Reference no: EM133191781 , Length: Word count: 5 Pages

Assignment Task: For this project you will create a hypothetical Natural Resource Management Plan with specific conservation actions for a given geographical area, or administrative unit, such as a campus, a park, or a municipal area such as a city, county, etc. The smaller the geographical area, the easier it will be to develop specific management actions to obtain the goals of the plan. ln the past, some students have created management plans for the WCU campus in Cullowhee. While it is not necessary to pick the campus as your managed area, students found it more familiar from a conceptual point of view. You may also use an imaginary geographical unit such as a new park. In order to keep the plan focused and less cumbersome, you will be choosing only two types of natural resources for specific conservation actions within your area. For example, one type of resource for specific conservation actions could be the forest resources on campus. Another resource could be conservation actions for aquatic resources such as wetlands and streams, such as Cullowhee Creek on the WCU campus. It is your decision which type of resources to include in the plan, and they do not have be all biological. You will propose and submit your two chosen resources for specific conservation actions in a separate earlier assignment.

Background information on methods for developing management plans, including a Resource Management Plan template example, will be provided and found within the Semester project module on Canvas. Examples of actual management plans for municipal areas are provided within the module. There is supplemental information in the Canvas module on different resource conservation issues, projects and actions that have been also historically implemented at WCU.

 While this project was originally intended for groups participation, I am requiring each student submit an individually written plan. You may participate in a small group setting, however, for collaboration, brainstorming ideas, and formulation of the plans. However, please restrict groups to 3 or 4 students. Extra Credit will be given to groups who provide presentations on their plans. This means that you may participate with a group, but it is not a requirement. While a group may collaboratively formulate a plan, the final plan will be written individually.

The final plan should be approximately a 5 - 6 page document, typed (12 point font, 1.15 spaced), and uploaded to Canvas. That is the minimal length, and it may become a longer document. There is a specific grammatical framework for the plan that is being suggested. An example of a resource plan template that could be roughly followed is the document "Management Plan Template." The plan should at least have five sections: Introduction, Property Description, Natural Resource Description, Management Vision and Goals, and Management Strategies (or Actions).

The plan should contain the following elements and categories:

For the overall plan:

Summary: Provides overview of the plan, why it has been prepared, issues addressed and what it seeks to achieve. State and give background information for the two chosen natural resources and explain why they were chosen.

Purpose: States what the plan does and why

Aims or Vision: Outlines statements of what is sought to be achieved.

Natural Resource descriptions of project area.

For each of the two chosen resources to be managed by the plan:

Objectives: States desired conservation achievements in specific terms, and their relative priority for each natural resource.

Strategies (or Actions): Identifies specific conservation actions or mechanisms for carrying aims and objectives into effect for each resource.

Principles for implementation:  Statements of guiding rules to be applied in implementation of each strategy, or action, for each resource.

In addition, the following information is optional but could be provided to help achieve the goals of the plan:

Contextual information: Provides essential background to the plan and what it means, such as relationships to catchments or bioregions

Definitions: Clearly explains the meaning of the concepts and terms used

Relationship to other plans: States how the plan interacts with other plans and frameworks

Status and enforceability: Identifies legal basis of the plan and responsibility for carrying out actions.