Overview
This unit will cover essential knowledge of landscape features and their management. Students will obtain theoretical and practical understanding of landforms, biogeography, effects of natural and man-made impacts (eg mining) on the sustainability of local ecosystems, erosion control, vegetation surveys, modern techniques of remediation, productive use of degraded land and rehabilitation success criteria. They will gain practical experience through field visits during residential school. Emphasis will be placed on Central Queensland landscapes with a broader understanding of Australian landscapes. All students are required to attend a Residential School.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Students must have completed 72 units of credit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2018
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Residential Schools
This unit has a Compulsory Residential School for distance mode students and the details are:
Click here to see your Residential School Timetable.
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Have Your Say
The field trips to the mine sites and the other sites were very valuable to see how each place completes their rehabilitation.
Residential school and the field trip activities will be continued and improved, where possible
Feedback from Have Your Say
The assessment pieces were returned quickly and the comments provided in feedback was helpful to my learning.
This practice will be continued
Feedback from Have Your Say
Assessment 2 Phase 1 - Report - is a very good idea. To receive feedback on our progress prior to submitting the final Report is an excellent idea which is very helpful
Students will be given the opportunity to send the draft of assignment 2, so deficiencies, if any, can be identified, with a view to helping to students to produce high quality assignments. This practice will be continued
Feedback from Have Your Say
Residential school was very interesting - and once again practical and relevant. As a student "relevance" is vitally important, when we often feel we are drowning in theory.
This is a practical-oriented Unit and hence emphasis will be placed on real-world and practical- oriented topics..
Feedback from Have Your Say
A theoretical explanation of LFA prior to residential school and interpretation of the results after the completion of the survey will be useful
Basic principles of LFA will be explained on day 1 of the residential school, and a zoom session will be held to discuss the results following the site visit.
Feedback from Have Your Say
Some recordings were not clear
The recordings will be checked and the problematic ones will be rerecorded.
Feedback from Have Your Say
Ashwa is very passionate and knowledgeable and enjoys sharing his knowledge with students.
Thank you and I will endeavor to keep up with this trend.
- Describe the key features of the biogeographic landscape
- Discuss the impacts of various activities such as tree clearing and mining on the sustainability of local ecosystems.
- Conduct land and vegetation surveys, simulate erosion events and describe land remediation techniques.
- Analyse techniques used in the remediation of degraded landscapes and discuss those relevant to Australian ecosystems.
- Design a protocol for remediation and/or sustainable management of a disturbed landscape.
- Assess the criteria used to determine cost effectiveness and success of remediation process.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 20% | ||||||
| 2 - Practical and Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||
| 3 - Examination - 50% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 20% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Practical and Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Examination - 50% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
Restoring Disturbed Landscapes : Putting Principles into Practice
(2010)
Authors: Tongway , David & Ludwig , John
Island Press
Washington Washington , DC , USA
ISBN: 9781597265812
Binding: Paperback
Additional Textbook Information
Students please note, if you prefer to purchase the E-Book you may also do so (but not through the CQU bookshop). The E-Book can be purchased from Island Press (http://islandpress.org/restoring-disturbed-landscapes) for the same price as the soft cover text. The E-Book has the ISBN: 9781610910071 and was first published in 2011.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- GIS - download free software
- Microsoft Excel or similar
- RUSLE (Universal Soil Loss Equation) software to be downloaded onto Uni computers.
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
n.ashwath@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Landscape ecology, biogeography and restoration approaches.
Tools to assess vegetation and ecosystem condition.
Indicators of ecosystem functions.
Chapter
Tongway & Ludwig, Chapters 13 and 16
Online Readings.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Geology, soils and impacts of disturbance on soil systems.
Tools to assess vegetation and ecosystem condition.
Indicators of ecosystem functions (except erosion).
Chapter
Tongway & Ludwig, Chapter 14
Readings online.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The soil-water interface: soil loss and planning to reduce erosion.
Landform design and erosion control, and tools to assess erosion.
Chapter
Tongway & Ludwig, Chapter 15
Readings online
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Restoration of mine sites - with a particular focus on open-cut mining.
Chapter
Tongway & Ludwig,
Chapters 4 and 8.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Restoration of mine sites - waste-rock dumps and tailings storage.
Chapter
Tongway & Ludwig, Chapters 6 and 7.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Please work on your draft report which outlines how you will endeavor to evaluate the success of a rehabilitated landscape, in accordance with the guidance provided in your text book and the resources.
Submit this report on time so the lecturer can correct and hand it back to you on day 1 of the residential school.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Restoring damaged rangelands, with a particular focus on those rangelands with an overabundance of woody shrubs and trees.
Chapter
Tongway & Ludwig,
Chapters 5 and 9.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Restoration of farmland to enhance biodiversity and productivity.
Restoration of former farmlands and forests in the peri-urban development zone.
Chapter
Tongway & Ludwig,
Chapters 10 and 11
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Restoration of roadside verges after road construction.
Restoration of managed native vegetation transition zones.
Chapter
Tongway & Ludwig,
Chapter 12
Readings online (Spooner and Lunt ).
Events and Submissions/Topic
Compulsory Residential School at Rockhampton:
3rd September to 5th September 2018
Module/Topic
Restoration of waste management facilities, dumps and other zones requiring capping, burial or removal.
Chapter
Online readings
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Criteria used in determining cost effectiveness and success of rehabilitation - budgets, scoping, planning, monitoring and evaluation when working on a restoration project.
Chapter
Online readings
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
GIS and mapping in integrated landscape assessment and planning.
Chapter
Online readings
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Statistical analysis of landscape level attributes.
Summary and conclusions.
Chapter
Online readings
Events and Submissions/Topic
Submit the final Report
Due: 7th October 2018; 11.45 PM AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Please note that the second assignment consists of two parts. The first part includes review of literature and methods. This draft technical report will be reviewed by the lecturer, and will be handed back to the students on day 1 of the residential school. Students will update this draft technical report by adding the data collected during residential school. These data must be analysed to be written up as results and discussions. The improved version of the draft technical report will form the final Technical Report which is to be submitted at the end of the term.
1 Written Assessment
Landscape Impact Assessment (20% of unit marks).
You are required to identify actual or potential impacts of commercial activities, such as mining, smelting, industrial development, agriculture, aquaculture and tourism on landscapes of the place where you currently live (within a radius of 100 km). You will then choose any FOUR of these impacts for this assignment by giving preference to those impacts that will be studied in the residential school.
You may use Google Earth/Queensland Globe maps, on-line information, news articles, company reports of your choice to describe the impacts of such commercial activities on local landscapes.
You will then explain the way those impacts/disturbances are being managed at present, with some indication of their effectiveness. Finally, you will research suitable remediation plans (historic and ideal), and suggest possible improvements to minimise or avoid those impacts (report size: 2000 words).
Journal articles and other credible sources of information would be helpful in finding solutions to remediating impacted sites (see the Moodle site for details).
Week 5 Friday (10 Aug 2018) 11:45 pm AEST
Assignment 1 Landscape Impact Assessment
Week 7 Friday (31 Aug 2018)
The marker will assess the following skills and attributes of your work:
- Identification of appropriate sources of impacts, provision of photos and explanation of the impacts (50%).
- Information literacy skills - correct and appropriate referencing, and the evidence that you have referred to a minimum of FIVE credible sources of information, such as journal articles (10%).
- Communication skills - write clearly and succinctly within the word count, and use appropriate referencing and formatting skills (20%).
- Critical thinking skills - consider several possible scenarios that might mitigate the impacts, and discuss positive and negative aspects of each scenario (20%).
- Describe the key features of the biogeographic landscape
- Design a protocol for remediation and/or sustainable management of a disturbed landscape.
- Communication
2 Practical and Written Assessment
Evaluation of a Restored Landscape (30% of the unit marks).
This assignment requires students to prepare a DRAFT and a FINAL report.
Background:
Landscape restoration can occur in three steps, viz planning, execution (on-site restoration) and evaluation of restoration success. In this assignment, you will gain experience in evaluating the success of a restored landscape. First, you will collect recent literature on the topic and prepare a protocol (procedure) for collecting the data. This will be written up and submitted as a Draft Report. You will then visit the field site, during residential school, to collect data. These data must be analysed and interpreted to produce results, discussion and conclusions. Finally, you will combine all the work you have done on this topic and produce the Final Report.
Phase 1 activity
Phase 1 is a planning exercise wherein you will collect information on restoration practices via literature search, and through your text book for various approaches used in restoring disturbed sites, and in evaluating the success of such restoration efforts (Please note: details of the site you will visit during residential school will be listed on the Moodle site within two weeks of the commencement of the Term).
You will then develop a protocol to collect suitable data from a restored field site according to Landscape Function Analysis (LFA). This draft report (approx 1500 words) must be submitted on-line by 31st August 2018. The lecturer will review the report and return the hard copy of the report to students on day 1 of the residential school. Protocols contained in this report, including those added by the lecturer (considering site conditions) are to be used in undertaking Phase 2 activities.
Phase 2 activity:
You will carry out Landscape Function Analysis task on a restored site during residential school, based on the protocols you would have developed in Phase 1 (please use the lecturer-amended draft Report). You will collect the data from the field site, as a GROUP activity, but will analyse the data, and write up results, discussion and conclusions INDIVIDUALLY. The write up of Phase 2 activity should include title, author details, abstract, key words, contents page, methods, results, discussion, conclusions, acknowledgments, references and appendices (1500 words excluding tables, photos and figures).
The final report can be prepared by upgrading the draft report (Phase 1) into final report (Phase 1 + Phase 2). The final report is due on the 7th October 2018 at 11.45 pm. The marked report will be returned to the students by the 21st October 2018.
Week 7 Friday (31 Aug 2018) 11:45 pm AEST
Draft Report is due on the 31st August 2018, 11.45 pm AEST (Please note that this to be revised and re-submitted as Final Report by the 7th October 2018, 11.45 pm AEST)
Week 8 Monday (3 Sept 2018)
Corrected draft report will be handed back to the students during residential school. Students will update this and resubmit as final report by the 7th October 2018.
The marker will assess the following skills and attributes of your work when reading your submission:
- Planning of restoration evaluation tasks - how well the plan has been prepared taking into consideration the requirements of the project and the availability of resources.
- Information literacy skills - correct and appropriate referencing, and the evidence that you have referred to a broad range of credible sources (eg journal articles) of information, and represented these sources accurately (including description of how certain aspects of the information within the sources might have turned out to be technically incorrect/scientifically inappropriate?)
- Communication skills - did you write clearly, succinctly, within the word count and using appropriate referencing and formatting skills? Did you present and communicate data as recommended in unit lectures and tutorials? Did you describe your restoration plan to lecturing staff clearly and succinctly before/during the residential school?
- Information technology competence - did you use computer packages and tools appropriately to produce quality graphs, images, tables and statistical results?
- Critical thinking skills - have you considered the current trends in restoration of disturbed habitats within your initial project plan?, and
- Have you critiqued the management/restoration options appropriately, including positive and negative aspects of the work undertaken by the site owner?
- Describe the key features of the biogeographic landscape
- Discuss the impacts of various activities such as tree clearing and mining on the sustainability of local ecosystems.
- Conduct land and vegetation surveys, simulate erosion events and describe land remediation techniques.
- Analyse techniques used in the remediation of degraded landscapes and discuss those relevant to Australian ecosystems.
- Design a protocol for remediation and/or sustainable management of a disturbed landscape.
- Assess the criteria used to determine cost effectiveness and success of remediation process.
- Problem Solving
Examination
Calculator - non-programmable, no text retrieval, silent only
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
