Course Outline:

Module 1: Introduction to GIS and Natural Resource Management

• Fundamentals of GIS and its relevance to natural resources

• Key concepts in land, forest, and water resource management

• GIS platforms overview (QGIS, ArcGIS)

• Coordinate systems and spatial data types

• Case Study: Mapping Land Use in a Watershed

Module 2: Spatial Data Collection and Management

• GPS-based and remote sensing data acquisition

• Digitizing paper maps and georeferencing techniques

• Managing shapefiles, rasters, and attribute tables

• Data quality, metadata, and file organization

• Project: Building a GIS Database for Forest and Water Features

Module 3: Spatial Analysis for Land and Water Resource Management

• Overlay, buffer, and proximity analysis

• Watershed delineation and hydrological modeling basics

• Slope and elevation-based land suitability assessment

• Case Study: Agricultural Suitability Analysis Using Topographic and Soil Data

Module 4: GIS Applications in Biodiversity and Conservation

• Habitat and ecosystem mapping

• Species distribution and corridor modeling

• Conservation prioritization using spatial data

• Project: Creating a Protected Area Network Map with Ecological Hotspots

Module 5: Capstone Project and Presentation

• Group work: design and implement a GIS project

• Integrate multi-source data and conduct spatial analysis

• Final map production and project presentation

• Peer review, feedback, and certification

• Project: Natural Resource Management Plan for a Selected Region