UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH. College of Science and Engineering: Taught Postgraduate Programme Proposal Form Cover Sheet

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1 UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH College of Science and Engineering: Taught Postgraduate Programme Proposal Form Cover Sheet SUMMARY INFORMATION - please insert the requested information into the boxes below Programme Title Programme qualification Host School Name of proposer(s) Name of intended Programme Director ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION MSc GEOSCIENCES DR BA HARVIE DR BA HARVIE Duration of study Full time months 12 (tick as applicable, and give months for FT) Part time Mode of study / delivery (tick as many as applicable) Resident at Edinburgh University Resident at another HE institution Collaborative Distance learning Flexible training package Date of intended first intake SEPT 2009 Date approved by School Board of Studies Approval of Head of School (signature and date) (This is taken to indicate that all issue of resource have been addressed within the School) Date submitted to College Learning and Teaching Committee Please attach the following documents for your proposed programme: Programme Specification A template and guidance notes can be obtained via the University web page: Course cover sheets (for new or substantially revised courses) A template and guidance notes can be obtained via the University web page: Degree Programme Table Further programme information see below PGT_proposal_form_FEB 2008.rtfpage 1 of 8

2 Programme Specification The programme is designed for students who wish to gain the range of techniques required for dealing with damaged sites and for restoring biodiversity and ecological function to degraded systems. The core courses are designed to meet the increasing demands to manage and restore greenfield and brownfield sites to the amenity, natural habitat or agricultural use required by UK legislation and EU directives. Students will gain specific expertise in the theoretical basis, practical techniques and policy framework to enable ecological restoration of natural, semi-natural and managed habitats which have become degraded and reduced in biodiversity as a result of agricultural, industrial or other development operations. Students who follow this programme will: gain an understanding of the philosophy and processes of ecological restoration; become familiar with key approaches to restoration of terrestrial and aquatic communities; understand how to relate this to real-life scenarios throughout the UK and Europe from case studies; acquire the necessary, professional skills required for this subject area develop their research skills in the general area of ecological restoration. The courses will provide the core knowledge required of professional practitioners in restoration ecology and promote standard methodologies supported by professional bodies (IEEM and IEMA) in surveying, assessment, scoping and valuation of ecologically damaged sites. These aims will be achieved through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, problem based learning, assignments, field trips and a dissertation project. PGT_proposal_form_FEB 2008.rtfpage 2 of 8

3 Degree Programme This programme is based on two, new, core 20 credit courses; Principles of Restoration Ecology and Ecological Restoration in Practice. The programme has been designed to give advanced training in the theoretical basis, practical techniques and policy framework necessary to enable ecological restoration of semi-natural and natural habitats which have become degraded and reduced in biodiversity as a result of agricultural, industrial or other development operations. In addition to the two core courses there will be a 60 credit dissertation plus at least 40 credits from the following list of existing courses: Field Skills in Ecology 1 (Appendix 1), Integrated Resource Management, Soil Protection Management, Sustainability Case Studies, Ecosystem Management, Catchment Hydrochemistry, Environmental Impact Assessment, Land use/environmental Interactions and Management of Sustainable Development. To fulfil the requirement for a 180 credit MSc degree programme, the remaining 40 credits can be acquired from any other appropriate level 11 courses (Appendix 2). The two core courses would also be appropriate for existing GeoSciences MSc programmes. Principles of Restoration Ecology S1 This 20 credit course aims to provide knowledge and develop understanding about the acquisition and management of ecological data for the economic conservation of biodiversity and restoration of damaged ecosystems. It provides the skills to assess, plan, execute and implement programmes of ecological management which reconcile the needs of wildlife and other ecosystem services, such as agriculture, forestry and water management. The course will provide the knowledge and skills required to bridge the gap between damaged land and fully restored ecosystems. It provides the professional skills required to assess, plan and implement strategies needed to restore, reclaim and remediate damaged land in the public and corporate sectors. 1. Philosophy of Restoration - habitat restoration or habitat creation? - what is good restoration? - scales; temporal and spatial 2. Aims and Objectives of Restoration - restoration of ecosystems - provision of ecological services - habitat connectivity - agri-environment schemes 3. Processes of Ecological Restoration - assembly rules - succession - plant/environment relations 4. Measuring Change - surveying and monitoring - field skills - identification - target notes - phase 1 survey (assessed) 5. Plant Traits as Predictors of Performance - CSR - Ellenberg - NVC ESC 6. Biodiversity in Restoration - ecological diversity - invasives and exotics - native and naturalised 7. Policy: Local, National and International - LBAPS - priority habitats - priority species - EU habitats and birds directives 8. Trophic Interactions - pollution microbiology - bioremediation - mycorrhizal infection 9. Robust Restoration Strategies - including social + restoration of ecosystems: an holistic approach (assessed PBL exercise) 10. Ecological Conservation + summary and review of course 1 Field Skills in Ecology is an additional course proposed for 2010 see next page PGT_proposal_form_FEB 2008.rtfpage 3 of 8

4 Ecological Restoration in Practice S2 This 20 credit course reinforces the concepts of restoration, remediation, reclamation and reintroduction with in depth, problem-based learning centred on European case studies. Visits to relevant, local, land reclamation and ecological restoration sites form a key part of the programme. 1. What is Ecological Restoration - defining restoration, reclamation, remediation and re-introduction - how do they fit the bill? + Designing Ecological Approaches - overview of restoration practices, defining targets, management of project specification and designing restoration approaches 2. Restoration of Contaminated Land a) - local case study; oil-shale bings + site visit 3. Restoration of Contaminated Land b) local study ash flats + in depth case study of technically reclaimed and spontaneously re-vegetated spoil from open cast brown-coal mining in the Most Region, Czech Republic (Karel Prach and Petr Pysek) PBL exercise 4. Reclamation of Semi-natural Terrestrial Communities a) - local case study Roslyn Glen + site visit 5. Reclamation of Semi-natural Terrestrial Communities b) - local case study Carrifran + in depth case study - short-lived tree species and their role as indicators for plant diversity in the restoration of natural forests in Central Europe (Daria Kreyer and Stefan Zerbe) PBL exercise 6. Remediation of River and Canal Systems - local case study Union Canal + site visit 7. Macro-remediation of River and Canal Systems - local case study River Almond + in depth study - restoration of alluvial meadows in the Morava River floodplain, Slovakia (Jan Seffer and Vera Stanova) PBL exercise 8. Micro-remediation - local case nitrogen nodules on Trifolium repens on low nutrient and high nutrient sites (bings) + in depth case study - symbiotic germination and development of heterotrophic plants in remediation (McKendrick et al) 9. Re-introductions - animals; from capercailzie to kites and water voles to wolves - in depth case study beavers in Scotland 10. Ecological Restoration and Climate Change + summary and review of course Project dissertation S3 The dissertation will follow the current models of other GeoSciences taught MSc dissertations PGT_proposal_form_FEB 2008.rtfpage 4 of 8

5 Further programme information Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed ; definition presented by the Society for Ecological Restoration International (SER) and adopted by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Applied ecologists require a range of techniques for dealing with damaged sites and for restoring biodiversity and ecological function to degraded systems. In the UK and mainland Europe there has been little attempt to combine these skills to produce widely informed, versatile restoration ecologists who are capable of giving advice and supervising projects involving a range of different habitats. The Ecological Restoration MSc is designed to meet the increasing demands to manage and restore greenfield and brownfield sites to the amenity, natural habitat or agricultural use required by UK legislation and EU directives. Appropriately qualified staff in this rapidly developing area are essential to many governmental agencies in Scotland, the UK and Europe (e.g. SNH and SEPA in Scotland), and also to consultancies. In a recent (2007) IEEM survey of 1100 professional ecologists 702 respondents (64%) indicated that they worked in habitat creation and restoration management. In the UK, even though SNH, SEPA and others have identified a lack of well qualified ecologists, initial research shows that only Cranfield University has a similar Masters Programme although Liverpool ran a successful course until the retirement of key staff in It is expected that graduates of the programme will rapidly gain professional accreditation (IEEM, IEMA, SER, CEnv), which is becoming an increasing requirement for employment in this field and there is potential for the courses to also be used as CPD. Moreover, there is the opportunity to link this proposal to one for an undergraduate Masters in Ecological Science, for which there is expected to be demand from existing Ecological Science and Biological Sciences (Ecology) undergraduates. The programme will be underpinned by existing research strengths in these areas and there will be a synergy between the proposed MSc and the research base leading to its development and strengthening. It will increase knowledge transfer with business, research centres (e.g. CLARRC), and government at all levels. Resource implications: As the programme largely makes use of existing courses, the additional teaching input related to the two new courses is justifiable in terms of the income to be generated. The capacity for dissertation supervision and marking, however, needs to be evaluated and the whole process reviewed in order to make the most effective use of staff consistent with achieving the required academic standards. Business Case Summary: This novel Masters programme will bring additional students to the School. Initial research shows that only Cranfield University has a similarly titled Masters Programme (Land Reclamation and Restoration run by Jim Harris). The number of students on this programme is capped at 35. Liverpool also ran a successful course, Restoration Ecology of Terrestrial and Aquatic Environments until the retirement of key members of staff this year (Mike le Duc and Phil Putwain). Both of these courses presented restoration ecology in terms of the management and restoration of watercourses, post-industrial waste and mining debris in the United Kingdom. The proposed new Masters course will present a more complete range of issues within the subject of restoration ecology and will draw on examples from throughout Europe as indicated in the course outlines. There is the potential for the course to become the first undergraduate masters programme (MSci or similar) in Ecology with potential candidates from Conservation and Ecological Management + Ecological Science with Management + PGT_proposal_form_FEB 2008.rtfpage 5 of 8

6 possible from other Ecology and Geography degree courses. There will be additional income from external users of the programme from 2010 with the addition of the Field Skills in Ecology course (with recognition and possible formal accreditation of the course [or parts thereof] from IEEM or SER); potential for the selection of individual sessions by consultants and ecological managers for CPD. The courses will increase the research funding potential for the school with research councils and other sources by demonstrating the extent of existing knowledge in a new area and will increase knowledge transfer with business, research centres (e.g. CLARRC), government at all levels. The courses will also evolve the undergraduate programmes in the school by offering an undergraduate MSc. Appendix 1 Outline of Field Skills in Ecology Field Skills in Ecology S2 This third new course is also proposed, to be run at the end of semester 2 from 2010/11, after the course has successfully run for 1 year. Although not a core course it will be highly recommended This will be a one-week, full-time, 10 point course that will link CPD to the MSc programme (CPTP Strath) and will be recognised by IEEM (the professional body of Ecologists and Environmental Managers). The course will concentrate solely on developing field skills; in particular plant identification, mapping and Phase 1 Survey methodology. Day 1: Classroom introduction to identification of native and naturalised tree species. Identification characteristics using specimen trees on King s Buildings Campus. Classroom introduction to ecology of species and their uses. Field identification and habitat discussion at Hermitage of Braid. CPD - IEEM recognised Day 2: Classroom introduction to vascular plant identification and floral keys Field identification of some easy species on King s Buildings Campus. Continued field identification, habitat discussion and collection of material on Blackford Hill/Hermitage of Braid for further identification using floral keys. CPD IEEM recognised Day 3: Classroom introduction to Phase 1 Survey Habitats and mapping. Field visit to Boghall Glen for assessed mapping exercise. Introduction to Identification skills e-quiz (self assessment and skill development) Day 4: Classroom introduction to grass species identification and keys. Field identification of some easy species on King s Buildings Campus. Continued field identification and collection of material on Blackford Hill/Hermitage of Braid for further identification using keys. CPD IEEM recognised Day 5: Field visit to Cramond. Introduction to additional habitats and development of identification skills. Assessed identification quiz. (CPD recognition to be confirmed Royal Botanic Gardens) PGT_proposal_form_FEB 2008.rtfpage 6 of 8

7 Appendix 2 Course List for New Programme Advanced Image Processing P00803 [10] Advanced Spatial Database Methods P01223 [10] Advanced Study in Human Geographical Research P01769 Applications in Ecological Economics P00684 Applied Image Processing P00740 [10] Atmospheric Quality and Global Change P00688 Business and Climate Change P02555 Carbon Economics P02556 Catchment Hydrochemistry P01947 [10] Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation P02552 Climate Change Management P02554 Contemporary Issues in Earth Observation P00741 [10] Culture, Ethics & Environment P00805 Distributed GIS P01225 [10] Ecological Restoration in Practice Ecosystem Management P02501 [10] Environment & Development P00777 Environmental Impact Assessment P00690 Environmental Modelling P00744 [10] Environmental Planning P00739 Environmental Radioactivity P01948 [10] Field Skills in Ecology [10] new in 2010 Forest Ecosystems P01523 Forest Geosciences Field Course P02514 [10] Forests and Environment P00737 Foundations in Ecological Economics P00685 Fundamentals for Remote Sensing P00783 [10] Further Spatial Analysis P01226 [10] Geochemistry and Health P01946 [10] Geoinformatics P01227 [10] GeoVisualisation P01228 [10] GIS and Health P01238 [10] GIS and Society P01239 [10] GIS in the Field P01240 [10] Core/ Complusory Integrated Resource Management P02391 Integrated Resource Planning P02393 International Development P00779 International Environmental Law P01060 Introduction to LiDAR Remote Sensing P01951 [10] Introduction to Radar Remote Sensing P00813 [10] Introduction To Spatial Analysis P01241 [10] Inverse Theory P00784 [10] Land Use/Environmental Interactions P00691 Management of Sustainable Development P00806 Methodological Debates in Human Geography P01767 PGT_proposal_form_FEB 2008.rtfpage 7 of 8

8 Methodological Debates in Society and Space P01832 Nature-Society Geographies (P) P02374 Object Orientated Software Engineering: Spatial Algorithms P01535 [10] Object Oriented Software Engineering Principles P00754 [10] Participation in Policy and Planning P00716 Philosophy of Conservation in Practice P02378 Principles of Environmental Sustainability P00807 Principles of Geographical Information Science (Block1) P01090 [10] Principles of Restoration Ecology Project Appraisal P00686 Qualitative Approaches to the City P01785 Radiative Transfer P00794 [10] Recent Global Environmental Change P01149 [10] Research & Project Management Skills P01521 [10] Research Design & Project Management P00748 [10] Research Design in Human Geography P01768 Research Methodology P00808 Research Planning and Management in the GeoSciences P02394 Core/ Complusory Research Proposal in Human Geography P01787 Research Skills in the GeoSciences P02371 Researching the City P02319 Rural Development Skills for Advanced Researchers in Geography P01519 [10] Society & Development P00780 Soil and Aquatic Chemistry P01950 [10] Soil Protection and Management P00692 Spatial Modelling P01243 [10] Theory of Image Processing P00809 [10] Understanding GIS Technology P01530 [10] Values and the Environment (P) P02373 Waste Reduction and Recycling P00693 Water Resource Management P00729 PGT_proposal_form_FEB 2008.rtfpage 8 of 8