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Environment and Natural Resources
The section contains course descriptions for students entering the Bachelor of Science in Environment &
Natural Resources program.
ENR1001
Resource Management Issues, Ethics and Communication I
4 ch (3C 2L)
Environmental and resource management problems and issues are, by definition, interdisciplinary in
nature. This course is designed to both expose students to a variety of contemporary resource
management and environmental challenges, from local to global scales, and to help them harness the
tools and develop requisite skills to describe, characterize, and explain these challenges. Fundamentals
of ethics will be presented and related to contemporary topics and issues in resource management.
Thus, in addition to learning course material, students will be provided with a forum in which to critique,
develop and practice both oral and written presentation skills. Analysis of policy documents, press
releases, editorials, science writing, will be integrated with production of these types of communications
tools of these types of communication tools by the students themselves.
ENR1002
Resource Management Issues, Ethics and Communication II
4 ch (3C 3L)
Following on Resource Management Issues I, this course will increase students ability to detect and
describe breadth, depth, and complexity of contemporary resource management and environmental
issues. This course, in addition to building on oral and written communication skills, will provide
students with opportunities to explore the use and abuse of a variety of communication tools: visual
media, the role of art in contemporary environmental discourse, writing and producing video
documentaries, doing radio spots, and interacting with journalists. Focus will be on the theoretical and
technical aspects of environmental communication. Ethical issues in science, social science,
communications and resource management will be presented.
Prerequisite: ENR 1001.
ENR1973
Fall Field Camp
2 ch
An introduction to fieldwork, technical skills and issues associated with natural resource management -forests, water, environment and wildlife. Each day will focus on a particular skill needed to assess an
aspect of natural resources. Included will be demonstrations, field trips and discussion that will highlight
current research or areas of current controversy. The interconnection between natural resource systems
will be stressed.
ENR2004
Social and Cultural Systems
3 ch (3C)
In this course students will learn how to describe and measure the structure and function of human
communities; and determine how different social and ethnic groups perceive and relate to the physical
environment. We will discuss major environmental movements and describe social values, how they
change, what influences them and how they result in policy reform and behavioral change. We will
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cover basic sociological theory including topics such as institutions, the nature of capitalism, and the
philosophical underpinnings of resource management (e.g. property rights, religious traditions). The
course will also cover basic political theory, with a focus on democracy and democratic processes. This
course draws on methods and readings from a variety of disciplines, including social ecology,
environmental sociology, rural sociology, social network theory, history, and anthropology. Note:
Students cannot recieve credit for both ENR 1004 and ENR 2004.
ENR2021
Natural Resource Management, Institutions, Policy and Governance
3 ch (3C)
This course examines how resource and environmental management systems and tools are developed in
cultural and institutional contexts and how these contexts shape the definitions of problems and the
management systems proposed as solutions. Included will be analysis of different management regimes
and decision-making processes: technocratic, community-based, co-management, network governance,
etc. In each case, we will examine the scale of the management issue (local, regional, national,
international) and in that context, who has authority, legitimacy, power, accountability, and why; how
they obtain, maintain, and enhance them; and implications of each in terms of different management
contexts (e.g. common pool resources). Traditional policy-making models will be presented, as well as
analytical tools for policy evaluation. Students will develop, defend, and critique a variety of different
types of natural resource management plans that involve large-scale environmental changes (including
water, air, and land issues), and develop adaptive management strategies that simultaneously account
for human and natural systems.
ENR2112
Environmental Physiology
3 ch (3C)
A comparative examination of the integrated responses of vertebrates to environmental changes. This
course focuses on both the acute physiological and long-term adaptations to dealing with environmental
challenges. Focus is on physiological responses to extreme environments, and fish will be used as a
model vertebrate.
Prerequisites: BIOL 1001 , BIOL 1006 , BIOL 1012 , BIOL 1017 .
ENR2114
Water Sustainability: Practice and Technology 3 ch (3C)
The theme of this course is how humans impact the environment with our developing technologies. The
course examines how aquatic ecosystems are altered by the activities of agriculture, forestry,
aquaculture, solid waste disposal, our demands for industry, e.g., pulp and paper, manufacturing, and
mining, and our basic needs for clean drinking water, e.g., water and sewage treatment. The course
appraises evolving, alternative technologies, with visits to some of these operations to learn how new
technologies are reducing impacts and protecting water resources for the future.
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ENR2531
Introduction to Hydrometeorology Systems
3 ch (2C 3L)
This course provides an introduction to the principles of environmental hydro-meteorology. Topics to be
covered include energy transfer, radiation laws, energy balance, wind generation, evaporation and
precipitation, climatology, snow cover and snow melt processes, the hydrological cycle and water
budget, surface runoff, flow routing, and atmosphere-land surface processes associated with land use.
These are addressed from small, localized to regional scales.
Prerequisites: ESCI 1063 , ESCI 1036 .
ENR3002
Applied Environmental Management
4 ch (3C 3L)
Based largely on a detailed examination of one or more case studies of integrated planning projects that
involve social, economic, engineered, biological, and ecological systems (e.g. pipeline routing and
construction, highway construction, forest planning, hydroelectric dam construction, woodlot
development projects, etc.). Students will work in practical settings and review and critique past or
ongoing case studies. Students will be exposed to the operationalization and application of models in
different resource management contexts. Focus will be on effective use of models, and barriers to
integration among them in the field. This course also introduces the concept of adaptive management,
and students will learn to the principles of adaptive management to explore and critique existing
management approaches. Emphasis will be placed on examining and critiquing real world problems and
issues. The intent is to prepare students for conducting their own integrated planning project by giving
them exposure to the people, processes and places involved in existing projects.
Prerequisite: FOR 2006
ENR3111
Estuary & Ocean Ecosystems
3 ch (3C)
A course focusing on the structure of the juncture of rivers and oceans, the animals that live there, how
they are adapted to the highly variable but not necessarily unpredictable conditions of water depth,
direction of movement, salinity, temperature and water chemistry. Estuaries serve also as corridors for
the exchange of nutrients, energy and pollutants between inland areas and the ocean. Estuaries and the
coastal environment are where most of us live and work and we are the largest single impact on
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estuarine and coastal ecology. These impacts, how coastal environments are being changed by them,
how we measure these changes and what can be done to mitigate these impacts will be examined by
students through individual and team projects, debates, and presentations.
Prerequisite: BIOL 1001 , BIOL 1006 , BIOL 1012, BIOL 1017 .
ENR3112
Water Resources Management 3 ch (3C)
An Introduction to Integrated Water Resources Management, this is a broad examination of critical
concepts and knowledge needs including essential human and institutional capacities. Topics include:
impacts of anthropogenic alterations on the water cycle; changes and impacts that occur as a result of
land use change and development; aquatic ecosystem health and impact assessment; water use (quality
and quality issues); wastewater issues including impacts, methods of treatment and mitigation, the
urban water cycle and methods to evaluate and choose appropriate technologies; governance and
capacity building in communities; and building and maintaining water management infrastructure.
Prerequisites: BIOL 1001 , BIOL 1006 , BIOL 1012 , BIOL 1017 , ENR 1532 .
ENR3201
Urban Hydrology and Water Management
3 ch (2C 3L)
This course focuses on hydrological theories and tools needed for urban watershed management,
involving water supply, conservation and treatment. Topics include storm-water retention on and flow
through porous and impervious surfaces, and subsequent run off generation. Students will learn about
urban water management systems and best -management engineering approaches dealing with flood
control and point to non-point residential, industrial and traffic-induced pollution issues.
ENR3532
Ecohydrology 3 ch (3C)
An expansion of the introduction to hydrological principles and processes offered in first year. Students
develop their comprehension of the hydrological cycle, and dynamics and prediction of flow of water in
rivers, lakes, and as groundwater. Hydrological processes at the landscape level are emphasized to
demonstrate the connections among hydrology, biology, and the exploitation of water resources by
humans.
Prerequisites: ESCI 1001 or ESCI 1063 , ESCI 1036 .
ENR3888
Individual Project I
3 ch
Credit for an individual project can be granted. The student arranges each project with a client and a
Faculty advisor. Your Programme Director must approve each project prior to beginning. A signed
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agreement including assessment criteria amongst the student, client, Faculty Advisor and Programme
Director is required.
ENR4020
Management Practicum
8 ch (3C 3L)
The course provides students with an opportunity to pool their resources and demonstrate their
expertise. Working in multidisciplinary teams, students will develop and integrated solutions to a real
world environmental or natural resource management problem. In addition, students will learn how to
manage work plans, projects and planning process.
Prerequisite: ENR 3002 .
ENR4111
Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Techniques
3 ch (3C)
Students will gain knowledge in techniques used commonly in fisheries and aquatic science, getting
practical experience in various sampling and analysis techniques, including: water quality assessment,
macroinvertebrate collections, fish collections (e.g., seining, trapping, electrofishing), and laboratory
methods for sample preparation and analysis. All field collections will be followed by appropriate data
evaluation learning database management techniques, descriptive and analytical statistics, and
summary report writing.
Prerequisite: BIOL 1001 , BIOL 1006 , BIOL 1012 , BIOL 1017 .
ENR4888
Individual Project II
3 ch
Credit for an individual project can be granted. The student arranges each project with a client and a
Faculty advisor. Your Programme Director must approve each project prior to beginning. A signed
agreement including assessment criteria amongst the student, client, Faculty Advisor and Program
Director is required.
ENR4973
Field Camp
2 ch (6 Days)
An intensive 6-day series of field exercises, site visits, and on-site discussions before the start of Fall
term courses. This course involves low student/faculty ratios and is designed to improve integrative,
observational, and interpretive skills with respect to environmental conditions, including water, wildlife,
and forest resources, and the social context in which they are valued and used. Evening sessions provide
opportunity for debate and discussion of challenging contemporary environmental issues. Students are
charged for food, lodging and part of travel costs.
Pre-requisites: Completion of least 80 credit hours of course courses.
ENR4991
Honours Project
6 ch [W]
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ENR honours students must complete a thesis project that is approved by the Faculty and supervised by
a Faculty member. This course involves submitting a detailed project report and an oral defense in a
seminar-style presentation. Students should consult with a faculty advisor prior to the end of third year
to discuss project requirements and potential topics. Note: Minimum CGPA for acceptance is 3.0