Fundamentals of Catchment Management

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

170 hours total time commitment

To enrol in this subject, you must be admitted in the Graduate Certificate in Catchment and Waterway Management (GC-CWMGT) or the Graduate Certificate in River Health Management (N17AA). This subject is not available for students admitted in any other courses.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Objectives, 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 course are encouraged to discuss this matter with the Student Equity and Disability Support Team: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject is concerned with providing students with a common starting point across the range of physical, biological, chemical, social and institutional processes that bear on catchment behaviour (in both rural and urban settings). The subject structure uses past, current and foreseeable issues facing catchment managers to introduce the concepts of catchments as physical, biological, chemical, social and institutional systems. Subject content covers the principles of:

• geomorphology,
• hydrology,
• hydraulics,
• ecology and
• water quality in sufficient detail to understand the main processes that control the condition of:
• catchments,
• waterways,
• floodplains and
• wetlands.

Content also introduces the institutional and social context of catchment management to understand the constraints on management intervention and the multiple goals of catchment management.
The structured remote learning component introduces each of the topic areas with readings, online discussion and exercises and introduces the range of relevant catchment processes.

A four day intensive face to face session focuses on the knowledge needed to understand catchments as interacting systems and illustrates limitations on management intervention options through consideration of past, current and future catchment issues. As part of this subject, students undertake a component of the overall course project, examining a catchment management issue to identify the physical, biological, chemical, social and institutional processes that guide or constrain management intervention.

To prepare students for further learning about Catchment and Waterway Management by reinforcing basic technical knowledge and promoting an understanding of catchments as physical, biological, chemical, social and institutional systems.

• Participation in remote learning forums by providing online contributions to discussion (5%)
• Participation in the reflective diary requirement by online contribution (500 words total) (5%)
• One hour written test on remote learning material (20%)
• Tutorial exercises, assignments and short tests during intensive (equivalent to 1000 words) (20%)
• Individual project report (4000 words) (50%)

A study guide and a book of readings is provided to students

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.