Wildlife Management

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2009:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Topics that will be covered in this course include:

• Biological and legal definitions of wildlife and the goals of management;
• Population dynamics and the measurement of abundance; the roles of competition, predation, harvesting and disease in the regulation of populations;
• Physical and chemical techniques of capture and restraint;
• Management of overabundant and pest species (native and exotic) including lethal (poisons, shooting, pathogens) and non-lethal (deterrents, fertility control, relocation) methods of control; methods of euthanasia and ethical considerations;
• Management of threatened species, including roles of habitat loss, predation and disease in population declines, management of small populations in the wild and in captivity.

The first introductory session will take place on the main campus at Parkville. Subsequent sessions will be held at different internal and external locations. At each session, the detailed instructions for the subsequent session will be given, together with any additional reading material. Session will run every alternate (almost) Tuesday afternoon in 1st Semester. Most sessions will start at 12.00p.m. and end between 6.00p.m. and 10.00 p.m, although one session may begin in the morning.

A number of key topics in wildlife management will be covered on each site visit. Staff from a variety of agencies that manage wildlife in Victoria will present an outline of their management programs and will provide detailed information about specific management issues and activities. Different aspects of the same topic will be covered at different sites depending upon the species of animal or management system involved. On each of these afternoons there will be practical activities designed to reinforce the theoretical aspects of the material being covered.

• Attendance and participation in laboratory work, field trips and workshops (15%).
• A 20 minute presentation (15 minute talk and 5 minute questions) on the topic to be covered in the individual assignment (10%). The presentation may be on an individual topic or part of one covered by a group, but must have an identifiable individual component. Presentations will be held at the end of semester.
• A 5,000-word individual assignment in the form of a paper (75%). The topic is to be arranged, in consultation with staff. Deadline for submission: 2 weeks after the end of the semester.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.