If your dream is to work outdoors with nature or animals; this course is for you.
Appropriate for anyone working with or want to work with, national parks, wilderness parks or wildlife parks. Nature Park Management A provides you with practical skills and knowledge to manage the challenges experienced in a rewarding position that is more of a lifestyle than a job.
Students who study Nature Park management A should continue on to Park Management B.
Course Aims:
- Explain the importance of the interrelationships between various components of a natural environment within an ecosystem.
- Develop management strategies for soils within a natural ecosystem.
- Develop management strategies for plant maintenance practices, in nature parks.
- Design a nature park, or a section within a nature park.
- Develop management strategies for the control of weed problems in a nature park.
- Develop management strategies for the rehabilitation of degraded sites in a nature park.
There are 12 Lessons in this course:
- Introduction to Nature Parks
- Role of nature parks
- National parks
- Zoos and wildlife parks
- Reserves
- Role of community groups in nature parks
- Using indigenous plants
- Benefits of indigenous remnant vegetation
- Naturalised plants
- Plant identification: plant reviews
- Basic Ecology
- Ecology and its application
- Constituents of an ecosystem: biotic and abiotic
- Ecosystem function
- Heterotrophic vs, autotrophic
- Ecological concepts
- Ecology relationships
- Climatic zones
- Climate: soil: vegetation interrelationships
- Plant association
- Living things
- Classification of animals
- Plant classification
- Using keys
- Botanical families for different genera: a framework for identifying plants
- Soil Management in Nature Parks
- Soil Management Overview
- Earthworks in nature parks
- Soil degradation
- Erosion
- Causes, types and control of erosion
- Salinity
- Sources of salinity
- Control methods for soil salinity
- Soil acidification, and causes
- Compaction of soil
- Chemical residues
- Soil and plant growth
- Naming the soil
- Improving soils
- Sampling soils
- Nutrient availability and pH
- Fertilizers and nutrient components
- Terminology
- Plant Maintenance
- Plant maintenance in nature parks
- Plant selection
- Economics of planting
- Ongoing costs
- Longevity
- Aesthetic criteria for plant selection
- Natural gardening techniques
- Using hardy, pest free plants
- Planting for a succession
- Equipment: a more sustainable and natural approach
- Avoiding problem materials
- Disposing of waste
- Composting
- Planting procedure
- Staking plants
- When to plant
- Machinery for park maintenance: overview
- Design of Nature Parks I
- Nature park design
- Landscaping procedure
- Pre planning information
- Landscape plans
- Design procedure
- Design of Nature Parks II
- Designing animal enclosures
- Cages and pens
- Open range enclosures
- Designing and siting animal enclosures
- Specifications and contracts
- Weed Management in Nature Parks
- Characteristics of weeds
- Weed control options
- Chemical control
- Biological control
- Non chemical control
- Plants which take over
- Environmental weeds
- Pest and Disease Management
- Pest and disease control: chemical and non chemical
- Using chemicals safely
- Understanding plant pathology
- How to inspect plants for suspected problems
- Insect biology and classification
- Laws related to chemical use
- Types of poisons
- Understanding toxicity
- Review of main types of plant pests
- Review of common fungal problems affecting plants
- Culture of Indigenous Plants
- Growing indigenous plants in nature park
- Plant establishment: direct planting, direct seeding, natural regeneration
- Planting design
- Planting techniques: pocket planting, slope serration, wattling, planting arid sites, direct seeding, spray seeding
- Tree Management in Nature Parks
- The role of trees
- Tree maintenance plan
- Arboriculture (overview)
- Safety for tree surgery
- Tree surgery techniques
- Turf Care in Nature Parks
- Introduction
- Choosing turf grasses
- Feature lawns
- Picnic areas
- Areas for sport, gardens, parks
- Establishing a new lawn
- Review of turf varieties
- Turf maintenance procedures
- Topdressing
- Rehabilitation Problems and Solutions
- Land rehabilitation in nature parks
- Site plan information needed
- Site management plan
- Soil problems on degraded sites
- Dry areas, overcoming dry soils, managing sandy soils
- What causes wet areas
- Overcoming problems with wet areas
- Factors affecting rehabilitation: debris, mass plantings, water, topsoil, exotic organisms