Competencies and objectives

 

Course context for academic year 2022-23

Land management and planning to avoid the loss of Biodiversity is undoubtedly, one of the main challenges of the societies of the 21st century. The exploitation of different natural resources has caused disturbances and impacts that affect both the ecological status and the sustainability of many territories. New regulations  impose on people, companies and administrations, the requirement of drafting documents of: Environmental Impact Assessment of projects, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Landscape Studies and Landscape Integration reports. These administrative requirements offer biologists, and other experts in ecological assessment, many professional possibilities to develop their skills. Whether as an independent consultant, as a public administration staff expert, or as a scientist, the possibility of seriously addressing the analysis, diagnosis, evaluation, and mitigation of projects, or actions, which in many cases negatively affect the ecosystems is a current goal.

Students are provided with an introduction to these professional activities, as well as the required technical skills, so that they are able to integrate the knowledge acquired during the Degree. The final objective will be to generate analysis, diagnosis and assessment documents, sufficiently robust, that satisfy the demands of control and verification of a multitude of activities. All this, in search of a truly sustainable development.
The focus is on the Territory, basically characterized as the scenario in which the interactions between human societies and their natural context take place and which requires an identification of environmental impacts and a definition of guidelines for the management of land uses on it, and within a specific legal framework.
It is important to emphasize that it is a subject that will constantly support on introducing the student to a real, not theoretical, management scenario. Therefore, not only a part of this land reality is studied, from a biotic perspective. It is analyzed within the framework that defines the general, international or EU environmental impact legislation, and also within the particular territorial scope examined, as well as for the type of economic, social, or cultural demands, in a participative and equitable approach.

The access to the information available in public databases or open access web sites allows to handle the information available on Land and ecosystems characteristics already elaborated. That is why it is introduced as a central pillar of the subject the use of Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.) in a basic but very applied way. The techniques related to Remote Sensing are also essential tools both in the inventory phases, as well as spatio-temporal modelling, and / or cartography.

The knowledge acquired in the subject will make it possible to take better advantage of other options of the environmental itinerary, integrating them with the aforementioned tools. The subject represents an essential step in the basic applied trainning in environmental matters and will be very useful in the participation in further masters degrees, both from a specific or multidisciplinary perspective.

 

 

 

Course content (verified by ANECA in official undergraduate and Master’s degrees) for academic year 2022-23

Specific Competences:>>Ability

  • CE30 : Interpret, evaluate, process and synthesis Biological data and information.
  • CE31 : Recognise and implement good scientific practices for measurement and experimentation.
  • CE34 : Plan, design and execute practical research studies, evaluating the results.
  • CE35 : Interpret data gathered from observation and measurement in the laboratory and the field.
  • CE36 : Prepare, present and defend scientific and technical reports both in writing and orally to an audience.
  • CE37 : Ability to find, analyse, understand and write scientific and technical texts.
  • CE38 : Use inductive and deductive methods correctly in the field of Biology.
  • CE41 : Acquire the ability to direct, advise, design and execute biological process projects and studies.
  • CE43 : Catalogue, evaluate and manage natural resources.
  • CE47 : Characterise, manage, conserve and restore populations, communities and ecosystems.
  • CE48 : Evaluate environmental impact.

 

 

 

Learning outcomes (Training objectives)

No data

 

 

Specific objectives stated by the academic staff for academic year 2022-23

Know the basic procedures for the inventory of the ecological characteristics of a territory.

Identify the descriptors or basic ecological indicators that allow to synthesize and abstract the basic functioning of ecosystems in a territory.

Become familiar with the mechanisms of interpretation of land-use  or vegetation coverage mosaics of a territory and its space / time connection with basic ecological processes (for example, the Water Cycle).

Analyze and explore the potential and limitations associated with the main tools of observation of the earth's surface (vertical aerial photos, orthophotos, remote sensing coverage and satellite photos).

Obtain a basic knowledge of the environmental legislation that imposes the need for administrative instruments of territorial and environmental assessment and to which the activity of biologists who work in this field should be subjected.

Develop the ability to creatively and effectively address the uncertainties of work in these areas, within the framework of environmental sustainability.

Develop the capacity to promote the active participation of society in the objectives of environmental sustainability

Assimilate practically the need for interdisciplinary work in the environmental field

 

 

 

General

Code: 26554
Lecturer responsible:
Pastor López, Antonio
Credits ECTS: 6,00
Theoretical credits: 0,88
Practical credits: 1,52
Distance-base hours: 3,60

Departments involved

  • Dept: ECOLOGY
    Area: ECOLOGY
    Theoretical credits: 0,88
    Practical credits: 1,52
    This Dept. is responsible for the course.
    This Dept. is responsible for the final mark record.

Study programmes where this course is taught