Species Assessment

Assessment Type: Literature review

Indicative Time on Task: 30 hours

Due: 15 September 2025

Weighting: 25%

You will write a document on the status of an animal or plant species occurring in NSW. You will identify the history of the species in NSW, threats challenging the species' persistence and nominate a level of threat to the species based on IUCN Red List criteria. On successful completion you will be able to:

• Evaluate the major patterns and services provided by biodiversity globally

• Identify key threatening processes that lead to the loss of biodiversity, including those experienced through the PACE activity

• Critically evaluate and synthesise diverse information sources on a current, real-world conservation issue, and communicate that understanding using a variety of techniques

• Evaluate the efficacy of new conservation management strategies in a professional context

Poster

Assessment Type: Poster

Indicative Time on Task: 15 hours

Due: 18 August 2025

Weighting: 15%

You will prepare a poster that summarises and critically appraises a scientific journal article from the recent conservation biology literature. You will submit this online. On successful completion you will be able to:

• Evaluate the major patterns and services provided by biodiversity globally

• Identify key threatening processes that lead to the loss of biodiversity, including those experienced through the PACE activity

• Critically evaluate and synthesise diverse information sources on a current, real-world conservation issue, and communicate that understanding using a variety of techniques

• Understand conservation management plans for practical application using principles of conservation biology

• Evaluate the efficacy of new conservation management strategies in a professional context

Individual Research Project

Assessment Type: Case study/analysis

Indicative Time on Task: 30 hours

Due: 20 October 2025

Weighting: 25%

You will research an allocated project on an aspect of conservation and/or biodiversity relevant to Sydney. You will be given data to manipulate and you will produce a poster, which you will submit electronically. On successful completion you will be able to:

• Identify key threatening processes that lead to the loss of biodiversity, including those experienced through the PACE activity

• Critically evaluate and synthesise diverse information sources on a current, real-world conservation issue, and communicate that understanding using a variety of techniques

• Understand conservation management plans for practical application using principles of conservation biology

• Evaluate the efficacy of new conservation management strategies in a professional context

Final Exam

Assessment Type: Examination

Indicative Time on Task: 2 hours

Due: Examination Period

Weighting: 35%

You will sit a final examination during the examination period at the end of the unit. On successful completion you will be able to:

• Evaluate the major patterns and services provided by biodiversity globally

• Identify key threatening processes that lead to the loss of biodiversity, including those experienced through the PACE activity

• Critically evaluate and synthesise diverse information sources on a current, real-world conservation issue, and communicate that understanding using a variety of techniques

• Understand conservation management plans for practical application using principles of conservation biology

• Evaluate the efficacy of new conservation management strategies in a professional context

 

Notes

1)  If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

• the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment

• the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

 2) Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

 

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

BIOL3420 includes two hours of lectures each week, held on Mondays from 11 am to 1 pm. These lectures are recorded and available to students via Echo360.

A compulsory field trip will take place during the mid-semester break, from 22 to 24 September, running from 9 am to 5 pm each day. There is no online option for the field trip.

Delivery

Lectures This year, lectures will be delivered online as a mix of live and pre-recorded sessions. Recordings will be uploaded to iLearn for students who are enrolled in the infrequent attendance mode or who miss a live session. You are expected to keep up with weekly lectures. Handouts will be provided for some lectures only, so please ensure you take comprehensive notes. Further details will be available on iLearn.

Field Trip A compulsory three-day field trip will be held at the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability in Waverton, Sydney. These are day trips only (9 am to 5 pm) and do not involve overnight stays. Attendance is mandatory unless you are ill (with successful special consideration approved within five days) or the University directs otherwise. You cannot pass this unit without attending the field trip or having approved special consideration.

Practical Classes and Consultations There are no scheduled practical classes. However, optional consultation sessions with the convenor and/or a tutor may be offered. These will be announced on iLearn and recorded for those unable to attend.

Class Timetable

The class timetable for this unit can be found through the University Timetable portal. You should also check the unit schedule as some weeks may have other instructions or locations. It is your responsibility to resolve any unit clashes as soon as possible.

Week 1 Classes

Lectures will run as usual in Week 1.

Methods of Communication

We will contact you through your university email and post announcements on iLearn.

If you have questions, please use the iLearn discussion board or send them via the unit email listed on iLearn. Do not use the convenor’s personal university email for BIOL3420-related queries, as these may be overlooked.

Resources

Students will need to use internet resources to source information and appropriate software, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and R Studio for data analysis. This unit assumes prior knowledge of data storage and analysis, as these skills are covered in prerequisite units.

For the field trip, students should have access to a portable computer, a USB drive, and ideally their own internet connection.

Unit web page

PowerPoint slides, lecture recordings, unit readings, handouts, and resources to support your assessments will be provided on iLearn when available.

It is strongly recommended that you regularly engage with the BIOL3420 iLearn site. To access it, visit https://iLearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/ and log in using your Macquarie OneID username and password.

New to iLearn or Macquarie University? You can find out more at: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/

Experiencing difficulties? contact the IT Service Desk at help@mq.edu.au.

Lecture Monday (11am - 1pm)
Date	Week	Lecture (Monday 11am)	Assessment Task
28-Jul	1	1 - Unit Introduction, Including Capstone & PACE 2 - Value of Biodiversity
4-Aug	2	3 - Patterns of Biodiversity 4 - Introduction to species assessment assignment
11-Aug	3	5 - Human population & our planet 6 - Invasion Ecology - Prof. Jaco Le Roux
18-Aug	4	7 - Vulnerability to extinction and risk assessment 8 - Species Distribution Modelling	Poster Due 18 - August
25-Aug	5	9 - Overexploitation 10 - Urban Ecology
1-Sep	6	11 - Conserving population genetic diversity - Dr Sally Potter (TBC) 12 - Conserving population genetic diversity - Dr Sally Potter (TBC)
8-Sep	7	13 - Conserving evolutionary processes - Dr Sally Potter (TBC) 14 - Conserving evolutionary processes - Dr Sally Potter (TBC)
15-Sep	8	15 - Applying genetics to conservation - Dr Sally Potter (TBC) 16 - Applying genetics to conservation - Dr Sally Potter (TBC)	Species Assessment Due 15 - September
22-Sep	Fieldtrip	Field Trip to Coal Loader, Waverton 22 - 24 Sept
29-Sep	None	Mid Semester Break
6-Oct	9	17 - Bycatch reduction of marine mammals in fisheries Prof -Steve Kennelly 18 - Technical innovations in conservation science
13-Oct	10	19 - Global patterns of biodiversity 20 - Climate change & biodiversity
20-Oct	11	21 - Extinction 22 -Restoration ecology	Individual Poster due 20 - October
27-Oct	12	23 - The Tassie tiger of the sea? imminent extinction risk of the Maugean skate - Dr. Leo Guida (TBC) 24 -BIOL3420 Q&A
3-Nov	13	No classes. Work on Capstone.	Exam Period: Final Exam

There are no face-to-face lectures this year. Please see the delivery section for more details.

BIOL3420 is a PACE unit offered within the School of Natural Sciences, but it does not involve internships. Instead, it provides students with the opportunity to engage directly with the community and industry through field-based, real-world experiences.

As part of the unit, all students, regardless of whether they are using BIOL3420 to meet their PACE requirement, participate in a field trip to Balls Head Reserve and the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability. There, they collect data that may contribute to a long-term study of the site,  benefiting both local communities and industry stakeholders.

Guest lectures from biodiversity and conservation researchers, as well as industry partners, give students insight into real-world applications of their studies and help bridge the transition to the workforce. Industry partners benefit from connecting with engaged, discipline-specific students and gaining exposure to current research and methods.

BIOL3420 contributes to the broader community by sharing data and diverse perspectives. More details on the PACE component of this unit will be provided through lectures, iLearn, and during the field trip.