Envs 6108 -Landscape Ecology In Planning

Course instructor: Dr. Carmela Canzonieri
Website: https://carmelacanzonieri.com/
Email:

Landscape ecology is characterized by its focus on broader spatial domains than those studied in ecology. Landscape ecology, with its focus on the relationship between spatial heterogeneity and ecological process, considers humans as one of many components affecting landscapes, and emphasizes natural and built landscapes. Fundamental principles of landscape ecology serve as the scientific basis for planning and design of sustainable landscapes.

Course Description:
Landscape ecology is an area of ecology that emphasizes spatial patterning, its causes, development, and importance for ecological processes. Landscape ecology focuses on dynamics over large regions and it has been expanding as a science at the basis of ecological planning. Landscape ecology deals with the interplay between spatial pattern and ecological processes: it looks at how to characterize spatial pattern, how spatial pattern is constructed, why it matters, and how it changes through time. It is interdisciplinary by nature, merging parts of ecology, hydrology, geomorphology and the relationship with human activity.

The course will use applied and theoretical approaches to illustrate principles of landscape ecology, and will study their application for ecologically sound planning.

Course Objectives:
The course emphasizes the current state-of-the-science of landscape ecology and specifically the application of landscape ecology in planning landscape change. Students will learn ecological principles of landscape structure (components of the landscape and their linkages and configurations), function (flows of energy, materials, and species within and among landscape elements), and change (alteration in the structure and function of the ecological mosaic over time).

A special focus of study will be the application of these principles and ecological planning and design. The course is particularly significant in combination with ENVS 6231 Environmental Planning, ENV 6321 Environmental Planning and Design Workshop and GIS courses. Students from other program, as Geography, might be interested too.

Course Requirements

Students will learn the current concepts and methods of landscape ecology, and applications of landscape ecology in planning through (1) class lectures; (2) readings, which will be summarized in reading logs, and discussion of literature reflecting state-of-the-art research in the field; (3) participation in the class website and weblog; (4) completion of a final paper/project that allows students to develop or apply these tools and concepts to their own case study.

A detailed weekly reading list will be distributed in class.

Evaluation :

Term Paper/ Final Presentation 60%

Class blog participation: 20%

Weekly Readings comments: 10%

Class Participation/Discussion 10%

Grading: Pass/Unsatisfactory

Instructor Contact

ENVS 6108 -- Landscape Ecology in Planning

Home - course description and basic information.

- a learning blog for class members to post interesting 'finds' and current events related to landscape ecology in planning.

Schedule - short form schedule and lecture notes.

Readings - weekly readings and lecture notes.

Assignments - what you need to do and when you need to do it.

Projects - student work archive.

Links/resources - further internet information related to course work.

Contact