Universidad de Jaén

Menú local

Syllabus 2020-21 - 10412011 - Environmental Impact Assessment (Evaluación de impacto ambiental)

Caption
  • Level 1: Tutorial support sessions, materials and exams in this language
  • Level 2: Tutorial support sessions, materials, exams and seminars in this language
  • Level 3: Tutorial support sessions, materials, exams, seminars and regular lectures in this language
DEGREE: Grado en Ciencias Ambientales
FACULTY: FACULTY OF EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCES
ACADEMIC YEAR: 2020-21
COURSE: Environmental Impact Assessment
SYLLABUS
1. COURSE BASIC INFORMATION
NAME: Environmental Impact Assessment
CODE: 10412011 ACADEMIC YEAR: 2020-21
LANGUAGE: English LEVEL: 2
ECTS CREDITS: 6.0 YEAR: 4 SEMESTER: PC
2. LECTURER BASIC INFORMATION
NAME: CARREIRA DE LA FUENTE, JOSÉ ANTONIO
DEPARTMENT: U102 - BIOLOGIA ANIMAL, BIOL.VEGETAL Y ECOLOGIA
FIELD OF STUDY: 220 - ECOLOGÍA
OFFICE NO.: B3 - 159 E-MAIL: jafuente@ujaen.es P: 953 21 25
WEBSITE: http://www10.ujaen.es/conocenos/departamentos/bioani/4146
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5995-076X
LANGUAGE: - LEVEL: 2
3. CONTENT DESCRIPTION

Theory:

Disturbance ecology and environmental impacts. Ecosystem dynamics and stability concepts. Human activities and disturbance regimes in ecosystems. Environmental impact: concept, diagnose, causes and typologies.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as an administrative tool for Environmental Management. The role of in Environmental Management policies. EIA legislation at the regional, national and international levels. Administrative procedures for EIA.

Methods to assess Carrying Capacity and to Choice between project alternatives. Project actions: identification of impacts and risk factors. Assessment of best project alternative. Multicriteria decision making methods.

Environmental Inventory and Valuation. Concepts and Models. Variables and Indicators. Weighting techniques, and information integration and representation. The role of spatio-temporal scales. Valuation criteria. Specificities for particular environmental factors.

Cualitative environmental impact assessment. Impact identification: screening and filtering. Checking lists. Matrix models. Cause-effect networks. Magnitude and Importance attributes of Impacts.

Cuantitative environmental impact assessment. Difference models. Integral functions. Multivariate methods. Transformation functions.

Impact mitigation and Impact Monitoring and surveillancePlans. Remedial, restoration and compensation measures. Post-operational  monitoring and surveillance plans.

EIA communication. Administrative and public information and communication. Synthesis report.

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.

4. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND TEACHING METHODOLOGY

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).

Competences regarding the application of procedures and use of instrumental tools will be developed in field visits as well as in seminars and practical’s sessions (computer classes) (CE2, CE-17, CE-36 y CE-37, as well as CB2-CB5). The following capabilities will be developed to: i) identify and assess key environment factors within a given reference area (CE-36 y CE-37), ii) demonstrate 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 field 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 develop 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) environmental consciousness (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.

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

5. ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY

Student marks will be based on:

- Regular attendance to lectures, seminars, practicals sessions 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 sessions and field visits, to EIA study cases (weight: 25%; students will carry out personal tasks and reports on a given practical issue or problem, in order to assess their competence in solving problems by the application of the appropriate 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).

6. BOOKLIST
MAIN BOOKLIST:
  • A Strategy for Using Multicriteria Analysis in Decision-Making [Recurso electrónico] : A Guide for S. Edition: -. Author: Munier, Nolberto. Publisher: Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands, 2011  (Library)
  • Standards and Thresholds for Impact Assessment [Recurso electrónico]. Edition: -. Author: Schmidt, Michael. Publisher: Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2008.  (Library)
  • Theory and practice of transboundary environmental impact assessment [recurso electrónico]. Edition: -. Author: -. Publisher: Leiden ; Boston : Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2008  (Library)
  • A practical guide to environmental impact assessment. Edition: -. Author: Erickson, Paul A.. Publisher: San Diego [etc.]: Academic Press, cop. 1994  (Library)
7. VIRTUAL / CLASSROOM TEACHING SCENARIO

1) Methodology

According to the recommendations of the Faculty Dean, teaching activities to the large group (theoretical sessions) will be 100% online through video-conference, unless the size of the group is within the permitted classroom capacity or due to changes in socio-sanitary circumstances that allow for an increase in attendance to classrooms.

Small group teaching activities, including seminars and practicals in the computer classroom, will take place 100% face-to-face, to the extent that the assigned classrooms allow it. Two field trips will be carried out, according to the capacity allowed by the bus transportation (doubling vehicles where appropriate) and with the established protection and distance measures (use of masks, etc.). There are no laboratory practiccal activities scheduled for this subject.

The individualized and / or group tutorials will be held via email or videoconference.

2) Evaluation

All the evaluation instruments will maintain their relative weights on the final score obtained by each student, and will be applied online: (i) delivery through the Virtual Teaching Platform of the proposed personal work tasks (25% of weight over the final grade) and (ii) of the exercises corresponding to each practicals session, and (iii) an online theory exam (60%). In the case of registration of attendance and participation in small group activities (5% of weight in the final grade), this will be done in person during their development.

3) Resources

The necessary resources offered by the University of Jaén will be used (https://www.ujaen.es/her Herramientas-para-la-docencia-y-la-evaluacion-virtual) to carry out teaching and evaluation in the stage modality mixed. Electronic bibliographic resources from the Library of the University of Jaén will be used (https://www.ujaen.es/servicios/biblio/).

8. VIRTUAL TEACHING SCENARIO

In the case of a 100% non-face-to-face scenario, the procedure will be as indicated for the mixed / multimodal scenario, but with the following differences:

 - The small group activities (seminars and practices in the computer room) will be carried out online via videoconference and using virtual software resources, so that the acquisition of minimum skills is also completed through the provision of multimedia material (own elaboration or available online).

 The field trips will be suspended, and will be replaced by video conference seminars where students will be informed on the corresponding issues related to environmental impact assessment that were beign to be treated in the fiel trips.

As the evaluation system, the one specified for the mixed scenario will be maintained for the 100% online scenario, since also in the mixed scenario all the evaluation instruments will be applied by 100% online procedures.

3) Resources

The necessary resources offered by the University of Jaén will be used (https://www.ujaen.es/her Herramientas-para-la-docencia-y-la-evaluacion-virtual) to carry out teaching and evaluation in the stage modality mixed. Electronic bibliographic resources from the Library of the University of Jaén will be used (https://www.ujaen.es/servicios/biblio/).

DATA PROTECTION CLAUSE (on line exams)

Institution in charge of data processing: Universidad de Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas, s/n, 23071 Jaén

Data Protection Delegate: dpo@ujaen.es

Purpose: In accordance with the Universities Law and other national and regional regulations in force, carrying out exams and assessment tests corresponding to the courses students are registered in. In order to avoid frauds while sitting the exam, the exam will be answered using a videoconference system, being able the academic staff of the University of Jaén to compare and contrast the image of the person who is answering the exam with the student's photographic files. Likewise, in order to provide the exam with evidential content for revisions or claims, in accordance with current regulation frameworks, the exam will be recorded and stored.

Legitimacy: compliance with legal obligations (Universities Law) and other national and regional regulations currently in force.

Addressees: service providers who are the owners of the platforms where the exams are carried out and with whom the University of Jaén has signed the corresponding data access contracts.

Storage periods: those established in current in force regulations. In the specific case of exam videoconference recordings, not before the examination records and transcripts are closed or the exam can still be reviewed or challenged.

Rights: you can exercise your right of access, amendment, cancellation, opposition, suppression, limitation and portability by sending a letter to the postal or electronic address indicated above. In the event that you consider that your rights have been violated, you may submit a complaint to the Andalusian Council for Transparency and Data Protection www.ctpdandalucia.es

CLASS RECORDING CLAUSE PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION

Person in charge: Universidad de Jaén, Paraje Las Lagunillas, s/n; Tel.953 212121; www.ujaen.es

Data protection delegate (DPO): TELEFÓNICA, S.A.U. ; Email: dpo@ujaen.es

Procedure aim: To manage proper recordings of teaching sessions with the aim of facilitating learning process under a multimodal and/or online teaching

Period for record storage: Images will be kept during legal term according to regulations in force

Legitimacy: Data will be managed according to legal regulations (Organic Law 6/2001, December 21, on Universities) and given consent provided by selecting corresponding box in legal admission documents

Data recipients (transfers or assignments): Any person allowed to get access to every teaching modality

Rights: You may exercise your rights of access, rectification, cancellation, portability, limitation of processing, deletion or, where appropriate, opposition. To exercise these rights, you must submit a written request to the Information, Registration and Electronic Administration Service of the University of Jaen at the address above, or by e-mail to the address above. You must specify which of these rights you are requesting to be satisfied and, at the same time, you must attach a photocopy of your ID card or equivalent identification document. In case you act through a representative, legal or voluntary, you must also provide a document that proves this representation and identification. Likewise, if you consider that your right to personal data protection has been violated, you may file a complaint with the Andalusian Data Protection and Transparency Council www.ctpdandalucia.es