1. Bachelor of Land and Water Science (BLWSc) a degree from the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources The University of Sydney

2. Major Land and Water issues Allocation of waterAllocation of water Dryland and irrigated salinityDryland and irrigated salinity Salinisation in the Murray- Darling river systemSalinisation in the Murray- Darling river system Erosion and nutrient runoffErosion and nutrient runoff

3. Challenges Environmental sustainability is neededEnvironmental sustainability is needed Balanced with socio-economic sustainabilityBalanced with socio-economic sustainability Good science should be underlying policy decisionsGood science should be underlying policy decisions

4. Opportunities High level of community awarenessHigh level of community awareness New and better technologiesNew and better technologies Total Catchment Management approaches and government commitmentsTotal Catchment Management approaches and government commitments Need for well-trained graduates with sound scientific knowledgeNeed for well-trained graduates with sound scientific knowledge

5. BLWSc objectives Train graduates with a strong background in land and water science who canTrain graduates with a strong background in land and water science who can –provide leadership in the management of our precious but vulnerable natural resources –contribute in an informed way to policy development

6. Why BLWSc? Opportunity to be involved in the major environmental decisions of the next centuryOpportunity to be involved in the major environmental decisions of the next century Career based on involvement and interaction with the human and natural environmentCareer based on involvement and interaction with the human and natural environment

7. BLWSc curriculum Foundation scienceFoundation science –relevant aspects of biology, chemistry, ecology, geography, geographic information systems, geology, hydrology, soil science, computing and statistics Science of assessing, monitoring, and sustainably managing natural resourcesScience of assessing, monitoring, and sustainably managing natural resources Socioeconomic issuesSocioeconomic issues Strong emphasis on communication skillsStrong emphasis on communication skills

8. Field trips

10. Career opportunities Public and private enterprises concerned with natural resources, land and water managementPublic and private enterprises concerned with natural resources, land and water management –technical experts and researchers –environmental consultants –media researchers and journalists –educators

11. Comparison BSc AgrBSc Agr –‘production’ in focus –lots of ‘land’, less ‘water’ BSc (environmental)BSc (environmental) –‘urban’ in focus –total biosphere –remediation and regulatory

12. Faculty of Agriculture Small FacultySmall Faculty Active student bodyActive student body BLWS actively involved in SU Landcare societyBLWS actively involved in SU Landcare society Many excursions and field tripsMany excursions and field trips Hands-on teaching and learningHands-on teaching and learning

13. Landcare

14. Contact Michele GairnMichele Gairn Willem Vervoort Ph: 9351 8744 w.vervoort@acss.usyd.edu.au