Module Identifier BSM3530  
Module Title MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE - COASTAL, ESTUARINE AND WETLANDS  
Academic Year 2005/2006  
Co-ordinator Dr James J Bell  
Semester Semester 2  
Other staff Dr John D Fish, Dr Joanne S Porter  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Assessment Group seminar  30%
Semester Assessment Tropical Firld Trip Individual Report  35%
Semester Assessment Temperate Field Trip Individual Report  35%

Learning outcomes

The role of this module is to provide students with an understanding of the issues involved in the sustainable management of coastal, estuarine and wetland ecosystems. Training will be provided in the methods of sampling, data analysis and interpretation of information suitable for the development, implementation and monitoring of different management strategies, in both tropical and temperate latitudes.

Students are expected to:


Brief description

Addressing management problems and developing strategies suitable for managing the environment requires knowledge of the different sampling strategies, data collection techniques and analysis available for a particular habitat. This module will introduce students to the management of tropical and temperate coastal, estuarine and wetland ecosystems through the developemtn of existing skills applied in a management context.

The tropical element of this course will consider the ecology of a number if ecosystems including coral reefs, seagrasses, intertidal mudflats, mangroves and estuaries. Students will be introduced to the ecology of these environments including the anthropogenic threats they face, e.g. pollution, climate change and tourism.

Emphasis will be placed on management strategies (e.g. stakeholder concepts and no-take zones) and practical skills will be developed to sample effectively these different habitats. Students will learn the appropiate sampling methodology to address and answer different biological and ecological questions needed to manage effectively tropical marine environments. The integrated nature of these different ecosystems will be stressed. Students will complete a group project assessing an environmental impact (e.g. pier construction, mangrove clearing and tourist development) on one of these sensitive ecosystems.

The temperate component of the module will consider sampling strategies in subtidal and intertidal ecosystems. Students will be trained in common sampling techniques and strategies with the emphasis on how these tools can be used to develop, implement and monitor management strategies (e.g. Special Areas of Conservation and reserve management). These will include the use of recently developed techniques and advances in technology including biotype mapping, seabed mapping and photographis techniques used in the long-term development of existing skills in traditional sampling methodologies.

These two field courses will be supported by an introduction to the specialised analysis methods to deal with the types of community data that will be generated from sampling these different environments. Students will be shown how this information canbe used to formulate managment plans and monitor marine communities, including assessing the impacts of habitat loss, pollution and climatic change. Throughout the course attention will be drawn to the multiple demands placed on different aquatic ecosystems by different fisheries, conservation and recreational groups, leading to the complex development of regional, national and global management plans.

Module Skills

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7