121-003 Environmental Impact Assessment (Theory)

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Admission to the Postgraduate Diploma or Fourth Year Honours in Environmental Studies.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

This subject prepares students for environmental management roles by providing them with the principles of how human activities act upon natural and cultural systems; how physical and ecological processes fit into political and other regulatory frameworks; and how human impacts on the environment might be mitigated. At the completion of the subject students should understand the theory of Environmental Impact Assessment. Key areas of interest include the characteristics of ecosystems which are most sensitive to change; rates of change in ecosystems; global practice in the preparation of EIS documentation; the regulatory framework that exists between formulation of EIS and implementation of recommendations; case studies of particular environmental problems from a number of ecosystems.

Assessment

Individual reports on group assignment totalling 3000 words and a 2000 word essay.