Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE GSC3402

 
TITLE Environmental Management Concepts

 
UM LEVEL 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 6

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Geosciences

 
DESCRIPTION The Study-unit will provide the students with a broad understanding of environmental monitoring, assessment and management. It will do so through the elucidation of the various stages and principles involved in Ecosystem-Based Management and its practical application, including local case studies and legal aspects.

It will cover the following aspects of environmental management and monitoring:

- concept of Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM), including adaptive management;
- elucidation of the link between environmental impacts and environmental resource depletion, and human activities;
- introduction to the tenets of two notorious examples of EBM in practice: Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP);
- overview of the process involved in drafting a management plan;
- elaboration on the basics of resource management (e.g. carrying capacities, precautionary principle, etc);
- overview of environmental management and monitoring obligations in accordance with important EU Directives (e.g. WFD, MSFD) and with the Barcelona Convention;
- types of environmental monitoring (surveillance, operational, investigative, etc) and major monitoring methodologies and instrumentation deployed;
- different genres of environmental valuation, from ecosystem services to environmental economics;
- practical demonstration of Marine Spatial Planning case studies;
- introduction to environmental monitoring in terms of environmental indicators, indices, thresholds;
- overview of the role played by environmental modelling as a decision-support tool;
- synopsis of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and Appropriate Assessment (AA) processes, also through reference to local case studies;
- summary of the major issues facing effective policy-making for environmental management purposes.

Study-unit Aims:

The proposed Study-unit aims to:

(i) introduce students to the broader scope of environmental management and monitoring;
(ii) demonstrate the prevailing rationale behind major management and monitoring frameworks (e.g. rapid response, adaptability, robustness, policy dimension, etc);
(iii) expose students to the protocols to comply with mandatory monitoring obligations through the showcasing of EIA case studies.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

(i) recall the basic tenets of resource management;
(ii) discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different environmental monitoring regimes;
(iii) identify major conflicts between the environmental integrity of an area and ongoing human activities;
(iv) illustrate the major conclusions of an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) study;
(v) report on the significant contribution that effective policy-making can make in environmental management.

2. Skills
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

(i) design at concept stage a basic Marine Spatial Plan for an unmanaged marine area;
(ii) appraise salient differences between the ICZM and MSP approach;
(iii) formulate a rudimentary environmental monitoring strategy when presented with a hypothetical environmental issue;
(iv) evaluate the monitoring obligations prescribed under different legislative frameworks (e.g. EU Directives, Regional Sea Conventions, etc);
(v) assess the validity of different environmental monitoring approaches.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main recommended texts:

(1) Jorgensen, S.E., Marques, J.C., Nielsen, S.N. (2015). Integrated Environmental Management; A Transdisciplinary approach. CRC Press, 383pp.
(2) Theodore M.K., Theodore L. (2009). Introduction to environmental management. CRC Press, 572pp.
(3) Ehler, C., Douvere, F. (2009). Marine Spatial Planning: a step-by-step approach toward ecosystem-based management. Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and Man and the Biosphere Programme. IOC Manual and Guides No. 53, ICAM Dossier No. 6. Paris: UNESCO, 99pp.
(4) Agardy, T. (2015) Ocean Zoning: Making Marine Management More Effective. Earthscan Publishers, 220pp.
(5) Jartiola, A., Pepper, I., Brusseau, M. (2004). Environmental monitoring and characterisation. Academic Press, 410pp.

Supplementary reading:

(1) Maser, C., Pollio, M.A. (2011) Resolving environmental conflicts: 2nd edition. CRC Press, 271PP.
(2) Wiersma, G.B. (2004) Environmental Monitoring. CRC Press, 792pp.

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES Pre-Requisite qualifications: Joint Geosciences Honours Degree entry requirements

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Seminar

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Presentation (20 Minutes) SEM2 No 20%
Examination (2 Hours) SEM2 Yes 80%

 
LECTURER/S Alan Deidun

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

Study at UM

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit