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Landscape Governance and Policy (ENST90046)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

Availability
Semester 2
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We live in a world of limited natural resources and decision making about the allocation of land and resources is no longer just the realm of nation-states and governments. Landscape governance involves governments, civil society groups and private sector actors. This subject provides students with an understanding of the policies, tools, organizations, institutions and actors involved in the governance of landscapes and natural resources and exposes students to a range of resource management regimes and modes of production and conservation, including partnership models, common property regimes, market and non-market arrangements for resource management, smallholder-based systems and decentralization. This subject provides a capstone experience based on exercises and case studies of landscapes such as the Murray Darling Basin in Australia and the Mekong River catchment in SE Asia and rural industries such as forestry, agriculture and tourism. These are used to explore the challenges of governance and decision making with multiple land tenures and stakeholders and governance of cross-cutting issues such as climate adaptation, fire, flood and biosecurity. The business of landscape management is explored through analysis of corporate decision-making principles and practices and prioritisation and resource allocation in government and non-government organisations. The subject adopts an active, interdisciplinary and participatory approach to learning including lectures, industry and government presentations, class debates and role plays and a major group project. A 3-day field trip to north-eastern Victoria will reinforce learnings through field exercises and discussions with land management agencies, industry, NGOs and stakeholders.

Intended learning outcomes

At the completion of this subject students should be able to:

  • Explain the history of governing natural systems and recognise the governance structures and policy arrangements for different types of ecosystems and landscapes;
  • Compare different governance and policy arrangements to integrate ecosystem and landscape management objectives such as soil health, carbon sequestration, bushfire or biosecurity risk, water quality and yield, forest and landscape biodiversity conservation, ecological restoration, or wood, fibre and food production;
  • Design integrated, ethical and evidence-based governance policy processes that draw on community and stakeholder engagement and make recommendations for the management of conflicts of values or interests and issues related to different forms of knowledge and power relations;
  • Make argued cases for decisions regarding the allocation of people and finance to social ecological management activities and explain the consequences that flow from those decisions;
  • Evaluate the financial performance of public and private sector ecosystem management organisations.

Generic skills

Upon completion of this subject, students should have developed a proficiency in:

  • Research skills;
  • Analysis skills;
  • Presentation skills;
  • Teamwork.

Last updated: 31 January 2024

Eligibility and requirements

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Non-allowed subjects

None

Recommended background knowledge

Code Name Teaching period Credit Points
ENST90043 Sustainable Landscapes
Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
Sustainable Landscapes or an equivalent subject (as approved by the course coordinator)

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.

Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home

Last updated: 31 January 2024

Assessment

DescriptionTimingPercentage

A written ministerial brief on a landscape governance issue (500 words)

  • 500 words
Week 410%

Case study group exercise due first week of examination period.

  • 1500 words
During the examination period40%

10-minute presentation on case study

  • 10 minutes
Week 1110%

Fortnightly quizzes (weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 equivalent to 1000 words) (20%)

  • 1000 words
Throughout the semester20%

Short essay on a set topic in environmental economics, governance or policy (1000 words)

  • 1000 words
Week 820%

Last updated: 31 January 2024

Dates & times

  • Semester 2
    Principal coordinatorDanny Spring
    Mode of deliveryOn Campus (Parkville)
    Contact hours1 x 2 hour lecture weekly (weeks 1 - 12), 1 x 1 hour lecture weekly (weeks 1 - 12), 1 x 1 hour tutorial (weeks 1 - 12) and a 3 day field trip in week 7.
    Total time commitment170 hours
    Teaching period22 July 2024 to 20 October 2024
    Last self-enrol date 2 August 2024
    Census date 2 September 2024
    Last date to withdraw without fail20 September 2024
    Assessment period ends15 November 2024

    Semester 2 contact information

    Dr Danny Spring - daniel.spring@unimelb.edu.au

What do these dates mean

Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:

  • Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
  • And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
    - Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).

    Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.

Last updated: 31 January 2024

Further information

  • Texts

    Prescribed texts

    Berkes, Colding and Folke 2009. Navigating Social-Ecological Systems

    Plus a series of readings designed to demonstrate the different examples of case study landscapes and governance regimes.

    Recommended texts and other resources

  • Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students

    This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.

Last updated: 31 January 2024