About This Course
The course is a two-year world-class integrated programme aimed at qualifying graduates to deal with the huge challenges facing temperate forestry, agriculture and sustainable land use. The teaching staff are research active and the students will benefit from our wide range of research activities and contacts in the UK and overseas.
By joining the teaching and research experiences of five European leading educational institutions, this unique course will constitute an in-depth educational programme with inherent impetus to stay at the forefront of research-based teaching strongly linked to realities in many European and non-European countries.
The SUFONAMA course is offered by a consortium consisting of five institutions:
- Danish Centre for Forest, Landscape and Planning, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- School of the Environment and Natural Resources, ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥, Bangor, Wales, UK.
- of Forest Sciences and Ecology, University of Goettingen, Faculty Goettingen, Germany
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden, and
- Faculty of Agriculture, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Detailed information on the SUFONAMA Masters course is available at:
This web-page describes the Sustainable Forest and Nature Management course as structured in the current academic session. While the aims of the programme and the broad structure of the degree are similar from year to year, details may change over time to meet the requirements of the profession and of academic audits, and to ensure that the programme remains effective and up-to-date.
Course Content
What will you study on this course?
First Year
The Course consists of a first study year at Copenhagen, Denmark and a specialising second study year with different topics offered by one of the remaining four institutions Bangor (UK), Göttingen (Germany), Alnarp (Sweden) Padova (Italy).
During the first year at University of Copenhagen, all students get a thorough introduction to sustainability in forest and nature management. You will learn core elements of sustainability in its ecological, economic and social dimension. You will also learn about interdisciplinarity and wider perspectives on sustainability within philosophy and governance. Lastly, you will develop your generic skills and prepare for your second-year specialisation during the first year of your studies.
The first year at University of Copenhagen includes compulsory courses with a focus on providing understanding of sustainability within forest and nature management and interdisciplinarity. There are also included restricted elective courses, where you can decide to make your own programme, or choose a recommended study track. Within the restricted elective courses, you can also choose to join the joint SUFONAMA Summer School.
For further information and to apply visit the .
Second Year
In the second year you will choose one of the following programmes:
- Conservation and Land Management (Bangor)
- Sustainability in Forest and Nature Management (Copenhagen)
- Forest and Nature Management in Changing Climate (Göttingen)
- Sustainable Forestry in the Boreal and Temperate Zones of Northern Europe (Alnarp)
- Sustainable Forest and Land Protection (Padova).
The course provides 2nd year Sufonama students with a broad and balanced understanding of the fundamental science underpinning Conservation and Land Use. The course addresses issues concerned with sustainable use of the countryside. It examines habitats, wildlife, landscapes, and the natural and human factors influencing them. The course also examines how economic activities such as farming and forestry can be managed in an environmentally acceptable way, and how human enjoyment of the countryside can be incorporated within an integrated land use approach.
The main aims of the programme are:
- To provide students with a thorough understanding of the principles and processes that underpin conservation and land management and to enable them to apply these to the sustainable use of countryside.
- To examine habitats, wildlife and landscapes and the natural and human factors influencing them.
- To develop students' intellectual, practical, numeracy, communication, information and communication technology (ICT), interpersonal / teamwork, self-management, professional development skills, and writing scientific reports, in a conservation specific context.
- To develop an understanding of the social, agricultural and environmental contexts in which farms and countryside are kept.
- To equip students with skills that will allow them to find employment either with environmental conservation agencies, NGOs, government organisations, academic institutions or with other professions requiring an ability to synthesise concepts and ideas and to take a holistic view both in the UK, EU and overseas.
The course is taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, group work, lab work, a wide variety of field trips, computer labs and an individual research project.
A key aim of School of Natural Science is to enhance the employability of its Master graduates. It does this by providing students with transferable skills as well as subject-specific knowledge. By the time they have graduated all students will have given assessed presentations, submitted written work on a variety of topics and in different formats, worked to achieve targets within agreed deadlines both on their own and as part of larger teams, conducted literature and web-based information searches, engaged in practical work and research relevant to their own discipline. The MSc also includes detailed training in the use of ecological statistical analysis and geographical information systems. Field visits and study tours also provide an opportunity to engage with professionals working in the field and to relate classroom teaching to commercial practice.
Bangor Compulsory Modules:
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function in Changing Landscapes
This module looks in detail at the intricate relationships between different species, and the role of ecological communities in generating and maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem functions in changing landscapes. Relying on state-of-the-art ecological theory and real-world model ecosystems, the module will focus on the importance of and the threats to tropical biodiversity, including the role of oil palm agriculture in changing the landscapes of Southeast Asia. Students will develop a comprehensive and detailed understanding of the fragile rainforest ecosystem, including ways in which the ecosystem functions of rainforests can be conserved in oil palm plantations, thus ameliorating the environmental impact of one of the greatest threats to terrestrial biodiversity. The course will include day trips to our Research Centre and lectures, providing a range of opportunities for students to study the causes and consequences of habitat fragmentation and ecosystem function in the diverse landscapes of North Wales. There are three forms of assessment: first, an independent tutorial presentation; second, group presentations based on group projects conducted at the Research Centre; and third, a take-home online exam at the end of the course.
MSc Dissertation
Students will carry out an individual research project which is planned in advance, and agreed, in consultation with a designated academic supervisor. The project can be any laboratory, field or desk-based study that is consistent with the degree programme being undertaken and which is validated by the Convenor and/or the Director of the programme.
UK Field trip
This UK-based field course will give you unique insight into the challenges and opportunities of conservation and wildlife management in a highly developed, densely populated industrialised nation. During this week-long course, you will be guided by experts in conservation with a passion for the natural world as they take them on a tour to meet people at the forefront of species and habitat management. You will spend time with key stakeholders involved in habitat management and conservation across a range of sites, and through your interactions, develop a practical understanding of the opportunities and constraints of conservation and land management in the UK. You will be exposed to topics including pest management, conservation conflict, and ecological restoration that are integral to conservation and management of biodiversity in a changing world. Moreover, you will learn about the context of sites visited, with an emphasis on current and historic land use, conservation designation, ecology and key species at the site, and local threats. Most of the teaching will take place in the field in the form of observations and discussions conducted with conservation practitioners and site managers. These field excursions will be supplemented by classroom sessions and discussions. There are two forms of assessment: the first is to write a small grant application; and the second, a short video diary providing a synopsis of a selection of sites visited. Assessed video diaries will be delivered by all students during a mini film festival.
Optional Modules:
Agriculture and Environment
This module reviews agricultural systems and practices, the scientific principles underlying them, and their impact on soil, water and air quality as well as biodiversity. The module content addresses current relevant debates about how rewilding, sustainable intensification, and nature friendly farming systems could fit into optimal land use for delivering multiple ecosystem services. The module is delivered by several academic, as well as invited external guest speakers from the agricultural industry, policy and farming associations. You will also have opportunity to visit intensive lowland livestock, upland low input and organic farms and a nature reserve to discuss the practicalities of delivering multiple ecosystem services from contrasting systems. You will gain an understanding of the complexities and challenging debates on how best to use land and manage resources for different outcomes in an era of changing climate and environmental policy regulation. The module will be assessed by an in-depth critique of a current environmental conflict followed by an assessed interview on this topic.
Data Management and Analysis
This module provides a firm foundation in key quantitative skills needed to understand questions in conservation and natural resource management. All teaching is done using R and RStudio – highly flexible tools that are used for data science in many disciplines. Lectures, course content, group work and computer-based practical sessions will be used to introduce theory, interrogate examples and provide hands-on practice manipulating, visualising and analysing datasets relevant to conservation and natural resource management. You will be asked to produce written reports including graphs, tables and statistical tests where appropriate, using the tools given in lectures and practical sessions, with support and guidance from teaching staff.
Botanical Ecology and Ecosystem Services
This module focuses on a key, specific and understudied habitat type (flower species rich grasslands). It investigates the relationship between pollinators and wild flowers and identifies the key drivers of species decline.
A combination of face-to-face lectures and field trips looking in depth at the challenges of habitat loss and the role of agriculture in declining pollinator/plant communities. Students will develop an in depth understanding of this fragile ecosystem and its central role in providing reliable, sustainable food for society.
We are at the cliff edge in terms of mass extinctions. Here we have a chance to understand the intricate relationships between plants and their pollinators and the possibility to stabilise and reverse species loss.
The student we build on knowledge gained from previous modules by adapting understanding to a unique and often overlooked habitat type. It is expected that by the end of the module students will never again view the environment through the same eyes. They will be able to assess the challenges and complexities managing a specific habitat type.
There are two forms of assignment. Firstly, a 5-7 minute video style presentation on a plant/pollinator related topic, and a 2000 word essay within the same subject area.
Conservation Management Planning
This module is desired by employers and provides you with a key professional tool for a career in conservation. The management planning process studied on this module covers two frameworks for site conservation management plans: Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation (from the Conservation Measures Partnership) and the Conservation Management System (CMS). Students gain hands on experience developing plans and making maps in GIS. the module explains the conservation management planning process.
The assessment comprises a number of elements which allow students to apply knowledge gained to formulate the essential components (feature description; conservation objective with performance indicators; factor listing and management activities) of a plan using the Conservation Management System (CMS) approach for a case study site (on an individual basis) for a protected site.
Modules for the current academic year
Module listings are for guide purposes only and are subject to change. Find out what our students are currently studying on the Sustainable Forest and Nature Management (SUFONAMA) (Erasmus Mundus course) MSc Modules page.
Course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.
Entry Requirements
Entry to SUFONAMA requires a good first degree in a relevant subject, or second class honours degree in a relevant subject with a minimum of two years relevant experience in forestry, agriculture or other land use related work in a position of demonstrable responsibility. Relevant professional experience should be supported by additional evidence such as authorship of appropriate professional reports or a record of active membership of a relevant professional organisation or International Scientific Society. In general, however, applicants are judged on their individual merits and age, work experience and other factors are also considered.
Careers
There are excellent employment opportunities in the broad area of forestry including national government, international organisations and consultancies. Many recent SUFONAMA graduates have gone on to do PhD research.
