Handbook : Unit informationEdith Cowan University

Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science

School: Natural Sciences

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

• Unit Title

  Catchment Health and Management

• Unit Code

  SCI3301

• Year

  2015

• Enrolment Period

  1

• Version

  1

• Credit Points

  15

• Full Year Unit

  N

• Mode of Delivery

  On Campus
  

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Description

This unit examines the concepts of health and management as they apply to people and natural resources in catchments. The unit develops principles for catchment health and management in the context of sustainability and applies those principles at the community, agency and governmental level. Specific emphasis will be placed on the measurement of catchment health and the inter-relationships between social systems and ecosystems.

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded SCI3453

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

1. Apply concepts of condition, health, care and well-being, and sustainability to the catchment.
2. Demonstrate systemic, holistic approaches towards natural resource management decisions in a catchment context.
3. Describe the catchment in terms of its biophysical, human health, political, economic and other social characteristics.
4. Describe the inter-relationships between ecosystems and social systems, health and sustainability.
5. Describe the spectrum of ways in which individuals in local and regional communities are consulted in, and participate in, natural resource management/catchment health processes.
6. Investigate the appropriateness of the catchment as a unit of governance and as a unit of integrated knowledge.

Unit Content

1. Community participation in catchment management and assessment of catchment health; group dynamics, personalities, team building, leadership, facilitation, dispute resolution; the roles of activism and bureaucracy; structured participation: search conferences, focus groups, workshops.
2. Concepts of health, condition, state, care and well-being: individual, population, ecosystem.
3. Concepts of place in catchment health and management: sense of place, place attachment, place identity; quantitative and narrative approaches to determining local and regional sense of place.
4. Definitions of catchments in regional Australia: water drainage systems; regional political units/electorates; socio-economic systems; regional demographic characteristics; transport systems; climatic systems; bioregions.
5. Definitions of communities; notions of community capacity, social cohesion, social resilience.
6. Ecological integrity, ecological resilience, systems theory, adaptive capacity and management as they apply to socio-ecological systems.
7. Models of integrated management and governance; Integrated/total catchment management; catchment health; local and regional governance.
8. Models of integration: state of environment reporting; ecological footprints; triple bottom line reporting and accounting; ecosystem health; sustainable communities, ecologically sustainable development.
9. Models of participation in natural resource management in regional Australia (Landcare, bushcare, catchment councils, recovery catchments etc.).
10. Natural resources and catchment management; the applicability of catchments as governance units.
11. The spatial nature of human health; patterns of diseases in space and time; water borne diseases; vector borne diseases; environmental change, ecological condition, and human health; climate change and human health.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Lectures, practical workshops, participatory learning and action, field visits.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

Text References

• Kay, B.H. (1999). Water resources: health, environment and development. London.: E & FN Spon
• McMichael, A.J. (2001). Human frontiers, environments and disease. Past patterns, uncertain futures. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
• Morgan, G. (2001). Landscape health in Australia. A rapid assessment of the relative condition of Australia?s bioregions and subregions. Canberra: National Land and Water Resources Audit.
• National Land and Water Resources Audit (2002). Catchment, river and estuary condition in Australia: a summary of the National Land and Water Resources Audit's Australian catchment, river and estuary assessment 2002. ACT: National Land and Water Resources Audit
• Walker, J. and Reuter, D.J. (1996). Indicators of catchment health. A technical perspective. Victoria : CSIRO Publishing.
• Pimentel, D., Westra, L. and Noss, R.F. (2000). Ecological integrity. Integrating environment, conservation, and health. Washington: Island Press.
• Pretty, J.N., Guijt, I., Thompson, J., Scoones, I. (1995). Participatory learning and action. A trainers guide. IIED Participatory Methodology Series. Sustainable Agriculture Programme. London. UK: International Institute for Environment and Development.
• Rapport, D.J., Lasley, W.L., Rolston, D.E., Nielsen, N.O., Qualset, C.O., Damania, A.B. (2002). Managing for healthy ecosystems. Boca Raton: Lewis Publishers
• Wackernagel, M. and Rees, W. (1996). Our ecological footprint: reducing human impact on the earth. Philadelphia: New Society
• Newson, M. (1992). Land, water and devlopment. River basin systems and their sustainable management. London.: Routledge

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