91435 - GESTIONE DELLE RISORSE E DEI SERVIZI ECOSISTEMICI

Learning outcomes

The student will learn what a catchment basin is: both its hydrogeologic and geomorphologic characteristics with a higher emphasis on river ecosystems. Having acquired the knowledge on the dynamics of the physical habitat, he will be able to understand the structure and function of freshwater communities, from micro-organisms to fish fauna and their adaptations to extremely dynamic habitats, typical of resilient ecosystems. Students will learn the concept of Ecosystem Services and its use in resources management. Later, the student will learn the procedures for assessing environmental impact (VIA, VInca, VAS) foreseen by the legislation, thus acquiring both theoretical and practical knowledge of the instruments and indexes used to identify and assess the impacts. Particular attention will be devoted to the subjects more relevant to the future professional activity of the student. The second part of the course will deal with monitoring of resources, with practical activities both in the laboratory and in the field, focused on aquatic ecosystems, in particular the use of river macrobenthos as proxy of environmental quality. The student will be able to recognize the importance of: 1) managing the territory at the scale of catchment basin, 2) conserving and restoring the physical dynamics of the environment to preserve ecosystem diversity, 3) using the concept of Ecosystem Services for an ecological analysis of the "value" of ecosystems. The student will also be aware of the importance of the procedures VIA, VInca and VAS as instruments to foresee significant human impacts on the environment. Finally, the student will be able to know and execute water ecosystem monitoring actions and identify the river macrobenthic community at the taxonomic level foreseen by the legislation.

Course contents

The course is composed by a theoretical part, two field excursions, one laboratory exercise, and four intermediate self-evaluation quizzes.

 

Program of theoretical lessons

- Ecosystem services: what they are, how to quantify them, how to manage them. Some case studies coming from scientific papers will be analyzed.

- Monitoring of natural resources

- Biodiversity monitoring through Citizen Science

- The role of environmental education in managing ecosystem services.

- River ecosystems and their management.

- Macroinvertebrates identification to assess river environmental quality.

- Valutazione di Impatto Ambientale (VIA), Valutazione Ambientale Strategica (VAS), Valutazione di Incidenza Ambientale (VINCA)

 

Excursion at the sea

- The one-day excursion on the Tyrrhenian coast includes the realization of a marine biodiversity monitoring action, to be performed in snorkeling or SCUBA diving (only for SCUBA divers with international license issued by a didactic agency affiliated with WRSTC (https://wrstc.com/) or CMAS (http://www.cmas.org/). The mode and details of the excursion will be defined at the beginning of the course.

 

Excursion at the river

- The two-day excursion (overnight out) includes the realization of sampling actions of macroinvertebrates (with specific nets) and fish (using electrofishing). Collected data will be used to elaborate indexes to assess environmental quality. Collected macroinvertebrates will be used during the laboratory exercise.

 

Two laboratory exercises

- The biodiversity data collected during the excursion at the sea will be analyzed to derive an environmental quality index and to verify their reliability with statistical tests.

- The macroinvertebrates collected during the excursion at the river will be analyzed at the microscope for the taxonomic determination at the level foreseen by current legislation.

 

During the course, students will be provided with four multiple response, to be autonomously filled up in the online didactic platform IOL. These quizzes do not take part in determining the finale exam grade, but they are used as a self-evaluation tool for the student about the knowledge of basic concepts.

Readings/Bibliography

All teaching material will be provided at the end of each lesson on the online didactic platform.

 

No textbook will have to be purchased.

Teaching methods

The course includes front lessons, laboratory exercises with microscopes and dichotomic keys for macroinvertebrate identification, field excursions in terrestrial, river and coastal marine environments.

Assessment methods

The exam aims to assess that the student has reached the teaching goals.

The exam, only oral, is composed of two parts:

1) determination of a macroinvertebrate at the microscope

2) two questions about the subjects of the course, that may relate both to theoretical (considered during the front lessons) and practical aspects (considered during the excursions and exercises). The performance of the student during the intermediate self-evaluation quizzes may be considered in selecting the questions of the oral exam.

Teaching tools

Power Point slides, computer, projector, scientific articles, legislation articles and ministry directives, marine biodiversity monitoring record quetionnaires, scientific gear for macroinvertebrate and fish sampling in river environments, binocular microscopes, dichotomic keys.

Office hours

See the website of Erik Caroselli