Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Linda Beaumont
Caitlin Kordis
Lecturer/Tutor
Jessica Boomer
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
GSE804 or (BIOL8750 or BIOL875) or admission to MMarScMgt or MConsBiol or GradDipConsBiol or GradCertConsBiol or MSc or MScInnovationBioConsMgmt
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
BIOL7610
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit deals with the theory and practice of the conservation and management of wild populations of animals and plants. Lectures and tutorials concentrate on the application of population biology to problems in wildlife conservation, including demographics, risk assessment, conservation genetics and monitoring protocols. Case studies will drawn from Australia and the rest of the world. |
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:
Late assessments will be accepted, but please note the following conditions:
General Faculty Policy on assessment submission deadlines and late submissions:
All assessments must be submitted by 5:00 pm on their due date.
Should these assessments be missed due to illness or misadventure, students should apply for Special Consideration. Otherwise, the following penalty will apply for late submissions:
A 12-hour grace period will be given after which the following deductions will be applied to the awarded assessment mark: 12 to 24 hours late = 10% deduction; for each day thereafter, an additional 10% per day or part thereof will be applied until five days beyond the due date. After this time, a mark of zero (0) will be given. For example, an assessment worth 20% is due 5 pm on 1 January. Student A submits the assessment at 1 pm, 3 January. The assessment received a mark of 15/20. A 20% deduction is then applied to the mark of 15, resulting in the loss of three (3) marks. Student A is then awarded a final mark of 12/20.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
---|---|---|---|
Species Assessment | 20% | No | 20 March, 5pm |
Short Test | 20% | No | 3 April and 17 April, 5pm |
Project Outline: Conservation of an Australasian species | 20% | No | 7 May, 5pm |
Developing a grant application | 40% | No | 5 June, 5pm |
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 20 March, 5pm
Weighting: 20%
Prepare a concise report on a threatened native Australasian species. The species must be listed on a national list of threatened species (such as the EPBC List of Threatened Fauna) or on the IUCN Red List).
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 3 April and 17 April, 5pm
Weighting: 20%
There will be several short tests to be completed in your own time. Each test will be based on any lecture or tutorial material given up to that point. The questions may involve interpretation of a graph or some data, or may be numerical.
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 7 May, 5pm
Weighting: 20%
Prepare a concise outline for a project that involves monitoring and/or experimental manipulation of your chosen Australasian species that assesses a conservation action or addresses a critical knowledge gap. This proposal will include a clear research question(s), a description of the data to be collected and a brief description of the experimental or sampling design.
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 29 hours
Due: 5 June, 5pm
Weighting: 40%
You will develop a grant application to undertake research on a species or ecological community of conservation interest. The application will include essential background, research question, study design, ethical concerns, appropriate timelines, realistic budget and expected outcomes.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Timetable
Lectures will be delivered live online on Tuesdays, 5-7pm. The zoom link for lectures will be placed on iLearn. The iLearn link for this unit will open on 18 February, 2021.
Tutorials can be undertaken either in person or online (of these, in person is preferred as it provides for a richer experience). Tutorials will be run on Fridays from 2-4pm, in 11 Wallys Walk room 270. The zoom link will also be placed on iLearn.
There is no formal text book, although links to recommended reading will be placed in iLearn.
COVID Information and on-campus classes
On-campus teaching continues to be scheduled for Session 1, 2022. Masks are compulsory for all classes in indoor spaces and social distancing will be implemented wherever possible. Students will also be required to sanitise surfaces before and after use.
Students are requested to minimise the risk of spreading COVID to themselves and others in accordance with the university and NSW Health guidelines: https://www.mq.edu.au/about/coronavirus-faqs and https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/stay-safe.
Any further requirements or changes to units in relation to COVID will be communicated to students via iLearn.
Week | Date (Tuesdays) | Lecture | Tutorial (Fridays) | Assessments |
1 | 22-Feb | What is Conservation Biology? | No tutorial | |
Australian Biodiversity | ||||
2 | 1-Mar | Extinction Events and Conservation Issues | SPRAT and IUCN | |
3 | 8-Mar | Species Concepts in Conservation; | Exploring Species Distributions | |
Conservation Law in Australia | ||||
4 | 15-Mar | Predation; | Population Declines | Species Assessment due Sunday, 20 March, 5pm |
Invasive Species | ||||
5 | 22-Mar | Designing of Wildlife Experiments; | TBA | |
Monitoring Wildlife Populations | ||||
6 | 29-Mar | Population Dynamics | Life Table Analysis | Test 1 due Sunday, 3 April, 5pm |
7 | 5-Apr | Risk of Extinction Conservation approaches | Population Viability Analysis | |
RECESS | 11-Apr | MID SEMESTER BREAK | Test 2 due Sunday, 17 April, 5pm | |
RECESS | 18-Apr | MID SEMESTER BREAK | ||
8 | 26-Apr | Populaton Genetics; | crispr | |
eDNA | ||||
9 | 3-May | Conservation Genetics | Landscape Genetics (Rachael Dudaniec) | Project Outline due Sunday 8 May, 5pm |
10 | 10-May | Climate Change and Wild Populations; Reintroductions and Translocations | Translocation tutorial | |
11 | 17-May | Ethics; | TBA | |
Species Distribution Models | ||||
12 | 24-May | Indigenous Engagement; Sustainable Harvesting | TBA | |
13 | 31-May | De-extinction | De-extinction debate | Grant Proposal due Sunday, 5 June, 5pm |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/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
At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.
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.
Date | Description |
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07/02/2022 | COVID information added. |
Unit information based on version 2022.03 of the Handbook