AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course provides students with the theoretical and practical foundations for evaluating, on a biophysical basis, the value of natural systems and their contribution to human well-being. In this context, it will also provide the skills for designing and implementing environmental restoration activities aimed at the recovery of natural systems and their ability to provide ecosystem services.

Attendance and active participation in the proposed educational activities (lectures and laboratory work) as well as individual study will enable the student to:
- develop analyses of environmental sustainability levels;
- evaluate the value of natural capital in biophysical and monetary terms;
- identify and quantify the ecosystem services and functions provided by natural systems;
- quantify the benefits derived from conservation, protection, and restoration of natural systems.

TEACHING METHODS

The course is structured around lectures delivered by the instructors, during which the theory will be presented and applied to various examples and through the resolution of exercises. In their personal work, the student will need to acquire the knowledge and concepts underlying the topics covered and be able to solve exercises and develop evaluations.

The student will have access to the materials provided on the Aulaweb repository.

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Professor Sara Ferrando (sara.ferrando@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Ecosystems: defintions and basic concepts – concept of system – natural systems – thermodynamics of ecosystems – cybernetic systems and feedback – emergent properties
Concept of enfironmental sustainability – definition and history of the concept of environmental sustainability – sustainability as an emergent property of anthropogenic systems – measures of sustainability – ecological footprint – emergy analysis – life cycle assessment – greenhouse gas balance – growth and degrowth from a sustainability perspective – economic sustainability indices – sustainable economic welfare index

Natural capital - ecosystem services casacade

Definition of ecological restoration - Theoretical foundations (Landscape ecology, Ecosystem functions and services, Disturbance, Succession, Fragmentation and homogenisation) - Restoration ecology and conservation biology - Restoration and biological invasions - Regulatory framework - The principles and challenges of ecological restoration - Planning, implementation and monitoring of ecological restoration actions - Conservation and ecological restoration in the context of climate change - Ecological restoration and invasive species - Restoration cases: successes and failures

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Basi di ecologia. Eugene P. Odum; Piccin-Nuova Libraria
• Energy Basis for Man and Nature, H.T. Odum McGraw Hill Higher Education
• Environment, Power, and Society for the Twenty-First Century: The Hierarchy of Energy. H.T. Odum; Columbia University Press
• A Prosperous Way Down. H.T. Odum; University Press of Colorado
• La soglia della sostenibilità. E. Tiezzi et al.; Donzelli ed
• Herman E. Daly, Joshua Farley. Ecological Economics, Second Edition: Principles and Applications - Island Press
• Herman e. Daly. Beyond growth: the economics of sustainable development. Beacon press
• Herman e. Daly. An introduction to ecological economics, second edition. Crc press
• Robert Costanza, John H Cumberland, Herman Daly, Robert Goodland, Richard B Norgaard, Ida Kubiszewski, Carol Franco. Ecological economics and sustainable development: selected essays of herman daly (advances in ecological economics). Edward elgar publishing

Available for download from AulaWeb are copies of the PowerPoint presentations used in class, as well as scientific articles and technical documentation for further exploration of the topics covered.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

PAOLO POVERO (President)

VALENTINA ASNAGHI

SARAH MAGOZZI

CHIARA PAOLI (President Substitute)

PAOLO VASSALLO (President Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Refer to the detailed schedule at the following link: https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti/

Please check the specific AulaWeb page for the course for any updates.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of a written and an oral exam.

The written test is composed of multiple-choice questions and short essays.

The oral exam will verify the actual acquisition of knowledge, which the student will have to be able to connect and integrate. The ability to synthesize and recognize the main aspects of the topic will be evaluated and the ability to expose the arguments clearly and with correct terminology will also be considered. The exam will begin with the presentation of a case study (among those proposed in class or chosen by the student) and will continue with some questions relating to the topics covered in class.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Details on exam preparation methods and the level of depth for each topic will be provided during the lectures. The written exam will assess the actual acquisition of basic knowledge of the methodologies covered in class and their applications. Problems and open questions will allow the evaluation of the ability to apply knowledge in practical situations. The student should be able to connect and integrate the knowledge learned during the lectures to propose solutions and approaches from a sustainable development perspective.

Exam schedule