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FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology

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Coordinates: 33°57′23″S 18°27′40″E / 33.9564113°S 18.4611377°E / -33.9564113; 18.4611377
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(Redirected from Percy FitzPatrick Institute)

33°57′23″S 18°27′40″E / 33.9564113°S 18.4611377°E / -33.9564113; 18.4611377

FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Established1959
Head of DepartmentAssociate Prof. Susan Cunningham
Location
Cape Town, South Africa
Websitescience.uct.ac.za/fitzpatrick

The FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology is a South African biological research and conservation institute based at the University of Cape Town (UCT). The mission statement of the institute is “to promote and undertake scientific studies involving birds, and contribute to the practice affecting the maintenance of biological diversity and the sustained use of biological resources”.

History

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The FitzPatrick Institute was founded in 1959 through the efforts and financial support of Cecily Niven, the daughter of Sir Percy FitzPatrick, and was originally incorporated as a non-profit company. It is now incorporated within the University of Cape Town as an autonomous subunit within the department of Biological Sciences. It houses the Niven Library and has become the largest centre for ornithological research in the Southern Hemisphere. The name was changed in 2018 from the "Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of Ornithology".

Research

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Research currently undertaken by members of the Fitztitute can be broadly placed within three themes.

  • Understanding Biodiversity: Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology[1]
  • Maintaining Biodiversity: Species-level Conservation[2]
  • Maintaining Biodiversity: Global Change[3]

Follow the links above to read about the research programmes within these themes.

Study and Research opportunities

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Postgraduate study opportunities include the Institute's internationally acclaimed Conservation Biology Masters Programme[4] and research based MScs and PhDs.

Conservation Biology Masters Programme

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Conservation biology is the study of how best to sustain and manage linked systems of people and nature. The Conservation Biology Masters Programme at the FitzPatrick Institute educates students and conservation practitioners in the fast developing field of conservation science. Although the Institute focuses primarily on ornithological research, the Conservation Biology MSc programme is broad-based, drawing on teaching expertise from across the academic spectrum at UCT and further afield. The programme is an intensive MSc degree comprising 7 months of coursework and a 6-month individual research project.

Applications for the programme close on 31 August each year. Read more about it on the Details for Applicants page[5]

Entrance

Notes

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  1. ^ "Understanding Biodiversity: Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology". Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Maintaining Biodiversity: Species-Level Conservation". Retrieved 8 October 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Maintaining Biodiversity: Global Change". Retrieved 8 October 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "Conservation Biology MSc". Retrieved 8 October 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Conservation Biology MSc: Details for Applicants". Retrieved 8 October 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

References

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