Nature conservation planning
The study course is designed and implemented in close cooperation with professionals in the sector and is integrated with other courses in the study programme by using the knowledge and skills acquired in those courses. The course helps to develop students' knowledge, skills and competences in the planning and implementation of approaches to biodiversity conservation. Students will develop and strengthen their understanding of conservation data types and specific features, and data management solutions in the nature conservation sector; develop their own in-depth understanding of developments in the nature conservation sector and in-depth understanding of integrated approaches to biodiversity management; develop competency and professional expertise in conservation data management. Workshops and seminars will also contribute to the development of general skills – self-organising (flexibility, persistence, perception capacity, etc.) and collaborative skills (team work, presentation, negotiation, leadership). The aim of the study course is to develop students' knowledge, skills and competences in conservation data management when planning and implementing integrated biodiversity conservation approaches. The objectives of the course are: (1) to develop and strengthen students' understanding of conservation data types and specific features, and data management solutions in the nature conservation sector; (2) to develop students’ own in-depth understanding of developments in the nature conservation sector and in-depth understanding of integrated approaches to biodiversity management; (3) develop competency and professional expertise in conservation data management. Language of instruction: Latvian and English
Course responsible lecturer Zaiga Krišjāne
Results Knowledge 1. use and explain the technical language of the nature conservation sector, understand fundamental concepts of soil protection and biodiversity conservation and identify the most significant threats, interpret the content and principles of international agreements and national laws. 2. familiar with and able to collect geospatial and related data on biodiversity and soils, classify and identify data according to their characteristics, distinguish between freely available and limited availability data, use data according to their specific nature, understand the specific nature of the conservation data needed for development of nature conservation plans, discuss the most topical issues in conservation data management (including geospatial aspect). 3. distinguish an integrated nature conservation approach from the segregated approach; know and understand examples of successful integration of nature conservation in the agricultural and forestry sectors; account for the opportunities and limitations for the integration of conservation of soils and biodiversity into the agricultural and forest policies. Skills 4. demonstrate the usage of conservation data according to their characteristics, analyse scientific information on data types and interpretation and use it to create new approaches for data anlysis and presentation thus improving the interoperability of conservation data. 5. inspect and evaluate the quality of geospatial data, freely use the nature data management system “Ozols” and international databases, prepare data and information for the needs of nature conservation plans. 6. address practical and theoretical challenges in the processing and visualization of conservation data by applying their data processing skills acquired in other study courses (e.g. Database practise, Applied GIS I (physical geography), Earth Remote Sensing). Competence 7. perform, responsibly and independently, specific tasks for the selection, quality assessment, visualization, and interpretation of conservation data by using geospatial data analysis, cartographic and other methods. 8. expertise in different biodiversity conservation approaches and the principles of soil degradation risk management.
Presential
FALSE
Nature conservation planning
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HaDEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. The statements made herein do not necessarily have the consent or agreement of the ASTRAIOS Consortium. These represent the opinion and findings of the author(s).
