Natural Resources   (524S1)

Academic year:

2019/2020.

Attendance requirements:

There are no requirements.

ECTS:

10

Study level:

Study program:

Teacher:

Ilija D. Brčeski, Ph.D.
full professor, Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Beograd

Assistants:

—

Hours of instruction:

Weekly: three hours of lectures + five hours of labwork (3+0+5)

Goals:

The main goal of the course Natural Resources is to help students acquire the fundamental knowledge and concepts of natural resources. Namely, natural resources are the basis for the survival of humankind and the lack of knowledge regarding the ways of accessing natural resources and their overexploitation will certainly lead to endangering the survival of humankind. Students should understand the fundamentals of the rational approach to natural resources and the concepts of sustainable development. Furthermore, the goal of this course is to introduce students to international conventions in this area, the observance of which should enable the maintenance of balance and prevent the depletion of resources by only a few generations. In this course students will:

• learn the essential concepts of natural resources;
• master the concept of sustainable development in relation to resources;
• learn about the approach of the modern world which aims at preserving natural resources;
• become familiar with international conventions on the conservation of natural resources;
• master the methods for determining the most effective ways of using resources.

Outcome:

Understanding the importance of a natural resource. The renewability of natural resources and comparing the ways of their consumption with the ways of their renewal. The harmful effect of overconsumption and developing the environmentally responsible attitude towards the conservation of natural resources.

Teaching methods:

Lectures, experimental and theory exercises.

Extracurricular activities:

A field trip.

Coursebooks:

Main coursebooks:

• Work in progress.

Supplementary coursebooks:

• Subsidiary legislation, regulations on protected sites.

Additional material:

—

Lectures:

10 points (3 hours a week)

Syllabus:

The concept of a resource. Defining natural resources. Water as a resource. Consumption of water resources. Environmental threats posed to water resources. Aquatic organisms and sea exploitation. Forests as a resource. Mineral wealth as a resource. Strategic mineral raw materials. Exploitation of mineral resources. Natural energy resources. Oil as a natural resource. The basic concept of biodiversity. The importance of preserving genetic resources. The importance of preserving the known natural protective mechanisms (ozone, atmospheric equilibria...).

Labwork:

20 points (5 hours a week)

Syllabus:

• Methods of taking representative samples of some natural resources - practical work.
• The elements of the natural resource quality - theoretical work.
• Basic methods of assessing quantity or importance of some natural resources - theoretical work.
• Determination of PCBs in water by gas chromatography - endangering water as a resource - experimental work.
• Models for predicting the quality degradation of some natural resources - theoretical work.
• A visit to protected natural resources - preservation of genetic resources.

Written exam:

35 points

Oral exam:

35 points