CODE | IMS5032 | ||||||||
TITLE | The Maltese Natural Heritage | ||||||||
UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||
MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||
ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||
DEPARTMENT | Institute of Maltese Studies | ||||||||
DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will familiarise students with the natural heritage of the Maltese Islands from both a theoretical and practical aspect. It will be concerned with the ecological, historical, cultural, and economic aspect of the environment. This study-unit will focus on these main themes: - Formation of the Maltese Islands: This will explore the ongoing geological and geomorphological processes that have formed the Maltese Islands in a Mediterranean context. This session will serve as a basis for interpretation of the aspects treated in subsequent sessions. - Terrestrial flora and fauna: This theme will be covered over three sessions; one deals with the flora and vegetation, one with invertebrates and a third with vertebrates. - Marine flora and fauna: this session will provide students with an overview of the biodiversity in the marine environment around the Maltese Islands. - Anthropology and Natural Heritage: Students will be given an insight into the vast array and diversity of human activities on land and water and how these impinge on natural heritage of the Maltese Islands. - Water and water scarcity: these aspects will be covered over two sessions and will include the accumulation, extraction, and usage patterns of freshwater. - Impact of climate change: this session will be concerned with the present and future impacts of climatic change on the Maltese Islands. Mitigation and adaptation measures will also be treated. A field trip to a natural site (usually Dwejra, Gozo) is included in the programme. The objective of the field trip is to present the integration of the separate strands referred to during the lecture programme. Study-unit Aims The broad aims of this study unit are the following: - To familiarise students with various aspects of the Maltese natural heritage. - To familiarise students with the integrated structure of the natural environment. - To enable students to draw connections and construct linkages between different components of the natural environment. - To inculcate awareness of biological and other natural resources that would then be transmitted onward. - To emphasise the role of human activity in changing natural equilibria. Learning Outcomes 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - List and describe the principal habitats of the Maltese natural environment. - Describe the mode of formation of the Maltese Islands and relate this to observable geological and geomorphological features. - Compare habitats with each other and describe the energy flows between them and the environment. - Explain the role of human activity in modifying natural equilibria. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Analyze a natural context and predict possible outcomes of an action on this. - Recognise some of the most frequently-occurring flora and fauna in the Maltese Islands. - Recognise the principal rock layers in the Maltese Islands. - Trace water flows through the natural environment of the Maltese Islands. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Baldacchino, A. E., & Azzopardi, J. (2007). L-Ghasafar li jbejtu fl-ambjent naturali tal-Gzejjer Maltin. Malta University Services. - Conrad, E., & Cassar, L. F. (2007). Coasts & Conflicts: Towards harmonization and integration in the Mediterranean. International Environment Institute, University of Malta. - Grove, A. T., & Rackham, O. (2003). The Nature of Mediterranean Europe: An Ecological History. Yale University Press. - Haslam, S. M., & Borg, J. (1998). The River Valleys of the Maltese Islands: Environment and Human Impact. Islands and Small States Institute, FIS, Malta & CIHEAM, Italy. - Lanfranco, S. (2003). L-Ambjent Naturali tal-Gzejjer Maltin. Kullana Kulturali, PIN, Malta. - Lockhart, D. G., Drakakis-Smith, D., & Schembri, J. (Eds.). (1993). The Development Process in Small Island States (pp. 247-266). Routledge. - Pedley, H. M., Hughes-Clarke, M., & Galea, P. (2002). Limestone Isles in a Crystal Sea – the geology of the Maltese Islands. PEG Ltd. - Schembri, P. J., & Baldacchino, A. E. (1998). Ilma, Blat u Hajja, Is-Sisien tal-Ambjent Naturali Malti. Malta University Publishers Ltd. - Sultana, J., & Falzon, V. (Eds.). (1996). Wildlife of the Maltese Islands. Environment Protection Department, Malta. |
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STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Visit | ||||||||
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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LECTURER/S | Marc Andrea Cassar Joseph A. Borg Mark Anthony Falzon Reuben Grima Sandro Lanfranco (Co-ord.) Julian Mamo |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |