Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Michelle Leishman
Contact via michelle.leishman@mq.edu.au
Other Staff
Katherine McClellan
Contact via katherine.mcclellan@mq.edu.au
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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
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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% | 23-24 August |
Blog | 5% | 23 Aug & 1 Sept |
Draft recovery plan | 20% | 15 September |
MQ Ecology Reserve PoM | 30% | 13 October |
Participation | 5% | throughout semester |
Final exam | 30% | Exam period |
Due: 23-24 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.
Due: 23 Aug & 1 Sept
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 23rd August).
You should look at the other student’s posts and comment (intelligently and constructively) on at least 3 on the website (Due 1st September)
Due: 15 September
Weighting: 20%
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: 13 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 (16-18 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: throughout semester
Weighting: 5%
You will be assessed for your participation in weekly lectures, ‘The Conservation Piece’ blog, in group fieldwork (contributing to field tasks) and in question time after student seminars and lectures.
Due: Exam period
Weighting: 30%
The final examination is worth 30% of the unit’s assessment. It will be 3 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 26. 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:
Groom MJ, Meffe GK, Carroll CK. 2005. Principles of Conservation Biology, 3rd edition, Sinauer Associates.
Primack RB. 2010. Essentials of Conservation Biology 5th 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)/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.
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 |
30July |
1 |
Introduction |
Michelle Leishman |
31 July |
2 |
Valuing & measuring biodiversity |
Michelle Leishman |
6 Aug |
3 |
Global patterns of biodiversity |
Michelle Leishman |
7 Aug |
4 |
Biodiversity & ecosystem function |
Michelle Leishman |
13 Aug |
5 |
Loss of biodivesity: extinction |
Michelle Leishman |
14 Aug |
6 |
The conservationist's toolbox |
Michelle Leishman |
20 Aug |
7 |
Vulnerability to extinction |
Michelle Leishman |
21 Aug |
8 |
Human population and habitat loss |
Michelle Leishman |
27 Aug |
9 |
Habitat fragmentation |
Michelle Leishman |
28 Aug |
10 |
Climate change |
Michelle Leishman |
3 Sept |
11 |
Invasive species |
Michelle Leishman |
4 Sept |
12 |
Invasive plants in Sydney vegetation |
Michelle Leishman |
10 Sept |
13 |
Over-exploitation, disease & pollution |
Michelle Leishman |
11 Sept |
14 |
Protected areas |
Michelle Leishman |
1 Oct |
15 |
Off-reserve conservation |
Michelle Leishman |
2 Oct |
16 |
Ecological restoration |
Michelle Leishman |
8 Oct |
17 |
Biodiversity & fire management |
Michelle Leishman |
9 Oct |
18 |
Species-level conservation |
Michelle Leishman |
15 Oct |
19 |
Seed banking |
Peter Cuneo |
16 Oct |
20 |
Introduction to conservation genetics |
Richard Frankham |
22 Oct |
21 |
Genetic m’ment of small popns |
Richard Frankham |
23 Oct |
22 |
Captive breeding & re-introduction |
Richard Frankham |
29 Oct |
23 |
Climate change adaptation & policy |
Lesley Hughes |
30 Oct |
24 |
Species translocation |
Nola Hancock |
5 Nov |
25 |
Legislation |
Michelle Leishman |
6 Nov |
26 |
Wrap-up |
Michelle Leishman |
On-campus sessions
Session 1: 23-24 August
23 Aug AM |
Seminars |
23 Aug PM |
Assessment of threat status |
24 Aug AM |
Seminars |
24 Aug PM |
Ecological restoration in practice - LCNP site visit |
Session 2: 22-24 September
22 Sept AM |
Overview of MQ Nature Reserve with Lane Cove National Park staff |
22 Sept PM |
Organise into groups, collate resources, field work |
23 Sept |
Group field work |
24 Sept AM |
Group field work |
24 Sept PM |
Data presentation |
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Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
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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.
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Date | Description |
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10/07/2014 | external session 2 dates updated |
24/06/2014 | Assessment dates updated |
24/06/2014 | Assessment dates changed |