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Unit of study_
WILD4001: Wildlife Management
2026 unit information
In-situ and ex-situ conservation play vital roles in the conservation efforts of endangered species. But are they two distinct strategies or should the two be considered and managed as a meta-population? Using evidence-based decision making, this unit will investigate both species and populations and evaluate wildlife management from both in- and ex-situ perspectives, assessing intensive (highly managed) and extensive (near natural) management through strategic components such as reproduction, nutritional ecology and physiology, behaviour, population establishment, genetics and genomics, preventative medicine, stakeholder engagement and management, captive health, welfare, legislation and ethics. This unit will run as an intensive over a two-week period in February. One of these weeks will be held at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo. You will be given a unique opportunity to learn directly from academics, scientists, keepers and vets from both the University and Taronga whilst gaining and applying practical skills in wildlife conservation in the field. Risk assessments are regularly conducted for units that require the completion of compulsory learning activities that may expose students to zoonotic diseases. These assessments aim to identify appropriate risk mitigation controls, such as vaccination against vaccine- preventable zoonoses. Vaccination against Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) is an inherent requirement for students enrolling in this unit of study. Students must be vaccinated against Q fever before commencing the unit or no later than week one of the enrolled teaching session. Q fever vaccination is only available in Australia with the vaccination process taking three weeks to complete. Students must also submit a Q fever Vaccination Declaration upon enrolment. Students who fail to receive vaccination by the specified deadline and/or submit a Q fever Vaccination Declaration are precluded from practical learning activities and will not be able to satisfactorily complete relevant units of study and/or progress in their course more generally. Please refer to the University’s website https://www.sydney.edu.au/students/q-fever-vaccinations.html for more information on student vaccinations.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Science
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | Life and Environmental Sciences Academic Operations |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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144 credit points of units including WILD3001 |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Understand the complexities of defining in-situ and ex-situ approaches to conserving threatened individuals, populations and species, and their extension to ecological communities
- LO2. Understand the problems caused by overabundant species and solutions to mitigate them
- LO3. Describe the spectrum of in-situ to ex-situ conservation approaches, the situations in which each is most appropriate, and the necessary linkages between them
- LO4. Understand the relevance of key wildlife in-situ and ex-situ management principles at both species and population levels
- LO5. Be able to evaluate in-situ and ex-situ conservation programs from a scientific perspective, including: a. Management approach b. Relevant technological approaches c. Efficacy and application d. Demographic, reproductive, nutritional ecological, genetic and behavioural considerations and how each of these may vary with different contexts
- LO6. Understand, evaluate and apply learning to ethical issues and ethics legislation relevant to wildlife management
- LO7. Evaluate stakeholder consultation and engagement and its importance in wildlife management
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Intensive January - February 2025
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Block mode | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Intensive January - February 2026
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Block mode | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
Important enrolment information
Departmental permission requirements
If you see the ‘Departmental Permission’ tag below a session, it means you need faculty or school approval to enrol. This may be because it’s an advanced unit, clinical placement, offshore unit, internship or there are limited places available.
You will be prompted to apply for departmental permission when you select this unit in Sydney Student.
Read our information on departmental permission.
Additional advice
This unit of study is taught 50:50 by USYD and Taronga. Approx 1 week's worth of content will be held at Camperdown Campus (over a two week period), and one week's intensive at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo. Students will also be required to participate in a 1 day Animal Ethics course.