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Unit of Study BIO01230 - Principles of Coastal Resource Management (2019)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Pre-requisites

    Must have completed any 8 SCU Units

  • Enrolment information

    Offered as an online unit. Students must have access to a server and computer sufficient to participate in on-line discussion forums and to complete the online assessment and to upload assessment items. Students should also have the ability to download software as advised to watch the MP4 video.

Unit description

Introduces students, at your own pace, to the complex natural and socio/political processes that intermesh in the management of our coastal fringe. The majority of Australians live near or on the coast. It is a place for recreation, industry and housing development that has led to increasing strain being placed on this fragile resource. In this unit you will examine current issues together with the legislation and management structures designed to counter these threats. You will also examine the processes involved in managing change in the coastal environment and work to develop an outline for your own Environmental Impact Assessment.

Unit content

The following topics are covered in this unit:

Information-handling techniques - Problem analysis models - Impact matrices - Scales of impact and response
Case studies of management processes - Environmental Impact Assessment - Wetlands management - Processes of Australian coastal management - Greenhouse effect
Coastal resources - Ecological communities (wetland communities, rocky shore communities etc.) - Habitat types (wetlands, shorelines etc.) - Harvestable species - Other types of resource
Specific issues - Current issues in Australian coastal management - Industrial impacts - Pollution - Recreational resources - Habitat alteration - Education, 'extension' and interpretation - Community attitudes to local issues

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Online Session 2 Session 2

Learning outcomes and graduate attributes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

GA1: Intellectual rigour, GA2: Creativity, GA3: Ethical practice, GA4: Knowledge of a discipline, GA5: Lifelong learning, GA6: Communication and social skills, GA7: Cultural competence
Learning outcome count Learning outcome description GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 discuss the range of coastal management problems in Australia and the agencies involved in decision making for the coastal zone
2 evaluate some of the major issues relating to planning for coastal management in Australia and overseas
3 synthesise and apply scientific knowledge and insights to the non-scientific tasks of making decisions on resource management using environmental assessment frameworks
4 apply problem-analysis techniques to define the information needed to tackle problems in coastal management.
5 demonstrate an understanding of issues related to the management of indigenous cultural heritage sites.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. discuss the range of coastal management problems in Australia and the agencies involved in decision making for the coastal zone
    • GA4:
    • GA7:
  2. evaluate some of the major issues relating to planning for coastal management in Australia and overseas
    • GA4:
    • GA6:
    • GA7:
  3. synthesise and apply scientific knowledge and insights to the non-scientific tasks of making decisions on resource management using environmental assessment frameworks
    • GA4:
    • GA6:
    • GA7:
  4. apply problem-analysis techniques to define the information needed to tackle problems in coastal management.
    • GA4:
    • GA6:
  5. demonstrate an understanding of issues related to the management of indigenous cultural heritage sites.
    • GA4:
    • GA6:
    • GA7:

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
  • No prescribed texts.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.