Unit Outline

In this unit you will develop the knowledge and skills needed to undertake planning for protected area systems. We will explore the frameworks, processes and methods used to identify areas for inclusion in national reserve systems. Students will have the opportunity to apply and compare reserve selection methods using Tasmania as a case study. Topics covered include system purposes and priorities; national reserve planning frameworks; systematic conservation planning; government reserve selection processes; and collaborative and participatory approaches. Students without prior experience in GIS and spatial analysis will be given a basic introduction to these skills. Note, the software taught in this course works best with a Microsoft operating system.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Discuss system purposes, priorities, and methods that have guided the establishment of the Australian National Reserve System.
2.	Apply systematic conservation planning methods to identify spatial conservation priorities.
3.	Analyse government-driven and collaborative processes for identifying protected areas.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

This year we are introducing weekly drop in sessions so that you may ask technical questions and receive timely support particularly when learning new software. We are also offering the use of the GIS and planning software on our virtual machine or in person within our GIS labs to ensure everyone can access the software in a standardized environment.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	National reserve systems and systematic planning discussion	Week 2	20 %	LO1
Assessment Task 2:	Case study conservation planning process	Week 6	30 %	LO3
Assessment Task 3:	Systematic conservation planning report	Week 7	50 %	LO2

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: National reserve systems and systematic planning discussion

Task Description:

National reserve systems and the role of systematic conservation planning in Australia. You are required to post a series of responses on the MyLO discussion board and engage in meaningful discussion with your peers. View the MyLO discussion pages for prompts to respond to.

Task Length:

MyLO postings totaling approximately 1,500 words

Due Date:

Week 2

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Quality of comments on Australian national frameworks	LO1
2	Quality of comments on role of systematic conservation planning (SCP)	LO1
3	Completion of all parts of the activity with insightful comments and reflection on learnings	LO1
4	Engaged in meaningful debate with fellow students on discussion boards	LO1

Assessment Task 2: Case study conservation planning process

Task Description:

In this assignment you are asked to play the role of the conservation planner and to initiate the planning process you must design and pitch the process to your broader planning team. You must pick a case study jurisdiction for this task and detail the process and each step you propose to take in the process with justifications around how this process will support moving from plan to implementation. See MyLO for further details and guidance.

Task Length:

Maximum 5-10 minute recorded presentation

Due Date:

Week 6

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Credible elements of a reserve selection process, covering study site, data, process and stakeholders in a logical way	LO3
2	Convincing argument and justification of your process, with evidence to support	LO3

Assessment Task 3: Systematic conservation planning report

Task Description:

Reserves to protect biodiversity- you will use systematic conservation planning software to run planning scenarios and produce maps of alternative reserve systems as the basis of a report. In your report you will be asked to interpret and critically analyze these scenarios. See MyLO for details of conservation planning scenarios and specific assessment task requirements.

Task Length:

Maximum 3000 words (including references, figure captions and table captions)

Due Date:

Week 7

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Document the methods used so that your results could be reproduced, describing the study area, datasets and approach in a logical structure	LO2
2	Present and explain all required results and maps in a clear and informative way	LO2
3	Interpret and compare the reserve scenarios and justify the results, relating your findings to the literature	LO2

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

Required Readings are those provided by your Unit Coordinator within MyLO.