The development of the Master's Degree in Biodiversity, Landscapes and Sustainable management , taught at the School of Sciences for 10 years, left an experience and a talent that could not be wasted. For almost two years now, the School of Sciences and that of Economics and Business, commissioned by the Sustainability Commission of the University of Navarra, have been working to take advantage of this experience, with the goal to improve the transition of the economic sectors towards a more sustainable Economics from the environmental, social and economic point of view. The product designed is this online course, which focuses on the importance of Landscape in the field of sustainability, considering it as something vital for the training of the students of the University of Navarra.

 

The course, degree scroll Own, online and free, is proposed as a basic training to address in the future the training in sustainability, one of the priority objectives of the University and in fact framed in its strategic plan. It represents an excellent opportunity for the University to be a reference in training in sustainability, area which is one of the major trends of the century and generates great academic, business, social and political interest. In fact, a broader course on Sustainability is planned for the future, of which this would be the first module.

The target audience is primarily the students of the University of Navarra, but it is also offered to university students from Spain and Latin America, including people very interested in topic: the knowledge of the landscape and its relationship with sustainability. In the future - hopefully in the near future - it will be offered in English.

The objectives are: for student to recognize the main elements and factors of the landscapes in which human life is developed or enjoyed; to relate these factors to each other -in a transversal way-, even when they are present in different landscapes; and to recognize the context of each landscape, what makes it valuable, dangerous or susceptible to be degraded, both due to natural causes and those derived from human activity. This scenario is essential for citizens to understand the implications of their actions on the environment and to facilitate the transition of citizens and collectives towards a sustainable world.

 

The methodology is not original (it is based on the usual methodology for other online courses), but we have sought to provide a high quality visual experience. For this, we have counted with the participation of business Dynamium, with extensive experience in e-Learning and that builds its projects oriented to learning, motivation and training. The images and videos are always of high quality, seek to include student in the landscape itself, and almost all of them are original materials created expressly for this course. After viewing an introductory video for each landscape, a "Screen summary" opens, an interactive image that presents and relates concepts. From this screen, the student can intuitively access to additional information sheets, short explanatory videos, and bibliography recommended. When the student has visualized all the formative elements, he/she accesses a self-assessment of a few questions that has as goal to establish the concepts core topic.

The Landscape, what is visible to human beings when we think of "their" environment, constitutes the conceptual framework of the course, and directly affects an issue of relevant interest to many young university students who wish to understand the importance of its care and improvement. This environment is presented in the form of eight landscapes.

• Alpine or Mountain: mainly influenced by the relief and altitude, which implies extreme temperature ranges and high irradiation. In the highest zones the forest disappears. It presents similarities with the tundra. Very sensitive to problems such as climate change.

• Atlantic: it is the representative in mid-latitudes of the "temperate forests", although in some areas there may be areas with forests similar to those present in high latitudes below the tundra: taiga. Monospecific, or almost so, they occupy areas inhabited by man since ancient times.

• Mediterranean: the trees belong to species adapted to the lack of water in the environment and in the soil. Dependent on or caused by a very characteristic climatology present, in addition to the Mediterranean basin, in the western part of South and North America, South Africa and Australia.

• Semi-arid and arid: present in many parts of the world, with a very wide range of conditions and characteristics, it is due to the lack of water (or its presence but inaccessible to plants). Trees are scarce, plants and animals are very adapted, and when inhabited by man, it is in very harsh conditions.

• Tropical: characterized by forests of high diversity, with life concentrated in the forest canopy (upper part of the trees). "Water cycle" rather Closed, poor soils and susceptible to degradation in the absence of its vegetation.

• Fluvial: restricted to a narrow area and close to river courses or lakes, and to those courses themselves. It could be said to have two dimensions: aquatic and terrestrial, the terrestrial being strongly influenced by the water present in the other.

• Coastal: characterized by the close presence of salt water from the sea in the terrestrial dimension, and the possibility of maintaining a high diversity within the water in the zone where light still enters. It is highly variable depending on the relief of transition to the water and the nature of the substrate. It is highly influenced by human action and is particularly vulnerable to problems arising from climate change.

• Urban: characterized by the almost total transformation of the existing landscape by man. The presence of constructions is only one of the important changes derived: soil sealing, substitution of plant species, facilitation of the arrival of exotic animals are only part of them.

The course is open from October 2020 and lasts approximately 11 weeks (7 hours per week), which is equivalent to 3 ECTS credit.

If you want to sign up you can click here: #EntiendeElMedioAmbiente