Course description for 2024/25
Nature Conservation and Management
NAT330
Course description for 2024/25
Nature Conservation and Management
NAT330
This course provides an introduction to Norwegian nature management and the principles of conservation biology and landscape ecology that it is based upon.
The main themes are:
- sustainable use of Norwegian nature as part of the public Norwegian nature management and area planning
- conservation biology and landscape ecology as the basis for nature management
- The systems for Norwegian handling of biodiversity information: the Norwegian red lists of species, alien species list and red list of nature types
- classification of nature types in Norway and characteristics of main types
- conflicts related to use and conservation, including conflict management and conflicts between different useages
- exercises in conducting impact assessment of potential interventions in nature, designing of conservation targets for nature reserves, and case management according to the Nature Diversity Act
- specialized written assignments both on the species and landscape levels
- there will be an excursion abroad to learn about another country's nature management regime
The subject is reserved for students of the following study programmes:
- Nature Management, Bachelor's Programme
Other students can get admitted if there are places available. Contact student advisor.
Requirements to pre-existing knowledge: BIO1210 Fish and deer game management, BIO201 Ecology and BIO1020 Zoology systematics or equivalent.
After completing the course, the student will have achieved the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge:
- has knowledge of understanding and application of the Nature Diversity Act in practical nature management, as well as knowledge of conflict issues in nature management
- has knowledge of basic principles of conservation biology, with emphasis placed on landscape and island ecological theories including understanding of the term meta population
- has knowledge of threats to biological diversity
- has knowledge of selected species' specialized adaptions and viability challenges based on a landscape-ecological perspective
- has knowledge of microhabitat structure in general, and particularly dead wood in forests, and what this means for the species diversity of a given nature type
- has knowledge of key elements of the Nature Diversity Act and other important Norwegian legislative texts and their application to practical casework
- has knowledge of the consequences of interventions in and disturbing of nature
- has knowledge about sami traditions of nature useage and current conflicts between sami nature useage and Norwegian natural resource management
Skills:
- can carry out impact assessment as well as conservation target assessment of interventions in nature and protected areas
- can write an investigative report covering biological assessment of a specific intervention in nature
- can apply the principles of the Nature Diversity Act in casework on nature intervention
- can assess and evaluate critically red list status of species based on observational data and natural history knowledge
General competence:
- has knowledge of nature protection and sustainable use as well as management of nature resources based on a conservation-biological approach
- has knowledge of public nature management tasks at various levels, including international cooperation and its regulatory frameworks
Paid semester fee and syllabus literature. It is also required that students have a laptop at their disposal. Costs for semester registration apply. Students should expect covering some of the food expenses on field courses. The excursion abroad has a co-pay from the students.
Compulsory
Lectures, written work assignments and field excursions, including an excursion abroad. Assignments and oral presentations are mandatory.
Evaluated annually by students through course surveys, forming part of the university’s quality assurance system.
Grades are determined based on a weighted average of a group written assignment (20%), individual written assignment (20%) and oral exam (60%). To qualify to the passing grade, the candidate must in addition pass mandatory group written assignment and mandatory oral presentation.
BIO1010 Vegetation, climate and geology, BIO140 Genetics, behaviour and evolution and BIO 2060 Botany-floristics and fungistics or equivalent.
Overlap refers to a similarity between courses with the same content. Therefore, you will receive the following reduction in credits if you have taken the courses listed below:
NAF2006 - Nature Conservation and Management - 7.5 credits