WILM402 Techniques of Wildlife Management
A skills-based course on marking, counting and studying animals and on experimental design, analysis, interpretation and communication.
Wildlife management in its broadest sense is the science and practice of species conservation
and restoration, as well as active management for the wise use of renewable natural
resources.
The University of Otago provides an excellent base for wildlife
studies, being within easy reach of largely untouched mountains, fiords, rainforests
and wetlands, and there are a number of rare or threatened species within a few kilometres
of the campus. The University has a concentration of ecologists active in research
on wildlife species, and staff maintain strong links with conservation and research
agencies, both within New Zealand and internationally.
A University of Otago
qualification in Wildlife Management is an ideal qualification for those seeking employment
as: conservation officers, pest control and resource managers, scientific research
technicians, scientific advisers for government and non-government research and conservation
organisations.
| Paper title | Techniques of Wildlife Management |
|---|---|
| Paper code | WILM402 |
| Subject | Wildlife Management |
| EFTS | 0.1667 |
| Points | 20 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 1 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees (NZD) | $1,655.16 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Limited to
- PGDipWLM, MWLM
- Contact
- More information link
- View more information about WILM 402
- Teaching staff
Co-ordinators: Professor Philip Seddon and Professor Yolanda van Heezik
- Paper Structure
- This paper teaches practical skills of wildlife management and research, such as:
- Identifying and counting animals
- Designing survey and monitoring schemes
- Catching and marking animals
- Predator control
- Data analysis and interpretation
- Report writing and communication skills
This paper is particularly valuable for those who eventually want jobs in ecological research teams or as field officers, conservation officers or pest controllers. It will also be useful for those of you aiming at research scientist careers or postgraduate (MSc or PhD) study. - Teaching Arrangements
- The paper gives hands-on experience wherever practicable of real-life management issues involving NZ animals. It includes seminars, group projects and several field excursions.
- Textbooks
Textbooks are not required for this paper.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Ethics, Information
literacy, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Otago Wildlife Management graduates will have an understanding of the processes and interactions at work in ecological communities and will recognise the principles of wildlife population persistence, change or decline. Students will graduate with a toolkit of techniques with which to gather and analyse information and answer questions about wildlife populations and will be able to apply their skills to address real-life problems. Above all WLM graduates will have appreciation of the need for and an ability to apply critical thinking, scientific rigour and a systematic approach to the management of wildlife.
Course information
WILM 402 Techniques of Wildlife Management is a compulsory paper for the Postgraduate Diploma in Wildlife Management.
In this course we teach practical skills of wildlife management and research such as: identifying and counting animals, designing survey and monitoring schemes, catching and marking animals, predator control, data analysis and interpretation, report writing and communication skills.
The course gives hands-on experience wherever practicable of real-life management issues involving NZ animals. It includes seminars, group projects, and several field excursions where you will actually do the necessary survey, animal capture, etc.
During the course you will apply biodiversity indices, will learn density estimation methods using line transects and mark-recapture, and will undertake analysis of radio-telemetry data.
This course is particularly valuable for those of you who eventually want jobs in ecological research teams, or as field officers, conservation officers or pest controllers. It will also be useful for those of you aiming at research scientist careers or postgraduate (MSc or PhD) study. This course is only available to Diploma in Wildlife Management students.