Natural Resources Management
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Course Code
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Course
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Number of Credits
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Description/Course Objective
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Semester
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| ED76.01 | Ecological Principles for Natural Resources Management |
3
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Managing and conserving natural resources requires a fundamental understanding of natural dynamics. This course will introduce students to the essential concepts of ecology and familiarise them with ecosystem patterns and processes at various spatial and temporal scales. A special focus lies on measurements of characteristics of ecosystems as engineering scientists, in particular on forests and woodlands. The importance of ecology for sustainable natural resource management will be illustrated from the points of ecosystem services.. | Aug Sem |
| ED76.02 | Natural Resources Management Issues in Asia |
1
|
It is very important for future natural resource managers to be exposed to the NRM-related issues across Asia, so that they can put their own country’s issues in a regional perspective and learn from regional experiences. The objective of this course is to provide broad-based understanding of major natural resources management issues in Asian region so that they can formulate sustainable solutions applicable to their respective country. | Aug Sem |
| ED76.03 | Forestry |
3
|
Not only forests represent a source of wood for building materials and biofuels, they are also important for biodiversity conservation, watershed protection and climate regulation. In recent years, role of forestry in climate change mitigation has increasingly been recognized, especially in the REDD+ Scheme. The objective of the course is to provide students with sound knowledge of the principles of forestry and its practices, forest inventory techniques, forest carbon monitoring and accounting, sustainable forestry and climate change mitigation, and forest financing with particular emphasis on Asia. | Aug Sem |
| ED76.04 | Biodiversity and Conservation |
3
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Biodiversity conservation is important for achieving sustainable development through harmonization of human being with nature. It involves dealing with diverse biophysical, socioeconomic, cultural, political and legal issues to resolve conservation problems and natural resource use conflicts. The objective of the course is to provide students with a sound knowledge of conservation biology, methods for biodiversity assessment, an overview of current approaches to biodiversity conservation, e.g. ecoregional or community-based approaches, and with a solid introduction to planning and management strategies for biodiversity conservation inside and outside of protected areas, biodiversity safeguards, and conservation and biodiversity banking. | Aug Sem |
| ED76.05 | Integrated Land Use Management Systems |
3
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Integrated land use systems are capable of contributing significantly to sustainable land use, economic diversification, watershed protection and biodiversity conservation. The focus of the course will be on integrated smallholder systems in Asia (swiddens, crop-livestock systems, rice-fish systems). The course will provide students with knowledge of the various types of integrated land use systems, as well as with an understanding of their ecology, economics and social functions. | Aug Sem |
| ED76.13 | Natural Resources Degradation and Conservation |
3
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Degradation of natural resources has undermined the supporting capacity of the ecosystem with eventual consequences on the issues like food security, poverty alleviation, climate change and biodiversity loss. This is especially important in developing countries including those in Asia. The objective of the course is to introduce the major types of natural resources degradation in Asia, techniques and tools to monitor them, and to design appropriate conservation practices. | Jan Sem |
| ED76.14 | Society and Natural Resource Management |
3
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This course aims at comprehending the social dimensions of the complex natural resource issues by exploring the relationship between society and natural resources. Emphasis is on social and institutional dimensions of common pool natural resources management. | Aug Sem |
| ED76.15 | Research Design for Natural Resources Management |
3
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Research related to natural resources management involves a variety of techniques and methods, as it cut across different sciences, namely biophysical, spatial, socioeconomic and political. The objective of this course is to let students understand and learn to design and execute a research project in various afore-mentioned aspects of natural resources (forest, biodiversity, land and soils). | Jan Sem |
| ED76.16 | Land Resources Management |
3
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Persisting land degradation problem with unsustainable land management practices and increasing competition for land for other purposes than food production has continuously challenged the food security and ecosystem. The objective of the course is to provide the concept and current issues in rural land management, techniques, and tools for conducting systematic land evaluation, and needed enabling environment to help make appropriate decisions related to sustainable land management to support food production and ecosystem functions. | Jan Sem |
| ED76.17 | Geospatial Techniques in Natural Resources Management |
3
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Natural resources monitoring, planning and management requires the use of location specific geographic data. Geospatial tools and techniques, Remote Sensing (RS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and spatial modeling are widely used to observe, quantify and analyze the issues related to natural resources resulting from various human-environment processes at multiple geographic scales. The objective of the course is to provide the students the concepts of geographic data/information, concepts and principle of remotes sensing, GIS, and GPS. | Aug Sem |
| ED76.18 | Integrated Natural Resources Planning and Policy |
2
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The aim of the course is to provide students with an understanding of environmental, socioeconomic and policy perspectives on resource relationships, with an insight into the paradigms of conservation and sustainable development, and with a policy background to an understanding of resource use and planning issues. It also familiarizes students with modern planning tools for natural resources management and conservation, such as strategies for sustainable development & environmental impact studies. | Jan Sem |
| ED76.19 | Introduction to Natural Resources Economics |
1
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The main objective of the course is to introduce natural resource use issues, and the economics concepts that can guide policy-makers to tackle them. Important concepts used by economists to evaluate policies will be presented and discussed throughout the course: efficiency, equity and sustainability. The course is designed to serve students coming from different academic background and with limited prior exposure to economic theory. | Jan Sem |
| ED76.20 | Natural Resources Economics |
2
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The main objective of the course is to introduce the advanced economic concepts and tools used by economists to analyze natural resource problems and propose policies that foster efficient and sustainable use of natural resources. | Jan Sem |
| ED76.9004 | Selected Topic: Soil and Water Conservation for Agro-environmental Management |
1
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Environment in an area/region is deeply related with the ways of manipulation and exploitation of soil and water, the two most significant natural resources especially in the agriculture-dominated Asian countries. An understanding of the issues involved in agriculture and environment from different standpoints (scientific, socio-economic, area-specific etc.) is very important for the students who are interested in environmental and natural sciences. | InterSem |
| ED76.9009 | Selected Topic: REDD+ |
3
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The REDD+ or Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, plus Conservation of Forests, Sustainable Management of Forests, and Enhancement of Forest Carbon Stocks is the climate change mitigation scheme of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.The entry into force of the Paris Climate Agreement further strengthens the need for the REDD+ scheme for achieving mitigation target set out in the Nationally Determined Contributions. The course objective is to provide students with most recent knowledge of the REDD+, its policy and rules; forest carbon accounting with modern technologies; methodologies for identification of the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, for introduction of the appropriate REDD+ activities for reducing the drivers, and for measurement of performance; and REDD+ development and financing. | Aug Sem |
| ED76.9010 | Selected Topic: Society and Natural Resource Management |
2
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This course aims at comprehending the social dimensions of the complex natural resource issues by exploring the relationship between society and natural resources. Emphasis is placed on social and institutional axes of common pool natural resources management. | Aug Sem |
| ED76.9011 | Selected Topic: Natural Resources Management Field Lab I |
1
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It is important for future natural resource managers and researchers to gain field observation of natural resource issues and initiatives so that they can link their classroom studies with actual natural resource issues on the ground. The objective of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to spend some time off campus to visit natural resource related sites and learn from first-hand interaction. | Aug Sem |
| ED76.9012 | Selected Topic: Natural Resources Management Field Lab II |
1
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As technologies developed while natural resources continue to deplete, natural resource managers and researchers need to understand the problems and propose solutions for addressing the complexity of natural resources management. Therefore, it is important that students be equipped with theories that can be linked to real-world problems. The objective of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to conduct quick field observations and rapid data collection and analysis using modern technologies and in collaboration with local communities, government institutions, and/or the private sector. | Aug Sem |
| ED76.9013 | Selected Topic: Technovation in Natural Resources Management |
3
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Natural resources management (NRM) has increasingly become a hot topic in global debates on sustainable development because sustainable management of natural resources can improve local livelihoods, ecosystem functions and increase ecosystem productivity capable of mitigating and adapting to climate change. Increasing availability of data, technologies, and global agreement-driven financial support makes it possible to manage the natural resources in a more effective and transparent manner using multidisciplinary approaches. Furthermore, the entry into force of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement has provided even more opportunities to manage the natural resources through global partnership and technology transfer. Taking advantage of recent technology and development trends, practitioners, researchers, and students are increasingly expected to be innovative in devising ways of managing the natural resources. The objective of this course is to equip students with modern knowledge and skills in technovation (technological innovation) for sustainable management of natural resources and how Internet of Thing (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning and machine learning, and drones can be used for the improvement of local livelihoods, monitoring of REDD+ activities, forest restoration, smart forestry, integrated fish and vertical farming, near real-time monitoring of natural resources exploitation and disturbance, and for the establishment of the NRM startup for long-term sustainable use and management of natural resources. | Aug Sem |