| Semester 2, 2023 External | |
| Units : | 1 |
| School or Department : | School of Agriculture and Environmental Science |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
| Course fee schedule : | /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules |
Staffing
Course Coordinator:
Overview
To undertake the broad range of tasks important to managing wildlife in the field it is critical to have knowledge of and skills to be able to correctly identify wildlife, prepare for, travel to, and safely collect, record, analyse and present field data. With this it is necessary to have an understanding of field study design, and limitations of the design, and the data.
This course provides knowledge about preparation for and undertaking field work to study or manage wildlife. The course focusses on developing safety and survival skills, knowledge about necessary equipment, transport skills, and other resources required including food and water. To undertake the broad range of tasks important to manage wildlife in the field it is critical to have knowledge of and skills to be able to correctly identify wildlife, and safely collect, record, analyse and present field data. This knowledge and these skills plus an understanding field study design, and limitations of the design, and the data, will be developed during this course.
During this field trip different wildlife management survey techniques will be set up for actual wildlife studies, data collected and analysed, with their strengths and limitations discussed. Within these wildlife management survey techniques a range of equipment will be used, skills developed in their use, and methods to record and display the outcomes of the wildlife studies developed. These wildlife management techniques, associated equipment and presentation methods will be used in later courses. To gain these skills students must attend a mandatory one week field trip.
This course contains a mandatory residential school.
Course learning outcomes
On completion of this course students should be able to:
- demonstrate the ability to use equipment used to survey amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds;
- describe the strengths and limitations of basic wildlife survey techniques including the equipment used in the surveys;
- conduct wildlife surveys and interpret and present the results of these surveys;
- identify the requirements for undertaking a field trip to collect data in a remote area.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Field OHS and background readings | 10.00 |
| 2. | Trap and tracking design, equipment, use and their limitations | 30.00 |
| 3. | Basic survey techniques and their strengths and limitations | 30.00 |
| 4. | Data collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation | 20.00 |
| 5. | The requirements for undertaking a field trip to collect data in a remote area | 10.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
Students will need to supply their own food, bedding, towel, crockery and cutlery during the field trip.
Student workload expectations
To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.
Assessment details
| Description | Group Assessment |
Weighting (%) | Course learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online forums | Yes | 10 | 4 |
| Quiz 1 | No | 30 | 1,2,4 |
| Diary | No | 40 | 2,3,4 |
| Quiz 2 | No | 20 | 1,2,3 |