LANDSCAPE ECOLOGICAL PLANNING AND DESIGN

The course LANDSCAPE ECOLOGICAL PLANNING AND DESIGN pertains to the disciplinary groups of biological and ecological sciences of the Master's Degree in Environmental Sciences which aims at providing students with a high qualification and specialisation in specific professional fields. In particular, the course Landscape Planning and Management belongs to the Evaluation and Management of Environmental Systems curriculum that is intended to equip students to deal with problems such as the evaluation of environmental resources, management and planning of terrestrial and coastal-marine ecosystems, and planning of recovery actions and environmental renovation, also taking into account problems concerning the global change, through an ecosystem approach. Within this framework, the course aims at developing the capacity to analyse and interpret landscape patterns and processes and their dynamics using an ecological approach and shaped around the necessity to integrate ecological sustainability into landscape planning and management.

Knowledge: assimilation of principles and methods of landscape ecology; knowledge of plant community ecology; capacity to categorize and evaluate landscape; capacity to understand landscape patterns and processes; understanding of the main drivers of landscape change and dynamics
Skills: capacity to analyze the landscape using an ecological approach; capacity to interpret landscape changes; capacity to organize and use ecological data for the landscape planning and management; developing expertise on GIS and mapping
Competence: to be able to understand, evaluate and discuss experimental analyses; to be able to plan a long-term sustainable use of natural resources

For a better understanding of some parts, students should have attended the courses Assessment and Management of Environmental Sustainability and Geographic Information Systems

Basics of landscape ecology. The landscape concept. Principles and aims of landscape ecology. Fragmentation theory. The concept and the role of spatial and temporal scales. Landscape patterns. The ‘patch-corridor-matrix’ model. Plant communities analysis. Plant communities as the one component of ecosystems. Plant community ecology: community structure, community assembly rules, species diversity. Vegetation data collection and elaboration. Succession and community dynamics: synchronic and diachronic analysis. Landscape planning and management: Ecological Networks, Green Infrastructure, Nature based solutions. Ecological theories in support of landscape planning and management: Island biogeography theory, niche theory, succession theory, metapopulation theory, metacommunity theory. Landscape services vs. ecosystem services. Criteria, methods and indicators for landscape evaluation.

Lessons notes and ppts (provided in the Moodle platform).
Up-to-date scientific papers on the main topics

The final exam consists of an oral test aimed at assessing the ability to discuss the principles and methods of Landscape Ecology in the context of spatial planning.
The exam is designed to evaluate: 1) understanding and critical elaboration of the course content; 2) the ability to structure responses clearly, logically, and concisely; 3) appropriate use of scientific terminology.
Evaluation Criteria. The maximum score for each question is divided as follows:
1. Depth and critical analysis of the topic – up to 20 points
2. Clarity of exposition – up to 5 points
3. Correct use of scientific terminology – up to 5 points

oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

The final assessment will be based on the evaluation of the knowledge acquired by the student, and the ability to critically rework the concepts learnt, as well as on the student's communication skills, paying particular attention to the appropriate use of technical-disciplinary language.
Grading Scale:
• Score range 18–22: sufficient knowledge of the content, generally clear exposition, and an adequately appropriate use of scientific terminology.
• Score range 23–26: fair level of knowledge, good organisation and coherence in exposition, generally appropriate use of terminology.
• Score range 27–30: good to excellent mastery of the content, fluent, precise, and well-structured exposition, confident and appropriate use of scientific language.
• 30 cum laude: outstanding knowledge and critical elaboration of the content, rigorous and effective exposition, complete and conscious mastery of scientific terminology.

To help students accomplish the learning goals, the course involves frontal lectures during which the topics are discussed using teaching modules (ppt slides), complemented by images, schemes and diagrams which help students visualize the concepts. Some arguments will also be examined in depth by analyzing papers on interesting case studies. Some lessons will be devoted to working groups to discuss the application of principles and methods of the landscape ecology to management and planning of man-made (agro-ecosystems, urban systems) and natural systems. Frontal lectures are integrated by 12 h of field trips to experimentally learn methods for the categorization of the landscape.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Natural capital and environmental quality" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development