ENROL NOW

Wildlife Management

Course CodeBEN205
Fee CodeS3
Duration (approx)100 hours
QualificationStatement of Attainment

Learn to manage wildlife.

  • Learn to manage wildlife in the garden.
  • Control animals that damage the landscape.
  • Manage wildlife populations at sustainable levels

 

From a Tutor and Course Writer:
"ACS provides an excellent range of courses in the field of environmental studies. The study material is comprehensive and grounded in real world experiences. Our courses have this edge over other courses as students are applying their knowledge in set tasks and problem-based learning projects." - Jane Thompson, ACS Tutor

Lesson Structure

There are 9 lessons in this course:

  1. Introduction to Wildlife Management
    • What is Wildlife Management
    • Approaches to Wildlife Management (Preservation, Conservation, Management)
    • Purpose of Wildlife Management
    • Goals
    • Decision Making (Who makes decisions, Making good decisions)
    • Needs of Wildlife
    • What’s a Good Habitat
    • Limiting factor
    • Carrying capacity
    • Landscape Fragmentation
    • Habitat Diversity
    • Arrangement
    • Biological Control
    • Integrated Pest Management
  2. Wildlife Ecology
    • Ecology (Mutualism, Commensalisms, Competition, Predation, parasitism, herbivoury)
    • Behavioural Ecology
    • Population Ecology
    • Community Ecology
    • Ecosystem Ecology
    • Interactions within a Community
    • Competition
    • Predation
    • Parasitism
    • Commensalism
    • Mutualism
    • The Food Web (Derital Web, Grazing Web, Trophic Levels)
    • Energy Flow
    • Imbalances
  3. Wildlife Habitats
    • Introduction
    • Classification of Habitats
    • Biomes, Ecosystems, Microclimates
    • Timbered Biomes (Boreal Forest/ Taiga, Temperate Forest, Tropical Forest, Woodland)
    • Scrubland
    • Tropical Savannah
    • Temperate Grassland
    • Artic Tundra
    • Alpine
    • Semi-desert
    • Desert
    • Man Made Biomes (Urban, Agricultural)
    • Wet Biomes (Mangrove, Rivers, Benthos, Pelagic, Continental Shelf, Coral Reef,
    • Animal Use of Features in Biomes (Trees, Logs, Surface Rocks and Ground Cover, Creeks, Wetlands and Dams)
    • Case Studies
    • Changes to Habitats (Physical, Biological, Pollution)
    • Water for Wildlife
    • Siting Water Points
    • Managing Trees
    • Deforestation
    • Afforestation
  4. Population Dynamics
    • Populations
    • Birth or Fecundity Rate
    • Death or Mortality Rate
    • Growth Rate
    • Life Tables
    • Cohort or Dynamic Life Tables (Age Specific)
    • Static or Time Specific Life Tables
    • Rodents
    • Squirrels
    • Rabbits
    • Mosquitoes
    • Grasshoppers
    • Case Studies of different animals in different countries
  5. Carrying Capacity
    • Introduction
    • Exponential Population Growth
    • What is Carrying Capacity
    • Fisheries stock management (stock Identification, assessment, biomass)
    • Stock Management Methods
  6. Wildlife Censuses
    • Introduction and census types
    • Total Counts
    • Sampling (Simple Random, Stratified Random, Systemic, Two Stage, Double sampling)
    • Accuracy vs Precision
    • Bias Errors
    • Aerial Surveys
    • Trapping
    • Transects
    • Indirect Methods
    • Mark-Recapture method
    • Roadside and Call Counts
    • Mapping
    • Sampling methods for specific types of animals (ie. Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds, Invertebrates, Mammals etc.)
    • Animal Ethics
    • Case Study
  7. Wildlife Management Techniques
    • Habitat Modification
    • Fire
    • Vegetation Management
    • Predator Control
    • Habitat Features
    • Seeding
    • Population Monitoring
    • Captive Breeding and Release
    • Culling and Cropping
    • Control of pest or undesirable wildlife species
    • Control Objectives
    • Efficts of Control
    • Control Techniques (Manipulating mortality, fertility, Genetiv Engineering, indirect methods)
  8. Wildlife Management Law and Administration
    • Policy and Wildlife Law
    • International Environmental Law
    • Treaties
    • International Customary Laws
    • Hard vs Soft Law
    • Domestic/National Law
    • Evolving Domestic Law
    • Sources of Legislation
    • Environmental Ethics
    • Enforcement
  9. Wildlife Management Case Study Research Project
    • Problem Based Learning Project with following aims:
    • Identify the objectives of a management program for an endangered species.
    • Determine appropriate techniques for carrying out a census of an endangered species.
    • Identify techniques for increasing the population of the endangered species.
    • Identify pest species and their undesirable effect on the endangered species of bird.
    • Identify techniques for reducing the undesirable impacts of the pest species on the endangered bird.
    • Present a management plan in a form that is appropriate for use by wildlife workers.

Aims

  • Develop a concept of how man manages wildlife populations in different situations around the world.
  • Understand and discuss the principles of wildlife ecology.
  • Understand wildlife habitats and their importance to managing wildlife.
  • Explain how populations of any one species change and adapt to variations in their environment.
  • Understand carrying capacity and its importance in managing wildlife populations.
  • Explain a range of different methods used to determine the number of individuals in a wildlife population.
  • Discuss a range of different wildlife management techniques.
  • Explain potentials and limitations of legal and administrative initiatives, in the pursuance of more effective wildlife management.
  • Examine a specific wildlife management case of interest to the student.