Course Duration

10 days

Course Aim

The coastal zone provides a source of food, recreation and economic wealth. Marine resources are used either directly or indirectly by most Australians, the majority of whom live along our coastlines. Marine Resource Management, by necessity, is multi-dimensional taking into consideration the interactions of humans and the marine resources off Australia’s coasts. It relates to the sustainable use of marine resources, such as fisheries recognising the inevitable trade off between economic development for social equity. Thus those involved in Marine Resource Management have the challenging task of balancing the often-conflicting needs of stakeholders.

This course will emphasise the management of marine resources following the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development. The course will take a systems approach to marine resource management and will be structured into three distinct sections:

(a) the natural system
(b) the human system
(c) the management system

Content

The course will focus primarily on fisheries issues with emphasis on taking a holistic approach for the integrated management of the multiple users of marine resources and the marine environment. The natural system will provide an introduction to the diversity of marine resources and marine environments, the principles of ecological monitoring and habitat mapping. The human system will cover the users of marine resources, and identify the costs and benefits of these uses from economic, social and ecological perspectives. The management system will emphasise the management of the interaction between the human system and the natural system using the principles of ecologically sustainable development. Other contemporary marine resource management issues such as marine biosecurity, marine zoning and marine protected areas, and beach management will also be highlighted during the course.

Who Should Attend?

The course is aimed at those interested in Marine Resource Management but without advanced technical understanding of the various disciplines. Participants without formal qualifications will be admitted to this introductory course. The course may be used in preparation for more specialised courses in areas such as fisheries management, coastal zone management, environmental management, aquaculture policy and planning, or aquatic resource administration. Case studies and the general emphasis will concentrate on Australia and New Zealand but examples from other regions will also be used.

Learning Outcomes

This course is designed to develop an understanding of the multidisciplinary nature of Marine Resource Management . At the completion of the course, participants should be able to: (1) identify the costs and benefits of using marine resources, (2) prioritise marine resource management issues, (3) construct marine resource management objectives to meet the principles of ecologically sustainable development. (4) recommend strategies to meet marine resource management objectives, and (5) evaluate the effectiveness of marine resource management plans.