OBJECTIVES
At the end of the module participants will:
·    Evaluate the ecological functioning and biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems;
·    integrate conservation aspects into management programmes for freshwater ecosystems;
apply knowledge to evaluate, monitor and provide advice for the design of ecological restoration programmes for freshwater ecosystems.

SUBJECTS
1.    Assessing biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems
2.    Conservation ecology
3.    Ecological survey methods
4.    Restoration ecology

SYLLABUS
Biodiversity: evolutionary biology; methods for assessing biodiversity; species/population dispersal, migration, demographics and effective population size; endangered and alien species.
Ecological survey methods: field surveys; sampling design and statistics; GIS; remote sensing; landscape ecology approach.
Conservation ecology: status quo of freshwater ecosystems with special emphasis on river and floodplain ecosystems; principles in conservation ecology; ecological functioning of rivers and floodplains; habitat, species and population management; case examples of conservation programmes.
Restoration ecology: fundamentals in restoration ecology; restoring ecological functioning of freshwater ecosystems; human dimension in restoration programmes; effects of river engineering measures and floodplain restoration on biodiversity; adaptive management approach (participatory collaboration to integrate research, policy and practice) and multicriteria approach; workshop on evaluation, design and monitoring of restoration programmes.
All participants who complete this course receive a Certificate of Attendance from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria.

LECTURERS/TRAINERS
Dr. T. Hein, Dr. S. Weiss, Dr. S. Muhar, Prof. S. Schmutz, Mag. N. Welti, DDI K. Pinter,  Dr. J. Sendzimir, Dr. P. Hesslerova, Dr. J. Pokorny, Prof. T. Weisse, Mag. G. Winkler.

 

COURSE FEE (EURO): € 2,475.-- (tuition fee)

PARTNERS
WaterCluster, Lunz; Institute for Limnology, Austrian Academy of Sciences; University of Vienna; University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna; Czech Academy of Sciences; ENKI o.p.s.; both Trebon.

COURSE LOCATION:     WaterCluster Lunz, Lower Austria, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, ENKI o.p.s., Trebon

DURATION IN WEEKS:     3 weeks

TIME PERIOD:       2^nd July - 20^th July 2012
At the end of the course all short course participants may receive a certificate of attendance. For those participants who wish to finalize their course with an ECTS (European Credit System) certificate, the examination will take place within the week after the short course selected.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION:   18^th April 2012