James Cook University Subject Handbook - 2001

EV5251:03

Environmental Impacts of Human Activities in Protected Areas

Cairns

Inadmissable Subject Combination: EV3251 TG3209 TG5209

26 lectures, 13 seminars, 26 hours workshops, 16 hours field work. July intensive block mode.

Core unit for: Biodiversity studies, Protected Area Management Elective unit for: Conservation Biology, Tropical Ecology, Tropical Environmental Management, Geographical Land Information Systems, Protected Area Management and Tropical Urban and Regional Planning.

Staff: Dr S Turton.

This subject examines the applicability and techniques derived from ecological and earth sciences which are of particular value in protected area management; environmental and human-induced impacts in protected areas; factors affecting human impacts in protected areas; management strategies and concepts; research design for measuring and monitoring human impacts in protected areas; visitor and site management; applications in terrestrial and marine ecosystems (especially tropical rainforest); biological and physical environment field survey; data analysis and interpretation techniques; reviews of previous work undertaken in northern Australian protected areas. The main emphasis is on terrestrial ecosystems (especially tropical environments) but marine and ocean island systems are also included.

Learning Objectives:

  1. the aim of this subject is to familiarise students with the nature of protected areas and development of techniques for measuring and monitoring human impacts in protected areas as a basis for ecologically sustainable management.

Assessment by examination (40%); essay (20%); seminar (10%); field report (30%).