Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Essay 1200 Words | 40% |
| Semester Assessment | Management report (Minimum 1200 words) 1800 Words | 60% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay 1200 Words | 40% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Management report (Minimum 1200 words) 1800 Words | 60% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Critically evaluate methods for restoring ecological functions and debate restoration goals at local, national and international scales and in natural, semi-natural and peri-urban environments.
Undertake complex analyses of the theory, practical implications and complexities around restoring habitats with a focus on the effectiveness of rewilding projects, the reintroduction of species and removal of invasive species.
Evaluate real-world habitat and ecosystem scale restoration projects, taking into account conservation biology targets as well as social, political and economic implications to critically evaluate their success.
Brief description
This module will comprise a series of lectures and practical activities. The module will be available either through distance learning or as a residential learning experience at the Centre for Alternative Technology. Lectures draw on a wide variety of theoretical and applied topics with a wide use of case studies throughout. Practicals are based in local habitats for onsite learners and similarly directed field or desk based investigations are provided for distance-learners. Distance learners will also have access to the same lectures as in person participants.
Aims
- study the role of ecosystems in sustainability with a focus on their role in biogeochemical cycling, as a sink for carbon and for providing other ecosystem functions.
- investigate methods of restoration of habitats, including at landscape and global scales.
- appreciate methods of setting restoration goals and assessing the success of restoration projects.
- analyse the theoretical science and practical implications of species reintroductions, rewilding and invasive species control.
- examine the value of policy, community involvement and public support, health and wellbeing, in habitat restoration and management.
Content
The science behind rewilding, reintroduction and management of invasive species, phytoremediation and restoration of peri-urban spaces.
The role of communities, impact of restoration on communities and economies, and the impact of national and international legislation.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Creative Problem Solving | Collate and handle data, carry out statistical analyses and modelling where appropriate |
| Critical and analytical thinking | Critically evaluate methods, analyses, conclusions and relevance from interdisciplinary sources, and where appropriate, propose new hypotheses from congruent argument, of current research and advanced scholarship |
| Digital capability | Make effective use of communication and IT to gather and use evidence and data to find, retrieve, organise and exchange new information |
| Professional communication | Communicate effectively in written and oral forms to a wider audience |
| Real world sense | Analyse biodiversity and ecological restoration practices in a variety of environments. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Demonstrate specialist knowledge of sustainable ecology, including that of behavioural issues surrounding anthropogenic attitudes to biodiversity and conservation |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7