Competencies and objectives

 

Course context for academic year 2018-19

La acuicultura en jaulas flotantes ha sufrido un importante desarrollo en la última década y la tendencia es de un continuo crecimiento. Sin embargo, estas estructuras productivas generan una perturbación sobre los ecosistemas litorales debido a la entrada de materia orgánica y contaminantes químicos y puede favorecer la introducción de especies exóticas y patógenos asociados. Algunas comunidades marinas como las praderas de fanerógamas y fondos de maërl pueden verse seriamente afectados si se localizan cerca de instalaciones de acuicultura. Por otra parte, su localización en aguas abiertas favorece la agregación de peces salvajes, que interaccionan con las jaulas al utilizar el excedente de alimento y reducen el impacto ambiental sobre el bentos. Además, las pesquerías pueden verse beneficiadas en una escala regional.

Los escapes desde las jaulas son otro aspecto muy importante ya que pueden afectar a las poblaciones salvajes. Adicionalmente los nuevos avances en biotecnología también están suponiendo nuevas amenazas para los ecosistemas marinos, como es la creación de peces y alimentos transgénicos o vacunas de ADN. Un aspecto fundamental para la sostenibilidad es la elección de especies para el cultivo con un nivel trófico reducido, para no depender de proteínas animales para su alimentación y reducir el impacto sobre las pesquerías. Es necesaria una gestión integrada de la zona costera para evitar la afección negativa de la acuicultura sobre los ecosistemas marinos y los impactos negativos que pueden sufrir las jaulas flotantes debido a otras actividades como es el tráfico marítimo o el vertido de aguas residuales por turismo. Mantener una masa  de agua con una alta calidad y realizar una gestión responsable es fundamental para reducir problemas en el cultivo, asegurando un desarrollo sostenible y una seguridad alimentaria.

 

 

 

Course content (verified by ANECA in official undergraduate and Master’s degrees)

General Competences (CG)

  • CG1 : Understand the working, structure and dynamics of Mediterranean ecosystems, both terrestrial and marine, as well as those areas traditionally worked to exploit their resources.
  • CG10 : Oral and written communication skills in Spanish. Capacity to prepare and defend scientific research projects.
  • CG2 : Understand and value the diversity of all living things in every sense, not only referring to other organisms but also to social and cultural diversity.
  • CG3 : Be able to design and develop sustainable strategies for managing Mediterranean ecosystems, both in protected natural areas and in areas of anthropic influence.
  • CG4 : Evaluate global change, analysing the speed of the processes and the changes related to human activity in the region.
  • CG5 : Use current technologies and methods to solve environmental problems, including genomic-proteomic analysis or organisms and remote sensor technology.
  • CG6 : Develop the ability for multidisciplinary work in teams including specialists in different environmentally-related fields.
  • CG7 : Be able to solve environmental problems related to business and public administration activities.
  • CG8 : Oral and written communication skills in English.
  • CG9 : Computer tool and information and communication technology skills, as well as accessing online databases, including scientific bibliographies, patent and legislation databases.

 

Specific Competences:>>Mediterranean Ecosystem Analysis Module

  • AEM1 : Understand the interaction processes between mankind and the environment that generate and maintain landscapes. Know how to apply Geographic Information Systems to identify and quantify landscape patterns and infer the processes leading to them.
  • AEM10 : Be able to propose recovery strategies, integrating demographic and genetic and habitat management processes. Evaluate the status of the ecosystems and any possible restoration strategies.
  • AEM11 : Understand the ecotechnological applications that could be applied in each case and their limitations.
  • AEM12 : Understand the main taxonomic groups of indicator species and communities in the marine environment.
  • AEM13 : Apply exploitation and perturbation indicators to practical cases.
  • AEM14 : Be able to use marine communities as environmental assessment tools. Recognise and assess the impact of fishing and aquaculture, building work, desalination and wastewater dumping on the marine environment.
  • AEM15 : Propose measures for the recovery and restoration of marine ecosystems.
  • AEM16 : Understand and know how to apply waste disposal legislation. Capacity to prepare proposals for protected marine areas.
  • AEM17 : Design, the structure, distribution and characteristics of artificial reefs.
  • AEM18 : Manage an aquaculture installation using ecological and organic criteria.
  • AEM19 : Capacity to carry out the environmental monitoring of benthic and pelagic communities, as well as of the physicochemical characteristics of the water.
  • AEM2 : Understand Soil Biology and Ecology and its implications for plant health and the working of terrestrial ecosystems.
  • AEM20 : Be able to use the useful models for estimating survival, mortality and life expectancy of exploited marine populations. Evaluate the models available for managing marine resources and their usefulness in specific cases.
  • AEM21 : Identify the physical coastal processes affecting littoral dynamics. Propose interventions in the littoral environment to recover degraded areas and/or prevent future damage.
  • AEM22 : Be able to use analytical and molecular technologies and methods that are useful for analysing environmental samples in ecosystems.
  • AEM23 : Identify the most important pathogens of marine crops. Understand the strategies for the sustainable control of Mediterranean crop pathogens.
  • AEM24 : Understand the ecological basis of antagonism and biological control mechanisms on a molecule, cell and ecosystem scale. Understand the strategies of biological control agents and their handling techniques.
  • AEM3 : Solve problems related soil biotics.
  • AEM4 : Identify the types of forest soils and the conditions that generate them.
  • AEM5 : Be able to identify the conditioning factors of soil regarding the vegetation that can grow there, as well as the vocation of soil uses.
  • AEM6 : Develop models for changes in soil use and plant cover. Understand the processes that determine changes in vegetation and ecological succession.
  • AEM7 : Understand the importance of hydrological flows in the working of woodland.
  • AEM8 : Understand the flows of nutrients in woodland ecosystems and their implications for management.
  • AEM9 : Understand the importance of the spatial organisation of populations and its implications in their dynamics. Identify and evaluate the conservation problems of threatened species.

 

 

 

Learning outcomes (Training objectives)

No data

 

 

Specific objectives stated by the academic staff for academic year 2018-19

Identificar los aspectos ambientales más importantes en la gestión ambiental de la acuicultura en mar abierto.

Obtener los conocimientos necesarios para gestionar una instalación de acuicultura en base a criterios ecológicos y orgánicos.

Tener capacidad para realizar un seguimiento ambiental de las comunidades bentónicas y pelágicas, así como de las características físico-químicas del agua. 

 

 

 

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General

Code: 35614
Lecturer responsible:
SANCHEZ JEREZ, PABLO JOSE
Credits ECTS: 3,00
Theoretical credits: 0,60
Practical credits: 0,60
Distance-base hours: 1,80

Departments involved

  • Dept: MARINE SCIENCES AND APPLIED BIOLOGY
    Area: BOTANICS
    Theoretical credits: 0,2
    Practical credits: 0,2
    This Dept. is responsible for the course.
    This Dept. is responsible for the final mark record.
  • Dept: MARINE SCIENCES AND APPLIED BIOLOGY
    Area: ZOOLOGY
    Theoretical credits: 0,4
    Practical credits: 0,4

Study programmes where this course is taught