THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2017/2018

University Homepage
DRPS Homepage
DRPS Search
DRPS Contact
DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Geosciences : Ecological Science

Undergraduate Course: Natural Resource Management (ECSC09002)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Geosciences CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course is intended for students interested in the policies and management of the natural environment and its resources. However, the transferable nature of the skills elements involved may make this course attractive to other students wishing to pursue a career in government agencies or consultancy.
It is a practically orientated course and provides students with a basic toolkit of quantitative and qualitative techniques used in resource planning and analysis, together with case studies with which to gain experience of their application. Students will also gain some knowledge of European Union directives affecting the environment, as well as approaches to policy evaluation.
Course description Week 1 Introduction
Weeks 1-5 Natural Resource Use, Valuation and Appraisal
Weeks 5-9 Current Natural Resource Policy Issues
Weeks 6-11 Natural Resource Policy Evaluation and Planning
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  40
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 33, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 5, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 22, Fieldwork Hours 3, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Revision Session Hours 3, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 128 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 50 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Assessment details
Written Exam: 50%, Course Work: 50 %.
The degree examination will be held in December. Students are expected to answer 4 questions from a choice of 6. Intermittent course assessment comprises of 2 pieces of work; an individual self-determined resource management report of no more than 1500 words (25%) and a group case study report (25%) based on a real-life commercial operation.


Assessment deadlines
The resource management report proposal must be submitted via Learn before noon on September 26th 2016 and submission of the final report must be before noon on 31st October 2016.
The case visit is scheduled for 13th October with submission of the final group report by noon 14th November. A case seminar will follow on 24th November at which student groups will present their findings and recommendations.
Feedback Written feedback will be provided for the self-determined resource management report giving guidance on suitability, direction and scope of the enquiry. The submitted report itself will be commented on and marked electronically.
For the case management report, a seminar will be held with commercial managers who will respond to the analysis and interpretation of the business propositions made by the various student groups. Electronic submissions will also attract extensive comments which can be accessed online.
Finally, student exam scripts (duly annotated) will be available for inspection and discussion with the course organiser in an organised feedback session during the early parts of semester 2.
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)Natural Resource Management2:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Appreciate the drivers for the formation of policies relating to natural resource use and issues with their implementation.
  2. Assess the value of market and non-market costs and benefits of natural resources and appreciate the assumprions made.
  3. Understand and be able to apply cost benefit analysis in environmental projects
  4. Construct and execute optimisation models in resource allocation problems and use multicriteria decision support techniques.
  5. Appreciate the challenges and potential solutions to current national resource management problems.
Reading List
Edwards-Jones, G., Davies, B. & Hussain, S.S. (2000) Ecological Economics; An introduction Blackwell Science (Chs 9, 10, 12, 14)
Kula, E. (1992) Economics of natural resources and the environment , Chapman & Hall, London Chs 2, 3, 4
Hanley, N. & Spash, C.L. (1993). Cost Benefit Analysis and the Environment, Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
Panayotou, T. (1998) Instruments of Change; Motivating and Financing Sustainable Development, Earthscan, London, Chs 2, 3, 4 & 7
Parnell, D.J. (1997) Introduction to Practical Linear Programming ,Wiley ,New York
Winston W.L. (1995) Introduction to Mathematical Programming. 2nd Ed. Duxbury ,Belmont Calif. Chs 3,4,5,6

Additional learning resources:
On this course students are also provided with a self-learning computer package to aid with the understanding and execution of various management techniques.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Students will gain experience in developing and communicating short, focused management reports. Their analytical and interpretative skills will be enhanced, as will their ability to research and present relevant resource related literature.
Problem solving and group work is a key component of the student experience, and in parallel to the experience gained in decision support methods, students will become more proficient in spreadsheet use.
Additional Class Delivery Information Two 2.5 hour lecture/practical session per week
KeywordsECSC09002 NRM
Contacts
Course organiserDr Ron Wilson
Tel: (0131 6)51 7163
Email: Joshua.Stapp@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Matthew Hathaway
Tel: (0131 6)51 7274
Email:
Navigation
Help & Information
Home
Introduction
Glossary
Search DPTs and Courses
Regulations
Regulations
Degree Programmes
Introduction
Browse DPTs
Courses
Introduction
Humanities and Social Science
Science and Engineering
Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Other Information
Combined Course Timetable
Prospectuses
Important Information
 
© Copyright 2017 The University of Edinburgh - 6 February 2017 7:10 pm