Integrated River & Catchment Management

This subject is not offered in 2013.

Admission to the postgraduate diploma or masters programs in Environmental Studies.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Rivers are amongst the hardest of natural resources to manage. They are long and thin, and so maximise the impact of catchment changes; they also focus environmental, social and production pressures. Rivers are the archetypal example of the conflict between private and public goods. In most western countries we have done an effective job of degrading these resources. This subject equips students to manage rivers more effectively by integrating catchment management activities. In reality, there are not many things that we do to manage rivers: change flow, change water quality, change riparian vegetation, or make structural changes to the river. In the course we concentrate on (a) how much do you have to alter each of these management levers in order to produce the most cost effective improvements in river condition and sustainability; (b) how do we integrate the management of many levers at different scales; and (c) how do we evaluate whether we have had any effect. The principles for managing rivers apply to managing most natural resources, so students can be confident of learning general principles.

N/A

Review of a catchment management plan, 1,500 words 25% (due near the beginning of the semester), trajectory report of 1,500 words 25% (due mid-semester), fieldwork trip report of 3,000 words 50% (due near the end of semester).

N/A

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• design, conduct and report on original research based on field and/or laboratory investigation;
• work effectively in projects which require team-work;
• articulate their knowledge and understanding in oral and written presentations;