Biodiversity is a polysemous concept that covers dimensions regarding different biology scales. The current proposal offers multidisciplinary training, aiming to provide postgraduates enough qualification to face the politic and social demand of experts in this area. One of the chore scientific aspects is the necessity of realistic strategies to know, measure, make inventories, conserve and manage biodiversity, as it was defined by the Conference of Río in 1992. For the adequate understanding of the aspects related to biodiversity, evolutionary biology is essential. This discipline studies the origin, change and persistency of gens, biological functions, individuals, species, supraspecific taxa and interacting populations of living beings. In this field, knowledge about genetic, development, geographical, historical and ecological processes and factors, that have an effect on the evolution, adaptation and diversity of living beings. Developments regarding molecular biology, the application of new techniques of modelling and instrumentation and the expansion o computational methods has boosted the proliferation of evolutionary studies in all levels of biological organisation.

In this context, the official master's degree in Biodiversity: Conservation and Evolution is committed to covering two kinds of demand, closely linked and complementary. On the one hand, intends to educate experts capable of (a) studying biodiversity and its evolution; (b) establishing the singularity and danger degree of every element of local or regional biodiversity, in line with the principle of precaution; (c) prioritising the allocation of resources to conservation of species and ecosystems; (d) evaluating the current or future impact of human activities on local or regional biodiversity; (e) developing management models (including economical and social dimensions) that combine exploitation and conservation; (f) scientifically instructing citizenship, avoiding simplistic and/or erroneous social constructions about the value of biodiversity, (g) assume consultancy and planning tasks; (h) fulfilling the demand related to description and cataloguing, maintenance of biological banks and museums; (i) meet the demand of teaching and dissemination activities.

On the other hand, the master's degree aims to training specialists in biodiversity research, capable of dealing with the major challenges that require urgent action: (a) developing quantifiable concepts regarding biodiversity and evolution; (b) inventing and interpreting biodiversity with a critic point of view: even in the conventional level of species, our knowledge is deficient and the labour allocated to this purpose is minimal; (c) knowing the habitat requirements for species and diversity and dynamic determinants of the ecosystem; (d) considering the evolution of diversity through time, since therein remain the keys for the present; for that purpose, the interpretation of the fossil record is very useful. It shows the numerous biotic crisis that have occurred and allows us to study the time before and after each one, including the ambience and biota states of the period and the interaction between them; (e) establishing management models that harmonise conservation with a sustainable and reasonable exploitation.