Unit Code: URP761

Unit Name: Urban Ecology

Description: Urban landscapes are rapidly expanding globally and over 50% of the human population now lives in urban areas. Because the majority of human settlements are in areas of high biodiversity, the rapid urbanization of the world has profound effects on global biodiversity. The course will focus on the processes determining patterns of abundance and distribution of organisms in urban ecosystems, the interactions among organisms in the urban environment, the interactions between humans (and societies) and nature in urban environments, and some aspects of urban planning as it relates to ecology and the environment. General aims of this course area: (1)students have capacity to produce basic environmental plans at a level demonstrating understanding of broader principles and policy implementation (SPIA2-03), and (2) students can do to practically and critically link plans into wider frameworks of environmental action and influence at a variety of scales (SPIA2-04).

Learning Target Outcomes: On successful completion of this course, you should be able to: a. Analyse the ecology in cities: man made physical condition (GPIA-1, GPIA-2, GPIA-3, GPIA-5) b. Criticize in patterns of urban biodiversity (GPIA-3, GPIA-4) c. Evaluate processes affecting urban biodiversity (GPIA-3, GPIA-4) d. Compose ecosystems, ecosystem services and social systems in urban landscape (GPIA-3, GPIA-4, GPIA-5, GPIA-6, GPIA-7)

Prerequisite: URP617

Prerequisite Sentence: N/A

Credit Point: 15

Offered In: Semester 2