MSc/Diploma in Environmental Protection and
Management
Course module: Land Use - Environment Interactions
9.30 am – 1.00 pm Mondays
Crew Building, Room 302:
(Dr Andy Evans, Module Co-ordinator: andy.evans@sruc.ac.uk)
Week 1 (12th January). Crew Building, Room 302. 9.30. Introduction and overview of the module
Overview of course assessments and class debates
Dr Andy Evans, Applied Practice Team Leader, Pest Management Research, Crop &
Soil Systems, SRUC (LUEI module co-ordinator)
Week 2 (19th January). Crew Building, Room 302. 9.30 Sources, delivery and impacts of pollutants
and case studies on water pollution
Prof. Tony Edwards, Professor of Soil Ecology, Crop & Soil Systems, SRUC
Week 3 (26th January). Crew Building, Room 302. 9.30. Specific case studies - legislation, issues
and management
Prof. Tony Edwards, Professor of Soil Ecology, Crop & Soil Systems, SRUC
Week 4 (2nd February). Crew Building, Room 302. 9.30 Biodiversity, farmland landscape and
management Prof. Davy McCracken, Professor in Upland Land Use Systems and Head
of Hill & Mountain Research Centre, SRUC
Week 5 (9th February). Crew Building, Room 302. 10.30 Ecological Engineering for Farmland
Biodiversity Dr. Graham Begg, Agroecologist, The James Hutton Institute, Dundee
Week 6 (16th February). Innovative Learning Week – No Lecture
Week 7 (23rd February). Crew Annexe Room 302. 9.30 Management and impact of pesticides.
Dr Andy Evans, Applied Practice Team Leader, Pest Management Research, Crop & Soil
Systems, SRUC (LUEI module co-ordinator)
Week 8 (2nd March). Crew Annexe Room 302. 10.00 Land use/water interactions and the
Water Framework Directive
Dr. Linda May, Programme Deputy Director, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH)
Water Programme
Week 9 (9th March) Crew Annexe Room 302.10.00 Land Use Futures
Prof. Mark Rounsevell, David Kinloch Michie Chair of Rural Economy &
Environmental Sustainability, Institute of Geography & the Lived Environment, School
of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh
Week 10 (16th March). Crew Annexe Room 302. 10.00 Class Debates
Dr Andy Evans, Applied Practice Team Leader, Pest Management Research, Crop &
Soil Systems, SRUC (LUEI module co-ordinator)
Week 11 (23rd March). Crew Annexe Room 302. 9.00 POSTER and ORAL SESSION
ASSESSMENT - Impact of land use on biological conservation or water quality. Each
student selects a land use/water pollution issue, presents the problem and proposes cost
effective mitigation strategies, giving appropriate examples.
Dr Andy Evans (LUEI module co-ordinator)
Week 12 (30th March). Crew Annexe Room 302. 9.00 POSTER and ORAL SESSION
ASSESSMENT - Impact of land use on biological conservation or water quality. Each
student selects a land use/water pollution issue, presents the problem and proposes cost
effective mitigation strategies, giving appropriate examples.
Dr Andy Evans (LUEI module co-ordinator)
This course deals principally with the relationships between land management and water
quality. A Case Study approach will be used for much of the course and areas covered include
the impacts of farming, pollutants and agrochemicals on water quality and biodiversity. The
module will be useful to students concerned with the protection and management of water
resources from the effects of agriculture, forestry, flooding, urban and domestic wastes.
General References
Richard J. Aspinall, Michael Michael James Hill (2008). Land Use Change: Science, Policy And
Management.
C Brannstrom, JM Vadjunec (2014). Land change science, political ecology and sustainability:
synergies and divergences.
Cowell R, Lennon M, (2014). The utilisation of environmental knowledge in land-use planning:
drawing lessons for an ecosystem services approach. Environment and Planning C: Government and
Policy 32(2) 263–282.
Qiao-Yu Cui, Marie-José Gaillard, Geoffrey Lemdahl, Li Stenberg, Shinya Sugita and Ganna Zernova
(2014). Historical land-use and landscape change in southern Sweden and implications for present and
future biodiversity. Ecology and Evolution 2014; 4(18): 3555–3570.
Ruth S. DeFries, Gregory P. Asner, Richard A. Houghton (2004) Ecosystems and land use change
DeGraff, J. V. (2007). Understanding and responding to hazardous substances at mine sites in the
western United States
European Commission. Environment Land Use.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/land_use/index_en.htm
European Environment Agency (EAA). Land Use. http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/landuse
FAO. Land Resources. http://www.fao.org/nr/land/lr-home/en/
Ganoulis, J. (1994) Engineering risk analysis of water pollution: probabilities and fuzzy sets
M Giampietro, RJ Aspinall, J Ramos-Martin, Sandra G. F. Bukkens (2014). Resource Accounting for
Sustainability Assessment: the Nexus between Energy, Food, Water and Land Use
A Gupta, M Mason (2014). Transparency in global environmental governance: critical perspectives
Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP). Sustainable Land Use. http://www.ieep.eu/workareas/agriculture-and-land-management/sustainable-land-use/
Harrison, R.M. (1996). Pollution: causes, effects and control.
Harrison, R.M. (2007). Principles of Environmental Chemistry
Haygarth, P.M. and Jarvis, S.C. (2003). Agriculture, hydrology and water quality
Kiely, G. (1996). Environmental Engineering
David Lindenmayer, Saul Cunningham, Andrew Young (2012). Land Use Intensification: Effects on
Agriculture, Biodiversity, and Ecological Processes
M Niedda, M Pirastru, M Castellini, F Giadrossich (2014). Simulating the hydrological response of a
closed catchment-lake system to recent climate and land-use changes in semi-arid Mediterranean
environment. Journal of Hydrology, 517, 732–745
O'Neill, P. (1998). Environmental Chemistry
Ritter, W.F. & Shirmohammadi, A. (2003). Agricultural nonpoint source pollution: watershed
management and hydrology
Shortle, J.S. & Abler, D.G. (2001). Environmental policies for agricultural pollution control
Solbe, J.F.L.G. (1986). Effects of Land Use on Fresh waters.
Mark Stallworthy (2013). Sustainability Land Use and the Environment
Tuck, S. L., Winqvist, C., Mota, F., Ahnström, J., Turnbull, L. A., Bengtsson, J. (2014), Land-use
intensity and the effects of organic farming on biodiversity: a hierarchical meta-analysis. Journal of
Applied Ecology, 51: 746–755
Ward, A.D. & Trimble, S.W. (2004). Environmental Hydrology. 2 nd edition.
Wild, A. (1993). Soils and the Environment - an Introduction. .
Assessments
A. ESSAY
With reference to a named environmental pollutant or contaminant of your choice, discuss:
1.
2.
3.
The effect of specific land use practices on the dispersal of these pollutants to ground, surface and
coastal waters, and/or target site;
The impacts of the pollutant on water quality, the environment, and/or ecosystem function;
Cost effective measures for mitigating the impacts of these land use practices
Illustrate your work with specific case studies or examples.
Possible pollutants/pollutant groups to consider are:
Sediment, nitrates, phosphates, ammonium, chlorinated hydrocarbons, organophosphate insecticides,
synthetic pyrethroid insecticides, pathogenic bacteria, toxic metals, organic matter, acidity, alkalinity,
salinity, thermal pollution, oestrogenic compounds, arsenic, aluminium, light pollution, etc…..
Possible Land Use Practices include forestry, arable farming, livestock farming, drainage, urbanisation,
mining, sewage treatment, industry (e.g. paper making, dyeing, metalworking, oil refining, retailing),
road construction, airport construction etc…
Hand-in date: Thursday 2nd April.
Electronic Copy submitted via Learn web site
Approximately 2000 words.
The essay forms 50% of the continuous assessment of the module.
The choice is ultimately up to the student, but it is recommended that the choice is discussed with Dr
Andy Evans (LUEI module co-ordinator) in advance.
B. POSTER & ORAL PRESENTATION (Monday 23rd March & Monday 30th March)
Prepare a poster presentation to communicate the main points of the essay. Emphasis should be
on getting your message across to decision makers and land users who have the power to act on
your recommendations. Provide a printed A4 version of your poster, and an abstract of your
poster (covering no more than a single A4 page) on the day of the poster presentation.
In composing your poster, please make full use of photographs, tables and figures (diagrams) and try to
minimise the number of words. A picture or chart is much more effective than a paragraph of text.
Your poster should include the title and your name across the top, a short introduction, an explanation
of the case with the aid of illustrations, and two or three short and convincing conclusions. You will
find that Powerpoint is a useful tool for preparing legible, well laid out sections to the poster. Examples
of previous posters will be posted on Learn.
Your poster presentation will be marked on four points:
(1) technical content; (2) quality of text and graphics; (3) verbal explanation; (4) the abstract.
The poster and presentation forms 50% of the continuous assessment of the module.