Explore wildlife management - an essential and fascinating field!

This is a foundational entry level course designed to develop skills that are valuable for working in wildlife parks, zoos, refuges or other wildlife management related fields.

This course incorporates several key subject areas, training students in areas of expertise which are sought after within positions which centre around wildlife management. 

Duration: 600 hours of self-paced study.

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

Click on the module titles below to learn more about each.

Introduction To Ecology

Wildlife Management

Ornithology

Marine Studies I

Environmental Assessment

MODULE OVERVIEW

There are seven lessons in this course:

1. Ecosystems & Populations 
2. The Development of Life 
3. Animals, Parasites & Endangered Species 
4. Fungi, Tundra, Rainforests & Marshlands 
5. Mountains, Rivers & Deserts 
6. Shallow Waters 
7. Ecological Problems
   

2. VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY

The course is divided into ten lessons:

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 Eurarchonta

3. WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT

The course is divided into nine lesson:

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

4. ORNITHOLOGY

The course consists of nine lessons:

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

5. MARINE STUDIES I

This course has 9 lessons:

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

6. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

There are 8 lessons in this course:

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

How The Course Works 

To complete the course, you are required to study six 100-hour modules.

There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. For example, in the Animal Behaviour module, there are eight lessons, so eight assignments.

At the end of each module, there is also an examination which you can take at a time and location to suit you.

To pass the course you are required to pass all assignments and six exams.

Goals of Wildlife Management

The goals of wildlife management vary considerably with the situation. Goals of wildlife management plans can include:

• Maintain a desirable population at a healthy level.
• Reduce the population of an undesirable species.
• Allow for sustainable removal of animals from a population – for example, harvesting wildlife for meat.
• Increase numbers of an endangered species.

Approaches to Wildlife Management

Preservation

Wildlife preservation is where wildlife managers try to leave a population or habitat in its natural state. Active management may be required to maintain or recreate naturally occurring populations of animals and plants. Basically, areas are protected from destruction and are left so that nature takes its course. When nature takes its course, it may not always be favourable for the wildlife involved as change is inevitable in natural systems. The survival of the American Whooping Crane is an example of Preservation. The population size of this species has grown from a critical level of 15 individuals to just under 300 species due to the preservation of key breeding sites such as Wood Buffalo National Park.

Conservation

Conservation can have various meanings to different groups. In this course, conservation means that wildlife managers are actively managing a natural system to maintain and use natural resources in such as way as to preserve its biodiversity for future generations of humans and animals. For example, in Uganda, East Africa, statutes are in place to allow for the protection of wildlife whilst allowing managers to sustainably harvest resources such as timber.

Management

Management is the focus of this course. It involves the manipulation of populations to achieve specific objectives for wildlife and humans. This manipulation may be in order to increase the size of the population, to “harvest” animals in a sustainable way or to reduce or stabilise a population. Management can be applied to both pest and desirable species. For example, across most of Australia, the red fox is a major pest species due to its success as a predator of native wildlife and livestock. Wildlife managers are attempting to control this population through a baiting program in conjunction with trapping and shooting.

Why Study with ACS?

Design your own learning pathway.

Study at your own pace, from anywhere, at any time. 

Receive prompt, expert support from our team of committed and friendly tutors.

Your learning is our priority. We are flexible and adaptable to meet your educational needs!

Enrolling is easy - just go to the top of this page and select your study method and payment option.

If you have any questions about studying with ACS, or want to know more about any of our courses, get in touch with our specialist tutors today. They will be happy to answer your questions and look at different study options to fit in with your goals.