Study Abroad

Agriculture / Wildlife

May 26, 2013 - July 10, 2013

Tarleton State University plans to offer two courses in natural resource management at Ukulima Farm, WLDM 490 - Wildlife Conservation and Management in Southern Africa and AGRI 490 - Agricultural and Ecosystem Studies in Southern Africa. The courses will be structured in such a way the students can enroll in both courses simultaneously, and we anticipate a significant overlap in enrollment. The value added knowledge and experience will be greatest in co-participation in the two courses, but co-participation is not a requirement. Limited enrollment.

WLDM 490 Wildlife Conservation and Management in Southern Africa

The goal of this course will be to introduce students to the wildlife resources of southern Africa, with a focus on wildlife management and conservation in the context of continued development. We will address issues such as human-wildlife conflicts, the role of wildlife in ecotourism activities, and the management of wildlife on both public and private lands. The course will include a classroom component and a field component, where students will engage in hands-on activities geared toward understanding African wildlife ecology and management.

AGRI 490 Agricultural and Ecosystem Studies in Southern Africa

The course will link basic hands on measurements and determinations of soil and the resulting vegetative communities to land uses. Both arable and non-arable land(s) capabilities will be evaluated for use in cultivation, grazing, forestry, wildlife food, and wildlife cover and special emphasis will be given to understanding how to minimize environmental harm. Investigations will include transects from savanna to grassland and changes from savanna, or grassland, to watering holes (topo sequences). Vegetation community and soil types will be compared with emphasis on ecosystem interactions. Course participants will be introduced to, and then gain hands on, the use of practical applications of basic agronomic and environmental measurements in laboratory and field settings. Linkages and implications of land stewardship decisions become more real in discussions about sustainability with Africa as the natural laboratory. Understanding world sustainability of land resources will be enhanced in participants of this course.

Information

Approximate Cost:
$3,375.00 for one course; $4,200.00 for two courses (Includes all in-country expenses - lodging, meals, excursions, in-country transportation. Does not include tuition & fees or airfare to Johannesburg.

Program Director:
Dr. T. Wayne Schwertner
254-968-9218

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