Professional Diploma in Marine Ecosystem Conservation
This professional diploma prepares you to protect marine ecosystems across the whole ocean, from coral reefs and seagrass meadows to the open ocean and the deep sea. You will study how marine ecosystems work, the pressures that threaten them, how conservation is planned and how marine protected areas are designed and managed, as well as restoration techniques, nature-based solutions, governance, funding and the scientific methods used to monitor ecosystem health.
Prior knowledge check
These are the skills this program gives you. Tick the ones you already master and we will tell you which part of the syllabus is for you.
You are starting from scratch in this subject. The program is designed precisely for that.
What is the Professional Diploma in Marine Ecosystem Conservation?
This professional diploma prepares you to design, manage and evaluate conservation strategies for marine ecosystems at every scale. You will learn how marine biomes, food webs, biogeochemical cycles and connectivity sustain biodiversity, why reefs, seagrass meadows, mangroves, kelp forests, open-ocean fronts and deep-sea habitats matter, how climate change, acidification, overfishing, pollution, underwater noise and invasive species degrade them, and how marine spatial planning, environmental impact assessment, marine protected areas, restoration projects, participatory governance and rigorous monitoring are combined to protect them over the long term.
What sets this professional diploma apart: an ocean-wide scope that goes beyond the coastline to include the open ocean and deep-sea habitats; a multidisciplinary approach that brings together ecology, oceanography, law and socio-economics; a practical focus on the design and effective management of marine protected areas; restoration techniques and nature-based solutions for degraded habitats; modern monitoring tools such as eDNA, autonomous platforms and remote sensing; and a final conservation project applicable to your own professional context.
Program highlights
- Ocean-wide scope: from coastal habitats to the open ocean and the deep sea.
- Multidisciplinary approach: ecology, oceanography, law and socio-economics.
- Marine protected areas: design, management, enforcement and effectiveness.
- Restoration: seagrass, mangroves, corals, kelp and oyster reefs.
- Modern monitoring: eDNA, autonomous platforms, sensors and remote sensing.
- Final conservation project applied to your professional context.
Syllabus of the Professional Diploma in Marine Ecosystem Conservation
8 modules. Select a module to see its content.
Fundamentals of marine ecosystems and ecological processes
- 1.1. Marine biomes and habitat types: littoral, pelagic, deep-sea, polar and estuarine
- 1.2. Primary production and food webs: plankton dynamics, energy flow and trophic cascades
- 1.3. Biogeochemical cycles: carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in ocean systems
- 1.4. Population ecology: recruitment, connectivity, metapopulations and larval dispersal
- 1.5. Community ecology: diversity, functional roles, keystone species and resilience
- 1.6. Habitat complexity: seagrass meadows, kelp forests, reefs, mangroves and ecosystem engineers
- 1.7. Oceanography for conservation: currents, upwelling, stratification and productivity hotspots
- 1.8. Ecological indicators: biodiversity metrics, health indices and early-warning signals
Key habitats and their conservation value
- 2.1. Coral reefs: ecological function, vulnerabilities and conservation priorities
- 2.2. Seagrass meadows: blue carbon, nursery grounds and coastal protection
- 2.3. Mangroves and salt marshes: storm buffering, biodiversity and ecosystem services
- 2.4. Kelp forests: productivity, links with fisheries and climate sensitivity
- 2.5. Estuaries and coastal lagoons: nutrient cycling, migratory corridors and human pressures
- 2.6. Sandy and rocky shores: zonation, disturbance and adaptive management
- 2.7. Open-ocean ecosystems: fronts, gyres, migratory species and governance challenges
- 2.8. Deep-sea habitats: seamounts, hydrothermal vents and emerging risks
Threats and pressures on marine ecosystems
- 3.1. Climate change: warming, marine heatwaves, deoxygenation and regime shifts
- 3.2. Ocean acidification: impacts on calcifying organisms and structuring habitats
- 3.3. Sea-level rise and coastal squeeze: habitat loss and adaptation
- 3.4. Overfishing and bycatch: stock depletion and trophic effects
- 3.5. Destructive fishing and seabed damage: trawling, recovery and mitigation measures
- 3.6. Marine pollution: nutrients, plastics, chemicals, heavy metals and spills
- 3.7. Underwater noise: shipping, surveys and effects on marine mammals and fish
- 3.8. Invasive species and biofouling: vectors, risk assessment and control
Conservation planning and marine spatial planning
- 4.1. Goals and objectives: representativeness, replication, connectivity and persistence
- 4.2. Spatial prioritization: selecting areas by biodiversity, threats and feasibility
- 4.3. Connectivity: larval dispersal, stepping stones and network design
- 4.4. Marine spatial planning: zoning, uses, conflicts and trade-offs
- 4.5. Environmental impact assessment: scoping, baselines, mitigation and follow-up
- 4.6. Strategic environmental assessment: policy-level planning and cumulative effects
- 4.7. Ecosystem-based management: integrating fisheries, habitats and human uses
- 4.8. Climate scenarios: adaptation pathways, decision points and adaptive management
Marine protected areas and effective management
- 5.1. Types of MPA: no-take, multiple-use, seasonal closures and OECMs
- 5.2. Designing effective MPAs: size, connectivity, representativeness and enforceability
- 5.3. Management plan: rules, permits, zoning and compliance measures
- 5.4. Surveillance and enforcement: patrol models, support technology and deterrence
- 5.5. Ecological monitoring: indicators, sampling design and baselines
- 5.6. Socio-economic dimension: effects on livelihoods, transition costs and benefits
- 5.7. Co-management and participatory governance: agreements, legitimacy and conflict resolution
- 5.8. Effectiveness assessment: ecological outcomes, compliance and management performance
Restoration and nature-based solutions
- 6.1. Restoration principles: feasibility, reference conditions and success criteria
- 6.2. Seagrass restoration: site selection, planting techniques and survival
- 6.3. Mangrove and salt marsh restoration: hydrology, sediments and long-term stability
- 6.4. Coral restoration and reef rehabilitation: nurseries, transplants and thermal resilience
- 6.5. Kelp restoration: herbivory control, reseeding and ecological feedbacks
- 6.6. Oyster and shellfish reefs: water quality improvement and habitat recovery
- 6.7. Coastal solutions: living shorelines and hybrid approaches with engineering
- 6.8. Biosecurity in restoration: preventing invasive species and disease transmission
Governance, social participation and funding for marine conservation
- 7.1. International legal framework for marine conservation
- 7.2. Participatory governance and local communities
- 7.3. Traditional knowledge and science
- 7.4. Funding for conservation
- 7.5. Sustainable tourism and conservation
- 7.6. Environmental education and awareness
- 7.7. Resolving conflicts between uses
- 7.8. Final conservation project
Monitoring, assessment and scientific methods for marine conservation
- 8.1. Sampling design: statistical power, bias and control of variables
- 8.2. Field methods: transects, quadrats, BRUVS, acoustics and habitat assessment
- 8.3. Water quality monitoring: nutrients, turbidity, contaminants and microbial indicators
- 8.4. Population monitoring: CPUE, demography, recruitment and indices
- 8.5. Biodiversity assessment: functional diversity, indicator species and community indices
- 8.6. Emerging tools: eDNA and metabarcoding, autonomous platforms and sensors
- 8.7. Remote sensing: satellites, drones, bathymetry and habitat classification
- 8.8. Data management: QA/QC, metadata, reproducibility and good practice
Duration and format of the Professional Diploma in Marine Ecosystem Conservation
It is 800 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.
This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the installment plan.
Academic leadership and faculty
The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programs.
Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Eng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Capt. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Senior Lecturer in Ship Handling, Electronic Navigation (ECDIS/Radar/ARPA) and GMDSS; STCW Compliance and Bridge Resource Management Coordinator
Dr. Pau FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory
Dr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Eng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Eng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Eng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration CoordinatorObjectives of the Professional Diploma in Marine Ecosystem Conservation
Career opportunities after the Professional Diploma in Marine Ecosystem Conservation
Questions about the Professional Diploma in Marine Ecosystem Conservation
To give you the knowledge and tools to understand, protect and restore marine ecosystems, from coastal habitats to the open ocean and the deep sea.
It covers the whole marine environment, including open-ocean and deep-sea habitats, and places special emphasis on marine protected areas, spatial planning and scientific monitoring.
Yes. A full module deals with their types, design, management plans, enforcement, co-management and effectiveness assessment.
Sampling design, transects and quadrats, BRUVS, acoustics, water quality analysis, eDNA, autonomous platforms, remote sensing and good practice in data management.
No. Field or diving experience is an advantage, but the program is taught online and focuses on planning, management and analysis.
You design a marine conservation project for a real or realistic case, applying the planning, management and monitoring tools from the program.
Fully online, through a virtual campus available 24/7, with live sessions that are recorded and tutorials with the teaching staff.
The professional diploma comprises 800 hours of study across 8 modules of about 100 hours each and ends with a final conservation project. You can progress at your own pace within the schedule set when you enroll.
More programs in Biology and conservation
Admission process
No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enroll in the same session.
- Profile: aimed at marine biologists, environmental engineers and coastal management professionals, environmental consultants and NGO technicians, environmental educators and science communicators, policy makers working on marine and coastal management, and students of related fields. A degree in marine biology, environmental sciences, oceanography, environmental engineering or a related field, or demonstrable experience in marine conservation, is recommended; basic knowledge of marine ecology and field experience are an advantage.
- Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
- Technical resources: a computer with a stable internet connection, an up-to-date browser and a camera for live sessions and project presentations.
- Admission: online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.
- 01ApplicationYour details, background and documents.
- 02Instant reviewWe check that everything is complete and in order.
- 03EnrollmentChoose full payment or instalments and reserve your place.
Admission is provisional until the committee validates the documents provided. If you do not meet the requirements, the full amount is refunded.
Ask us before you enroll
Leave your details and admissions will write to you to answer any questions. If you are already sure, you can apply and pay in the same session.