Integrated Landscape Problem Solving

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

170 hours

Students must have completed ECOL20003 Ecology

Students will need to acquaint themselves with project management techniques, scientific communication strategies (written and verbal) and various techniques of resource assessment.

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

Solutions to environmental dilemmas that face us in the 21st century require an integrated multi-disciplinary approach. This subject, delivered in the final semester of the Bachelor of Environments, provides a basis for students to integrate and apply the knowledge they have gained throughout their studies in different disciplines to solve real world problems. Students will research current local, national and international cases using a problem based approach to develop planning, management, data acquisition and analysis, and knowledge transfer skills.

The subject will be structured around a project in which students will work in teams to assess and plan management approaches for problems associated with an urban or rural landscape. The subject will allow students to explore real problems under the guidance of academic staff and industry representatives. The project will be structured to emphasize ecological, social, spatial, temporal and economic interactions, and to provide opportunities to explore the ways spatial data can support the observation and management of these interactions.

Groups will be allocated one of the University of Melbourne’s properties (Parkville, Creswick, Dookie, and Point Nepean), public lands closer to Melbourne or private properties where appropriate access can be arranged. These locations will be used as study sites for the group’s project.

Groups will be required to:

• Access, collect, organize and present data in ways that support landscape management planning.

Based on this, develop a strategic development plan to:

• enhance the ecological, economic and social value of the site;
• identify any major challenges being faced by the site;
• propose potential solutions to these challenges; and
• communicate this plan effectively primarily using spatial formats.

1 X team project proposal - 1000 words (due approximately week 6 -30%), 1 x team project report - 1500 words (due approximately week 12 - 40%), 1 x individual project evaluation report - 500 words (due approximately week 12 - 10%), 1 x team 15 minute project seminar (due approximately week 12 - 20%)

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Music

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

• Approach problems in a practical and pragmatic manner, with a view to achieving the desired outcomes;
• Express ideas coherently and logically through written and verbal communications;
• Work independently and cooperatively to accomplish a task;
• Plan and manage time to deliver outcomes on schedule;
• Effectively present scientific material to a diverse audience;
• Prepare scientific and technical reports.