Productive Environments

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

170 Hours

The following subjects can be taken concurrently:

Bachelor of Environments students are not permitted to enrol as a breadth subject.

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

Productive Environments will look at living and ecosystem resources harnessed for producing goods and services to meet human needs. Questions such as the following will be addressed, to name but a few: How are living resources managed for the production of goods and services, such as construction and design materials, food, fibres and water? What systems are available for meeting such needs? What are the consequences of production and consumption on environments managed for immaterial needs such as recreation or biodiversity? How can human impacts on ecosystems be monitored and managed?

The subject will approach these questions by building an understanding of ecosystem function and ecosystem management implications and will introduce tools and issues relevant to environments managed for purposes such as agricultural food production, forestry for timber production, bioenergy production, delivering of ecosystem services and biodiversity, reserves and parks for recreational use etc. It will explain how such understanding feeds into planning and management tools used in impact assessment, ecosystem management and regional planning, land and landscape management, landscape architecture applications, assessment of environmental impacts of human activities, and implementation in regional planning.

The subject will deliver the skills and understanding in a mix of lectures delivering firm scientific principles, tutorials and project work using practical examples and case studies, and excursions to study productive environment issues first hand.

On completion of Productive Environments students will have:

• An understanding of land use and land management implications of the use and production of primary goods, such as food, timber and fibre, and bioenergy in productive landscapes;
• An understanding of implications of mineral extraction on managed ecosystems;
• A deepened understanding of ecosystem principles as involved in and applied to human management of productive landscapes;
• An understanding of land management systems used to produce primary goods and services and manage associated resources;
• An appreciation of the impacts of human activities on natural and productive landscapes;
• An appreciation of ecosystem services and values delivered and conserved by managed land environments;
• An understanding of measures to restrict or repair negative impacts on land environments;
• An understanding of the use of ecosystem principles in environmental risk and impact assessment;
• An appreciation and understanding of regional planning tools.

• Tutorial participation with two assessed online quizzes weeks 5 and 9, (25%);
• Written assignment (1000 words), due week 12 (25%);
• A 2 hour examination during the examination period (50%).

Hurdle requirement: Attendance at a minimum of 9 / 12 tutorials throughout semester is required in order to achieve an overall pass in the subject.

Course reader.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• Appreciation of the environment;
• Critical thinking;
• Systems thinking;
• Communication skills for written and oral presentation;
• Analytical skills;
• Critical reflection;
• Appreciation of field work.