NATF200 Nature Conservation and Management in Norway

Credits (ECTS):5

Course responsible:Liv Monica Trondrud

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Norsk

Course frequency:Annually

Nominal workload:Structured teaching: ca 35 hours. Students' own effort: ca 90 hours.

Teaching and exam period:This course has teaching/evaluation in January block.

About this course

The course includes challenges and solutions at the intersection of protection and use/management - for Norwegian nature. We talk about the status and threats to biodiversity, the background for nature conservation, different ways of valuing nature and about conservation biology as a discipline. Furthermore, we go through various tools (legislation, habitat mapping (NiN), map bases such as ecological base maps, knowledge overviews such as red lists, etc.) that exist to secure species and nature. Guest lecturers from different parts of Norwegian nature management (Ministry of Climate and Environment, State Administrator, municipalities, forestry industry, researchers, NGOs etc) come to share their knowledge and experiences. This also introduces the students to various relevant workplaces. Extra emphasis is placed on forests, but we include all Norwegian habitat types, also marine/coastal habitats.

Learning outcome

Knowledge: The student has broad knowledge of nature conservation's values ​​and history, biological diversity in Norway, protection of habitat types and species under Norwegian conditions, as well as basic principles in conservation biology and the link to practical nature management. The student has knowledge of the most important parts of the public and private administrative apparatus with responsibility for nature conservation, especially in land management.

Skills: The student can apply professional knowledge to discuss and reflect on various practical and theoretical issues taken from Norwegian nature management, discuss roles and fields of action for various actors in Norwegian nature management, and be able to discuss the value of biological diversity, unaffected nature and nature experiences.

General competence: The student can discuss relevant issues and solutions both in writing and orally. The student can exchange views and experiences with others with a background in the subject area and have insight into relevant ethical issues.

  • Lectures, discussions, independent study.
  • The teacher is available, if an appointment is made, for counselling during office hours.
  • Written examination (3 hours) at the end of the course. A combination of multiple choice and questions.
  • An external examiner is involved in developing and censoring the written exam
  • Lectures, including guest lectures with discussion: ca 35 hours.
  • Letter grades
  • Minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway (generell studiekompetanse)