https://at-ceu.studyguide.timeedit.net/modules/ENVS5091?type=COREEnvironmental monitoring is a broad field which intends to answer both very specific questions such as 'what is the concentration of lead in the water and is it above a threshold of safety' to very broad questions such as 'what is the condition of a particular ecosystem and is it changing?' Answering such questions with an effective monitoring strategy takes very different approaches. The lectures, discussions, readings and field exercises for this course are intended to expose the student to a wide range of monitoring strategies and current environmental issues.This course will introduce students to broad principles within the field of environmental monitoring followed by lectures using case studies to discuss principles of contaminant monitoring, use of bioindicators, and building partnerships using community-based monitoring. We will discuss how these methods may be used to monitor amphibian populations and their habitats. The field component will focus on the use of amphibians as bio-indicators of the integrity of freshwater habitats in the Pilis Hills and ponds adjacent to Lake Balaton. On-site habitat assessments will be complemented by quantitative field work using the amphibian road call count method. Group reports will be based on data derived from selected sites. Specifically, the course will focus on the following areas:1) Most monitoring programs fail to meet their stated goals because of insufficient work being done before the monitoring program is implemented. We will begin the course by discussing key issues that must be addressed for a successful study. 2) Building on the first lecture, we will discuss appropriate study design to ensure that the data derived from a monitoring program is capable of answering the questions of concern. This sounds obvious, but is where many monitoring programs fail. Even well-designed programs often fail to meet long-term goals due to financial constraints. Monitoring is expensive, and often resource challenging for any one person or agency. Partnerships using a volunteer or community-based approach are frequently seen as a means to overcoming these challenges. We will discuss the pros and cons of a volunteer-based monitoring program and will use the Marsh Monitoring Program in Canada as a case study which will provide some background to the field component of the course.3) Environmental monitoring is often a significant component of any resource development or infrastructure project and is the cornerstone of environmental impact assessment implementation and follow-up. Developing monitoring programs to assess the effects of resource use, development and subsequent mitigation efforts will be the subject of our third lecture.4) More broadly, the monitoring question is often asked, "What is the health of a particular ecosystem or protected area?" Answering this type of question requires a comprehensive condition monitoring program. How various monitoring techniques fit together to provide an ecosystem-based monitoring program will be the subject of the next lecture.5) The effects of cumulative stresses on the environment are often difficult to assess without monitoring their impact on indicator or sentinel species. The impact may be in the form of accumulated toxins, a change in life-history characteristics, or a change in species richness among others. In this last lecture on biomonitoring we will examine the impacts of pollutants on sentinel species of wildlife, discuss the use of amphibians as bioindicators and introduce the field component of the course.6) The field component of the course will involve 'hands-on' approaches to assessing habitats and estimating abundance of various anuran species in a number of ponds within the Pilis Hills and adjacent to Lake Balaton (Hungary). It will also provide students with an opportunity to improve their ethics in conducting field ecology research.Course type: Mandatory electiveModule: Advanced Methods