PhD in Interdisciplinary Management of Landscape

Presentation

The goal of this PhD programme is to develop methodological approaches and capacities to support scientifically the design and evaluation of public policies and management tools which can contribute for meeting the demands of society concerning land cover, which requires interdisciplinary developments integrating a variety of scientific fields as ecology, soil sciences, hydrology, agronomy, economy, sociology, geography, political science and ethics. There are interdisciplinary fields of this type in approaches such as landscape ecology, conservation biology, ecological economics, and regional sciences, but there is a need for more integrative work and progression in this domain, so that adequate conceptual background and practical solutions can be met.

Objectives

With this PhD programme, students will be able to develop integrated methods to connect disciplinary paradigms with Man and the Environment as their subject. The intention is that the students will be able to learn, adapt and create methods to: a) assess goods and services provided by the landscape, such as biodiversity, hunting, environmental quality, recreation, carbon sequestration, identity preservation, etc. ; b) design and assess policies for land use, as related with spatial planning, regulation, taxes and subsidies, market creation and new property regimes; c) propose decision support tools, such as multi-criteria analysis, ecological-economic modelling, participatory methods; d) understand practices and social perception, as well as the social construction of land use; e) develop spatial models integrating the environment, technology, economics and regulation;

Admission Requirements

May apply for the study cycle: a) holders of a master's degree in Agronomy, Economics, Biology, Environment, Geography, Engineering, or related fields, or legally equivalent qualifications; b) holders of degrees with 240 ECTS, or more, in Agronomy, Economics, Biology, Environment, Geography, Engineering, or similar areas, or with legally equivalent qualifications, who hold a school, scientific or professional curriculum that is recognized by the scientific council as attesting the capacity to carry out this cycle of studies and demonstrate extensive experience in the area of studies in question; c) holders of a school, scientific or professional curriculum that is recognized by the scientific council as attesting the ability to hold a doctorate and demonstrates extensive experience in the area of the study cycle.

Professional Opportunities

Consultant in the areas of territorial planning, agri-environmental policy, rural development, environmental impact assessment, air quality and sound environment; Manager of protected areas, water resources, solid waste, waste water and water supply, pollution control systems and energy resources; Researcher and evaluator of projects in the course area.