91435 - Management of Resources and Ecosystem Services

Learning outcomes

The student will learn the concept of “ecosystem service”, how it is possible to evaluate it economically, and how it can be useful for natural resource management. The student will learn to categorize different monitoring types, including citizen science methods, and will experiment some of techniques during field trips for data collection and laboratory exercises for their elaboration. The student will face some case studies of marine biodiversity monitoring and stream fish and macroinvertebrate communities. Later, the student will learn the procedure of environmental impact assessment (VIA, VAS) foreseen by Italian legislation, thus acquiring both theoretical and practical knowledge of the tools and indexes used in the identification and assessment of impacts. The most relevant topics for future professional development of the student will be particularly considered. The student will also be able to know and perform stream ecosystem monitoring activities and to identify the macrobenthic community to the taxonomic level required by legislation.

Course contents

The course combines theoretical lectures, two field excursions, three laboratory or computer-based practical sessions, and three online self-assessment quizzes. The activities are organised to connect the introduction of concepts and methods with their application in the field, the processing of the collected data, and the subsequent interpretation of the results.

Theoretical lectures

The lectures will cover the following topics:

• definition, classification and management of ecosystem services;
• quantification and economic valuation of ecosystem services through case studies drawn from the international scientific literature;
• purposes and main types of natural resource monitoring;
• marine biodiversity monitoring through citizen science methodologies;
• reliability of data collected within citizen science programmes;
• the role of environmental education in the management of natural resources and ecosystem services;
• characteristics, functioning and management of river ecosystems;
• use of benthic macroinvertebrates to assess the environmental quality of watercourses;
• monitoring of river fish communities;
• application of the NISECI index and issues related to the refinement of reference fish communities, including a seminar by Andrea Marchi, Hydrosynergy Soc. Coop.;
• principles and procedures of Environmental Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment.
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Field excursion to the Cinque Terre Marine Protected Area

The one-day excursion to Monterosso al Mare will involve the sampling of Mediterranean coastal marine biodiversity through a snorkelling activity and the completion of dedicated monitoring forms. The data collected will subsequently be entered, organised and processed during the practical sessions included in the course. Organisational details, participation procedures and safety instructions will be presented at the beginning of the course.

 

Field excursion to the Foreste Casentinesi National Park

The two-day excursion, including an overnight stay in San Benedetto in Alpe, will involve:

• sampling of the macroinvertebrate community using appropriate nets;
• sampling of the fish fauna through electrofishing;
• comparison of stations located upstream and downstream of an artificial river structure, namely a weir;
• collection of the data required for the subsequent application of environmental quality indices.

The collected macroinvertebrates will be preserved and subsequently used during the laboratory session devoted to taxonomic identification.

 

Practical sessions

Three practical sessions are included.

Processing of marine biodiversity data

The data collected during the excursion to the Cinque Terre Marine Protected Area will be entered and analysed using Microsoft Excel in order to calculate an environmental quality index and interpret the resulting values.

Macroinvertebrate identification and application of the IBE index

The macroinvertebrates collected during the river excursion will be examined under a stereomicroscope and identified using dichotomous keys, up to the taxonomic level required by current legislation. The Extended Biotic Index, IBE, will then be calculated on the basis of the identified community.

Processing of fish fauna data

The fish fauna data will be organised and processed using a computer, leading to the calculation of the New Ecological Status Index for Fish Communities, NISECI.

 

Self-assessment quizzes

Three online multiple-choice quizzes will be offered during the course and completed independently by students. The quizzes do not contribute to the final grade. Their purpose is to enable students to monitor their progressive understanding of the core concepts and identify topics that may require further study.

Readings/Bibliography

All materials required for exam preparation will be made available on the Virtual Learning Environment before the relevant lectures.

Depending on the topic, the materials will include:

• lecture slides;
• scientific articles;
• technical documents;
• legislation and directives;
• dichotomous identification keys;
• materials and datasets used during the practical sessions.

Students are not required to purchase textbooks.

Teaching methods

The course uses a range of integrated teaching methods:

• lectures;
• analysis and discussion of case studies;
• field excursions in marine coastal and river environments;
• practical sampling activities;
• stereomicroscope-based laboratory work;
• guided use of dichotomous identification keys;
• computer-based sessions for data organisation and processing;
• online self-assessment quizzes;
• discussion and brainstorming activities.

The field activities allow students to apply the monitoring methods introduced during the lectures and to generate data that will subsequently be processed and interpreted during the practical sessions.

The laboratory and computer-based sessions allow students to become familiar with tools and procedures used in the professional monitoring of ecosystems, linking the observation of organisms with data management and the calculation of environmental quality indices.

Assessment methods

The examination is designed to assess whether students have achieved the learning objectives of the course.

The examination is entirely oral and consists of three parts.

1. Identification of a macroinvertebrate

Students will be required to identify a macroinvertebrate under a microscope using a dichotomous key and reaching the taxonomic level required by current legislation. This part of the examination will be conducted with Mauro Cesarini.

1. Definition of two terms

Students will be required to define two terms selected at random from a list that will be provided at the end of the course.

1. Discussion of related topics

For each of the two terms, students will be asked a question concerning a related topic. A slide corresponding to the topic, selected from those used during the lectures, will be provided as support for the discussion.

The final grade will be determined using this evaluation grid.

During the first lecture, the structure of the examination, the procedures for each part and the assessment criteria will be explained in detail. Activities designed to familiarise students with the examination format will also be included during the course. The final lecture will be devoted to reviewing the assessment criteria, simulating the examination procedure and addressing any remaining questions.

AI can be a useful tool to support individual study with in-depth analysis, summaries, and self-assessment pathways. With regard to the assessment of learning, during the in-person exam the use of AI is prohibited. Any use constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

 

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

The following tools will be used during lectures and self-assessment activities:

• PowerPoint presentations;
• computers and projectors;
• the Virtual Learning Environment;
• Wooclap;
• Microsoft Excel;
• scientific articles;
• legislation, legal provisions and ministerial directives.

The following tools will be used during field and practical activities:

• snorkelling wetsuits, masks, snorkels and fins;
• Mediterranean marine biodiversity monitoring forms;
• scientific equipment for sampling river macroinvertebrates;
• equipment for sampling fish fauna;
• stereomicroscopes;
• dichotomous keys for taxonomic identification.

Office hours

See the website of Erik Caroselli