BIO327 Wildlife Ecology and Management (16)
CSU Discipline Area: Biological Sciences (BILSC)
Duration: One session
Abstract:
In a world of increasing human impact, effective wildlife management is crucial for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. In this subject, students build on their existing ecological knowledge to learn ecological principles specifically relating to wildlife and how these principles underpin wildlife management strategies. A strong emphasis is placed on factors such as nutrition, competition and predation in a management context. The population dynamics of wildlife, sustainable harvesting and survey techniques are discussed in detail and learnt in the field through a residential school or field trip. The application of adaptive management principles to wildlife management is emphasised throughout. The subject contains a total estimated workload of 310 hours.
+ Subject Availability Modes and Locations
| Session 2 | |
|---|---|
| Internal | Albury-Wodonga |
| Distance * | Albury-Wodonga |
*This subject offering contains a residential school. Please view following information for further details.
Continuing students should consult the SAL for current offering details: BIO327
Where differences exist between the Handbook and the SAL, the SAL should be taken as containing the correct subject offering details.
Assumed Knowledge:
Enrolment restrictions:
Students may not enrol in this subject if they have completed either or both BIO261 and/or BIO361 .
Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:
be able to:
- apply appropriate scientific methods to the study of wildlife ecology and the development of management strategies;
- relate the evolution of Australian wildlife to contemporary ecology and management;
- identify the most important ecological principles that relate to wildlife and how these must be considered in applying management;
- explain the dynamics of several Australian wildlife populations and the factors affecting their distribution and abundance;
- describe the importance of habitat management to wildlife;
- explain the theoretical and practical aspects of wildlife control and sustainable use;
- apply the most appropriate wildlife survey techniques for a given taxon under certain conditions, and understand the advantages and disadvantages of the available techniques;
- demonstrate knowledge of the theoretical and practical aspects of threatened species management; and
- apply adaptive management principles to wildlife management problems.
Syllabus:
The subject will cover the following topics:
1. Definitions and principles of wildlife ecology and management;
2. The scientific methods that underpin the study of wildlife, including appropriate experimental design and interpretation of results;
3. Evolution and taxonomy of Australian wildlife;
4. Important ecological principles for understanding wildlife populations, including nutrition, foraging, competition, predation, behaviour and dispersal;
5. Population dynamics, including genetics, metapopulations, modelling, extinction processes and sustained yields;
6. Wildlife harvesting and control, including pest management, biological control and sustainable use of wildlife;
7. Theoretical and practical application of various wildlife survey techniques;
8. Habitat management;
9. Managing threatened species, including captive breeding, translocation and reintroduction principles; and
10. Adaptive management and whole ecosystem management.
Residential School
This subject contains a compulsory 5 day residential school.
The purpose of the residential school is to give students practical experience in various wildlife survey techniques and the application of scientific principles to wildlife ecology and management. The activities undertaken revolve around the trapping and recording of various fauna groups in a local conservation reserve.
The information contained in the 2013 CSU Handbook was accurate at the date of publication: 24 April 2013. The University reserves the right to vary the information at any time without notice.