Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Nola Hancock
Contact via nola.hancock@mq.edu.au
E8C153
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
BIOL227(P) and BIOL235(P)
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
BIOL313 or BIOL316 or BIOL318 or BIOL334 or BIOL341 or BIOL347 or BIOL362 or BIOL368 or BIOL369 or BIOL372 or BIOL373
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit covers the major themes of biodiversity and conservation: patterns of biodiversity, principles of conservation biology, human impacts, and management principles. Topics include global biodiversity, threatening processes, protected area and off-reserve conservation, habitat fragmentation, restoration ecology, climate change impacts, and management. Much of the focus is on Australian examples. Field and laboratory work are an important component of this unit and are conducted in two compulsory on-campus sessions.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Due |
---|---|---|
Oral seminar | 10% | 27-28 August |
Blog | 5% | 27 August & 6 September |
Draft recovery plan | 15% | 20 September |
MQ Ecology Reserve PoM | 30% | 17 October |
Final exam | 40% | Exam period |
Due: 27-28 August
Weighting: 10%
You must prepare a 10 minute talk that is a summary and critical appraisal of a journal article chosen from the recent (last 5 years) conservation biology literature. The article you choose should be reporting and interpreting new information, not a review article or opinion piece. Please check your article is suitable with the unit convenor at least one week before the on-campus session. Students will be assessed on the seminar content and presentation quality, and their ability to answer questions. Students will also be assessed on their contribution during question time of the other student talks. A pdf of your powerpoint presentation must be emailed to the unit convenor by 9 am 27 August 2016.
Due: 27 August & 6 September
Weighting: 5%
You should prepare a 500 word post about the article you presented for the oral seminar and post it via the iLearn website onto the unit’s ‘The Conservation piece’ blog. Follow the style of websites such as the environmental research briefs of The Conversation (http://theconversation.edu.au/pages/environment) (Due 27th August).
You should look at the other student’s posts and comment (intelligently and constructively) on at least 3 on the website (Due 6th September).
Due: 20 September
Weighting: 15%
You will write a draft recovery plan for a species of your choice whose life-history and circumstances interest you. You will first select a species that doesn’t already have a recovery plan. From the literature you will identify the threats challenging this species’ persistence and suggest management strategies necessary to mitigate these threats. Finally, you will suggest performance criteria to measure and evaluate the efficacy of your recommended strategies.
Due: 17 October
Weighting: 30%
The university is negotiating a Voluntary Conservation Agreement for an area of bushland between Talavera Road and the Lane Cove River. We will assess the area for its biodiversity values, threats including weeds & feral animals, fire management and public access and amenity. All data will be collected, presented and distributed during the second on-campus session (19-21 September). Using these data you will write a Plan of Management for the area. An example PoM will be provided on the iLearn website.
Due: Exam period
Weighting: 40%
The final examination is worth 40% of the unit’s assessment. It will be 2 hours plus 10 min reading time. The examination will consist of a mixture of multiple choice, short answer and essay questions: examples will be provided in Lecture 25. There will be an emphasis placed on integration of material from lectures and practicals rather than on rote learning of facts and figures.
The unit web page can be accessed via the student portal (log in at https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/). There you will find unit information, resource material, links to interesting websites including career information, ECHO (formerly iLectures), announcements, forum and dialogue facilities, as well as links to Turnitin for submitting assessment tasks. You are encouraged to use the discussion & email facilities for communication among staff and students. Please also check the unit webpage regularly for announcements and additional resource material.
RECOMMENDED TEXTS
There is no single text that covers the whole unit. Several general texts are recommended and are in the library or available free on-line:
Primack RB. 2010. Essentials of Conservation Biology 6th edition. Sinauer Associates.
Groom MJ, Meffe GK, Carroll CK. 2005. Principles of Conservation Biology, 3rd edition, Sinauer Associates.
Sodhi N and Ehrlich PR. (Eds.). 2010. Conservation Biology for All. Oxford University Press. (Available online at:http://www.mongabay.com/conservation-biology-for-all.html).
Lindenmayer D & Burgman M. 2005. Practical Conservation Biology. CSIRO.
Attiwill P. & Wilson B. (2006). Ecology. An Australian Perspective. 2nd edition, Oxford University Press.
Stow, A, Maclean, N., Holwell, G.I (Eds.). 2015. Austral Ark : The State of Wildlife in Australia and New Zealand. Cambridge University Press.
TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED
Students are expected to access all unit material through the iLearn unit webpage. Basic multimedia software (eg. Windows Media Player, Quicktime) will be needed to listen to recorded lectures. Students will be required to use internet resources for sourcing information and to use appropriate software, particularly Excel, for data analysis.
Date |
L# |
Lecture |
Lecturer |
1/8 |
1 |
Introduction |
Nola Hancock |
4/8 |
2 |
Valuing & measuring biodiversity |
David Nipperess |
8/8 |
3 | Global patterns of biodiversity |
Nola Hancock |
11/8 |
4 |
Loss of biodiversity: extinction |
Nola Hancock |
15/8 |
5 |
Vulnerability to extinction |
Michelle Leishman |
18/8 |
6 |
Biodiversity values of wetlands |
Mia Dalby-Ball |
22/8 |
7 |
Human population and habitat loss |
Nola Hancock |
25/8 |
8 |
Habitat fragmentation |
Nola Hancock |
29/8 |
9 |
Over-exploitation, disease & pollution |
Nola Hancock |
1/9 |
10 |
Climate change |
Lesley Hughes |
5/9 |
11 |
Invasive species |
Rachael Gallagher |
8/9 |
12 |
Introduction to conservation genetics |
Adam Stow |
12/9 |
13 |
Genetic management of small populations |
Rachael Dudaniec |
15/9 |
14 |
Captive breeding & re-introduction |
Adam Stow |
3/10 |
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Public holiday |
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6/10 |
15 |
Guest lecturer |
TBA |
10/10 |
16 |
Species-level conservation |
Nola Hancock |
13/10 |
17 |
Protected areas |
Nola Hancock |
17/10 |
18 |
Off-reserve conservation |
Nola Hancock |
20/10 |
19 |
Restoration and rehabilitation |
Nola Hancock |
24/10 |
20 |
Species Distribution Modelling |
Linda Beaumont |
27/10 |
21 |
Assisted colonisation |
Nola Hancock |
31/10 |
22 |
Seed banking |
Peter Cuneo |
3/11 |
23 |
Legislation |
Michelle Leishman |
7/11 |
24 |
Integrating conservation science and policy |
James Brazill-Boast |
10/11 |
25 |
Wrap-up |
Nola Hancock |
Lecture topics and presenters may change due to the availability of lecturers. Any changes to the schedule will be advertised on learn.
Field trip sessions (includes on-campus pracs and field trips):
Session 1: 27-28 August
Day 1 AM |
Seminars |
Day 1 PM |
Assessment of threat status |
Day 2 AM |
Seminars |
Day 2 PM |
Ecological restoration in practice - Lane Cove National Park site visit |
Session 2: 19-21 September
Day 1 AM |
Overview of MQ Ecology Reserve with Lane Cove National Park staff |
Day 1 PM |
Organise into groups, collate resources, field work |
Day 2 |
Group field work |
Day 3 AM |
Group field work, prepare data for presentation |
Day 2 PM |
Data presentation |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
New Assessment Policy in effect from Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html. For more information visit http://students.mq.edu.au/events/2016/07/19/new_assessment_policy_in_place_from_session_2/
Assessment Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
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