Universidad de Jaén

Theoreticals.

Disturbance ecology and environmental impacts. Ecosystem dynamics and stability concepts. Human activities and ecosystem disturbance regime. Environmental impact: concept, diagnose causes and tipologies.

Environmental Assessment (EIA) as an administrative tool in environmental management policies.Role of EIA in environmental management. EIA legistaltion (regional, national, EU leves). EIA administrative procedures.

Land Carrying Capacity and Choice between project alternatives. Identification of impacts and risk factors from the plan of projected actions. Choice of best project alternative. Multicriteria decission methods.

Environmental Inventory and valuation of Environment Factors. Concepts and common models. Variables and indicators. Weighting techniques. Information integration and representation techniques. The importance of spatio-temporal scales. Valuation criteria. Methodological specificities depending on the nature of the Environment Factor.

Cualitative EIA. Identification of impacts: screening and filtering. Checking lists. Matrix models, Cause-effect networks. Impact tipification: magnitude and attribute of importance.

Cuantitative EIA. Difference models. Integral functions. Multivariate methods. Transformation functions.

Impact Mitigation and Monitorin/Surveillance Plans. Remedial, restoration and compensation measures. POst-operational monitoring and surveillance plans.

EIA social communication. Synthesis report. Public information.

Practicals .

Application of Multivariate statistical methods for environmental impact assessment. Calculation of Carrying capacity. Application of multicriteria decision making to select among alternative projects. Inventory and valuation of environmental factors. Exercises for the cualitative and cuantitative valuation of impacts. Field visits: (i) CONAMA congress in Madrid (together with students from the course “Environmental Education”), (ii) Water dump at Siles, a case of EIA within a protected area, impacts mitigation and monitoring and surveillance plan.

Lectures to the whole class(M1) will be used to present theoretical concepts and the basic thematic contents on the EIA subject (specific competences CE-2 y CE-17, as well as CB2-CB5). Lectures will be carried out in an interactive way (crossed questions, debate...), and supported by TIC tools in order to catch the student attention toward the different aspects of the EIA issue (CE-2 y CE-17).

Procedureand instrumental competences will be developed in field visits as weel as in seminars and practicals (computer classes) (CE2, CE-17, CE-36 y CE-37, así como CB2-CB5). The following capabilities will be developed to: i) identify and valuate key environment factors within a given reference area (CE-36 y CE-37), ii) demosntrate knowledge on the scientific basis of EIA, and know-how regarding common methods and techniques used in EI (CE-2), and (iii) interpret and synthesize data and information gathered from databases and fied surveys in order to objectively assess environmental impacts derived from different types of projects, plans and human activities (CE-17). Students will also orally exchange ideas, techniques and obtained results (M17) to develope capabilities related to: (i) the exposition and defense of information and EIA assessments based on objective and scientifically-based arguments (CE-2 y CE-17), (ii) envionmental conciousness (CE-2), and (iii) inter-personal relationships (CE-2).

Students with special educational needs should contact the Student Attention Service (Servicio de Atención y Ayudas al Estudiante) in order to receive the appropriate academic support

Student califications and marks will be based on:

- Regular attendace to lectures, seminars, practicals and field visits (attendance will be registered (weight = 5 %; degree of achievement regarding competences CE-36 y CE-37 y CB2-CB5).

- Written test to assess the degree of acquisition of theoretical concepts and basic EIA procedures and techniques (weight 60%; competences related to cognitive and basic knowledge issues, focusing on the student capability to integrate, synthesize and interpret information; CE-2, CE-36 y CE-37 y CB2-CB5).

- Students personal tasks and reports in which they apply know-how acquired in seminars, practicals and field visits, to EIA study cases (weight: 20%; students will carry out personal tasks and reports on a given practical issue or problem, in oprder to assess their competence in solving problems by the application of the appropiate methodology, data processing and interpretation, and presentation of results and derived conclusions; competence CE-17.

- Student performance (completion and degree of correctness of assigned tasks in practical sessions (weight: 10 %; each student will pass a brief oral test, and will deliver a brief report, by the end of each practical session).