CERTIFICATE IN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT VEN003

This course provides with knowledge and practical skills to people working or wishing to work in wildlife care and management.

Wildlife management is the manipulation of wild animal populations and their habitats for the benefit of both humans and wildlife. Wildlife management includes running parks and reserves, altering and rehabilitating wildlife habitats, pest control, protecting human life and property and managing harvests of wildlife.

Controlling populations of wildlife may take one of the following forms:

1. Managing wildlife habitats

2. Managing people
3. Managing individuals in populations so that the population will either change or remain constant.

The techniques and types of wildlife management vary depending on your location, and as with any job, you will find that you will need to carry out research into the local methods and types of wildlife management. This course is designed to give students a broad based introduction to the principles and practices of wildlife management common to many species around the globe.

COURSE STRUCTURE

To obtain the certificate you must successfully complete all assignments and pass an examination in the following 6 modules.

Module 1 - INTRODUCTION TO ECOLOGY

There are seven lessons in this course as follows:

1. Ecosystems & Populations
   Components of an ecosystem, Biomes, Detrital & grazing webs, trophic levels, energy flows etc
2. The Development of Life
   Lifespans, Natural selection, Genetics, Understanding arguments for and against theory of evolution, etc.
3. Animals, Parasites & Endangered Species
   Comparative anatomy, how animals fit in ecosystems, animals in the human community, parasites, etc
4. Fungi, Tundra, Rainforests & Marshlands
   Physiology, anatomy, classification and ecology of fungi; Location, the climate, the plant and animal life related to different systems including tundra, marshes and rainforests.
5. Mountains, Rivers & Deserts
   Formation ecology and importance of mountains (including erosion, volcanoes etc), formation & types of rivers, catchments, dams, deserts and their ecology, etc.
6. Shallow Waters
   Shore lines, coral reefs, intermediate reefs, estuaries, sandy shores, etc.
7. Ecological Problems
   The Greenhouse Effect, The Ozone Layer, Poisons & Waste Materials

Module 2 - VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY

The course is divided into ten lessons as follows:

1. Vertebrate Taxonomy and Diversity
2. Fishes
3. Ectotherms: Amphibians and Reptiles
4. Birds
5. Overview of Mammals
6. Marsupials
7. Mammalian Glires and Insectivora
8. Carnivores
9. Hooved Mammals: Ungulata
10. Primates and other Archonta

Module 3 - WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT

The course is divided into nine lessons as follows:

1. Introduction To Wildlife Management
2. Wildlife Ecology
3. Wildlife Habitats
4. Population Dynamics
5. Carrying Capacity
6. Wildlife Censuses
7. Wildlife Management Techniques
8. Wildlife Management Law And Administration
9. Wildlife Management Case Study Research Project

Module 4 - ORNITHOLOGY

The course consists of nine lessons.

1. Classification & Introduction to Birdwatching.
2. The Biology of Birds: Anatomy, external & internal structure, breeding, eggs etc.
3. Common and Widespread Land Birds: Pests, introduced birds, pigeons, crows & their relatives, etc.
4. Giant Birds & Long Legged Birds: Emu, Ostrich, Herons, Storks & Relatives etc
5. Seabirds & Waterbirds
6. Hunters -Birds of Prey, Owls, Kingfishers
7. Passeriformes
8. Other Birds Parrots, Honeyeaters, Swifts & others
9. Attracting, Feeding & Keeping Birds

Module 5 - MARINE LIFE I

This course has 9 lessons as follows:

1. Marine Ecology Systems
2. Shallow Waters & Reefs
3. Shellfish & Crustaceans
4. Squid, Octopus, and Other Primitive Animals
5. Fish Part A
6. Fish Part B
7. Marine Mammals
8. Turtles, Sea Snakes and Seabirds
9. Human Impact on Marine Environments & Fishing

Module 6 - ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

There are 8 lessons in this course as follows:

1. Types of Employment for Environmental Scientists.
2. Introduction to Environmental Assessment.
3. International Environmental Law.
4. Domestic Environmental Law
5. Types of Environmental Assessments
6. The Design and Process of Environmental Assessment.
7. Writing Environmental Reports Research Project

Duration: 600 hours

Fee Payment Options

You can pay either

• Full Fees
• As a two part payment plan
• As a four part payment plan

If you pay in full on enrolment, the fees are discounted.

If you pay in 2 parts, the first half of the course is supplied initially; and the second part payment is not made until you have completed the first half (at which time the second half of the course is supplied).

If you pay in 4 parts, the first half is still supplied; you are then billed a second payment (due 2 months later). The third payment becomes due when you commence the second half of the certificate.The fourth part is due 2 months after that.