Course at UVic: Urban Restoration and Sustainable Agricultural Systems

Urban areas and agricultural lands are highly modified landscapes. In this course, we examine how an ecological perspective can be applied to restoring urban areas and approaches to agriculture that promote sustainability and support biodiversity. The course covers two related topics: urban restoration and urban agriculture including sustainable agricultural systems. Urban restoration topics include:

• green space and greenways
• maintenance and restoration of native species
• protection and restoration of urban streams and wetlands, including management of storm water
• and parks for nature versus recreation Urban agriculture addresses permaculture, composting and organic gardening.

Sustainable agriculture is approached from an agro-ecological perspective, and includes topics such as:

• nutrient cycling and waste management
• soil conservation
• integrated pest management
• agroforestry
• holistic resource management Local and international issues in agricultural sustainability are also discussed in this course.