Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Jane Williamson
Contact via jane.williamson@mq.edu.au
205b Culloden Road, G10
Technician
Muhammad Masood
Contact via 9850 8217
FWW 427
Tutor
Louise Tosetto
Contact via louise.tosetto@mq.edu.au
205b Culloden Road, G18
Tutor
Patrick Burke
205b Culloden Road, G18
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(39cp at 100 level or above) including BIOL227 and BIOL235
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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
Conservation of populations, species and ecosystems are essential in maintaining biodiversity. Any loss or deterioration in the condition of biodiversity can compromise ecological and human wellbeing. 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 areas, habitat fragmentation, restoration ecology, climate change impacts and management of threatened species. Practical work is conducted in two compulsory intensive sessions; one on campus during a weekend and the other off campus in Sydney for three consecutive days. This unit is beneficial for students interested in conservation and management of marine, freshwater and/or terrestrial ecosystems.
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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:
ASSESSMENT DETAILS
Details of assessments will be provided on iLearn and in class.
ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION
Digital copies of all written tasks will be required. Assessments will be submitted through the appropriate Turnitin portal on iLearn.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Plagiarism is the presentation of thoughts and work of another as one’s own.
Examples include:
All assessments need to be written in the student’s own words. The penalties imposed by the University for plagiarism are serious and may include expulsion from the University. ANY evidence of plagiarism will be dealt with following University policy. Penalties for plagiarism will be imposed for each assessment and clearly defined in marking grades. Further penalties imposed by the Faculty disciplinary committee may range from a loss of all marks and the award of zero depending on the circumstances.
EXTENSIONS, PENALTIES AND DISRUPTION TO STUDIES
The deadlines for assignments are not negotiable. If an assignment is submitted late a penalty of -5% of the mark allocated for the assignment will be deducted per day (i.e. 6 days late = -30% of marks available). Submission must occur within one week (7 days) of the due date or the assignment will not be marked.
If you experience a serious and unavoidable disruption to your studies and require an extension for an assessment please submit a Disruptions to Studies notification via ask.mq.edu.au with supporting documentation, and a Professional Authority Form completed by your healthcare professional. If you anticipate a potentially serious and unavoidable disruption (e.g., upcoming surgery) speak to the unit staff early and apply for an extension before the due date.
UNIT COMPLETION
To pass this unit, students need to achieve an overall minimum grade of 50% and attend the compulsory sessions on 24-25th August and 16-18th September.
SUPPLEMENTARY EXAMS
If you receive special consideration for the final exam, a supplementary exam will be scheduled in the interval between the regular exam period and the start of the next session. By making a special consideration application for the final exam you are declaring yourself available for a resit during the supplementary examination period and will not be eligible for a second special consideration approval based on pre-existing commitments. Please ensure you are familiar with the policy prior to submitting an application. You can check the supplementary examination information page on FSE101 in iLearn (bit.ly/FSESupp) for dates, and approved applicants will receive an individual notification one week prior to the exam with the exact date and time of their supplementary examination.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Seminar | 10% | No | 25th August |
Blog | 12% | No | 25th August / 3rd September |
Species Assessment | 20% | No | 14th September |
Group Research Project | 25% | No | 19th October |
Final Exam | 33% | No | Examination Period |
Due: 25th August
Weighting: 10%
You will prepare and give an 8-minute talk that summarises and critically appraises a scientific journal article chosen from the recent (last 5 years) conservation biology literature. The content of the article can be terrestrial, freshwater or marine. No props other than the PowerPoint presentation are to be used. You will present your talk to unit participants in a compulsory conference-style day on 25th August 2019. Specifics of the marking scheme and guidelines will be available in iLearn. A pdf of your final PowerPoint presentation must be uploaded to iLearn by 9 am on 23rd August.
Due: 25th August / 3rd September
Weighting: 12%
You will prepare a blog (word limit 800 words, excluding title, graphs, figures, tables, references) on the article you presented for your oral seminar. The article will be written in the style of an online publication in The Conversation. Blogs will be posted live on iLearn and you will have the opportunity to read and comment on other people's blogs via this website. Specifics of the marking scheme and guidelines will be available via iLearn.
Formal assessment for this task occurs in two sections:
(1) Your uploaded blog, worth 8% (uploaded by 9 am on 25th August)
(2) Constructive comments on two other uploaded blogs, worth 4% (portal closes at 9 am on 3rd September)
Due: 14th September
Weighting: 20%
You will write a document (word limit 2,000 words excluding abstract, acknowledgements and references) on the status of an animal or plant species occurring in NSW. The species can be terrestrial, freshwater or marine but cannot be closely related to the species or habitat that you gave your seminar on. From the literature (published and grey) you will identify the history of the species in NSW, threats challenging the species' persistence, and nominate a level of threat to the species in NSW following the IUCN Red List of Categories and Criteria. Try to pick species that are not extremely common or the task will be more difficult for you due to the mountain of literature you will need to sift through. Specifics of the marking scheme and guidelines can be found in iLearn. Your document must be submitted by 9 am on 14th September. Failure to attend the Taronga Zoo excursion on 24th August will result in a deduction of your final grades for this assessment.
Due: 19th October
Weighting: 25%
As a small group, you will research an allocated project on an aspect of conservation and/or biodiversity associated with Balls Head Reserve and the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability in Sydney. Your research will be communicated orally (as a group) and in the form of an electronic scientific poster (by yourself). Your poster will describe your project and report your results, with emphasis on how your research advances existing literature on the topic. Specifics of the marking scheme and guidelines can be found in iLearn.
Formal assessment for this task occurs in two sections:
(1) A group talk at the end of the Balls Head field trip, worth 5%
(2) An A0-sized scientific poster, worth 20%
Your scientific poster is an individual assessment that is due by 9 am on 19th October.
Due: Examination Period
Weighting: 33%
You will sit a final examination during the examination period at the end of the unit. The exam will be 2 hours plus 10 minutes reading time, and notes are not permitted. The format of the exam will include multiple choice, short answer and small essays. All aspects of the unit are examinable. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of material from lectures and practicals rather than rote learning of facts.
Please consult the University Handbook to determine the commencement and finishing dates of the compulsory examination. More information on the exam will be given towards the end of the unit.
LECTURES
Thursdays, 3-5 pm at 8 Sir Christopher Ondaatje, 115 Tutorial Room [08SCO 115]
If you are an internal (day) student you are strongly advised to attend the lectures.
** Lectures start in Week 2 **
PRACTICALS
24th August – Taronga Zoo, outside the main gate. 9.15 am to 2 pm
25th August – Seminar series in 14 Eastern Road, 130 & 150 Science Labs. 9 am to 5 pm
16-18th September – Coal Loader Centre of Sustainability, Waverton. 9 am to 5 pm (times flexible depending on your research project)
Students must attend all practicals for the entire days.
The unit web page can be accessed via the student portal (log in at https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/). Within iLearn you will find unit information, resource and assessment material, 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 website 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 and/or for sale at the Co-op Bookshop. Some are available free online:
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 website. 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. Knowledge of data storage and analysis equivalent to that taught in BIOL235 is assumed as these skills are not taught in this unit.
Students will need access to a portable computer for practical sessions. These are not supplied in this unit.
This timetable is subject to change.
Sem wk | Date | Speaker | Lecture title |
1 | 1-Aug | No lecture | |
1 | 1-Aug | No lecture | |
2 | 8-Aug | Jane Williamson | Introduction to BIOL349 and PACE |
2 | 8-Aug | Jane Williamson | The value of biodiversity |
3 | 15-Aug | Jane Williamson | Patterns of biodiversity |
3 | 15-Aug | Jane Williamson | Species assessment and the IUCN: an assignment insight |
4 | 22-Aug | Jaco Le Roux | Plant invasiveness: how and why? |
4 | 22-Aug | Michelle Leishman | Vulnerability to extinction |
5 | 29-Aug | Jane Williamson | Human population and habitat loss |
5 | 29-Aug | Jane Williamson | Overexploitation and disease |
6 | 5-Sep | Jane Williamson | Extinction |
6 | 5-Sep | Jane Williamson | Restoration ecology |
7 | 12-Sep | Dick Frankham | Introduction to conservation genetics |
7 | 12-Sep | Dick Frankham | Genetic management of wild populations |
8 | 3-Oct | Dick Frankham | Captive breeding and re-introduction |
8 | 3-Oct | Simon Clulow | Protecting the world's vanishing frogs: conservation approaches for 21st century threats |
9 | 10-Oct | Sally Potter | Conservation genetics approaches for species management |
9 | 10-Oct | Linda Beaumont | Species distribution modelling |
10 | 17-Oct | Alessandro Ossola | Urban biodiversity |
10 | 17-Oct | Lesley Hughes | Climate change and conservation |
11 | 24-Oct | John Alroy | Using local-scale data to quantify global patterns of biodiversity and extinction |
11 | 24-Oct | Bob Creese | Conservation in the marine realm |
12 | 31-Oct | Maryrose Antico | Managing threatened aquatic species: a NSW perspective |
12 | 31-Oct | Andrew Claridge | Integrating conservation science and policy |
13 | 7-Nov | Jane Williamson | Technical innovations in conservation science |
13 | 7-Nov | Jane Williamson | Wrap up |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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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This graduate capability is supported by:
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This graduate capability is supported by:
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This graduate capability is supported by:
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In response to student comments from previous years, the Group Research Project (GRP) replaced the previous Plan of Management (PoM) in 2018. Assessment submission times were also altered to accommodate submission dates from other concurrent units.
In 2019 all efforts were made to ensure minimal clashes with other units for practicals and lectures. As students in 2018 indicated that back to back lectures would increase class attendance, this unit now offers lectures in a block from 3-5pm on Thursdays.
The 2018 participation assessment has now been incorporated into the other assessment tasks.
Finally, results from the Group Research Project are now presented as an individual assessment in poster format rather than as a research manuscript.
BIOL349 is a PACE unit within the Department of Biological Sciences. This unit provides an opportunity for students to engage directly with the community by working on ‘real-world’ problems alongside industry. Students visit Taronga Zoo and discuss conservation efforts and threatened species planning with zoo researchers. Students also visit Balls Head Reserve and the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability where they collect data that will be utilised by the local community and industry as part of a longitudinal study.
Biodiversity and conservation researchers and industry partners give guest lectures within the unit thus giving students direct exposure to transitional links to the workplace. Partners benefit by interacting with enthusiastic discipline-specific students on the cusp of entering the workforce, and through exposure to new advances in the field of biodiversity and conservation. BIOL349 gives back to the community through the sharing of scientific data and viewpoints. More information on the role of PACE in BIOL349 will be given in the first lecture.