Freshwater Management
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| GEOG3015 | Geography | 3 | 20 | Spring UK |
- Code
- GEOG3015
- School
- Geography
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
The development of human civilisation is inextricably linked to our changing management of freshwater resources. This module considers human attempts to manage and restore freshwater environments. It considers changes in the fluvial system that occur in response to river management and engineering and examines approaches to restoring the natural functions of rivers that have been heavily degraded by human impacts. The module examines some of the main stressors on freshwaters, and approaches for their management. The principles by which restoration practice is guided will be considered, and criteria for selection between alternative strategies will be introduced. The module will consider flooding and climate change, Blue-Green infrastructure, channel change, water quality, ecological aspects of management, and how stakeholders interact with urban rivers.
Target Students
This module is open to all Final Year UG students and Exchange students.
Classes
- One 1-hour practicum each week for 10 weeks
- One 2-hour lecture each week for 10 weeks
- One 5-hour field studies
Teaching will take place through a mixture of lectures, seminars, laboratory practicals, and a local field trip. There will also be teaching contributions from management practitioners.
Assessment
- 50% Group Coursework 1: 10 page visual portfolio (maximum 3,000 words per group of 4)
- 50% Coursework 2: Individual coursework, 2,000 words
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
This module aims to provide an understanding of freshwater management and river restoration, including past and contemporary approaches. This includes raising awareness of the range, types and methods of rehabilitating rivers and opportunities for managing pervasive river hazards in sustainable ways. Students will develop knowledge and critical evaluative skills to propose and design freshwater management schemes through a field-based example forming part of the coursework assessment.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding:
- Understand past and contemporary approaches to freshwater management.
- Understand the implications of past and present interventions in freshwater systems on their functioning and hazard risk.
Intellectual Skills:
- Identify appropriate and/or alternative approaches to management based upon literature review and field study.
- Recognition that some management approaches are contentious, without consensus on optimal solutions.
Professional Practical Skills:
- Understanding of current concerns and opportunities in freshwater management nationally and internationally.
- Knowledge of current international and UK standards in freshwater management and restoration.
Transferable Skills:
- Group problem solving.
- Communication, argument and presentation skills.