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2009 Timetable

Each of the WILD units will be presented in a similar format, with one full-time week being used to undertake the face to face teaching component of that unit. The exact structure of this week will vary from unit to unit, in the use of lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work and field studies. Unless otherwise stated, these activities will be conducted at the Camden campus or "Arthursleigh" at Marulan.

March Semester 2009

The key elements in the timetable for the March 2008 semester are:

Program orientation
This will be held at an evening BBQ dinner on Monday 9 March 2009 during the week of WILD 5001 – Australasian Wildlife: introduction.

The BBQ’s will be held on the Camden Campus and more details will be provided by email.

Australasian Wildlife: Introduction (WILD 5001)
This unit will be held from Monday 9 March to Friday 13 March 2009 at the Camden campus.

Aims:

  1. Introduce students to the wildlife of Australasia and outline its relationship to wildlife world wide.
  2. Develop an understanding of the unique status of Australasian wildlife and the problems of extiction.
  3. Identify conservation problems for wildlife.
  4. Develop an understanding of how conservation problems can be diagnosed using theoretical and field based pattern analysis. The role of science and scientific methodology is emphasised.
  5. Provide an overview of current prescriptions for wildlife conservation problems and methods for optimising solutions.
  6. Identify the roles and methodologies of effective and ethical conservation management.

Australasian Wildlife: Field Studies (WILD 5002)
This unit will be presented in the week beginning Monday 22 March to Friday 27 March 2009. On the Monday morning the group will meet at Camden and travel to "Arthursleigh" for the remainder of the week, returning to Camden on Friday evening 27 March.

Aims:

  1. Intoduce students first hand to the wildlife of Australasia.
  2. Further the understanding of the unique status of Australian wildlife and the problems of extinction developed in WILD 5001
  3. Refine the understanding of how conservation problems can be diagnosed using theoretical and particularly field-based pattern analyses. Real world problem solving.
  4. Provide and overview of current field sampling, tracking and census techniqes for wildlife populations and diagnostic keys for wildlife idendification.
  5. Provide an introduction to poulation analytical techniques.
  6. Identify the roles and methodologies of efective and ethical conservation management.

Wildlife Health (WILD 5003)
This unit will be held from Monday 27 April to Friday 1 May 2009 at the Camden campus.

Aims:

  1. Introduce students to health issues as threatening processes.
  2. Provide and understanding of the basic elements of host pathogen interaction.
  3. Develop and understanding of anatomy or Australian species and disease diagnosis in these species.
  4. Develop a comprehensive understanding of the approach and tools available to investigating a disease outbreak.

In Situ Wildlife Management (WILD 5005)
This unit will be conducted from Monday 18 May to Friday 22 May 2009. The details will be advised, but at least part of the week will be spent in Royal National Park.

Aims:

  1. Introduce the analysis of the wildlife populations, including determination of size, dynamics and health.
  2. Introduce the concept of ‘small populations’ and ‘declining populations’, and the value of this dichotomy for management.
  3. Identify conservation problems for wildlife populations.
  4. Develop and understanding of how population problems can be diagnosed using theoretical and field-based patter analysis.
  5. Provide and overview of current prescriptions for population management, their problems and methods for optimising solutions.
  6. Identify the roles and the methodologies of effective conservation management.

Projects and Assignments
The March semester runs through until Friday 26 June. Across the semester, students will be required to undertake assessed assignments in all Units of Study, with the actual dates for submission by 15 June 2009.

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July Semester 2009

The key elements in the timetable for the July semester are:

Vertebrate Pest Management (WILD 5004)
This Unit will be conducted in the week of Monday 3 August to Friday 7 August 2009. This unit of study will outline the impact of invasive species and over populated native species have on the environment.

Aims:

  1. Discusses the impacts of introduced species of vertebrate pests on Australian wildlife, agriculture and habitat.
  2. Review: effectiveness, unintended consequences, animal welfare issues associated with control.
  3. Main focus is mammals including horses, goats, pigs, rabbits, mice, foxes, dingos/dogs.

Ex situ Wildlife Management (WILD 5006)
This unit will be conducted from Monday 12 October to Friday 16 October 2009 at Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo. The group will gather in Camden on Sunday 11 October and will drive to Dubbo to return on Friday 16 October 2009. This has been one of the most popular units of study.

Aims:

  1. Understand how zoos develop their collections.
  2. Understand the requirements for housing and breeding of zoo animals.
  3. Understand basic elements of nutrition and husbandry.
  4. Understand how populations of animals in multiple zoos around the world are managed to maintain genetic diversity.
  5. Understand the behavioural aspects of in situ management of animals.

Conservation of Vertebrates of the Southern Ocean (WILD 5010).
This unit will be not be offered in 2009.

The unit of study will take place at the Camden Campus, a day will be spent in Canberra, and a day will be spent on the open ocean, counting, capturing and banding seabirds.

Aims:

  1. Outline the regulatory agencies and treaties that govern and monitor the fisheries of the Southern Oceans.
  2. Understand how fish populations are monitored and how catch quotas are determined.
  3. Understand the complexities, limitations and opportunities associated with the research in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.
  4. Understand the key features of the biology of pelagic birds that frequent the coast of new South Wales and how these birds can be studied.
  5. List the key threatening processes to pelagic birds and understand the efforts being undertaken to mitigate the impact of these processes.

Projects and Assignments
Across the semester students will be required to undertake assessed assignments in all Units of Study. Typically there are one to two assignments due during the unit of study with another one to two assignments due within 4 weeks of the end of the unit of study.

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