Course

1.1 Heavy Metal Pollution From Mining Activities

These resources were created for TIDE by Dr Luke Bridgestock, University of Oxford.

After completing this activity, you will:

• Understand the processes related to mining operations that can release toxic elements into rivers (acid mine drainage, smelting and mercury amalgam)
• Learn about exposure routes (drinking water and biomagnification) and potential toxicity risks posed to local populations
• Learn about some basic prevention/remediation strategies

1.2 Introduction to Water Quality and Water Remediation

These resources were created for TIDE by Dr Laura Richards, University of Manchester.

After completing this activity, you will:

• Have knowledge of selected key theoretical and practical considerations for water sampling and field measurements
  
• Have knowledge of basic principles and considerations for selected drinking water remediation strategies illustrated by theory and practice
  

1.3 Multi-objective River Management

These resources were created for TIDE by Dr Anna Murgatroyd, University of Oxford.

After completing this activity, you will:

• Understand key principles of multi-objective river management and why it is important.
• Understand current issues faced in multi-objective river management and solutions employed to overcome common issues.

2.1 Creating Serious Games for Education

These resources were created for TIDE by Dr Cedric Tan, University of Oxford.

After completing this activity, you will understand:

• Why games can be effective for teaching
• What are the different types of games and how are they catered to different audience
• What are the design features of serious games, and in groups
• Created one game for outreach or classroom teaching.

2.2 Social Research Methods - Local Communities and Felid Conservation

These resource were created for TIDE by Kim Jacobsen, University of Oxford.

After completing this activity, you will:

• Learn how ecological data is used for conservation planning (with a focus on clouded leopards)
• Understand how conservation issues cannot be viewed in isolation from societal issues
• Learn how to plan, design, pilot and carry out quantitative social science surveys on environmental topics through theoretical knowledge of survey design and analysis
• Learn how to plan, design, pilot and carry out quantitative social science surveys on environmental topics through practical knowledge of piloting and carrying out surveys

2.3 Why Genetic Diversity Matters for Conservation

These materials were created for TIDE by Dr Cathy Walton, University of Manchester.

After completing this activity, you will be able to:

• Understand how the process of random genetic drift affects genetic diversity
• Understand how small and fragmented populations are a concern for conservation including why genetic diversity matters to conservation e.g. inbreeding depression, loss of adaptive potential
• Learn about some basic mitigation strategies to deal with small and fragmented populations
• Gain a basic understanding of how genetic data can be generated and analyzed to inform conservation strategy

2.4 Habitat Loss, Fragmentation and Population Biology

These resources were created for TIDE by Nick Harvey, University of Manchester.

After completing this activity, you will be able to:

• Understand how anthropogenic land transformation impacts on global habitats
• Predict range contraction and shifts from land conversion and climate change l
• Understand the concepts of GAP species and marginal/refugee species
• Interpret population viability model outputs and how to generate the data necessary to for them.

3.1 Water and Human Health

These resources were created for TIDE by Saskia Nowicki, University of Oxford.

After completing this activity, you will:

• Understand how efforts to protect and improve human health have influenced water sector development and research.
• Understand current health burden related to drinking-water supply management, with particular attention to Myanmar
• Understand and be able to discuss 3 key challenges that must be addressed to reduce the water-related health burden

3.2 Introduction to Ecosystem Services

These resources were created for TIDE by Dr Cathy Walton, University of Manchester.

After completing this activity, you will be able to:

• Define ecosystem services and to identify and explain the value of ecosystem services within the Myanmar context
• Identify key factors that affect ecosystem health
• Explain the advantages and disadvantages of pesticide use
• Interpret experimental data and to formulate experiments designed to test their own research questions

3.3 Exploring Bioenergy and Sustainable Development

These resources were created for TIDE by Dr Angela Mae-Minas, University of Manchester.

After completing this activity, you will be able to:

• Describe the benefits and challenges of achieving sustainable bioenergy systems;
• Understand the relevance of developing sustainable bioenergy systems within Myanmar’s context.

3.4 Solid Waste Management and the Environment

These resources were created for TIDE by Dr Stephen Burnley, The Open University.

After completing this activity, you will be:

• Gain a knowledge of the amount and composition of municipal solid waste produced in Myanmar
• Understand the pollution and health hazards associated with solid waste and how these can be reduced applying the “Three Rs” (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).
• Understand ways of managing the remaining solid wastes and make assessments of the pollution form different management methods

4.1 Atmospheric Science and Climate Change Impact

These resources were created for TIDE by Lucia Deaconu, Oxford University.

After completing this activity, you will be able to:

• Identify greenhouse gases and their implications on climate
• Identify different atmospheric measurement techniques and model simulations used in climate science
• Discuss adaptation and mitigation, and pinpoint the most vulnerable areas to climate change in Myanmar

4.2 Climate Change, Food System and Planetary Health

These resources were created for TIDE by Dr Alana Kluczkovski, University of Manchester.

After completing this activity, you will:

• Learn about the climate change and greenhouse gases concepts, and the environmental impact of food production and the importance this knowledge to achieving Planetary Health and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Demonstrate the health impact of climate change and propose evidence-based actions that impact Planetary Health.
• Understand the socio-cultural and economic effects of climate change on Planetary Health

4.3 Agriculture: Vulnerable or Climate Smart?

These resources were created for TIDE by Prof. Amanda Bamford, University of Manchester.

After completing this activity, you will be able to:

• Understand the vulnerability of agriculture to climate change and its impacts on crop production particularly rice.
• Understand how climate-smart agriculture can help maintain yields under stressful environmental conditions

5.1 Sustainable Water Resources and Agriculture Management

These resources were created for TIDE by Dr Ranu Sinha, University of Oxford.

After completing this activity, you will have:

• An improved understanding of the challenges, opportunities and trade-offs surrounding water resources management in the agriculture sector specifically with respect to irrigation infrastructure, institutions, governance and pricing issues for developing countries such as Myanmar

5.2 Flood Management

These resources were created for TIDE by Dr Ranu Sinha, University of Oxford.

These course materials explore the current complex challenge of floods (both man-made and natural) facing Myanmar today.  It also explores key definitions, concepts, techniques, frameworks and policies for managing floods that are relevant for Myanmar based on best practices in developing countries in Southeast and South Asia.

6.1 Aquascience - Monitoring of Freshwater Systems

These resources were created for TIDE by Prof. Amanda Bamford and Dr Cecilia Medupin, University of Manchester

This toolkit focusses on monitoring freshwater systems, like rivers and lakes, using physiochemical and biological assessment techniques

7.1 Estimating Intangible Harms and Benefits

These resources were created for TIDE by Kim Jacobsen, University of Oxford.

• Lecture 1 introduces the concept of wellbeing, and how it is used in policy-making. The lecture also explains how the analysis works, and how it can be used for economic valuation and applied to environmental issues such as water quality.
• Lecture 2 explains how to quantitatively investigate preferences and how to use the results for environmental valuation. The lecture discusses how it is used for environmental policy, national accounting, payment-for-ecosystem-services programmes, and litigation in the case of environmental disasters. It also introduces the models used for the analysis, and talk about how this has been used in Myanmar previously. 
• Lecture 3 is a collaborative research-planning exercise based on the lectures 1 and 2.

7.2 Possibilities for Environmental Equity in Myanmar: Sustainable Development in the Context of Conflict, Inequality and Diversity ?

These resources were created for TIDE by Shona Loong, Oxford University.

After studying this material, you will be able to:

• Understand the concept of “environmental equity” and its potential applications to Myanmar
• Understand how the causes and effects of environmental problems are distributed according class, ethnicity, and gender, with special consideration for conflict-affected communities
• Apply a critical lens to the Sustainable Development Goals
• Appreciate the value of qualitative approaches to environmental science

8.1 Extreme Weather in a Changing Climate

These resources were created for TIDE by Karsten Haustein, University of Oxford.

There are 2 parts to this recorded lecture. 

Part 1 explains:

• What is global warming and climate change?
• How does the climate system work?
• How do we know it is us?

Part 2 explains:

• What is extreme weather attribution?
• Which events can we attribute?

8.2 Weathering and the Climate

These resources were created for TIDE by Kirsty Harrington, University of Oxford.

These are notes and presentations for a course in two parts. After studying these materials, you will be able to;

Part 1

• Briefly describe some of the key features of climate variations over the last 550Ma years
• Describe enhanced weathering and its potential positive and negative impacts on the environment
• Describe the causes of “fractionation” of different chemical isotopes
• Understand the potential link between rock weathering and climate
• Explain isotope diagrams and how they can be used to infer information 
• Discuss how different environmental tools (such as planktonic foraminifera) can be used to trace back global temperatures over geologic timescales
• Discuss a period in geological history (the PETM) that we use as an analogue to current day warming trends

Part 2

• Understand the meaning of ‘net-zero’
• Understand how mercury bioaccumulates in the food chain
• Describe how we can enhance the weathering of silicate rocks
• Explain how mercury becomes bioavailable for plants and animals
• Explain how mercury enters a river system
• Discuss some of the river processes which affect the carbon cycle
• Discuss some of the negative emissions technologies and outline the pros and cons with each
• Discuss the four pathways defined by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change, and the actions needed to be taken due to each of these pathways

8.3 Adapting to a New Future: Climate Change Adaption - A Risk Based Approach

These resources were created for TIDE by Dr Peter Walton, University of Oxford.

After studying these materials, you will be able to;

• Understand the difference between mitigation and adaptation
• Understand an approach to climate change adaptation
• Develop an awareness of how a risk-based approach can be used in Myanmar