| Responsible Department | Department of Agriculture and Ecology | ||||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | MSc. 1 year to MSc. 2 year | ||||||||||||||||
| Duration | One block | ||||||||||||||||
| Credits | 7.5 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||||
| Level of Course | MSc | ||||||||||||||||
| Examination | Final Examination oral examination All aids allowed Description of Examination: Individual oral examination in report and general curriculum. Weight: 100% 7-point scale, external examiner | ||||||||||||||||
| Requirement for Attending Exam | Min. 75% participation in exercises. | ||||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | The course is offered jointly by Department of Geography and Geology, KU-NAT and Department of Agriculture and Ecology, KU-LIFE. Lectures followed by class discussions and exercises with case material. | ||||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 4 Week Structure: C | ||||||||||||||||
| Language of Instruction | English | ||||||||||||||||
| Optional Prerequisites | Participants must hold a relevant bachelor degree leading towards specialisation within development and sustainable natural resource management. Participants with background within both natural and social sciences will be accepted. | ||||||||||||||||
| Restrictions | None | ||||||||||||||||
| Course Content | |||||||||||||||||
| The course is jointly organised by the Department of Geography and Geology and Department of Agriculture and Ecology. The aim of the course is to introduce the components and structure of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as well as discuss how national guidelines and requirements for EIAs influences the outcome. Modern EIA includes both environmental and social and impacts of development projects, hence the course is interdisciplinary by nature and is relevant for a range of academic disciplines. Students will obtain a comprehensive overview and thorough knowledge of EIA procedures and methodologies. All major development projects are legally required to undergo an 'environmental screening' and - if major environmental effects are considered likely - an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). An EIA requires insights into a wide spectrum of methodologies and procedures, as well as a range of professional qualifications. Current EIAs include an evaluation of both environmental, economic and social impacts. EIA is a rapidly evolving and expanding field of activity and a potentially important professional field for candidates interested in natural resource management and development. The course will introduce basic concepts and generic methodologies, and will focus on EIA within the fields of agriculture and forestry, natural resource management, infrastructure and water resource management projects. The problems and pitfalls of EIA will be discussed. The course is mainly focussing on EIA in developing countries. After completing the course, the students should have a comprehensive overview and thorough knowledge of EIA procedures and of relevant EIA methodologies. In combination with the professional knowledge from their individual subjects, the students should be able to contribute to design and implement EIAs in developing countries. Course contents: -The aims and history of EIA -Development of EIA, e.g. 'Strategic Environmental Assessment' and 'Social Impact Assessment'. -Guidelines and administrative procedures -Public involvement -The EIA-process (initial work, screening, scoping, assessing, mitigation and impact management, reporting, reviewing, decision making, monitoring/implementing/auditing) -Methodology: Checklists, matrices, models, expert systems, networks etc. -EIA-management (incl. economic valuation) The course components will be integrated in case studies | |||||||||||||||||
| Teaching and learning Methods | |||||||||||||||||
| Lectures followed by class discussions and exercises with case material. Severeal guest lecturers with practical experience from developing countries and international donor organisations will be invited during the course. Group work, partly dealing with case studies. Role games. Individual preparation and group work. Guided excursion | |||||||||||||||||
| Learning Outcome | |||||||||||||||||
| The aim of the course is to introduce the components and structure of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as well as discuss how national guidelines and requirements for EIAs influences the outcome. Knowledge: -Show overview of the components of an EIA and their respective requirements and outputs Skills: - explain specific methods and tools used in EIA - apply assessment principles and expand applicability to other cases Competences: - apply methods and approaches used in environmental impact assessment (EIA) outside own disciplinary field. - discuss impacts and weigh them against benefits from concrete development projects - evaluate desirability of development plans based on an evaluation of impacts, mitigation options and the likely benefits. | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Literature | |||||||||||||||||
| Lee, Norman and George, Clive 2000. Environmental Assessment in Developing and Transitional Countries. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, UK. Handouts and electronic references | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||||
| Andreas de Neergaard, adn@life.ku.dk, Department of Agriculture and Ecology/Plant and Soil Science, Phone: 353-33499 Ole Mertz, om@geogr.ku.dk, Department of Agricultural Sciences/Plant and Soil Science, Phone: 3528 | |||||||||||||||||
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