Landscape Conservation and Recreation
PostgraduateTAS-KGA5272026
Course information for 2026 intake View information for 2025 course intake
Enrol today with instant approval and no entry requirements
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 15 Feb 2026
- Entry requirements
- No ATAR needed, No prior study
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Price from
- $3,382
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- FEE-HELP available
Landscape Conservation and Recreation
About this subject
Upon successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Construct inventories for geodiversity for heritage, tourism and conservation purposes.
- Evaluate land degradation and vulnerability of geodiversity elements and values.
- Recommend appropriate infrastructure, experiences, and management options for geodiversity elements using decision-support tools.
- Communicate geodiversity values to a range of specialist and non-specialist audiences.
- Scientific values assessment
- Geosites - scientific values assessment
- Impacts and degradation
- Additional values, secondary geodiversity, and geotourism
- Introduction to geotourism
- Making complex decisions in geotourism
- Geotourism valorisation and experience interpretation
- Sustainable development goals
- Rare, special and wonderful
- Geoparks and geotourism
- Communicating geoheritage and geotourism
Conservation efforts globally are focussed primarily on biodiversity, but geodiversity elements and features such as soils, rivers, mountains and caves provide humans with awe and inspiration, enjoyment, and a wealth of ecosystem and geosystem services. In this subject, you will learn about how to recognise geodiversity elements as critical system supports for biodiversity and ecosystem function, and to appreciate their cultural and recreational value for society. Using a series of masterclasses with global experts (in-field, in person and online), you will be immersed in the practices of geoconservation and 'geotourism'. With no prior knowledge or skills required, you will develop skills as a communicator and conservation professional, and learn how to: - Rank and assess geodiversity elements (as 'units' of conservation) and features in terms of their rarity, uniqueness, importance to science and society, - Construct inventories of abiotic, biotic and cultural elements and values for recreation and reserve establishment - Undertake in-field degradation assessments of landscapes used by humans for tourism and production - Recommend management strategies to restore landscape features and values for human enjoyment and wilderness protection - Undertake decision-making in a range of modes – graphical, consensus methods, GIS methods and qualitative methods. - Communicate landscape features and conservation strategies to a broad range of audiences and stakeholders. Any student interested in how to undertake conservation practice, curate heritage, restore degraded environments, assess landscape suitability for tourism and other ventures, or to communicate natural values will find KGA527 useful. All skills and knowledge required to successfully complete KGA527 are developed within the subject.
Online students should note that there is a requirement for some 'live' online participation in order to complete 'assurance of learning' assessment tasks.
All students in this subject (including those studying via distance, online and on campus) must attend EITHER a face-to-face field trip departing from Hobart (overnight, departing 7am Sat 11th April, returning Sun 12th April approx. 7pm AEST 2026), OR an online interactive training session (10 am - 4 pm AEDST Sat 28th and Sun 29th March AEDST 2026) in order to complete an assurance of learning assessment task. Any student can choose to attend either or both sessions, irrespective of enrolment or location - simply register on MyLO when prompted at the start of the semester.
- AT1: Data Collection Inventory. You will need to successfully complete this task to continue with KGA527. (10%)
- AT2: Geotrail or Heritage Trail (25%)
- AT3: Nomination to a (Geo)Heritage Register (35%)
- AT4: Video experience (30%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
No entry requirements
Equivalent subjects
You won't be able to enrol into this subject if you've already successfully completed or currently enrolled in the following subject(s) as they are considered anti-requisites due to the similarity of the content.
Additional requirements
- Equipment requirements - Access to a computer with a generous download and streaming allowance, and at least 30 GB of hard drive space is absolutely essential for maximal success in this subject. Please contact the unit coordinator if this will be a problem for you.
- Other requirements - KGA527 is delivered online and face-to-face. It's a bit different to other subjects you might undertake with us, in that this subject offers fully-developed and customised experiences for students attending on campus in Tasmania (face-to-face), online live - where you will have a dedicated teacher, customised virtual field experiences, and other activities to participate in with other online students conducted over Zoom, and online asynchronous whereby you complete all work in your own time (except AT1 and parts of AT2). All students in this subject (including those studying via distance, online and on campus) must attend EITHER a face-to-face field trip departing from Hobart (overnight, departing 7am Sat 11th April, returning Sun 12th April approx. 7pm AEST 2026), OR an online interactive training session (10 am - 4 pm AEDST Sat 28th and Sun 29th March AEDST 2026) in order to complete an assurance of learning assessment task. Any student can choose to attend either or both sessions, irrespective of enrolment or location - simply register on MyLO when prompted at the start of the semester. KGA527 trains you to be a competent abiotic landscape conservation or geoheritage professional in three ways: 1. Through weekly masterclass workshops (on-campus face-to-face; online live: watch later/asynchronous). These classes teach you skills related to conducting landscape assessments, curating inventory, designing sustainable recreational experiences, learning conservation approaches and challenges, and how to use digital and communication tools. This class is for KGA527 students only. 2. Via field immersion on Friday Week 3 (for on-campus, face-to-face students) or dynamic virtual field immersion (online live students, and available to participate in your own time/asynchronously). These experiences will help you to assess landscape and heritage degradation, recognise geodiversity elements, appreciate the impacts and options for development, restoration, and pure enjoyment of the physical environment. Please note, KGA327 students also attend either the online experience or field trip, but have a slightly different focus in their activities. 3. Through the togetherness of a field camp in April (any KGA527 student welcome) or professional seminars and specialist online training workshops in late March for students who can't attend camp. These experiences will enable you to meet and discuss conservation and recreation with world experts, learn how to conduct geotouristic assessments, and immerse yourself in the second-most geographically diverse landscape in the world, Tasmania. Please note, KGA327 students also attend either the online experience or field camp, but have a slightly different focus in their activities. Work towards AT2 occurs on this camp. For students attending the online sessions: The assurance of learning task necessitates that our staff have a chance to interact with you directly, so you will be required to join into the session using a device with a microphone and camera setting. Contact the Unit Coordinator (Melinda.McHenry@utas.edu.au) prior to enrolment to discuss ways in which you can access a place with microphone and camera settings if you do not have these items where you reside. Students attending camp will need to fund their own food, transport and accommodation costs, which in 2025 were approximately $150 for a 'mid-cost' option of coach transfer, shared cabin, purchased night-time meal and parks entry passes. Interstate students can arrange to loan camping equipment from our school at no cost, including sleeping mats, bags and tents. The assurance of learning task will be held during the camp.
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
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