NATF100 Introductory Nature Management

Credits (ECTS):10

Course responsible:Ronny Steen

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Norsk

Limits of class size:Maximum 36 students.

Course frequency:Annually

Nominal workload:Lectures: 20 hours. Day trips: 70 hours. Field course: 80 hours. Exercises: 6 hours. Semester assignments, reports and self-study: 80 hours.

Teaching and exam period:This course starts in August block. This course has teaching/evaluation in August block, Autumn parallel, Spring parallel.

About this course

Topics covered include natural resources, different habitat/nature types and species, conservation and use of nature, public and private management, as well as basic methods in monitoring of ecological systems and game and fish management. Active student participation through report writing from excursions, collecting own data during field courses, processing data for use in semester assignments, writing semester assignments, peer assessments, collecting information from various sources, producing short documentaries, and presenting results to fellow students.

Learning outcome

A candidate who has completed the qualification has the following learning outcomes of the course:

Knowledge: The student will have knowledge of the use and management of Norwegian nature and relevant conflict areas related to trade-offs between conservation and use.

Skills: The student should be able to use methods for collecting data for analysis and use in nature management, as well as process and present such data. The student should be able to find, evaluate and refer to information and scientific knowledge and present this so that it sheds light to relevant topics in applied ecology/conservation biology. The student should be able to write academic reports and should be able to master digital tools for presenting evidence-based information in the form of short videos.

General competence: After completing the course, the student must be well acquainted with value assessments that form the basis for multi-purpose use and sustainable use of Norwegian nature.

  • The teaching is based on lectures / exercises (approximately every other week) and excursions with subsequent report writing (approximately every other week). In addition, there are two field courses, one semester assignment and one documentary. Writing assignments and video production are organized as group work with 3-5 students in each group.
  • Group supervision is offered in connection with writing semester assignments and video production.
  • Students are evaluated based on a written term paper and a term assignment that is presented as a documentary (video). Both tasks must be passed.
  • The reports and films are evaluated by the course coordinator based on criteria set up in consultation with an external examiner.
  • First lecture, field courses, some exercises and one-day excursions with subsequent report writing.
  • Lectures: 20 hours. Day-long excursions: 70 hours. Field courses (2 courses, each 5 days): 80 hours. Exercises: 6 hours. One field course in August and one in the end of the spring parallel. The last presupposes that it is possible to accommodate it with other teaching arrangements.
  • Bachelor students in ecology and management of natural resources.
  • Passed / Not Passed
  • Minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway (generell studiekompetanse)