The seminar will cover a range of topics that deal with principles and management of biodiversity in general, and the role of pathogens in these processes more specifically. Course participants will explore the diverse links between environmental health and human well-being. Recent advances in this area demonstrate that parasites and pathogens, aside from being an important component of biological diversity, can shape the function of whole ecosystems. Human activities alter pathogen distributions in multiple ways, which not only affect ecosystem health, but have also important ramifications for conservation management.