791-026 Wildlife Techniques & Management

Australian Fauna

This subject is designed to enable students to understand and apply the fundamentals of wildlife management; use and evaluate techniques used to research and manage wildlife; understand the ecological processes which influence management of wildlife species; understand and apply methods of population estimation and assessment; and understand the principles of habitat management.

The content includes the fundamentals of manipulative and custodial wildlife management; techniques used in wildlife research and management; methods of population assessment such as relative and absolute density estimates, carrying capacity, population ranking, ecological processes and behavioural traits which influence wildlife management techniques; methods of reducing or increasing wildlife populations including harvesting, culling, augmentation, reintroduction; and principles of habitat management for wildlife. Students will also prepare a management plan for a Victorian wildlife species.

Management plan (40%); 2-hour examination (30%); technique report (20%); presentation (10%)