Gestão e Políticas de Ambiente e Território

Objectives

Students are expected to learn about the relationship between the environment and the territory in terms of policy and management, driven by sustainability principles. All that relates to the environment happens in the territory, and all territorial dynamics results in positive or negative expressions on the environment. Ultimately several global trends, such as climate change, have effects on the environment-territory relationship. There is a strong symbiosis between environment and territory and the two should be worked together. Students will learn about underlying concepts and instruments that are relevant in the policy and management of this relationship, in the context of sustainability. Students must understand the processes of transformation of territories, identify and analyse environmental assets that value territories, the territorial processes that may affect the global and integrated environment, considering both the synergies and conflict relationships that are established between activities and natural cultural and social resources, as well as the relationships between different activities. By the end of the semester students will have developed capacities and competencies to work with the environment as an added value to the territory, to ensure that contribute to a balanced and sustainable territorial development process.

Syllabus

Concepts: environment, territory, resources, sustainability, systems, resilience, carrying capacity. Socio-ecological systems. Study cases: sustainability strategies, integration of environment into urban and rural planning. Mega trends and global challenges for environment and the territory I: climate issues. EU Climate Strategy. Climate Change policies in Portugal. II: biodiversity, ecosystem services, poverty and development. EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030. Biodiversity policy in Portugal. Innovative policy landmarks: EU Green Deal, strategies and the 8th environmental action framework. Agenda 2030 and Territorial Framework. Public participation and stakeholders’ engagement. Territorial components I: biophysical. EU Soil Strategy. EU Forest Strategy. Portuguese related policies. Territorial components II: socioeconomic. Community Well-being, sense of place. Territorial value in socio-ecological systems. Territorial Governance: multi- level, multi-scale, multi-actor. Instruments. Participatory and Integrated approach in planning. Negotiation, conflict, and conciliation of interests.

Prerequisites

General Ecology, Applied Ecology and Landscape, Fundamentals of Spatial Planning, Energy, Climate and Environment, Social Sciences and Environment, Hydrology and Water Resources.

Cross Competence Component

The UC allows the development of transversal competences in critical and innovative thinking (namely strategic thinking and problem solving approach), interpersonal and intrapersonal competences (in oral presentations, organisational and team work in project development), literacy (of information and media, ability to locate and access information, as well as to analyse and evaluate media contents) and global citizenship, with self-discipline, perseverance, self-motivation. All these skills are developed in class participation, team work for project development and its presentations. The percentage of evaluation associated with these skills should be in the order of 20%.

Ethical Principles

All members of a group are responsible for the group's work. In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used. In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.