VCE Environmental Science case studies
VCE Environmental Science · Put your knowledge to work in context.
VCE Environmental Science is a Victorian Certificate of Education study accredited by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority for an accreditation period beginning in 2022. It is designed for senior secondary students in Victoria who want to understand how natural and human systems interact, and it runs across Units 1 to 4. The VCE Environmental Science case studies are 5 cases and about 2,888 words.
1Salinity and the Irrigated Almond Block
A 40-hectare almond orchard sits on a floodplain where the water table has risen from 6 m to 1.8 m below the surface over eight years of flood irrigation. The irrigation water has a salinity of 900 EC units (μS/cm), and the soil clay content is high, giving slow drainage.
584 words, about 3 min2Rehabilitating a Cleared Woodland Reserve
A 300-hectare former grazing property was purchased for conservation. Historical records show it was grassy woodland, but it has been grazed for 90 years and is now dominated by introduced pasture grasses, with only scattered mature trees and no natural regeneration of the dominant eucalypt.
538 words, about 3 min3Monitoring Design for a Recovering Wetland
A 120-hectare wetland downstream of a treated wastewater outfall is being monitored to test whether nutrient reduction has improved ecological condition. The outfall's phosphorus load was cut by 60% three years ago.
535 words, about 3 min4Choosing an Energy Option for a Regional Town
A regional town of 18,000 people currently draws electricity from a coal-fired generator 400 km away via a long transmission line with 7% losses. The town is choosing between two supply options.
602 words, about 3 min5Biodiversity Offset for a Highway Upgrade
A highway upgrade will clear 12 hectares of native vegetation, including 3 hectares of a listed ecological community that provides habitat for a threatened bird. The proponent proposes an offset: protecting 40 hectares of similar vegetation 30 km away, which is currently grazed but not cleared, plus a payment to a conservation trust.
629 words, about 3 min