Module manager: Dr Anne Grainger
Email: a.grainger@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
Background knowledge of ecology, biogeography, environmental management, remote sensing and modelling
| GEOG3690 | Tropical forests and sustainable development |
This module is not approved as a discovery module
Tropical forests are one of the most important ecosystems on the planet, containing approximately half of global biodiversity, 40% of terrestrial carbon stocks and providing resources that directly and indirectly support millions of people. As a result, achieving sustainable development of these regions and reducing the rate that these ecosystems are being cleared and degraded has become an emblematic struggle of the conservation movement. Drawing on examples and case studies from South-East Asia, the module looks at how forests and land in the humid tropics are used and managed, and how this reflects trade-offs between the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development. It explores the methods that have been developed to model and monitor trends in land use and forest cover in the humid tropics, and how these methods are being employed in international schemes to mitigate, and adapt to, global climate change.
On completion of this module, students should have a detailed understanding of the literatures on modelling and monitoring changes in land use and forest cover in the humid tropics and their role in sustainable development.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated a detailed understanding of:
SSLO1: The distribution and dynamics of land use and forest cover in the humid tropics.
SSLO2: Their relation to national and international political debates about improving the sustainability of land use and forest management and conservation.
SSLO3: Techniques for modelling and monitoring changes in land use and forest cover in the humid tropics and their role in sustainable development.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
SKLO1: Critical thinking: critically evaluate alternative theories, methodologies, arguments and perspectives, and develop one's own perspectives.
SKLO2: Academic writing: write effective essays, in which a coherent line of argument is supported by relevant evidence and framed by academic convention.
SKLO3: Academic language: demonstrate academic writing conventions, and to select appropriate and effective methods of communication in different components of the module.
SKLO4: Time management: demonstrate the above objectives by effective planning of time, prioritizing of tasks and balancing academic and personal commitments.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 10 | 1.5 | 15 |
| Seminar | 10 | 0.5 | 5 |
| Private study hours | 80 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 100 | ||
Participation in seminars will ensure that students receive formative feedback on their progress.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Coursework | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 31/03/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team