The aim of this module is to introduce students to recent developments in the environmental geography focused on the ideas of natural capital, ecosystem services and sustainable landscape management and thus a module set firmly with the socio-ecological tradition of human geography . The module will trace the traditions of this gradual harmonisation of resource management discourse and how it plays out conceptually, empirically and at the interface of environmental science, policy and practice. The module will also set this tradition in a critical frame, drawing back to underlying assumptions about the idea of nature, and the relationship between nature, economy, human development and well-being. It will also have a practical edge by covering issues of environmental citizenship and the ethical, procedural and practical rationales that underpin different forms and levels of engagement in environmental decision making.
Total contact hours: 22
Private study hours: 128
Total study hours: 150
BA in Environmental Social Science
BSc Human Geography
BSc in Wildlife Conservation
BA Social Anthropology
Exam, 2 hour (50%)
Group Poster and Presentation (20%)
Essay (30%) 2000 words
Reassessment methods
Like for Like.
Berkes, F., Colding, J. and Folke, C. (2003) Navigating social-ecological systems: building resilience for complexity and change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Liu, J. et al. (2007) 'Coupled Human and Natural Systems', AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment, 36(8), pp. 639–649
Morgan Robertson (2012) ‘Measurement and alienation: making a world of ecosystem services’, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers
Norgaard, R. B. (2010) ‘Ecosystem services: From eye-opening metaphor to complexity blinder’, Ecological Economics, 69(6), pp. 1219–1227
Potschin, M. et al. (eds) (2016) Routledge Handbook of Ecosystem Services. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
8.1 Understand the relationship between society and nature from the starting point of Human Geography in general and social-ecological systems research in particular;
8.2 Contextualise social-ecological systems research with respect to wider developments in environmentalism, environmental policy and integrated approaches to natural resource management
8.3 Critically assess current evidence of environmental change and scenarios for the future and their relationship to scientific and policy agendas for sustainability
8.4 Evaluate the roles of market, states and civil society action in promoting sustainable use of environmental assets in a range of geographical contexts for decision making
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