Academic literature on the topic 'Bioregional planning'

Vegetation classification, survey and mapping provide key information underpinning the implementation of statewide vegetation management legislation and associated policies in Queensland. This paper summarises: (i) the Queensland Herbarium survey and mapping methods and land classification system and its role in vegetation management legislation; and, (ii) the current extent and rate of vegetation clearing by bioregion, sub-region and Broad Vegetation Group; (iii) and the amount of vegetation protected under legislated statewide bioregional and regional ecosystem thresholds. Information also is provided on the pre-clearing and current extent by 18 Broad Vegetation Groups and the area of non-remnant woody vegetation by bioregion. The implications for vegetation management are discussed, along with a comparison of clearing statistics derived from other studies that use different classification and mapping methodologies. The majority of Queensland has relatively continuous native vegetation cover (82% remnant native vegetation remaining in 1999). The productive soils of the southern part of the Brigalow Belt, lowlands in South-east Queensland, New England Tableland and Central Queensland Coast have been, however, extensively cleared with 7–30% of remnant vegetation remaining. Between 1997 and 1999, the annual rate of remnant clearing in Queensland was 4460 km2 of which over 60% occurred in the Brigalow Belt bioregion. A greater proportion of this recent clearing occurred in Broad Vegetation Groups that are associated with less fertile and/or more arid parts of the State compared with pre 1997 clearing. For bioregions and regional ecosystems where past clearing has been extensive, a substantial proportion (50–91%) of the remaining vegetation is protected by bioregional and regional ecosystem thresholds prescribed under statewide legislation and associated policies. For other bioregions and regional ecosystems, other factors such as rainfall, soil and areas of high conservation value are likely to play a larger role in determining the amount of vegetation protected. However, the effectiveness of the Queensland legislation cannot be assessed until regional planning processes have been completed and all criteria addressed.

AbstractIn response to what postmodern thinkers have called 'homelessness' and to the increasing destruction of the natural environment, some thinkers have suggested that humans should organise themselves into bioregional communities. These communities will be self-governing, relatively autonomous, small groups based on watersheds, river drainages, lakeshores, or other bioregional features. Their core values will be identification with, and care for, the land. I explore a form of this viewpoint, called 'homely bioregionalism'. I argue that this position has little real connection with postmodern thoughts on place and home, it has totalitarian overtones and, even when interpreted as an empirical recommendation, incorporates an optimistic and romanticised conception of 'home'. The phenomenon of ignoring or denying our environmental surroundings is, I argue, a real one, and can be called 'bioregional denial'. Homely bioregionalism, however, does not constitute a workable alternative to bioregional denial.

The alignment of food systems with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is generally envisaged to make a positive impact on sustainability. This paper outlines some critical environmental and socio-economic indicators for Sicily in order to compare and explore the outcomes of two juxtaposing key drivers in a scenario planning exercise, where the extremities are Industrial versus Regenerative Agriculture/Agroecology and a Proactive versus Reactive government response. The most rational and less risky scenario becomes the most sensible sustainable development option, around which a 2030 vision is projected for a bioregional sustainable food system for Sicily, which is aligned with the SDGs and related policies. To accomplish the 2030 vision, a holistic education-led developmental approach is outlined with a supporting bioregional strategic framework, whose key milestone deliverables are projected through a backcasting process. This paper therefore highlights the importance of consistency and alignment of a development vision with its strategic framework and ensuing implementation, failing which, the holistic bioregional approach is compromised by activities that are shown to negatively impact environmental and socio-economic indicators. For this reason, all public and private sector development plans and associated resources ought to be aligned with a bioregional strategic plan for a sustainable food system for Sicily.

This thesis considers ways to improve biodiversity conservation at the bioregional level in Australia through the use of geospatial science technologies and biological modelling techniques. Following a review of approaches to biodiversity conservation at the bioregional level, including the roles and potential of geospatial science technologies in this regard, I consider biodiversity modelling using a case study of the Burt Plain bioregion in central Australia that focuses on selected taxa, ecosystems and landscapes. The Burt Plain bioregion was chosen since it is one of 19 bioregions nationally that has been given a 'very high' priority status for biological survey, assessment and potential reservation of land for conservation purposes. The specific research objectives for the Burt Plain bioregion study were to: · describe the species composition, distribution and nature of the dominant vegetation communities within the bioregion; · characterise environmental niche of communities with respect to selected environmental and management variables - latitude, longitude, climate, land systems and land units, geology, hydrography, topography, and tenure; · analyse how well or otherwise taxa have been sampled (during previous ground surveys) with respect to geographical and environmental variables; Biodiversity conservation at the bioregional level · develop and compare quantitative habitat models of the potential distribution of selected species based on presence-only distributional data; and · examine the significance of radiometric data as a potential correlate and predictor of the distribution of those selected species. National conservation initiatives such as the bioregional approach and international initiatives such as the biosphere reserves program to support the planning and management of biodiversity conservation are discussed in chapter two. The scientific and related processes underpinning the development of bioregions and strategies across the Australian states and territories are then considered. An important finding arising from this review is the need to improve biological information, especially through systematic surveys and on-going monitoring of ecosystems and populations of species, at the bioregional level to inform land use allocation and management. This finding is consistent with one of the general aims of the thesis to improve the spatial modelling techniques available for bioregional assessment and biodiversity conservation. In chapter three I review the role and limitations of geospatial technologies currently employed for biodiversity conservation management. Current developments and applications of GIS and remote sensing to wildlife research, conservation gap analysis and conservation reserve design are considered. Geographic information systems (GIS) are now routinely used by ecologists to Biodiversity conservation at the bioregional level analyse spatial data. Although various forms of GIS have been available for 15 to 25 years, the biological applications of GIS have figured most prominently in the ecological literature only in the past 15 years. The use of computer-generated models to simulate environmental events can provide a greater understanding of ecosystems, and offers improved predictive powers to conservation and land managers. The decision support offered by computer-based modelling techniques appears likely to underpin conservation and management decisions much more into the future providing that adequate biological and other datasets are available for this purpose. Dominant vegetation communities and various environmental gradients were analysed to characterise environmental niches at the bioregional scale for the Burt Plain bioregion (Chapter 4) and more locally at the catchment scale for the Upper Todd River Catchment (Chapter 5). In Chapters four and five I describe in detail the land tenure and use, land systems, climate soil, geology, topography, hydrology, vegetation and biodiversity of the Burt Plain bioregion and Upper Todd River Catchment. The bioregion contains some ephemeral watercourses, which are generally in fair to good condition, but are afforded little protection from a range of threatening processes, including grazing and trampling by feral animals and livestock and weed infestation. The major river systems occurring in the bioregion include parts of the Plenty, Hanson, Sandover and Lander Rivers. In the Upper Todd River Catchment the major watercourses Biodiversity conservation at the bioregional level are the Todd River and Station Creek, which exit the area via two narrow gaps in the low rocky hills on the southern boundary of the bioregion. The dominant geology can be summarised as plains and low rocky ranges of Pre-Cambrian granites on red earths. The bioregion has approximately 200 - 250 mm of summer rainfall, with rainfall occurring on 20 - 30 days per year. There is a high variability and range of temperatures, with an annual mean temperature of approximately 22-23°C. In Chapter six I consider a range of species found within the Burt Plain bioregion using existing survey data and techniques that enables the prediction of the spatial distribution of taxa. Using GLM and GAM models, Black-footed Rock- Wallaby (Petrogale lateralis), Spinifex Hopping Mouse (Notomys alexis) and Spencers Frog (Limnodynastes spenceri) were chosen for a more in-depth analysis. Environmental variables correlated with the presence of each species are then described and prediction maps showing the probability or likelihood of the presence of the species within the bioregion developed. In Chapter seven I examine the utility of radiometric data for wildlife habitat modelling. Statistical relationships are tested between the concentrations of the elements uranium, thorium and potassium and terrain characteristics such as position in the landscape, slope and aspect as well as other climatic variables. Radiometric data were found to be useful for developing statistical predictive Biodiversity conservation at the bioregional level models of six species: Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus), Desert Dunnart (Sminthopsis youngsoni), Rabbit (Orcytolagus cuniculus), Brown Honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta), Little Spotted Snake (Suda punctata) and Southern Boobook (Ninox novaeseelandiae). I suggest that the utility of radiometric data for wildlife habitat modelling would appear significant and should be explored further using alternative quantitative modelling techniques and presence/ absence records for target faunal species. Predictions of species distributions may be useful for prioritising land acquisitions for reservation as well as in the future design of biological surveys. The thesis concludes with a synthesis of the major research findings, discussion of the limitations of the datasets available for the study, perspectives on management issues in the Burt Plain bioregion, and possible future research directions. It is important that purposefully-designed biological survey research be undertaken across the bioregions of the arid zone of Australia to enhance basic understanding of biodiversity patterns and their relationships to environmental heterogeneity and site-landscape level processes. Geospatial modelling techniques can assist such biodiversity survey and evaluation and make their conduct more cost-efficient and the inferences drawn from subsequent data analyses more powerful. This knowledge is required to contribute to the emergent concepts and theory of ecosystem dynamics and associated biodiversity patterns in arid Australia and, most significantly, to enhance the conservation and management of the unique biological complement and systems found in this region.

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Includes bibliographical references (p. 213-247).
This thesis uses the Selous-Niassa wildlife corridor as a lens through which the process of constructing bioregions can be understood and the effects of that process on society properly evaluated. It specifically investigates the corridor as a cog in the creation of a bioregion in southeastern Tanzania, namely, the Selous-Niassa transfrontier conservation area. The study was motivated by claims that the creation of bioregions across international borders places the protection and conservation of biodiversity at the appropriate scale, and that bioregions of this type are beneficial for nature conservation and society. Though the study appreciates the ecological rationales for trans-border conservation, its focus is on the social side of the process. The main social claims for bioregions in general, and transfrontier conservation in particular, are that the establishment of cross-border protected areas, including transfrontier conservation areas, leads to the removal of colonial borders which disrupt ecological systems and local communities.

This study focused on using a mapping tool, Space Syntax, to analyze the connectivity of the Cache County road network and its use to plan for bicycles. Space Syntax is being compared to another method that is already used by city planners called Bicycle Level of Service, or BLOS. The two analyses used data from Cache County and, after they were modeled and evaluated, a statistical analysis was done to see how similar one is to the other. The analyses were done at both a regional and a local scale. At both scales the analyses were not similar. Data was added to the Space Syntax analysis at both scales to see if it would influence making it more similar to BLOS. Adding the data had no effect in making them similar. It was determined that Space Syntax and BLOS are not similar and more research would need to be done to attempt to make them similar. They both have advantages and disadvantages to them when being used for planning for bicycles. One is not necessarily better than the other, as they are two different methods that could be used.

A Mata Atlântica é um dos ecossistemas mais ameaçados do planeta, estando hoje reduzida a menos de 8% de sua extensão original, segundo dados desenvolvidos pela Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica e o Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais. Este bioma, considerado um dos ecossistemas com maior biodiversidade do mundo, está parcialmente protegido em algumas unidades de conservação ao longo da costa brasileira. Este trabalho visa discutir alguns dos conflitos existentes entre a política de conservação e a preservação da Mata Atlântica no entorno de três unidades de conservação estaduais no Rio Grande do Sul: Reserva Biológica Estadual da Serra Geral, Estação Ecológica Estadual Aratinga e Parque Estadual do Tainhas. Através de ferramentas do sensoriamento remoto e geoprocessamento, foi elaborada uma classificação da cobertura vegetal e dos diferentes tipos de uso da terra, utilizando imagens de satélite, fotografias aéreas de pequeno formato, trabalhos de campo e análises espaciais. O mapeamento de uso e cobertura da terra abrangeu uma área total de 350.137,68 ha, gerando 36 classes divididas em três categorias: cobertura vegetal, uso da terra e hidrografia. A cobertura vegetal totalizou 259.197,71 ha., representando 74,03% da área de estudo, o uso da terra 75.661,35 ha, com 21,61% e a hidrografia 15.278,61 ha com 4,38%. Nas análises foram geradas informações de distância e densidade dos fragmentos, além de classes de declividade e características do entorno das unidades de conservação. Foi elaborada então uma análise de multicritérios, que indicou as áreas com maiores conflitos socioambientais, e áreas com potencial de conservação. Os resultados permitiram analisar e sugerir alterações na política de conservação das unidades existentes. As áreas estudadas mostraram um alto potencial para práticas de uso associadas à conservação dos recursos naturais. O extrativismo da samambaiapreta (Rumohra adiantiformis) e o turismo ecológico são bons exemplos desta potencialidade. Neste sentido a estratégia de planejamento e a gestão biorregional seria fundamental para contemplar os interesses das populações locais, de uma forma mais sustentável e organizada.
The Atlantic rainforest is one of the most endangered ecosystems of the world, with only 8% of its original area remaining today, according to data from the SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation and the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). This biome, one of the world’s richest in biodiversity, is partially protected in a few conservation units along the Brazilian coast. The objective of the present work is to discuss some of the conflicts between conservation policy and the preservation of the Atlantic Forest around three conservation units in the State of Rio Grande do Sul: Serra Geral Biological Reserve, Aratinga Ecological Station e State Park of Tainhas. Using remote sensing and geoprocessing tools, a vegetation cover and land use map classification was produced using satellite imagery, aerial photographs, field work and spatial analysis. The total extent of the land use map was 350.137,68 ha, with 36 classes divided in three categories: vegetation cover, land use, and hydrography. Total vegetation cover was 259.197,71 ha (74,03% of the studied area), total land use area was 75.661,35 ha (21,61%) and hidrography was 15.278,61 ha (4,38% of the total area). The spatial analyses produced data on distance and density of forest fragments, slope classes, and characteristics around the conservation units. A multicriteria analysis indicated the area with the highest degree of socio-environmental conflicts and the areas that are potentially interesting for conservation. The results provided the basis for the suggestion of shifts in the present policy for protected areas. The studied region presents a high potential for land use practices associated with natural resource conservation. Extractivism of a native fern, called samambaia-preta (Rumohra adiantiformis), and ecoturism are examples of such potential activities. Bioregional planning and management would be a fundamental approach for taking into account the interests of the local populations in a more sustainable and organized way.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are important conservation tools that can support the resilience of marine ecosystems. Many countries, including Canada, have committed to protecting at least 10% of their marine areas under the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Aichi Target 11, which includes connectivity as a key aspect. Connectivity, the movement of individuals among habitats, can enhance population stability and resilience within and among MPAs. This thesis aimed to understand regional spatial patterns of marine ecological connectivity, specifically through the mechanism of adult movement, and how these patterns may be affected by climate change. I used the Northern Shelf Bioregion in British Columbia, Canada, as a case study for four objectives: (1) evaluate potential connectivity via adult movement for the entire bioregion, using habitat proxies for distinct ecological communities; (2) assess potential connectivity via adult movement among existing and potential MPAs, using the same habitat proxies; (3) model potential connectivity via adult movement among marine protected areas for two focal species (Metacarcinus magister and Sebastolobus alascanus) and predict how this interconnectedness may shift based on projected ocean temperature changes; and (4) contribute the results of these analyses to the MPA technical team’s ongoing planning process so that connectivity may be considered in the implementation of a new MPA network in the bioregion. This thesis developed an approach to assess and design MPA networks that maximize inferred connectivity within habitat types for adult movement when ecological data are limited. It applied least-cost theory and circuit theory to model MPA suitability and interconnectedness, finding that these are projected to decrease for Sebastolobus alascanus but increase for Metacarcinus magister. I showcased some methods that may be used in MPA design and evaluation, with lessons for other contexts. Importantly, this thesis informed an ongoing MPA planning process, enabling ecological connectivity to be considered in the establishment of a new MPA network in the bioregion. Overall, this work provided examples for incorporating connectivity and climate change into MPA design, highlighting what is possible even when data are limited.
Graduate