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Principles of Resource Management SFS 3740 Syllabus, Fall 2016 Leonor Ceballos, M.S. Resident Lecturer in Principles of Resource Management Office hours by appointment The School for Field Studies (SFS) Center for Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies (TIBS) Bocas del Toro, Panama www.fieldstudies.org © 2016 The School for Field Studies Course Overview Principles of Resource Management (PRM) course in the Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies program is intended to introduce students to the various principles and tools required to understand and manage forest resources. This component of the academic program links concepts from tropical rainforest ecology with the Tropical Coastal Ecology (TCE) and the Environmental Policy and Socioeconomic Values (EPSV) courses. This course covers basic principles in forest dynamics and ecology, which will set the fundamentals for the understanding the ecological processes that maintain soil productivity, nutrient recycling, the cleansing of air and water, and climatic cycles. Conceptual material focuses on biodiversity, valuation of ecosystem services, water resources and management, pollution and pollution management, habitat modification, forest management for timber and non-timber forest products, terrestrial protected areas, and climate change and global climate change mitigation programs. Throughout the course, lecture material and extensive field activities will present local issues in resource use, resource exploitation, and resource management important to the environmental and social wellbeing of the Bocas del Toro region. Learning Objectives Following this course, students should: 1. Understand the basic ecological principles that are important for understanding natural resources and their management. 2. Have a working knowledge of the tools available for assessing the status of forest resources. 3. Understand how resources within the Bocas del Toro region have historically been utilized and determine which extractive processes should be monitored more closely. 4. Gain an appreciation of the importance of balancing biodiversity conservation and natural resource use for human development. Thematic Components and Research Direction During the semester, discussions and analyses will be framed by two major themes, each of which we will address using specific local examples. 1. The status of natural resources important to the ecological and socioeconomic well-being of Bocas del Toro. The Bocas del Toro Archipelago is a complex mosaic of marine and terrestrial ecosystems, hosting diverse and unique natural resources. These resources are under increasing pressure from highly varied groups of stakeholders ranging from indigenous Ngöbe villagers, to Hispanic and Afro-Antillean island residents, to wealthy expatriate immigrants from the US and Europe – each with distinct patterns of resource use and impacts on terrestrial and marine ecosystems. You will learn resource use patterns of these different groups, and focus on what steps can be taken by each group to advance towards more sustainable patterns in resource management. 2. Management strategies that assist in maintaining or improving sustainability of natural resources in Bocas del Toro and contribute to future economic development and diversification. Island ecosystems are characterized by delicate and unique ecological characteristics and are often highly susceptible to anthropogenic exploitation. In the Bocas del Toro region, a long history of human pressure has resulted in major ecological changes over the past centuries that significantly impact the socioeconomic strategies of the inhabitants. Students will explore management strategies that assist in maintaining or improving the 1 sustainability of natural resources in Bocas del Toro and contribute to future economic development and diversification. Gaining an appreciation for the ecology, resource management, and socio-economics of the Bocas region should provide students with a working knowledge of the principles of biodiversity protection and familiarity with a broad range of approaches to conservation on tropical islands. Assessment The evaluation breakdown for the course is as follows: Value (%) Assessment Items Participation 10 Field Exercises 20 Field Journal 20 Mid-term Exam 25 Final Exam 25 Total 100 Participation and topic discussions (10%) Everybody should be prepared for each academic session, these include not only lectures but field trips and field exercises. This implies reading the materials for each session with enough detail to be able to ask relevant questions; and to participate in analytical discussions about the key issues. Active participation during classes, discussions and hikes is expected. Field Exercises (20%) During Field Exercises students will gain experience for the Directed Research component at the end of the semester. The Field Exercises require field observation, data collection, and report writing. A total of four Field Exercises will be conducted through the semester: 1. Plant Diversity in Neotropical Forests: students will have the opportunity to put into practice plant sampling techniques through quadrats. Several plant species will be collected and transported to the Center for further identification in a Plant ID Workshop. Plant specimens with their scientific names and a brief description of the species will be handed in the same day at the end of the Plant ID Workshop. All identified specimens will be placed in a grouped plant press as reference for further students. 2. Insect Sampling in Forest Systems: students will conduct an insect sampling activity to test different insect sampling techniques. Insects and other arthropods will be sampled using passive and active methods, such as nets and traps. A week after the Insect ID Workshop, students will hand in a written report, which will consist on a complete document and will include: title, authors, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and literature reviewed. Students should follow the guidelines provided and will place all the specimens collected at the TIBS insect collection. 3. Frog Sampling: after a series of data collection on frogs’ morphometric, coloration, and sex at four different locations around the Bocas del Toro Archipelago: Isla Colon, Bastimentos, Popa and Solarte, 2 students will hand in a written brief discussion (two pages maximum) on the potential reason for the polymorphic variations in Oophaga pumilio on the Archipelago. 4. Bromeliads as islands: followed by sampling on bromeliads, students will explore the species area relationship theory (bromeliads been considered as islands) a brief written discussion on the results found on the bromeliad tanks and the relation of this with the size of the bromeliad. Students should discuss on the organismal diversity found inside bromeliads of different sizes. The brief report will be handed in by the students on the same day following the laboratory session established for this activity and the guidelines provided for this field exercise. Field Journal (20%) During FEXs and Field lectures students will keep a journal with basic information about the location visited and the activity developed. In it, students will record everything they find, observe, and collect. Midterm Exam and Final Exams (50%) Two written exams will be given based on material covered in lectures, readings, and field exercises and experiences. Each exam is worth 25% of the total final grade. Grading Scheme A 95.00 – 100.00% B+ 86.00 - 89.99% C+ 76.00 - 79.99% D 60.00 - 69.99% A- 90.00 – 94.99% B 83.00 - 85.99% C 73.00 - 75.99% F 0.00 – 59.99% B- 80.00 - 82.99% C- 70.00 - 72.99% General Reminders Readings – Students are expected to have read all the assigned articles prior to each class. All readings are available on PDF format. The purpose of using PDFs is to avoid printing and reduce impact on the environment and more particularly on the center’s resources. Readings might be updated or changed during the course of the semester. Please, revise the course outline on a regular basis. Plagiarism – Using the ideas and material of others without giving due credit is consider cheating and will not be tolerated. A grade of zero will be assigned if students are caught cheating or aiding another person to cheat actively or passively (e.g. allowing someone to look at your exam). All assignments— unless stated by the instructor—should be original pieces of work. Deadlines – Deadlines for assignments are instated for several reasons: they are a part of working life to which students need to become accustomed and promote equity among students. Deadlines allow faculty ample time to review and return assignments before others are due. Late assignments will incur a 10% penalty for each day that they are late. No assignment will be accepted after three days. Assignments will be handed back to students after a one-week grading period. Participation – Since SFS program is an intensive course in depths, missing even one lecture can have a proportionally greater effect on your final grade simply because there is little room to make up for lost time. Participation in all components of the program is mandatory because your actions can significantly 3 affect the learning experience of you and your classmates. Therefore, it is important that you are prompt for all activities, bring the necessary equipment for field exercises, field trips, workshops, and lab work, and simply get involved. Lectures, Exercises, and Exams D=Discussion, E=Exam, FEX=Field Exercise, FL=Field Lecture, FT=Field Trip, GL=Guest Lecture, L=Lecture, LW=Laboratory Work, W=workshop *IMPORTANT NOTE: Dates stated are subject to change. Code PRM01 PRM02 PRM03 PRM04 PRM05 PRM06 PRM07 PRM08 PRM09 Lecture Title and Description Type Time (hrs.) Readings Course Intro: Course structure, objectives, L 1:00 assignments, deadlines and evaluation MODULE 1 – Principles of Tropical Ecology Keppel, Gunnar, Yvonne M. Buckley, and Hugh P. Possingham. "Drivers of lowland Rainforest Dynamics rain forest community assembly, species 1:00 L diversity and forest structure on islands in Introduction to the dynamics of a rainforest the tropical South Pacific." Journal of Ecology 98.1 (2010): 87-95. Rainforest walk: Walk through the rainforest of Isla Solarte to observe first-hand the FL 1:30 characteristics of this particular type of forest Tropical Realm and the Rainforest Forsyth, A., & Miyata, K. (1984). Tropical Introduction/refresher of some fundamental Nature: Life and Death in the Rain Forests definitions & concepts relevant to tropical L 1:00 of Central and South America. Simon and terrestrial ecology, including distribution of Schuster - Chapter 1: In the Realm of the tropical ecosystems, types and drivers of Tropics. biodiversity, and the ecological niche Plant Diversity (Janzen-Connell Biodiversity Hypothesis) Field lecture on plant characteristics and FL 1:00 Terborgh, J. (2012). Enemies maintain importance. The first Frog sampling site will hyperdiverse tropical forests. The also be targeted at Popa (Frog sampling 1). American Naturalist, 179(3), 303-314. Records on the morphometric and coloration of the frogs present in the area Plant Sampling techniques: Walk through the forest at Popa Island to observe and collect FEX 1:30 plant specimens, such as leafs, flowers and seeds for further identification at the Center Plant ID Workshop: Plant ID of the samples Wright, J. S. (2002). Plant diversity in tropical collected at Popa Island using resources such W 3:00 forests: a review of mechanisms of species as books, internet and other type of means coexistence. Oecologia, 130(1), 1-14. available Attiwill, P.M. & Adams, M.A. (1993). Tansley Soils and Nutrient Cycling: Soil characteristics Review No. 50. Nutrient cycling in forests. L 1:00 and nutrient cycling in wet tropical systems New Phytologist, 124 (4): 561-582. Soil Sampling Techniques Collect soil samples in the rainforest of Solarte. FL 1:00 The second frog sampling site will be targeted while in Solarte Island (Frog sampling 2) 4 Code Lecture Title and Description Type Time (hrs.) PRM10 Changuinola Field Trip Prep: Expectations and explanation of the assignments day at Finca "La Magnita" and Banana Plantation in Changuinola L 0:30 PRM11 Changuinola Field Trip – Forest Modification and Management: Trip to Changuinola District to visit Finca "La Magnita" in Charagre and a Banana plantation facilities FT 3:00 PRM12 Soil Lab: We will go through the soils samples previously collected and review them under the microscope to sort out some of the organisms found; as well as some physicochemical characteristics of the samples LW 2:00 PRM13 Epiphytes Walk through Solarte rainforest to identify and understand the importance of eiphytes FL 1:30 L 1:00 FEX 2:00 L 2:00 L 0:30 W 3:00 GL 1:00 PRM14 PRM15 PRM16 PRM17 PRM18 PRM19 PRM20 Do your own insect aspirator Students will create a personal insect aspirator with the materials provided. The aspirator will be used during the insect sampling exercise Insect Sampling Techniques: Several insect sampling techniques will be put into practice in different habitat patches. Sampling of the third frog population at Floating Doctors’ Preserve in Dolphin Bay (Frog sampling 3) Animal Diversity in the Rainforests – insects and their kins ITEC Field Trip Prep: Expectations and explanation of the assignments for the overnight at the Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation (ITEC) overnight in Isla Colon Insect ID Workshop: Develop Insects ID skills using different resources such as dichotomy keys. Discussion on the sampling and ID techniques, limitations and implications Neotropical Herpetology – Dr. Peter N. Lahanas Animal Diversity in Rainforests– Birds Bocas L 5 1:00 Readings Andersson, Meike S., and S. Robbert Gradstein. (2005). "Impact of management intensity on non-vascular epiphyte diversity in cacao plantations in western Ecuador." Biodiversity & Conservation 14: 1101-1120. Forsyth, A., & Miyata, K. (1984). Tropical Nature: Life and Death in the Rain Forests of Central and South America. Simon and Schuster – Chapter 4: Hangers-on. Bael, Sunshine A. Van, Ruby Zambrano, and Jefferson S. Hall. "Bird communities in forested and human-modified landscapes of Central Panama: a baseline survey for a native species reforestation treatment." International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management 9.4 (2013): 281-289. Type Time (hrs.) PRM21 Reptiles, amphibians and Bird observation Reptiles, amphibians and birds in the rainforest will be observed and identified through different observation and identification techniques. The fourth and last frog data collection will take place at the ITEC grounds (Frog sampling 4) FL 2:00 PRM22 Tropical Diversity Debrief Discussion on the plant and animal diversity assessment, limitations and implications D 1:00 FL 2:00 Code Lecture Title and Description PRM29 Night walk An optional night walk through the forest to observe nocturnal animals Island Biogeography, Diversity and Endemism – Dr. Peter N. Lahanas: Intro to key concepts in island biogeography, and illustrate major global trends in terrestrial and marine biodiversity Bromeliads as islands: An exercise on the fauna diversity found inside bromeliad leaves and its relation with the size-diversity theory Bromeliads as islands Lab An intensive review of the items found inside the bromeliads and a discussion on the species-area relationship theory Zapatillas Field Trip Prep: Expectations and explanation of the assignments for the day trip to Zapatillas Cay Rapid Biodiversity Assessment: Field to Zapatilla to assess the biodiversity status on the island. Review for Midterm Exam PRM30 Midterm Exam PRM23 PRM24 PRM25 PRM26 PRM27 PRM28 PRM31 PRM32 PRM33 GL 1:00 FEX 1:30 LW 2:00 L 0:30 FL 1:30 L 1:00 Readings Forsyth, A., & Miyata, K. (1984). Tropical Nature: Life and Death in the Rain Forests of Central and South America. Simon and Schuster – Chapter 15: Night walks. Whittaker, R. J., Triantis, K. A., & Ladle, R. J. (2008). A general dynamic theory of oceanic island biogeography. Journal of Biogeography, 35(6), 977-994. E MODULE 2 – Principles of Resource Management Intro to Natural Resource Management Rockström, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., Key concepts in natural resource management, Persson, Å., Chapin, F. S., Lambin, E. F., ... L 1:00 & Foley, J. A. (2009). A safe operating including categories of resources, approaches space for humanity. Nature, 461(7263), to resource management, and discussion of goals for management of natural resources 472-475. Protected Areas Design & Management Laurance, William F., et al. "The fate of Introduction to key concepts , types of PAs and Amazonian forest fragments: a 32-year L 1:00 a look at the role and effectiveness in the face investigation." Biological Conservation of human population growth & climate change 144.1 (2011): 56-67. Lawton, J. H., Bignell, D. E., Bolton, B., Habitat Modification, Degradation, and Bloemers, G. F., Eggleton, P., Hammond, Fragmentation - We will discuss key concepts P. M., & Watt, A. D. (1998). Biodiversity L 1:00 and major broad-scale trends in habitat inventories, indicator taxa and effects of modification and degradation habitat modification in tropical 6 Code Lecture Title and Description Type Time (hrs.) Readings forest. Nature, 391(6662), 72-76. PRM34 PRM35 PRM36 PRM37 PRM38 Soil Resources & Management What are the disconnects between soil health, nutrient cycling and human activity with particular attention to agricultural practices Water Resources and Water Management We will introduce key ecological principles of water cycling and discuss challenges for water management in developing nations and in tropical and island habitats. Preparation talks for the Water Treatment Plant trip. Pollution and Waste Management Key concepts in pollution, linkages between terrestrial and marine environments, and management approaches in Bocas del Toro Trip to the Dump, Water treatment Plant and Bocas Town Introduction to Ecosystem Services Introduction to ecosystem services with a focus on habitats of Bocas del Toro to advance a working knowledge of importance and economic value of local ecosystems. 1:00 Barrios, E. (2007). Soil biota, ecosystem services and land productivity. Ecological economics, 64(2), 269-285. 1:00 Vörösmarty, C. J., McIntyre, P. B., Gessner, M. O., Dudgeon, D., Prusevich, A., Green, P., ... & Davies, P. M. (2010). Global threats to human water security and river biodiversity. Nature, 467(7315), 555-561. L 1:00 Derraik, J. G. (2002). The pollution of the marine environment by plastic debris: a review. Marine pollution bulletin, 44(9), 842-852. FT 2:00 L L L 1:00 PRM39 Tourism and protected areas - Red Frog, “La Loma” Trip to Red Frog Beach and La Loma Eco lodge to observe and discuss the direct and indirect impacts of different kinds of tourism, and an exploration of “eco-friendly” approaches. FL 2:00 PRM40 Principles of Climate Change Review of CC concepts, assessment of where the science is today, and a discussion of the implications for BLT L 1:00 PRM41 Food Security, Agriculture & the Future of Forests – An examination of projected landuse requirements to feed the growing human population and role of agro ecological principles; followed by relevant papers discussion on GMOs D 2:00 7 Carpenter, Stephen R., et al. (2009) "Science for managing ecosystem services: Beyond the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: 1305-1312. Porter-Bolland, L., Ellis, E. A., Guariguata, M. R., Ruiz-Mallén, I., Negrete-Yankelevich, S., & Reyes-García, V. (2012). Community managed forests and forest protected areas: An assessment of their conservation effectiveness across the tropics. Forest Ecology and Management, 268, 6-17. Beer, J., et al. (1998). "Shade management in coffee and cacao plantations." Directions in Tropical Agroforestry Research. Springer Netherlands: 139-164. Moritz, C., & Agudo, R. (2013). The future of species under climate change: resilience or decline? Science, 341(6145), 504-508. Wright, S. J., Muller-Landau, H. C., & Schipper, J. A. N. (2009). The future of tropical species on a warmer planet. Conservation biology, 23(6), 14181426. Foley, J. A., Ramankutty, N., Brauman, K. A., Cassidy, E. S., Gerber, J. S., Johnston, M., ... & Zaks, D. P. (2011). Solutions for a cultivated planet. Nature, 478(7369), 337342. Godfray, H. C. J., Beddington, J. R., Crute, I. R., Haddad, L., Lawrence, D., Muir, J. F., ... Code Lecture Title and Description Type PRM43 Estimating Personal Carbon Budgets Students will estimate their own personal carbon emissions, and discuss lifestyle changes to reduce personal emissions. Review for Final Exam PRM44 Final Exam PRM42 Time (hrs.) W 1:00 L 1:00 E Total contact hours 58:00 8 Readings & Toulmin, C. (2010). Food security: the challenge of feeding 9 billion people. Science, 327(5967), 812-818. McGloughlin, Martina. "Ten reasons why biotechnology will be important to the developing world." (1999). Altieri, Miguel A., and Peter Rosset. "Ten reasons why biotechnology will not ensure food security, protect the environment, or reduce poverty in the developing world." Ethical issues in biotechnology (2002): 175-182. Altieri, Miguel A., and Peter Rosset. "Strengthening the case for why biotechnology will not help the developing world: A response to McGloughlin." (1999). Paterson, M., & Stripple, J. (2010). My space: governing individuals’ carbon emissions. Environment and planning. D, Society and space, 28(2), 341.