Biotechnical faculty
Department of landscape architecture
Program
Landscape architecture
SUBJECT
EXTENT
Lectures
Studio
Environmental conservation
Serial No. 30
hours
45
15
2. EDUCATIONAL GOAL
- to give knowledge on development and conservation problems of modern societies
- to explain the origins of to-day environmental crisis
- to inform students about the conservation problems within specific environmental components
and problems connected to the specific degrading factors - developmental interventions
3. CONTENT
Definition of conservation activities. Historical overview and origins of environmental crisis.
Biological evolution and cultural evolution. Industrial and technological revolution. Problems of
global distribution of well-being and underdevelopment. The exponential growth of population,
consumption and resource use. The problems of use of renewable and non-renewable
resources. Three major conflicting relationships - the source of conservation requirements.
Different possible interpretations of sustainable development: - anthropocentric approach,
humans as a component of biotic community and care for future generations, biocentric
approach to the environmental conservation. Environmental ethics.
Environment as a subject of conservation efforts. Humans and natural environment.
Environmental systems and their definitions in the conservation activities. Forms of
conservation activities - environmental analyses, detection of degradation processes,
improvement activities, technological possibilities, administrative and management tools,
planning, norms and conservation standards, monitoring and enhancement activities.
Environmental impacts as a referencing point of conservation studies. Environmental audits.
Environmental vulnerability studies. Strategic environmental impact assessments.
Environmental impact assessments.
Geosphere. Geosphere as a vulnerable environmental system. Mineral resources - precious,
common. Hydrogeology. Energy resources. Forms of protective measures, planning and of
resource management.
Agriculture as a factor of environmental degradation and as a potentially endangered
environmental component. Agricultural land as a environmental resource. Problems of the
sustainability of productive systems. The particular role of forestry among the agricultural
productive systems.
Chemicals in the environment. Development of new chemicals in problems associated with. The
circulation of chemicals in the environment. The forms of monitoring and control. The food
chains and food webs. Legislative constraints - norms and standards.
Ionizing radiation and related conservation problems. Use of specific technologies. The enrgy
supply dilemma.
Waste. Types. Sources and management of wastes. Waste disposal and maintenance
problems. Legislative norms.
Noise and vibrations. Problems of noise emission and immission - sensitive land uses.
Legislative prescriptions.
The state of the Slovenian environment. The Law on Environmental Conservation.
4. STUDIO
Environmental audit of the selected case; the stress is given to the environmental degradation
processes that can be improved by landscape planning enhancement measures. Strategic
environmental impact assessment of the selected case.
5. LINKAGE TO THE OTHER SUBJECTS
soil science, water conservation and management, landscape ecology, introduction to forestry,
environmental meteorology, landscape evaluation and landscape conservation, nature
conservation, landscape - protective physical planning.
6. LITERATURE
- Kako deluje? Človekovo okolje, Tehniška založba Slovenije, Ljubljana, 1988, s.606
- Armstrong, S.J., Botzler, R.G., Environmental Ethics, McGraw-Hill, 1993
- Glasson, J., Therivel, R., Chadwick. A., Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment,
UCL Pres, 1994
- O’Riordan T., Environmmental Science for Environmental Management, Longman, 1995
- Nova razmerja in obzorja, Svet za varstvo okolja R Slovenije, Ljubljana 1996, s.127
7. STUDENT OBLIGATIONS
completed and approved studio works and oral exam
8. COMMENTS
Lectures are given by different lecturers - according to the different environmental problems.
Studio work is adapted to the student knowledge - assessment of the landscape conservation
problems.