suitable for you. 

One of our most popular courses is the Certificate in Reptile Conservation, and we can help you learn everything you need to support a career change or develop more skills. 

Other courses including: 

Reptile Biology, Amphibian Biology, Conservation Issues, Habitat Conservation

Certificate in Reptile Conservation: Perfect for animal lovers looking to make a tangible difference to the protection and conservation of reptiles.

Making the decision to take on a learning opportunity can make juggling your time difficult – but with Careers Collectiv you can take advantage of our 100% online, self-paced learning. What this means for you is that you can choose when you study, fitting it around your home and work life in the way that suits you best.

During our certification in reptile conservation, you will be taken through a comprehensive series of lessons designed to take a student from complete beginner to a competent conservationist and protect the welfare of reptiles; making sure that once you have completed the course, you will be in an ideal position to create a new career in the protection and conservation of wildlife.

In this course you will develop an ability to understand the biological and ecological characteristics of reptiles and amphibians as well as relevant conservation issues and how to effectively provide value in this field. Herpetology examines the biology and ecology of these animals and their importance at a global scale. You will have an in-depth course that includes;

Introduction to Herpetology

• Herpetology Defined
• Introduction to Reptiles
• Animal Taxonomy
• Classification of Reptiles
• Characteristics of Reptiles
• Testudine Characteristics (Turtles)
• Squamata Characteristics (Snakes and Lizards)
• Rhynchocephalia Characteristics (Tuatara)
• Classification of Amphibians
• Amphibian Characteristics
• Building Resources and Developing Networks
• Terminology

Class Reptilia (Reptiles)

• Reptile Classification
• Water Conservation
• Reproduction
• Order Chelonia (Testudines); Turtles
• Order Crocodilia; Crocodilians
• Order Squamata
• Scaled Reptiles; Lizards (Suborder Sauria) and Snakes (Suborder Serpentes)

Reptile Biology

• Reptile Anatomy
• Skeleton
• Scales and Skutes
• Ectothermal Regulation
• Coloration
• Respiration and Metabolism
• Food and Digestion
• Senses
• Locomotion

Class Amphibia (Amphibians)

• Order Anura (Frogs and Toads)
• Order Apoda (Caecilians)
• Order Urodela (Salamanders and Newts)

 Amphibian Biology

• Amphibian Skeleton
• Skin
• Ectothermal Regulation
• Colouration
• Respiration and Metabolism
• Branchial
• Buccopharyngeal
• Cutaneous
• Pulmonic
• Food and Digestion
• Senses
• Locomotion
• Reproduction

 Ecology of Reptiles

• Species Richness
• Constriction
• Injected Venom
• Inertia Feeding
• Biting and Grasping
• Suction Feeding
• Reproductive Strategies
• Viviparity
• Oviparity
• Nest Building
• Habitat Use: Aquatic and Terrestrial
• Basking
• Hibernation

Ecology of Amphibians

• Use of Habitat
• Temperature Relationships
• Feeding
• Vocal Communication: Advertisement calls, Territorial calls, Release calls, Distress calls
• Social Behaviour
• Dealing with Predators
• Reproduction and Parental Care

Conservation Issues

• Habitat Change
• Edge Effects
• Pollution; especially Water Pollution
• Environmental Acidification (Acid Rain)
• Pesticides
• Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals
• Spread of Disease
• Invasive Species
• Climate Change
• Spread of Disease
• Disease in Wild Populations
• Trade in Reptiles and Amphibians
• Conservation
• Conservation Genetics
• Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

 Keeping Reptiles and Amphibians

• Introduction
• Legal Issues
• Special Conditions for Amphibians
• Special Conditions for Reptiles
• Preventing Spread of Disease from Reptiles to Humans
• Housing
• Reptile Captivity Problems
• Reptile Feed and Feeding
• Amphibians and Reptile Species that are in Captivity
• Feeding Amphibians
• General Care
• Common Ailments in Reptiles and Amphibians
• Parasitic Diseases
• Fungal Diseases
• Viral Diseases
• Metabolic Bone Disease
• Thiamine Deficiency 

Wildlife Conservation 

Introduction to Wildlife Conservation

• What is wildlife conservation
• The need for wildlife conservation
• Important concepts ecology, ecosystem, biome, conservation values, biological diversity, genetic drift, habitat, life span, wildlife movement and wildlife management.
• Threatening processes habitat fragmentation, habitat degradation and loss, soil degradation, erosion, pollution, unsustainable harvesting, invasive species, climate change, population isolation and disease.
• Biodiversity indicators
• Terminology

Recovery of Threatened Species

• Loss of species categories of risk
• Species vulnerability to endangerment
• Recovery of species and threat management
• Habitat Conservation identifying critical habitat and protecting habitat
• Research population growth, habitat use and conservation genetics
• Captive breeding
• Translocation
• Public involvement

 Habitat Conservation

• Habitat
• Types of Habitat eg. temperate and tropical forests, woodland, tundra and mangrove habitats
• Habitat Use
• Species Richness
• Habitat Fragmentation
• Creating Habitats
• Restoration Ecology creating habitat corridors, situating corridors, types of corridors, edge effects
• Habitat Rehabilitation implementing a land management program, determining objectives, determining a program
• The Role of GIS in Conservation
• The Role of Protected Areas levels of protection, approaches to reserve selection and limitation of reserves.

 Approaches to Conservation of Threatened Wildlife

• Species Approach modelling demography, effective population size, small populations, population viability analysis (PVA)
• Landscape Approach elements of landscape ecology, distribution of populations within a landscape, landscape modelling
• Ecosystem Approach the need for ecosystem management, understanding dynamics, adaptive management, objectives for ecologically sustainable forest management.

 Vegetation Surveys

• Plant Identification common names, scientific names, levels of division, botanical keys,
• Vegetation survey techniques such as quadrat surveys, landscape assessments, line surveys.
• Vegetation Mapping remote sensing data.

 Fauna Surveys

• Observation techniques spotlighting, scat surveys, census techniques
• Trapping Techniques radio tracking, call recordings, pit fall traps, Elliot traps.
• Species identification

 Marine Conservation

• Reef Surveys
• Habitat Surveys
• Aerial Surveys
• Overexploitation
• Commercial Fish Stock Management

 Planning for Wildlife

• Farm Planning
• Urban Planning
• Use of GIS

 Management

• Managing Threatened Wildlife Populations manipulating populations, revegetation/restoration, creating corridors, pest control plans, fencing for species, fire breaks.

Wildlife Conservation Project

This final part of the curriculum can make a real difference for you if you are planning to change careers upon completion of your certificate in reptile conservation. 

Self-Paced With Full Support: Certificate in Reptile Conservation

Although you will not have specific deadlines to meet, every part of the Careers Collectiv certificate in reptile conservation will have an assessment to check your knowledge and skills – and at all times, you will be able to contact your tutor if you need further help. 

The tutors we choose are academics that are working successfully in their areas of expertise – we want to make sure that the skills and knowledge we are sharing with our students is relevant and practical for a career in real life. Whether you complete your course in a matter of weeks, or your schedule means you take much longer, you will have lifetime access to the course contents and 24/7 access to your tutor.

Whatever you want from your certificate in reptile conservation, the Careers Collectiv approach will ensure you can get what you need.

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