Handbook : Unit informationEdith Cowan University

School: Science

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

• Unit Title

  Ecological Restoration

• Unit Code

  SCI2115

• Year

  2017

• Enrolment Period

  1

• Version

  1

• Credit Points

  15

• Full Year Unit

  N

• Mode of Delivery

  On Campus
  

• Unit Coordinator

  Dr Eddie John VAN ETTEN

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Description

This unit will give students an understanding of the principles and practices of restoration, with particular emphasis on ecological processes and landscape scales, for terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Various restoration scenarios and techniques will be explored, including restoring mine sites, disturbed bushland, degraded agricultural landscapes and riparian vegetation.

Prerequisite Rule

Students must pass 1 units from SCI1185

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded SCI2202

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate practical skills in restoration and the ability to apply restoration ecology theory through the preparation of a management plan for a restoration project.
2. Describe and compare the various restoration approaches and techniques, the pros and cons of each, and the conditions each is most suited to.
3. Describe the range of equipment, structures, media and nursery procedures used to enhance plant propagation and demonstrate practical skills in plant propagation and plant care.
4. Evaluate the success of restoration efforts and describe the maintenance requirements of revegetation over the long term.
5. Explain the principles of species selection based on site and ecological characteristics.
6. Explain the principles of the physiological and anatomical bases of seed germination and vegetative propagation, and the role of propagation in restoration.
7. Identify the benefits of vegetation manipulation and site preparation for restoration success.
8. Outline the principles and objectives of ecological restoration, reclamation, rehabilitation and revegetation.
9. State the need for, and limitations to, restoration and describe the scope and scale of restoration necessary in many parts of the world.

Unit Content

1. Case studies of restoration, including mine sites, degraded bushland, stream and riparian zones, agricultural land including farm forestry, wetlands, and plantations.
2. Definition of restoration and ecological restoration, as well as related terms such as reclamation, rehabilitation and revegetation; basicrestoration principles and objectives; changing perceptions and ethics of restoration.
3. Incentives for and promotion of restoration; tax breaks and leasing; sharefarming and other co-operative arrangements; grants and other forms of financial assistance; carbon credits; community involvement; societal expectations.
4. Maintenance, monitoring and evaluation of restoration; optimum density and thinning; recruitment and regeneration; completion criteria; when is enough enough?
5. Planning and management of restoration projects; examples of restoration plans; budgeting and sources of funding; attracting and managing a volunteer labour force.
6. Principles of seed and spore development; seed storage and handling, seed dormancy mechanisms, seed germination and seedling care.
7. Principles of sexual, vegetative and in vitro propagation techniques; propagation media and soils, sterilisation and hygiene, nursery structures and equipment.
8. Principles of vegetative propagation; techniques of grafting, layering and root induction in cuttings; plant tissue culture, media, equipment and facilities.
9. Restoration and revegetation techniques: seedling establishment; direct seeding; topsoil return; encouraging natural regeneration; benefits and disadvantages of each.
10. Revegetation equipment including seeders, tree planters, soil rippers and cultivators.
11. Site preparation: weeding, cultivation of soil; fertilisation; benefits and costs; methods of weed control - pros and cons.
12. Species selection principles and techniques; matching species to site; economic, cultural and legal considerations; species and geographic provenance; the benefits of local collections; how local is local?; seed/fruit collection approaches and techniques.
13. Types of and reasons for restoration; the scope and scale of restoration required at local, landscape, regional and global scales; locating suitable sites for revegetation; impacts on hydrology and other ecosystem functions.
14. Underlying ecological theory guiding restoration, including ecological succession, ecological thresholds and states, ecosystem functioning, landscape ecology, mycorrhiza and soil biota.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Lectures, practical work, field work and excursions. Skills in team-working, report writing, real-world problem-solving and planning, and critical thinking, are developed through the unit's major assignment which involves preparing a restoration plan in conjunction with land management organisation(s) and other students. This unit emphasises practical skills in restoration via nursery and field work.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

Core Reading(s)

• (2002). Plant propagation - principles and practices. (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
• Whisenant, S. G. (1999). Repairing damaged wildlands : a process orientated, landscape-scale approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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