At the end of the course the student has:
developed a good understanding of the physical, ecological, socio-economic, political and legal factors that play a role in practical river and coastal zone management;
knowledge of the role of decision makers, policymakers and stakeholders in developing and implementing coastal zone and river management strategies and solutions;
understanding of key threats and opportunities of the world’s deltas and the challenges for delta management;
learned about the interdisciplinary nature of coastal zone and river management;
become familiar with approaches, methodologies and tools involved in delta management, such as: Ecosystem Valuation, Cost Benefit Analyses, Sea-level rise projections, and stakeholder analyses.
applied this knowledge in a realistic case study, and;
developed skills to synthesize knowledge on these subjects from scientific literature and reports through discussions, presentations and writing.
Content
NB. This course used to be called "Managing Future Deltas". I've updated the title to better reflect the course content.
This course focuses on the integrated management of coastal and river systems, primarily in and around river deltas.
The management of deltas poses considerable challenges, and involves both fundamental knowledge of the physical and ecological processes involved as well as the understanding and negotiating among the different interests from the ‘users’ of these systems. Deltas are affected by hydrodynamics, sedimentation, morphology, ecology, and humans. They support rich ecosystems, intense agriculture and many major cities and harbours are located in deltas. Future climate change, sea-level rise and increasing societal demands further complicate a sustainable management of rivers and coasts.
How can we integrate our knowledge of the physical, ecological, and societal aspects of delta systems into practical management?
The course includes classes, a group project, individual work and a field component.
Development of transferable skills
Ability to work in a team: During the course, you will work together in teams of 4 people. You will learn about team processes, both by doing as through lectures on working in teams.
Written communication skills: You will write a chapter of the team report and receive feedback on your writing from your peers and from the supervisor(s).
Problem-solving skills: The case study work will require you to pin-point the main issues at hand in your case study area and to think about possible solutions for these issues.
Verbal communication skills: Plenary discussions and presentations as well as communication within your cast study group will provide ample opportunities for practicing verbal communication skills.
Strong work ethic: As a team member you are expected to respect the team plan agreed during the teams ‘kick-off’ meeting at the beginning of the course.
Initiative: For your case study work you are expected to contact stakeholders or experts on your cast study area yourself.
