Italian. Upon request course can be delivered in English. English reading material provided
Course Content
Forest management and biodiversity conservation. Protected areas in Italy. Aims and contents of forest management plans in protected areas. Forest monitoring in protected areas. Forest management case study analysis in different types of protected areas (National and Regional Parks, Natura 2000 Sites).
Linee guida per la gestione sostenibile delle risorse forestali e pastorali nei Parchi Nazionali. A cura di Ciancio O., Corona P., Marchetti M., Nocentini S. 2002 Ministero dell’Ambiente e della tutela del Territorio, Direzione Conservazione della Natura e Accademia Italiana di Scienze Forestali, Firenze, 2000.
Parts of the course will be based on material from the following books:
Meffe G. K., Carroll C. R. - Principles of Conservation Biology. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Publishers, Sunderland, Massachussetts. 1997.
Hunter M.L. (ed.) – Maintaining Biodiversity in Forest Ecosystems. Cambridge University Press. 1999.
Scientific papers on specific parts of the course will be provided to the students
Learning Objectives
The course is designed to: provide students with the knowledge and the theoretical tools necessary for understanding forest planning and management in relation to nature conservation aims; provide students with the operational tools for applying acquired knowledge in actual forest management and planning in relation to nature and biodiversity conservation aims; stimulate students in developing a critical approach to the issues discussed during the course; develop communication abilities, also as a means to help in overcoming conflicts between management and conservation of forest resources
Teaching Methods
Lectures, seminars on interdisciplinary aspects, discussion of case studies, laboratory application of new technologies for forest biodiversity assessment and mapping, field trips in protected areas, preparation of reports and case study analysis, group work
Type of Assessment
Oral exam on the course topics; presentation and discussion of written reports and field work
Grading will be based on the following criteria: level of competence acquired on the course topics; capacity of critical analysis of the course topics; ability in presenting in a clear, concise and terminologically correct way the written report and field work, communicative skills
Course program
Forest management and biodiversity conservation. . Biodiversity functions. National biodiversity strategy. Naturalness of forest systems: concepts and indicators. Renaturalisation of forest systems. Natura 2000 Network. Protected areas in Italy. Aims and contents of forest management plans in protected areas. Forest monitoring in protected areas. Forest management case study analysis in different types of protected areas (National and Regional Parks, Natura 2000 Sites).