Units / EAE3321
EAE3321 · Soils and land management
2026 Handbook6 credit pointsLevel 3School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment
Last checked: 23 Aug 2026 UTCOverview
Soils are critical for food and water security, effective nutrient cycling for terrestrial ecosystems and sustaining human life. Sustainable land management of the soil resource is one of the important contemporary challenges facing society and identified in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This unit will engage you in the sustainable management of soil resources which are critical for agricultural production, support terrestrial ecosystems and provide a range of ecosystem services. You will be presented with a number of soil and land management issues, and explore alternative land uses and sustainable land management techniques.
Areas of study: Earth science Environmental science Geographical science Human geography
Offerings
| Campus | Teaching period | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton | Second semester | Teaching activities are on-campus (ON-CAMPUS) |
Assessment
The Handbook lists an examination for this unit.
| # | Assessment | Type | Weight | Hurdle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | In semester continuous assessment | Quiz / Test | 80% | — |
| 2 | Workshop quizzes | Quiz / Test | 10% | Threshold |
| 3 | Examination (2 hours and 10 minutes) | Examination | 10% | — |
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Requisites
The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.
Learning outcomes
- Exhibit a high level of skill in field description, identification and analysis of soils and regolith.
- Assess the current explanations for landscape management problems through critical evaluation of the literature and field and laboratory data.
- Discuss the processes that lead to soil and regolith formation.
- Discuss the key threats to the soil resource and identify management and remediation strategies.
- Describe soil and land management issues in the context of both longer-term environmental change and current environmental change.
Workload
• The workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours spread across the semester (approx. 12 hours per week) - approximately an even mixture of attendance at scheduled activities and self-scheduled study time. Learning activities comprise a mixture of instructor directed, peer directed and self-directed learning, which includes face-to-face and online engagement. • One 2-day field trip on a weekend during semester
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Workshops | 24 hours |
| Practical activities | 36 hours |
| Lectures | 12 hours |
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