Adaptive Management of Natural Resources and Agricultural Systems

The course is designed to introduce the students to the principles of natural resources management and the challenges of designing and implementing operational approaches in the real – changing – world. The focus is on the interactions between the natural and human components within the socio-ecosystems, with a focus on agro-ecosystems. The notions of sustainability and sustainable development are a common inspiration of the course.
Spatial and temporal dynamics are explored with concrete examples and case studies, with a common approach based upon system dynamics techniques and geographical information systems.
A study case is proposed to students to allow them to deal practically with a relevant issue and to consolidate skills for practical individual and team work.

1. Knowledge and understanding
1.1 Understand and recognize the relationships of interdependence that link economic activities and natural resources in a changing climate
1.2 Know the main tools for analysis and territorial assessment to support planning
1.3 Understand the links between human activities and-natural resources.
1.4 Know how to define adaptive management strategies
2 Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
2.1 Use analysis tools such as indicators and evaluation indices in a territorial context
2.2 Apply simple dynamic and integrated models to agro-ecosystems
2.3 Apply evaluation methods to support decisions
3 Ability to judge
3.1 Reflect on the relationships between economic activities and the environment with integrated analysis tools
3.2 Choose between different approaches for sustainability measurement and environmental assessment
3.3 Reflecting on sustainability as a criterion for territorial economic development

Basic knowledge of ecology, economics, statistics and computer science

• Introduction to Natural Resources Management (NRM) in the context of global change
• Seminar on conceptual and methodological schemes for understanding socio-ecosystem sustainability and its operational implementation. The Climalptour project
• Introduction to system analysis and modelling of agro-ecosystems. The ICARUS agent based model
• Seminar on the concepts of vulnerability, adaptation, resilience and the relationships between adaptation and natural disaster management. The Kulturisk project
• Seminar on adaptation strategies in agriculture, with focus on geographical features. The Accelerates and Prin2015 projects
• Seminar on the interactions between social and ecological systems: the valorisation of ecosystem services as a management tool. The cases of the Lashiai and Dojran lakes.
• Seminar on the management of adaptation policies and decision processes. The ClimWatAdapt and OutlookPSR projects

Teaching materials made available by the instructor through the Moodle web platform

Students are required to write one paper (max 8.000 words) on topics proposed by the professor.
An oral presentation of the student work is organised at the end of the class.
Each individual oral presentation shall last 15 minutes and will be followed by discussion with other students and the instructor.
The final version of the paper should include the outcomes of the discussions at the oral presentation and should be uploaded on Moodle within a month.
Usually, a medium or high grade can be obtained by:
• Attending and participating in class
• Studying course materials during the attendance
• Studying in depth the various topics on recommended texts

The course foresees a series of lectures making use of powerpoint presentations made available to students since the beginning of the course, seminars (given also by external experts), and individual and group works conducted by students and reported back to the class at the end of the course.
The blog functionality provided by the Moodle platform is used for on-line communication with students.

Course materials (powerpoint slides, homework, forum, etc.) can be found in the Ca' Foscari Moodle web site: http://moodle.unive.it/ . Therefore, students’ registration in Moodle is needed since the start of the class

Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion. Accommodation and support services for students with disabilities and students with specific learning impairments
Ca' Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding support services and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). If you have a disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

written and oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Climate change and energy" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development