UAc

Master in Management and Conservation of Nature

Understand Development. Apply Sustainability. Manage Nature with Evidence.

Sustainability is not a slogan. It is the rigorous analysis of how development models interact with environmental, economic, and social systems — and where they fail.

This Master’s degree provides advanced training in Nature Management and Conservation, grounded in scientific method, operational indicators, and interdisciplinary analysis.

What You’ll Study

Development & Sustainability

  • Evolution of the concept of development
  • Development indicators and measurement systems
  • Operational models of regional development
  • Unsustainability as empirical evidence

Science, Society & Decision-Making

  • Scientific method and policy interaction
  • Evidence-based environmental governance
  • Critical analysis beyond ideological narratives
  • Interdisciplinary perspectives (economic, environmental, engineering, planning)

Territorial Management

  • Spatial planning
  • Agri-environmental policy
  • Rural development strategies
  • Environmental impact assessment

Resource & Environmental Systems Management

  • Protected area management
  • Water resources and supply systems
  • Solid waste and wastewater management
  • Pollution control and energy systems
  • Air quality and acoustic environment

Learning Model

Advanced Academic Framework

Clear distinction between undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels of analysis and responsibility.

Integrated Perspective

Connection between theoretical development models and measurable regional indicators.

Research Orientation

Identification and formulation of scientific problems that generate tangible value for sustainable territorial development.

Why This Program?

  • Evidence-based approach – Sustainability analysed through real cases of system failure and constraint
  • Interdisciplinary scope – Integration of economic, environmental, engineering, and planning perspectives
  • Policy relevance – Strong alignment with territorial governance and environmental regulation
  • Strategic context – Developed within the environmental and insular setting of the Universidade dos Açores

Career Paths

Consultant in

  • Territorial planning
  • Agri-environmental policy
  • Rural development
  • Environmental impact assessment
  • Air quality and acoustic management

Manager of

  • Protected areas
  • Water resources and supply systems
  • Solid waste and wastewater systems
  • Pollution control systems
  • Energy resources

Researcher and evaluator of nature management and conservation projects

Where Analysis Guides Action

  • Design integrated territorial strategies
  • Translate sustainability into measurable indicators
  • Evaluate environmental and development policies
  • Bridge science and public decision-making

Nature Management and Conservation is not about preserving abstractions.

It is about governing real systems with scientific clarity.

Information

DGES Code
9301
ECTS Credits
120 ECTS
Duration
2 years

Coordinator

Paulo Alexandre Vieira Borges

paulo.av.borges@uac.pt