Nature Park Management I
| Course Code | BEN120 |
|---|---|
| Qualification | Statement of Attainment |
| Payment Options | Upfront & Payment Plans |
| Delivery | Online & Correspondence |
| Duration | 100 Hours |
Professional Development for people working in parks management, land rehabilitation, conservation or related industries. This course is equally valuable for people wishing to work in nature parks and reserves, in managerial or technical positions. Lay a foundation to work in management of wilderness areas, national parks, camp and picnic grounds and reserves
Lesson Structure:
There are 12 lessons in this course:
- Introduction to Nature Parks
- Role of nature parks
- National parks
- Zoos and wildlife parks
- Reserves
- Role of community groups in nature parks
- Using indigenous plants
- Benefits of indigenous remnant vegetation
- Naturalised plants
- Plant identification: plant reviews
- Basic Ecology
- Ecology and its application
- Constituents of an ecosystem: biotic and abiotic
- Ecosystem function
- Heterotrophic vs, autotrophic
- Ecological concepts
- Ecology relationships
- Climatic zones
- Climate: soil: vegetation interrelationships
- Plant association
- Living things
- Classification of animals
- Plant classification
- Using keys
- Botanical families for different genera: a framework for identifying plants
- Soil Management in Nature Parks
- Soil Management Overview
- Earthworks in nature parks
- Soil degradation
- Erosion
- Causes, types and control of erosion
- Salinity
- Sources of salinity
- Control methods for soil salinity
- Soil acidification, and causes
- Compaction of soil
- Chemical residues
- Soil and plant growth
- Naming the soil
- Improving soils
- Sampling soils
- Nutrient availability and pH
- Fertilizers and nutrient components
- Terminology
- Plant Maintenance
- Plant maintenance in nature parks
- Plant selection
- Economics of planting
- Ongoing costs
- Longevity
- Aesthetic criteria for plant selection
- Natural gardening techniques
- Using hardy, pest free plants
- Planting for a succession
- Equipment: a more sustaainable and natural approach
- Avoiding problem materials
- Disposing of waste
- Composting
- Planting procedure
- Staking plants
- When to plant
- Machinery for park maintenance: overview
- Design of Nature Parks I
- Nature park design
- Landscaping procedure
- Pre planning information
- Landscape plans
- Design procedure
- Design of Nature Parks II
- Designing animal enclosures
- Cages and pens
- Open range enclosures
- Designing and siting animal enclosures
- Specifications and contracts
- Weed Management in Nature Parks
- Characteristics of weeds
- Weed control options
- Chemical control
- Biological control
- Non chemical control
- Plants which take over
- Environmental weeds
- Pest and Disease Management
- Pest and disease control: chemical and non chemical
- Using chemicals safely
- Understanding plant pathology
- How to inspect plants for suspected problems
- Insect biology and classification
- Laws related to chemical use
- Types of poisons
- Understanding toxicity
- Review of main types of plant pests
- Review of common fungal problems affecting plants
- Culture of Indigenous Plants
- Growing indigenous plants in nature park
- Plant establishment: direct planting, direct seeding, natural regeneration
- Planting design
- Planting techniques: pocket planting, slope serration, wattling, planting arid sites, direct seeding, spray seeding
- Tree Management in Nature Parks
- The role of trees
- Tree maintenance plan
- Arboriculture (overview)
- Safety for tree surgery
- Tree surgery techniques
- Turf Care in Nature Parks
- Introduction
- Choosing turf grasses
- Feature lawns
- Picnic areas
- Areas for sport, gardens, parks
- Establishing a new lawn
- Review of turf varieties
- Turf maintenance procedures
- Topdressing
- Rehabilitation Problems and Solutions
- Land rehabilitation in nature parks
- Site plan information needed
- Site management plan
- Soil problems on degraded sites
- Dry areas, overcoming dry soils, managing sandy soils
- What causes wet areas
- Overcoming problems with wet areas
- Factors affecting rehabilitation: debris, mass plantings, water, topsoil, exotic organisms
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims:
Explain the importance of the interrelationships between various components of a natural environment within an ecosystem.
- Develop management strategies for soils within a natural ecosystem.
- Develop management strategies for plant maintenance practices, in nature parks.
- Design a nature park, or a section within a nature park.
- Develop management strategies for the control of weed problems in a nature park.
- Develop management strategies for the rehabilitation of degraded sites in a nature park.
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