Course Code/Course Name 

Dates

Venue

APES7000

Conserving Biodiversity: Foundations

11-22 February

Room 113, Biology Building, East Campus

APES7001

Conserving Biodiversity: Frontiers

22 July – 2 August

Room 115, Biology Building, East Campus

APES7007

Adaptive Management in Conservation and Catchment Management

8 July – 19 July

Room 115, Biology Building, East Campus

APES7002

Sustaining Populations & Resources: Foundations

2-12 April

Room 115, Biology Building, East Campus

APES7003

Sustaining Populations & Resources: Frontiers

21 -30 March

Wits Rural Facility

APES7004

Maintaining Ecosystem Processes: Foundations

13-24 May

Room 113, Biology Building, East Campus

APES7005

Maintaining Ecosystem Processes: Frontiers

to be confirmed (April/May/June)

Room 115, Biology Building, East Campus

CHEM7008

Environmental Chemistry

To be confirmed

Chemistry Building, Room 509

CIVN7024

Environmental Management

10 - 14 June

Hillman Building, 6B

CIVN7044

Pollution Control & Abatement

April 2, 9, 16; 23; May 14

Hillman Building, 6B

GEOL7012

Energy Conservation

19 - 30 August

Room 115, Biology Building, East Campus

GEOL7013

Sedimentology & Wetlands

Not offered in 2013

MINN7025

Mining and the Environment

11 -15 March

Tbc

STAT7009

Statistical Research & Design

11 Feb - 23 May

Mon 13h30-15h30

Thu 08h00-13h00

SHB4, Computer Labs in Senate House on Thursdays

CIVN7053

Design for the Environment

24 – 28 June

Hillman Building, 6B

CIVN7013

Waste Water Engineering

July.10, 17, 24; 31

August 7

Hillman Building, 6B

MINN7076

Sustainable Development in Mining and Industry

12 - 16 August

Tbc

APES7008

Introduction to EIAs

9 – 13 September

tbc

APES7000 - Conserving Biodiversity: Foundations

This module will address the definition and determination of biodiversity at different levels; threats to biodiversity; benefits and functions of biodiversity to ecosystem processes; practical approaches to biodiversity conservation, and the evaluation and assessment of biodiversity. Excursions to assess practical issues faced by provincial conservation agencies may be included.

APES7001 - Conserving Biodiversity: Frontiers

APES7002 - Sustaining Populations & Resources: Foundations

This unit will outline the application of population ecology theory supported by computer modelling techniques towards sustaining resource populations. Material covered will include alternative models, forms of density dependence, age- and stage- structured matrix models, deterministic vs stochastic simulations, optimal harvest quotas, population viability analysis, herbivore-plant interactions, Markov state models and adaptive management.

APES7004 - Maintaining Ecosystem Processes: Foundations

This module will outline biogeochemical processes, in particular the cycling of nutrients, processes, maintaining soil fertility, influences on primary and secondary production and relevance for ecological sustainability. Consequences of rising atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gases, and global temperature change, for vegetation patterns will be evaluated and modelled.

APES7005 - Maintaining Ecosystem Processes: Frontiers

This unit will address applications of population and resource modelling techniques to the management of herbivore-vegetation systems for conservation or production ends, including habitat suitability assessment, competitive interactions and broader factors governing stability and sustainability.

APES7003 - Sustaining Populations & Resources: Frontiers

This module will address problems of biodiversity conservation in rural communal lands. It will cover the interplay between broad conservation objectives, local uses of resources, and social and development contexts, and will involve a field excursion to Wits Rural Facility in the central lowveld region. The primary objective of this module is to expose MRCB students to the challenges and constraints affecting rural livelihoods and how this influences the perceptions, decisions and actions of various role players.

APES7007 - Adaptive Management in Conservation

In dynamic and heterogenous savannas, traditional management approaches cannot cope with and respond to the changing environment in such way as to ensure successful, long-term management. Adaptive management, in essence a process of learning by doing, is a viable alternative that can deal with these changing environmental conditons. This course will explore methods, challenges and examples of using adaptive management approaches to meet conservation management objectives.

CHEM7008 - Environmental Chemsitry

The course aims to deepen knowledge of chemistry and the environment and to show the power of chemistry as a tool to comprehend the changing world around us. The main groups of inorganic and organic substances are covered and the principles relating to their nature, sources, transport, environmental behaviour and the effects on targets are discussed. The course includes speciation chemistry in the environment, environmental problem solving, and its evaluation by experimental measurements and computer modelling. Topics covered include: chemistry of natural waters; redox chemistry in natural waters; oxygen demand, the pE scale, sulphur and nitrogen compounds, acid-base chemistry in natural waters; CO2/carbonate system, ion concentrations, alkilinity, hardness index, seawater; precipitation and deposition processes and sediments.

CIVN7024 - Environmental Management

First, an understanding of the general principles of environmental management is established. Attention is then focused on how these principles are realized in South Africa. Specifically, the legislative framework for environmental management and governance in South Africa; the framework of Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) tools; and environmental economics in South Africa are studied at an introductory level. Once this overview of environmental management in South Africa has been established, a more detailed study of some of the IEM tools is made; namely: Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA), Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Environmental Management Plans (EMP), Environmental Management Systems (EMS), and stakeholder engagement practices.

CIVN 7044 - Pollution Control and Abatement

This course will highlight how, by employing cleaner production and good management techniques one can afford to have both a viable economy and a healthy environment. The course covers a wide range of topics including the environmental assessment process; industrial pollution management principles; industrial pollution management; pollution charges; economic analysis of environmental externalities; least cost approaches to reducing emissions; environmental standards (South African and International); comparative risk assessment; integrated environmental management; and industrial pollution and abatement practice for different sectors of industry amongst others. The course will continuously promote the notion of sustainable development by focusing on the environmental and economic benefits of pollution prevention.

GEOG7030 - Land-Atmosphere Dynamics: Atmospheric biosphere interactions

This course will consider climate change and the meteorology of South Africa. It will cover aspects of physical meteorology, aerosol-cloud interaction and land atmosphere interactions.

GEOL7012 - Energy Conservation

Renewable energy is a possible solution to various problems caused by hydrocarbons and natural non-renewable resources. This course covers the history of energy use, the SA energy picture, the renewable energy resources, including solar energy, hydro, wind and biomass energy sources and various energy storage systems.  Field trips are to such sites as major coal-fired power stations, electricity supply control centers, solar generation plant and energy efficient housing.

GEOL7013 - Sedimentology and Wetlands

The course examines the structure & function of wetlands in southern Africa from a geomorphologic perspective. Introductory topics include: the geomorphologic evolution of southern Africa; recent climate history of the region; geomorphologic impacts of climate change; introductory geohydrology; river processes including both hydrological and sedimentological aspects; chemistry f natural waters and its importance for wetlands in semi-arid areas; processes leading to wetland formation in southern Africa. Selected southern African wetlands will be examined in the context of this background.

MINN7025 - Mining and the Environment

This unit will cover the impacts that mining has on the environment. This will include detail on the different mining techniques, covering the mining lifecycle, and the impacts of these on the various aspects of the environment. Legislation regulating mining practices and the requirements for managing and mitigating environmental impacts will be addressed.

CIVN7053 - Design for the Environment

The course starts off by discussing some of the general principles and concepts of green design. The rest of the course then focuses on the application of these principles and concepts in various fields of endeavour; namely: urban planning, green buildings, stormwater management, and life cycle assessment (LCA) of products.

COVN7013 - Waste Water Engineering

This course gives a general impression of engineering approaches used in the treatment of municipal waste water from collection through treatment to final disposal. The course covers a wide range of topics including a review of wastewater quality and the sources of wastewater; impact of wastewater disposal on the environment as well as regulations governing disposal of wastewater; principles of wastewater treatment; reactor design; unit operations for wastewater treatment (primary treatment, secondary treatment, tertiary treatment); sludge quantities, treatment and disposal; and wastewater treatment plant design.

MINN7079 - Safety, Health, Environment and Community Systems

The aim of the course is to develop an understanding of the theory and concepts relating to SHEC Management systems and the application thereof within different business contexts to maximize value. Course content includes the purpose of the safety, health, environment and community systems; system specifications; guidance for managing sustainable development BS 8900:2006; quality management ISO 9001; environmental management: ISO 14001; occupational health and safety management systems: OHSAS 18001; guidelines on occupation; safety and health management systems ILO-OSH 2001; guideline about social responsibility (SR) –ISO 26000; minerals industry risk management framework; auditing and reporting.

MINN7076 - Sustainable Development in Mining and Industry

This course aims to convey an understanding of the theory and concepts relating to sustainable development and how it can be applied within different business contexts to maximise value. Topics covered include: personal values and linkage to sustainable development; sustainable development concepts, history and theory; triple bottom line and five capital models of sustainable development; strong and weak sustainability risk assessments; prioritisation tools; stakeholder engagement; business strategy; social economic and environmental drivers for business auditing and reporting; internal business structuring according to sustainable development.

STAT7009 - Statistical Research and Design

The course will include: Basic statistical concepts (randomness, mean, variance, median, sample, population, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals), t tests (one sample, two sample and paired sample), sample size determination, introduction to graphical techniques, strategies for drawing a sample, different types of samples (simple random, quota, convenience, systematic, stratified, cluster), questionnaire design, analysis of proportions and of contingency tables, non-parametric techniques, comparison of several means (ANOVA), multifactor ANOVA, multiple comparisons, interactions, replication, stratification and blocking, regression (simple and multiple), analysis of covariance, transformations, log-linear model for two and higher way contingency tables, and multivariate techniques.