Master's Degree in Protected Areas, Natural Resources and Biodiversity

The Master in Protected Areas, Natural Resources and Biodiversity (MAPRNB) is supported by more than 30 years of continuous teaching experience in the degrees of Biology and Environmental Sciences, with its corresponding third cycle, and in the degrees of Biology, Environmental Sciences and Biotechnology that happen to them, as well as in the extensive research activity of the seven areas involved (Cell Biology, Botany, Crystallography and Mineralogy, Ecology, Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Toxicology, Zoology). His direct background is two master's degrees taught from the academic year 2008/09 to 2014/15: that of Management of Biodiversity in Mediterranean Environments and that of Sustainable Use and Protection of Soil in Mediterranean Environments .

The MAPRNB encompasses, from a multidisciplinary approach, lines of research and technical-professional training related to essential aspects of territory management, including key elements and resources such as land or protected areas, both terrestrial and marine (including their influence on resources extractives such as mining or fishing), activities such as agriculture or tourism, in development scenarios conditioned by exploitation processes with a strong environmental impact and restoration needs, and global phenomena such as climate change. All this concentrated in the Region of Murcia, a relatively small territory but with an important research infrastructure, and with an evident projection towards the rest of the Iberian Peninsula, and other European, North African and Latin American regions.

The training offer in these subjects rarely presents, as in this case, an orientation that integrates under one title the aspects related to biodiversity, edaphological, geological heritage and their management under a unifying prism, such as spatial networks based on natural infrastructure of the territory (Natura 2000), and horizontal environmental integration strategies (agrarian policy, rural development), as well as opportunities and mechanisms for their financing.

Master's file

Justification

The Master in Protected Areas, Natural Spaces and Biodiversity (hereinafter MAPRNB) is based, on the one hand, on more than thirty years of continuous experience in teaching the Bachelor of Biology and later that of Environmental Sciences, with its corresponding third cycle , in the degrees of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Sciences that follow from the 2009-10 academic year, and in the extensive research activity of the seven areas involved (Cell Biology, Botany, Crystallography and Mineralogy, Ecology, Edaphology and Agricultural Chemistry, Toxicology, Zoology).

On the other hand, the proposed title has the following University Masters as direct background:

• Master in Biodiversity Management in Mediterranean Environments, which has been taught continuously from the 2008/2009 academic year to 2012/2013, and was again offered in the 2014-15 academic year, initially as part of an official Postgraduate Program, and authorized in accordance with the provisions of Royal Decree 56/2005. In the 2009/2010 academic year, the Master used the abbreviated procedure for the verification of Master's degrees, in order to adapt to the new regulatory framework established by Royal Decree 1393/2007.
• Master in Sustainable Use and Soil Protection in Mediterranean Environments, which has also been offered since the 2008/2009 academic year, having also accepted in the 2009/10 academic year the abbreviated procedure for the verification of master's degrees, in order to adapt to the new regulatory framework established by Royal Decree 1393/2007. Finally, in May 2013, the proposed title modifications were approved by ANECA, which basically affected the TFM, which went from 6 to 18 ECTS credits.

Competencies

Basic skills

• Possess and understand knowledge that provides a basis or opportunity to be original in the development and / or application of ideas, often in a research context
• That the students know how to apply the acquired knowledge and their problem-solving capacity in new or little-known environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their area of study
• That students are able to integrate knowledge and face the complexity of formulating judgments from information that, being incomplete or limited, includes reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.
• That students know how to communicate their conclusions and the latest knowledge and reasons that support them to specialized and non-specialized audiences in a clear and unambiguous way.
• That students have the learning skills that allow them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous.

General Powers

• Analyze and interpret the distribution patterns of biodiversity, soils, geological heritage and other components of geodiversity, and the processes and factors involved in their formation and degradation.
• Sample, characterize and monitor terrestrial and marine biological populations and communities, soils, geological heritage and other components of geodiversity.
• Obtain information, design experiments and samplings, and interpret the results.
• Identify and diagnose threat factors for the conservation and management of biodiversity, soils, geological heritage and other components of geodiversity
• Identify and diagnose priority conservation areas and gaps in networks and systems of protected areas.
• Identify biological, geological or edaphic components of importance or interest in management and use them, as appropriate, as indicators
• Plan the use of biological, geological and edaphic resources in the context of sustainable development and the conservation of natural and cultural heritage.

Specific Competences

• Perform services and issue reports related to biodiversity, soils, geological heritage and other components of geodiversity.
• Direct, write and execute projects in relation to biodiversity, soils, geological heritage and other components of geodiversity.
• Design and evaluate strategies and management plans to preserve the quality and integrity of biological, geological and edaphic values and resources, particularly in the face of the effects of climate change.
• Design and evaluate planning, design and management instruments for protected natural areas and reserve systems, with special reference to Natura 2000 and other international conservation networks
• Analyze, evaluate and maintain the economic potential of ecosystem services.
• Evaluate, quantify, correct and restore the affections and impacts on biodiversity, soils, geological heritage and other components of geodiversity.

Graduation profile

The research and / or professional specialization acquired must train graduates for research on issues related to the management of natural heritage and biodiversity (through the completion of a Doctoral Thesis), or for the design and execution of programs and projects related to these same topics, within the framework of diverse organizations (administration, consulting companies, non-governmental organizations, etc.). Contact with these worlds throughout the training period (in curricular internships and other facets of the Master) will contribute to creating professionals capable of offering their services to these organizations.

A teaching institution of higher education that has infrastructure for teaching and research of international excellence. An innovative, dynamic, responsible university committed to its environment, which does not forget its historical roots.

Mission, vision and values of the Universidad de Murcia

The Mission of the university outlines its purpose or reason for being, and its Vision reflects what it wants to become in the future, the perspective of the University in the long term.

The Universidad de Murcia is a public institution of Higher Education with an international scope of action. Its purpose is to contribute to the development of society, acting as a dynamic agent in cooperation with the other social agents. Its main activities focus on the development of Research, Training, Knowledge Transfer, and Cultural Dissemination, applying innovation and continuous improvement processes to all of them, with the purpose of achieving a high level of quality of results, visible through a clear transparency policy.

Its main values, included in the Code of Ethics of the Universidad de Murcia , are Commitment, Dialogue, Respect and Responsibility:

• The Commitment demands to assume the objectives of the University and adopt to achieve these goals a good administration and management, enhancing university social responsibility, overcoming personal and corporate selfishness to engage with others in university tasks and in solving common problems.
• The Dialogue implies the willingness to coordinate reasonably and reasonably with others to cooperate effectively taking into account the positioning, interests or situation of each one, with the purpose of peacefully solving those seeking the right balance and consensus.
• Respect implies treating all people with impartiality, deference and consideration, avoiding discrimination for reasons beyond their merits and avoiding prejudices, according to the consideration of the equal dignity of every human being as a supreme value.
• Responsibility consists in honestly assuming one's own duties and obligations, and being willing to give an account of this to whomever corresponds, acting in accordance with the ethical principles personally assumed, being key elements goodwill, coherence and exemplary practice.

These values are in turn identified with the defense and promotion of Human Rights, universal accessibility, equality between men and women, the culture of peace and democratic values, participation, interdisciplinarity, pluralism, defense of the environment. and sustainability.

10 reasons to choose the UMU

1. Why UMU?

Centennial University strategically positioned in the present and prepared for the future

The Universidad de Murcia (UMU) is an international institution with more than one hundred years old, whose origins date back to the thirteenth century. It has more than 30,000 students (2,000 of them international), 3,000 researchers and professors and more than 1,200 administration employees.

2. Multidisciplinary offer of studies

60 degrees, 72 masters and 36 doctorates

The UMU is a public and comprehensive university that offers 60 degree programs - 5 double degrees -, 72 master's degrees and 36 doctoral degrees in the fields of Arts and Humanities, Engineering, Health Sciences, Sciences, Social Sciences and Law.

3. Bet on quality education

Quality recognition in university centers and services

The Universidad de Murcia focuses on academic excellence and plays a very important role in research (350 research groups, 4 institutes and research centers), teaching and innovation in all areas of knowledge. In addition, it works closely with national and international companies.

4. Leading the way in digital technology, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

Leading European Commission projects for research and innovation in cybersecurity

It offers a wide range of services, such as "Lola Chatbot", with artificial intelligence to help students choose their studies and answer questions in the admission process.

5. Connection with the labor market

More than 75% of students get an occupation after finishing the degree

UMU students have the opportunity to pursue intellectual development as well as to acquire professional skills.

6. University open to the world, with more than 2,000 students making international mobility plans

7 bilingual Spanish-English programs and students of more than 50 nationalities

Our institution offers 4 degree courses in English (Law, Business Management and Administration, Primary Education, and English Studies), and 3 postgraduate programs (Biology and Technology of Mammalian Reproduction, New Technologies in Computer Science, and Physics).

7. Satisfaction of international students

Located among the best rated universities in Europe by students

The International Welcome Point at the UMU (International Welcome Point - IWP) provides information on issues such as the admission procedure, obtaining accommodation and legalization.

8. Commitment to society

Attention to diversity and equal opportunities between women and men

UMU is the second university in Spain that integrates a greater number of students with disabilities. Through its Service of Attention to Diversity and Volunteering, it participates in the "Inclusive Campus Program: Campus without limits" funded by the Government of Spain, ONCE and the REPSOL Foundation.

9. Commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Project best valued in terms of sustainable development

ODSessions is the project that the Universidad de Murcia is developing for the promotion and awareness of the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations. Until April 2021, the UMU will dedicate one month to each of these objectives with dissemination, recreational, training and solidarity activities.

10. Murcia, a city for students

Quality of life in a unique environment in the Mediterranean

Located in the southeast of Spain, the city of Murcia benefits from an excellent location, low cost of living and a great variety in the cultural and tourist offer. In its squares and terraces you can discover a quiet and friendly city for students. With about half a million inhabitants, it is the seventh city in Spain.

Ethical code

In order to transform the University into the most fair and honest version possible, the Code of Ethics of the Universidad de Murcia was approved in 2016, prepared after a process in which all the groups that are part of it collaborated.

The four fundamental values on which it is based, Commitment, Dialogue, Respect and Responsibility, should guide all the actions and relationships of the university community. Therefore, it is our priority to disseminate the Code of Ethics at all levels of the Universidad de Murcia , also seeking their full understanding and implementation.

Its effective compliance will be supervised by the Code of Ethics Monitoring Commission (CSCE), established on September 4, 2018. This is made up of people from different areas of the university community and experts:

• Antonio José Carrasco Hernández. Campus Infrastructure Coordinator
• Carmen Sánchez Trigueros. Director of the Unit for Equality between Women and Men
• Emilio Martínez Navarro. Responsible for the elaboration of the Code of Ethics
• Francisco Esquembre Martínez. Vice Chancellor for Research and Transfer
• José Antonio Cascales Saseta. Manager
• José Ramón Salcedo Hernández. Director of the Bioright Law Master: Law, Ethics and Science
• Juan José Vera Martínez. University Advocate
• Longinos Marín Rives. Vice Chancellor for Social Responsibility and Transparency
• Bald Pigeon. Vice Chancellor of Students and Services to the University Community
• José Miguel Rojo Martínez. Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Student Council of the Universidad de Murcia

Since its creation, the CSCE has organized both virtual and physical distribution of the Code of Ethics. Currently, all the buildings of the Universidad de Murcia , not only the faculties, but also those destined for the staff, have one or two dispensers with copies of the Code of Ethics, which are being replaced.

In addition, all the new workers of the Universidad de Murcia now receive the Code of Ethics in the Human Resources Area.

Other actions related to the dissemination of the Code of Ethics have been the giving of lectures on it to new students of some Faculties that required it, by Professor Emilio Martínez Navarro, or the appointment of classrooms as the values of the Code of Ethics, such as the Respect Room of the Faculty of Sports Sciences.