Course Title: Monitor biodiversity

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term2 2010

Course Code: ENVI5063C

Course Title: Monitor biodiversity

School: 155T Vocational Health and Sciences

Campus: City Campus

Program: C5161 - Diploma of Conservation and Land Management

Course Contact: Nevil Schultz

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 4221

Course Contact Email: nevil.schultz@rmit.edu.au


Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Nominal Hours: 100

Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites

Before undertaking this course, students are advised to have completed the Course:  Manage Natural Area Restoration Programs

Course Description

This course covers the process of monitoring biodiversity. Changes may lead to the monitoring of critical biological and physical factors and interactions that give a basis to make
corrective changes in a natural area. Monitoring biodiversity requires a knowledge of ecology, plant and animal classification, monitoring systems for flora, fauna and micro-organism populations, threats to
places of natural significance, accepted scientific processes and international, national and local standards and Codes of Practice.


National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:

RTD4504A Monitor biodiversity

Element:

Monitor Biodiversity

Observations are made according to monitoring plan and to
enterprise procedures.
3.2 Data is recorded to monitoring plan and database requirements.
3.3 Location and times of observations are recorded to enterprise
requirements.
3.4 OHS requirements are followed to legislative requirements and
enterprise policies and procedures.

Element:

Prepare Equipment & Resources

2.1 Appropriate certificates, licenses and authorisations are
obtained according to enterprise and legislative requirements.
2.2 Equipment required for monitoring is sourced according to
enterprise procedures.
2.3 Equipment and personnel are transported to monitoring sites
without injury or damage according to enterprise procedures.
2.4 Equipment is installed and protected from weather conditions
according to manufacturer's specifications, safety and enterprise
requirements.
2.5 Equipment and monitoring procedures are tested in field
conditions to enterprise and manufacturers' requirements.

Element:

Review data

Records of monitored data are examined for consistency and
accuracy within requirements of the monitoring plan.
4.2 Records are assessed to determine whether the observations
and measurements are addressing factors and issues consistent
with the monitoring plan.
4.3 Monitoring techniques are adjusted to overcome any deficiency
or reported to enterprise procedures for adjustment to
monitoring plan.

Element:

Select Monitoring Techniques

1.1 Monitoring operations are selected to obtain required data
described in monitoring plan and enterprise requirements.
1.2 Range of likely operating conditions, hazards and
difficult/sensitive environments are assessed for impact on
monitoring.
1.3 Alternative land, sea and air operations are considered to collect
data in line with enterprise procedures.
1.4 Operations are trialed to test monitoring scheme for reliability,
timeline and safety.


Learning Outcomes


This is a competency based course


Details of Learning Activities


Analyse Action Statements on listed flora & fauna

Describe the Role of Biodiversity Monitoring in Action Plans

Species Recovery Action statement  Analysis

Design a monitoring protocol as a part of a large-scale national park biodiversity monitoring program

Write an application to survey fauna & flora in a national park

Write an updated flora & fauna species list for a survey site within a national park

Write a report on survey results for three  monitoring sites within a national park

Maintain field data in a field log book

Liase with national park officers on a field monitoring survey



Teaching Schedule

Monitor Biodiversity Class & Field Work Schedule, Semester 2  2010

Week Topic  Learning Activity Assessment
 1  Introduction to Biodiversity & Problems of Biodiversity Loss    
 2  Listing of rare & threatened species  Action Statement Analysis I  
 3 Action Statements & Recovery plans,  FFG & EPBC
CITES, IUCN,TSN, WWF
Land For Wildlife
 Action Statement Analysis II  
 4  Preparations for Monitoring  Setting out a monitoring protocol Submit Action Statement Analysis
 5  Causal Factors for biodiversity lossPermit Invasive species,Encroachment  Applications for Species Monitoring  
 6

 Biodiversity loss through fragmentation, islandisation, hybridisation

 Write out permit Application  
 7  Wildlife Corridors, Captive Breeding    Permit Application due
 8  Morphological & Genetic Variation within populations    
 9  National park biodiversity management monitoring methods  Preparation for  national park field monitoring week  
 10  National park biodiversity management management methods    national park site updated flora & fauna report due
 11  Semester Break    
 12  Grampians Field Monitoring Week  Consultation with ranger, week-long flora & fauna survey at three sites  
 13  Alleviating Biodiversity Loss, Species reintroduction. Inbreeding depression & outbreeding, Rare alleles, Seed banks    
 14  Repositories for biodiversity data, updating biodiversity data    Field Monitoring Report due
 15  Adaptive Management techniques that employ biodiversity data    log book due
       


Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts


References

Burgmann, M. & Lindenmayer, D. (2003) Conservation Biology New, T.R., (2000)  Conservation Biology - An Introduction for Southern Australia, Oxford University Press  


Other Resources

Will be notified in schedule class time


Overview of Assessment

Assessment may include Reports, Assignments, Tests and maintaing a log book


Assessment Tasks

Action Statement Analysis, Incorporates Listing Status, FFG & EBPC acts

Biodiversity Monitoring Permit Application

National park Flora and Fauna species list for three monitoring sites

National park field monitoring report

Field log book



Assessment Matrix

Course Overview: Access Course Overview