Naturalistic building upon applied in conservation

Duration

8d FW

Number of credits

Lecturer

Nicolas Magain

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

All year long

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

To be able to identify species around ourselves is a great asset for the general knowledge of biologists. It is also a highly valuable skill on the job market.

Students from the master in organisms biology and ecology come from very diverse backgrounds. The aim of this course is that by the end of the year, everyone can identify the most common and most iconic species of our regions.

You will learn to identify these species during organized field outings, as well as by personal field outings, for example activities organized by NGOs or specialists.

 

The covered taxonomical groups are for fauna:

• Bats
• Birds
• Amphibians and reptiles
• Butterflies

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

The mail goal is to learn to identify the most common or characteristic species of our regions. Indeed, identifying and recognizing species is crucial for elaborating conservation projects or impact studies.
Another goal is to link the presence of species with geological and ecological characteristics of the sites.
Finally, bring attention to the threats on some of these species and the different ways to preserve biodiversity in our regions.
This course also requires that the student learns by himself outside of organized classes, which is a crucial aspect for acquiring a solid naturalist knowledge.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

There is no strict prerequisite, but it is useful to have a basic knowledge of botany, zoology and geology, as well as the use of identification keys (such as the blue flora of belgium) and knowing the main habitats and regions of Belgium (as seen in « Biodiversité et Ecologie » in Bloc 2 of bachelor in biological sciences and  « Biodiversité »  in bloc 3).

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The course is mostly organized in the field with specialists of the taxonomical groups studied. These field outings are organized all along the academic year and each outing is focused on a specific taxonomic group, even if all species encountered can be covered. Outings on groups not covered by the exam, such as mushrooms, may be organized too.

 

Eight days of outings are organized in Belgium 

A few courses in the classroom will also be organized, including a revision session, and a session on identification of bats during the winter.

All species in the list won't be observed in the field during the course every year, and the student needs to learn to recognize them by himself, in addition to the outings organized by us. 

A notebook, a field lense, binoculars and naturalistic field guides will be useful during field days.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

See French text

Course materials and recommended or required readings

All documents and slideshows used will be available on eCampus. Moreover, information about naturalist outings organized in Belgium and other information will be available on the Facebook page « Biologie de la conservation - ULiège (1MBOE & 2MBCBG) ».

 

Recommended books: 

 

• La Flore bleue de Belgique (J. Lambinon, F. Verloove ; Ed. Jardin Botanique National de Belgique, 6ème edition).
• Le guide ornitho. Svensson, Mullarney & Zetterström. Ed. Delachaux et Niestlé, 2015.
• Papillons d'Europe et d'Afrique du Nord. Tolman & .Lewington. Ed. Delachaux et Niestlé, 2010.
• Clé de détermination photographique des papillons de jour de Belgique, par Stéphane Claerebout, Ed. Léon Woué, réalisé par CNB.
• L'encyclopédie des chauves-souris d'Europe et d'Afrique du Nord. Dietz, C., von Helversen, O. & Nill, D. Ed. Delachaux et Niestlé, 2009.
• Les chauves-souris de France, Belgique, Luxembourg et Suisse. Arthur & Lemaire. Ed. Biotopes, 2009.
• Amphibiens et Reptiles de Wallonie. Jacob J.-P., Percsy C., de Wavrin H., Graitson E., Kinet T., Denoël M., Paquay M., Percsy N. & Remacle A. (2007). Série Faune - Flore - Habitats n° 2. Aves - Raînne et Direction Générale des Ressources naturelles et de l'Environnement, Ministère de la Région wallonne, Namur.

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

oral exam


Further information:

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

oral exam

- Remote

oral exam

Written work / report


Additional information:

Any session :

- In-person

oral exam

- Remote

oral exam

- If evaluation in "hybrid"

preferred in-person


Additional information:



The objective of the assessment is to verify that you have learned to recognize the species characteristic of our regions. The first part of the assessment consists of an oral exam at the end of the year, which will primarily focus on the student's memory recognition skills.

A list of animals and plants that the student must be able to recognize is provided at the beginning of the year and is available on eCampus.
The student must be able to visually identify twenty animal species and twenty plant species from the groups covered in class. Animals must be recognized based on photographs. Plants must be recognized based on photographs or freshly collected samples. The student must also be able to recognize five bird calls based on a list of songs provided in advance. The groups concerned are: - Chiroptera (bats) - Birds - Amphibians and Reptiles - Lepidoptera Rhopalocera (butterflies) - Angiosperms (flowering plants), Gymnosperms (especially conifers), and Pteridophytes (ferns and horsetails). Identification must be done visually without external assistance. Guides, written notes, or lists are not permitted.

Both the "fauna" and "flora" sections must be passed, with a score of at least 10/20 each, for the exam to be validated. If the student passes either section, they will only need to retake the unsuccessful section in the second session.

The second part of the assessment consists of preparing five reports describing personal activities carried out by the student during the year on the theme of temperate European biodiversity, for example, an inventory of species encountered during a walk (with species names in French and Latin), a guided tour of a nature reserve, or a naturalist training course. The list of species encountered during each outing must be attached to the report and entered on observations.be (an introduction to this portal will be provided). Each report must be between 1 and 5 pages. The evaluation criteria will be scientific interest, accuracy, depth of thought, and quality of writing. If the student has any doubts regarding the relevance of an activity to a report, they can contact the instructor by sending an email to nicolas.magain@uliege.be.

The overall grade will be calculated as follows: exam (70%) - reports (20%) - attendance and participation in outings (10%). The participation grade includes respect and attentiveness to the speakers and active participation in the outings.

Absences must be justified. Any unjustified absence will be penalized.

Work placement(s)

N/A

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

We will go to most field outings by car pooling. Students must form groups of 4 or 5 with a driver. Students without a driver needs to contact the professor.

 

List of plates of cars must be provided to the professor before the first class.

 

Mileage expenses will be reimbursed at the end of the year within the limits of the available budget.

Contacts

 

Nicolas Magain

nicolas.magain@uliege.be

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