Admission requirements
Required course(s):
None, but Quantitative Research Methods and/or Environmental Science are recommended.
Description
Ultimately, all human activities are embedded in, and constrained by, natural systems. To ensure sustained human well-being, we need a sound understanding of these systems, especially within the context of rapid environmental change. This, in turn requires the collection, analysis, interpretation and communication of field data.
This course will introduce students to a range of field methods to assess the health of forested, urban, aquatic and coastal ecosystems. The focus will be on the biotic parts of ecosystems: their living organisms. However, cross-links will be made to the abiotic environment (for example by measuring water quality), as well as social dimensions of ecosystem management.
Specifically, the course will revolve around three interrelated themes:
Biodiversity
Biological diversity is fundamental for ecosystem function, the provision of essential services and human well-being. For this reason, we will start by collecting, analyzing and interpreting data related to different concepts and components of biodiversity.
Environmental health and monitoring
Building on the first theme, you will apply one or more of the field techniques to evaluate the condition of biotic biodiversity of aquatic or urban ecosystems.
Environmental management and conservation
The integration of natural and social sciences research is indispensable for sound natural resource management and urban planning. In this component we will incorporate semi-structured interviews to discuss and explore topics related to environmental change.
Work will be done around The Hague and we will organize a 4-day field trip to the Dutch Wadden Islands at the end of the course. The Islands represent an ideal case study of the coexistence between a diverse and dynamic natural environment and its human population. Located within in the Wadden Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site, the islands are directly affected by rapid environmental change, which requires the ongoing adaptation of its inhabitants and natural systems and poses unique challenges for their environmental, economic and social sustainability.
The field site offers a rich array of possible study topics and research questions, ranging from biology to ecosystem services, conservation strategies and natural resource management.
Course Objectives
After completion of this course students are able to:
Apply different common field techniques and understand how these techniques can be used to answer research questions about current environmental issues.
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses associated with those field techniques
Set-up a small field study, collect data, analyze, interpret and communicate the results by scientific report writing and presentations.
Examples for field techniques may include transect sampling, invertebrate sampling, camera traps, among others. Data analysis techniques include diversity indices, descriptive and inferential statistical methods, among others.
Timetable
Timetables for courses offered at Leiden University College in 2024-2025 will be published on this page of the e-Prospectus.
Mode of instruction
The course focuses strongly on field data collection and quantitative data analysis. This course will complement the existing field course “Field Methods in Water Resource Management", as it mainly lines up with the Ecosystem Health core track within EES and offers different study systems.
During the first seven-eight weeks of the course field methods will be discussed and practiced in the vicinity of The Hague. Directly following the exam week of block 4 there will have a 4-day field trip to the Wadden Islands, which will combine field site visits, classes on the local context and field projects.
Assessment Method
Field exercises - written report: 40%
Independent project – presentation: 30%
Project proposal – presentation: 15%
Course participation: 15%
Reading list
Readings will be listed in the syllabus.
Registration
Courses offered at Leiden University College (LUC) are usually only open to LUC students and LUC exchange students. Leiden University students who participate in one of the university’s Honours tracks or programmes may register for one LUC course, if availability permits. Registration is coordinated by the Education Coordinator, course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl.
Contact
Dr. Achim Häger, a.hager@luc.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
Please, note that the field trip to the Wadden Island Schiermonnikoog will take place in the week after the exam week of block 4. Participation in the trip is required to complete the course (final assignment takes place on the island).
The field trip will involve costs for travel and accommodation. We will try to keep expenses to a minimum and expect that costs for students will not exceed a maximum of €200, covering accommodation, food, bike rental and the ferry to the island. In addition, students are expected to cover the costs for transportation to and from the ferry at Lauwersoog and are responsible for their health insurance coverage, as well as for travel or other insurances.