Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Environmental protection Awards Australia'

The object of this thesis is to provide, through a thorough analysis of human perception and interaction with aesthetics and landscape quality, a comprehensive basis on which to develop a credible methodology for the large scale assessment of perceived landscape quality. The analysis of human perception and interaction with aesthetics and landscape quality is gained by inquiring in depth into a range of theoretical constructs from key disciplines, cultural aspects, and empirical studies covering : 1. the contribution of philosophers to aesthetics 2. the psychology of perception and colour 3. the contribution of Gestalt psychology to aesthetics 4. the psychoanalytical construct of human responses to aesthetics 5. the influence of culture on landscape preferences, tracing the changing perceptions of mountains, the portrayal of landscapes in art, and the design of parks and gardens 6. a review of over 200 surveys of landscape quality in the late 20th century, including typologies and theories of landscape quality Based on the analysis of these and the knowledge gained, an empirical study is formulated and conducted, comprising a study of landscape quality of South Australia, an area of nearly 1 million km - 1. This involves, firstly, the acquisition of data covering the delineation of landscape character regions for the State, photography of these landscapes, derivation of a set of representative slides, and rating of these by groups of participants. Secondly, these preference ratings are comprehensively analysed on the basis of the attributes of the scenes covering land form, land cover, land use, water bodies, naturalism, diversity and colour. Thirdly, the results are applied as follows: 1. a map of landscape quality of South Australia is derived 2. the results are used to predict the effect that changes in land use ( e.g. clearance of trees ) will have on landscape quality 3. the theoretical constructs of landscape quality are evaluated on the basis of the preference ratings 4. a protocol is detailed to guide the undertaking of large - scale landscape quality assessment. The thesis thus fulfils the objective of conducting a thorough analysis of human perception and interaction with, aesthetics and landscape quality, to provide a basis for developing a credible methodology for the large - scale assessment of perceived landscape quality.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Social Sciences, 2000.

Formaldehyde is a common air pollutant that tends to be found in elevated concentrations in indoor air. Exposure to formaldehyde has the potential to impact on respiratory health, particularly amongst sensitive individuals and populations, including children. Children spend most of their time indoors at home, however, there are very little data on the contribution of formaldehyde concentrations in homes to personal exposure in children. The principal aim of this cross sectional study was to investigate whether the domestic environment is the most significant source of personal exposure of formaldehyde in children. Forty-one primary school children (aged between 8 and 12) were recruited from two areas of Perth, Western Australia. Each child wore a personal passive formaldehyde sampler over a 24 hour period on two separate occasions, winter and summer. Samplers were also located indoors at home, outdoors at centralised locations and indoors at school for the corresponding period. A questionnaire about lifestyle and behaviour and a daily activity diary were completed for each participant. Passive samplers used filter papers impregnated with 2,4-dinitrophenylhadrazine (DNPH), with formaldehyde detected using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). In winter there was a wide range of personal exposure concentrations, with geometric mean concentrations of 9.7ppb at Duncraig and 11.5ppb at Calista. Indoor geometric mean concentrations at Duncraig were l0.lppb, with outdoor and classroom concentrations below the analytical limit of detection (4ppb). At Calista, mean indoor concentrations were 14.2ppb. The outdoor concentrations were below the limit of detection and school concentrations were 8.0ppb. Summer monitoring occurred during mild meteorological conditions and were very similar to winter results. Geometric mean personal exposure concentrations were 9.2ppb at Duncraig and 8.0ppb at Calista. Indoor geometric mean concentrations at Duncraig were 9.0ppb, with outdoor and classroom concentrations below the limit of detection (4ppb). At Calista, mean indoor concentrations were 9.9ppb, outdoor was below detection limit and school concentrations were l5.2ppb. There were strong correlations between personal exposure and domestic concentrations at both Duncraig and Calista in winter (r2 = 0.73 and 0.88, respectively) and in summer (r2 = 0.67 and 0.84, respectively). The correlation for both seasons combined was significant, with a coefficient of r2 = 0. 78. A time weighted model estimated personal exposure concentrations for each participant using stationary measures in combination with time activity data. These estimates of exposure correlated significantly with measured personal exposure concentrations, with a coefficient of r2 = 0.80 for all data combined. The indoor domestic environment was found to be the most important source of formaldehyde exposure for children. Time weighting was found to provide a stronger estimate of personal exposure than indoor air monitoring alone, although the time weighted model was not a significant improvement over the indoor measure alone.

Bibliography: leaves 123-130. The literature search and the findings from the investigation have been used to provide recommendations for a sector specific cooperative approach using regulation, self-regulation, voluntary agreements, economic incentatives and educational/information strategies to promote and acheive cleaner production in the South Australian foundry industry.

This thesis examines environmental journalists, and the nature of their response to a set of perceived constraints within their professional context. Much of the literature on the subject to date would portray journalists as simply a channel through which previously screened information would be sent. The journalist, in this interpretation, is reduced to a mere transport device - one uninvolved in the manufacture and negotiation of that which we see as news. This study refutes this viewpoint, holding instead that the environmental journalist, operating from the platform of a "round", has internalised a set of strategic methodologies that both acknowledge the constraints and work to circumvent them. Indeed, the title "Getting Around the Problem", was borrowed from a common response from those in the sample set. The respondents collectively acknowledged the existence of a set of unique constraints, but always maintained there was a way to "get around the problem". The study, operating at an intensive level of scrutiny, shows evidence of these constraints, explains their genesis, and demonstrates the journalists' own responses. Implicit in this study is the idea that journalists do in fact operate from within a managed system, but still continue, despite this fact, to retain a significant degree of professional autonomy.

In the past decade the wetlands of the Swan Coastal Plain (SCP) region of Western Australia have been subject to increasing fire frequency and intensity. Whilst wetland sediment fires (also known as peat fires) on the SCP are not new phenomena, the increased frequency, duration and extent of combustion have been concomitant with an increase in urbanisation and reduction in average annual rainfall for the region. This has led to a decrease in ground- and surface-water levels which, in turn, has increased the susceptibility of the wetland sediments to ignition and combustion events. Increased wetland fire severity has resulted in the loss of large pools of organic matter as well as numerous geochemical changes in wetland sediments. The physical and chemical modifications of wetland sediments have implications for the water quality of these wetlands, particularly on the SCP where an intimate link between water quality and the underlying geomorphology can be demonstrated. Previous wetland sediment disturbance events, such as drought and dewatering, have led to the oxidation of sediments, which has resulted in the acidification, base cation leaching and metal contamination of both ground- and surface-waters. The buffering capacity is strongly linked to the underlying geomorphology. Wetlands on the highly-leached, poorly-buffered Bassendean dune geomorphic unit tend to acidify readily, whereas wetlands on the well-buffered, Spearwood dune geomorphic unit, generally tend to be less acidic and have the capacity to recover (i.e. return to near-neutral conditions). In recent times, some of the wetlands on the Spearwood dune system have remained acidic. This suggests that the buffering capacity of this system is finite and may be linked to the severity of the oxidation event. The physical, temporal and chemical nature of water quality response from dried, heated and combusted wetland sediments are not well understood nor are the processes that drive them. The aim of this research, therefore, was to identify and characterise the inorganic water quality responses to the combustion of organic-rich wetland sediments. The study examined post-fire sediment pore-water and downstream ground-water quality, and the short and long term temporal characteristics of these responses. A laboratory microcosm experiment was conducted to investigate the role of temperature and sediment heterogeneity on observed water quality responses. The porewater of burnt sediments differed greatly from that of unburnt sediments and was indicative of pyrite oxidation. There were also temporal changes associated with seasonal rainfall events and groundwater fluxes. Results of the long-term temporal analysis indicated the exhaustion of the in-situ buffering capacity of the wetland sediments, which resulted in the permanent acidification of the groundwater downstream of the burnt sediments. These patterns were partly obscured by transient buffering supplied by the ash created from the combustion of vegetative organic material and the influx of carbonate-rich groundwater. Laboratory microcosm analyses confirmed the inorganic hydrochemical signals, and the significance of sediment type; including parent geomorphology, in influencing the water quality response. The increased frequency, duration and extent of drying, heating and combustion of wetland sediments suggest an erosion of buffering, and thereby a loss of resilience for these wetlands, threatening their ecological integrity. This research enhances our understanding of the environmental impacts of wetland sediment fires and increases the potential for pre-emptive, rather than reactive management services.

Bibiography: leaves 91-96. The Timor Gap area is managed jointly by Australia and Indonesia through the Treaty of Timor Gap (1989). The Zone of Cooperation area A 's main activity is oil exploration and exploitation. The main concern of the research is the provisions for environmental protection and the procedure of environmental impact assessment in the Treaty.

"August 2006"
Thesis (PhD) -- Macquarie University, Division of Law, 2007.
Bibliography: p. 343-364.
Abstract -- Candidate's certification -- Acknowledgements -- Acronyms -- Chapter one -- Chapter two: Linking public participation to environmental decision making and natural resources management -- Chapter three: The right to public participation -- Chapter four: Implementing the right to public participation in environmental decision making : the participation of indigenous peoples in the conservation and management of protected areas -- Chapter five: The legal and policy regime for the participation of indigenous peoples in the conservation and management of protected areas in Australia -- Chapter six: The legal and policy regime for the participation of indigenous peoples in the conservation and management of protected areas in Uganda -- Chapter seven: Implementing public participation in environmental decision making in Australia and Uganda : a comparative analysis -- Chapter eight: The right to public participation in enviromental decision making and natural resources management : summary and conclusions -- Bibliography.
In recognition of the importance of public participation as a basis for good governance and democracy, Mr Kofi Annan, Secretary General to the United Nations, has noted that: "Good governance demands the consent and participation of the governed and the full participation and lasting involvement of all citizens in the future of their nation. The will of the people must be the basis of governmental authority. That is the foundation of democracy. That is the foundation of good governance Good governance will give every citizen, young or old, man or woman, a real and lasting stake in the future of his or her society". The above quotation encapsulates the essence of what this thesis has set out to do; to examine the concept of public participation and its application in environmental governance within the context of the participation of indigenous peoples in the conservation and management of protected areas in Australia and Uganda. The concept of public participation is of such intrinsic importance that it has emerged as one of the fundamental principles underpinning environmental governance and therefore forms the basis for this study. -- Environmental governance, as a concept that captures the ideal of public participation, is basically about decisions and the manner in which they are made. It is about who has 'a seat at the table' during deliberations and how the interests of affected communities and ecosystems are represented. It is also about how decision makers are held responsible for the integrity of the process and for the results of their decisions. It relates to business people, property owners, farmers and consumers. Environmental governance is also about the management of actions relating to the environment and sustainable development. It includes individual choices and actions like participating in public hearings or joining local watchdog groups or, as consumers, choosing to purchase environmentally friendly products. -- The basic principles behind good governance and good environmental decision making have been accepted for more than a decade. The 178 nations that attended the Rio Summit in 1992 all endorsed these nvironmental governance principles when they signed the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (Rio Declaration) - a charter of 27 principles meant to guide the world community towards sustainable development. The international community re-emphasised the importance of these principles at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002. -- The right to public participation in nvironmental decision making and natural resources management is one of the 27 principles endorsed by the nations of the world and is embodied in the provisions of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration.
Environmental decisions occur in many contexts. They range from personal choices like whether to walk or drive to work, how much firewood to burn, or whether to have another child. They encompass the business decisions that communities or corporations make about where to locate their facilities, how much to emphasise eco-friendly product design and how much land to preserve. They include national laws enacted to conserve the environment, to regulate pollution, manage public land or regulate trade. They take into account international commitments made to regulate trade in endangered species or limit acid rain or C02 emissions. -- Environmental decisions also involve a wide range of actors: individuals; local, state and national governments; community and tribal authorities such as indigenous peoples; civic organisations; interested groups; labour unions; national and transactional corporations; scientists; and international bodies such as the United Nations, the European Union, and the World Trade Organisation. -- Each of the actors have different interests, different levels of authority and different information, making their actions complex and frequently putting their decisions at odds with each other and with ecological processes that sustain the natural systems we depend on. -- Accordingly, this thesis aims to examine participation in environmental decision making in a way that demonstrates these complexities and interdependencies. It will explore the theoretical and conceptual basis for public participation and how it is incorporated into international and domestic environmental and natural resources law and policy. -- It will examine public participation in the context of the legal and policy framework for the conservation and management of protected areas and will use case studies involving the participation of indigeneous peoples in Australia and Uganda to provide the basis for a comparative analysis. -- The thesis will also faces on a comparative analysis of the effectiveness and meaningfulness of the process for public participation in environmental decision making in Australia and Uganda. There is extensive literature on the purposes to which participation may be put; the stages in the project cycle at which it should be employed; the level and power with regard to the decision making process which should be afforded to the participants; the methods which may be appropriate under the different circumstances, as well as detailed descriptions of methods; approaches and forms or typologies of public participation; and the benefits and problems of such participation.
However, there is not much significant literature that examines and analyses the meaningfulness and effectiveness of the contextual processes of such participation. This is despite the widespread belief in the importance and value of public participation, particularly by local and indigenous communities, even in the face of disillusionment caused by deceit, manipulation and tokenism. Accordingly, the thesis will use case studies to demonstrate the meaningfulness and effectiveness or otherwise of public participation in environmental decision making in protected area management. -- Increasingly, the terminology of sustainable development is more appropriate to describe contemporary policy objectives in this area, with an emphasis on promoting local livelihood and poverty alleviation within the constraints of ecosystem management. However, the domestic legal frameworks, and institutional development, in Australia and Uganda tend to reflect earlier concepts of environmental and natural resources management (referred to as environmental management in this thesis). There are some significant differences between a North (developed) nation and a South (developing) nation, in terms of the emphasis on economic objectives, political stability, resources and legal and administrative capacity. The thesis intends to explore these differences for the comparative analysis and to draw on them to highlight the complexities and interdependencies of public participation by indigenous peoples in environmental decision making, natural resources and protected area management.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
377 p

A significant and growing number of authors and commentators have proposed that ecologically enlightened (‘greened’) religion is the solution or at least a major part of the solution to the global ecological crisis. These include Birch, 1965 p90; Brindle, 2000; Callicott, 1994; Gardner, 2002, 2003, 2006; Gore Jr., 1992; Gottlieb, 2006, 2007; Hallman, 2000; Hamilton, 2006b, a, 2007b; Hessel & Ruether, 2000b; Hitchcock, 1999; King, 2002; Lerner, 2006a; McDonagh, 1987; McFague, 2001; McKenzie, 2005; Nasr, 1996; Oelschlaeger, 1994; Palmer, 1992; Randers, 1972; Tucker & Grim, 2000; and White Jr., 1967. Proponents offer a variety of reasons for this view, including that the majority of the world’s and many nations’ people identify themselves as religious, and that there is a large amount of land and infrastructure controlled by religious organisations worldwide. However, the most important reason is that ‘religion’ is said to have one or more exceptional qualities that can drive and sustain dramatic personal and societal change. The underlying or sometimes overt suggestion is that as the ecological crisis is ultimately a moral crisis, religion is best placed to address the problem at its root. ¶ Proponents of the above views are often religious, though there are many who are not. Many proponents are from the USA and write in the context of the powerful role of religion in that country. Others write in a global context. Very few write from or about the Australian context where the role of religion in society is variously argued to be virtually non-existent, soon to be non-existent, or conversely, profound but covert. ¶ This thesis tests the proposition that religion is the solution to the ecological crisis. It does this using a case study of mainstream religion in Australia, represented by the Catholic, Anglican, and Uniting Churches. The Churches’ ecological policies and practices are analysed to determine the extent to which these denominations are fulfilling, or might be able to fulfil, the proposition. The primary research method is an Internet-based search for policy and praxis material. The methodology is Critical Human Ecology. ¶ The research finds that: the ‘greening’ of these denominations is evident; it is a recent phenomenon in the older Churches; there is a growing wealth of environmentalist sentiment and ecological policy being produced; but little institutional praxis has occurred. Despite the often-strong rhetoric, there is no evidence to suggest that ecological concerns, even linked to broader social concerns (termed ‘ecojustice’) are ‘core business’ for the Churches as institutions. Conventional institutional and anthropocentric welfare concerns remain dominant. ¶ Overall, the three Churches struggle with organisational, demographic, and cultural problems that impede their ability to convert their official ecological concerns into institutional praxis. Despite these problems, there are some outstanding examples of ecological policy and praxis in institutional and non-institutional forms that at least match those seen in mainstream secular society. ¶ I conclude that in Australia, mainstream religion is a limited part of the solution to the ecological crisis. It is not the solution to the crisis, at least not in its present institutional form. Institutional Christianity is in decline in Australia and is being replaced by non-institutional Christianity, other religions and non-religious spiritualities (Tacey, 2000, 2003; Bouma, 2006; Tacey, 2007). The ecological crisis is a moral crisis, but in Australia, morality is increasingly outside the domain of institutional religion. The growth of the non-institutional religious and the ‘spiritual but not religious’ demographic may, if ecologically informed, offer more of a contribution to addressing the ecological crisis in future. This may occur in combination with some of the more progressive movements seen at the periphery of institutional Christianity such as the ‘eco-ministry’ of Rev. Dr. Jason John in Adelaide, and the ‘Creation Spirituality’ taught, advocated and practiced by the Mercy Sisters’ Earth Link project in Queensland.

Although the physical characteristics of surfing breaks are well described in the literature, there is little specific research on surfing and coastal management. Such research is required because coastal engineering has had significant impacts to surfing breaks, both positive and negative. Strategic planning and environmental impact assessment methods, a central tenet of integrated coastal zone management (ICZM), are recommended by this thesis to maximise surfing amenities. The research reported here identifies key oceanographic considerations required for ICZM around surfing breaks including: surfing wave parameters; surfing break components; relationship between surfer skill, surfing manoeuvre type and wave parameters; wind effects on waves; currents; geomorphic surfing break categorisation; beach-state and morphology; and offshore wave transformations. Key coastal activities that can have impacts to surfing breaks are identified. Environmental data types to consider during coastal studies around surfing breaks are presented and geographic information systems (GIS) are used to manage and interpret such information. To monitor surfing breaks, a shallow water multibeam echo sounding system was utilised and a RTK GPS water level correction and hydrographic GIS methodology developed. Including surfing in coastal management requires coastal engineering solutions that incorporate surfing. As an example, the efficacy of the artificial surfing reef (ASR) at Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, was evaluated. GIS, multibeam echo soundings, oceanographic measurements, photography, and wave modelling were all applied to monitor sea floor morphology around the reef. Results showed that the beach-state has more cellular circulation since the reef was installed, and a groin effect on the offshore bar was caused by the structure within the monitoring period, trapping sediment updrift and eroding sediment downdrift. No identifiable shoreline salient was observed. Landward of the reef, a scour hole ~3 times the surface area of the reef has formed. The current literature on ASRs has primarily focused on reef shape and its role in creating surfing waves. However, this study suggests that impacts to the offshore bar, beach-state, scour hole and surf zone hydrodynamics should all be included in future surfing reef designs. More real world reef studies, including ongoing monitoring of existing surfing reefs are required to validate theoretical concepts in the published literature.

This thesis draws on David Harvey’s concept of “accumulation by dispossession” and an international political economy (IPE) approach centred on the institutional arrangements and power structures that privilege certain actors and values, in order to critique current capitalist practices of primitive accumulation by the global corporate extractive industry. The thesis examines how accumulation by dispossession by the global extractive industry is facilitated by the “free entry” or “free mining” principle. It does so by focusing on Canada as a leader in the global extractive industry and the spread of this country’s mining laws to other countries – in other words, the transnationalisation of norms in the global extractive industry – so as to maintain a consistent and familiar operating environment for Canadian extractive companies. The transnationalisation of norms is further promoted by key international institutions such as the World Bank, which is also the world’s largest development lender and also plays a key role in shaping the regulations that govern natural resource extraction. The thesis briefly investigates some Canadian examples of resource extraction projects, in order to demonstrate the weaknesses of Canadian mining laws, particularly the lack of protection of landowners’ rights under the free entry system and the subsequent need for “free, prior and informed consent” (FPIC). The thesis also considers some of the challenges to the adoption and implementation of the right to FPIC. These challenges include embedded institutional structures like the free entry mining system, international political economy (IPE) as shaped by international institutions and powerful corporations, as well as concerns regarding ‘local’ power structures or the legitimacy of representatives of communities affected by extractive projects. The thesis concludes that in order for Canada to be truly recognized as a leader in the global extractive industry, it must establish legal norms domestically to ensure that Canadian mining companies and residents can be held accountable when there is evidence of environmental and/or human rights violations associated with the activities of Canadian mining companies abroad. The thesis also concludes that Canada needs to address underlying structural issues such as the free entry mining system and implement FPIC, in order to curb “accumulation by dispossession” by the extractive industry, both domestically and abroad.

Bibliography: leaves 318-346.
v, 346 leaves ; 30 cm.
This thesis explores the subject of how effective a national government environment protection institution can be in making industry sustainable.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Politics, 1999

Field inspections to establish the frequency of occurrence and the length of sediment tongues around the boundaries of drainage lines of logged coupes on the granite soils in the Eden Woodchip Area, New South Wales showed that a sediment tongue occurs for every 0.5 km of drainage line but that sediment tongues penetrate to drainage lines on average once per 2.4 km of drainage line. When the lengths of sediment tongues are compared with the provisions for buffer strip width, it is concluded that, for slopes for up to 20*, a width of buffer strip of 20 metres is conservative. Associated studies of the source of sediment in sediment tongues, using the isotopes Cs-137 and Be-7, showed that the source of the sediment was almost entirely from the snig tracks. The methods used are promising for the study of sediment tongues.

Land policy and law are fundamental to the development of the State of Queensland; and instrumental in wreaking disastrous environmental consequences on privately held rural land. Such policy and laws have been indelibly shaped by prolonged political cycles and ideologies of successive State administrations. In the second half of the 1950s, a non-Labor government took office and held power for 32 years. This era encouraged, and often legally required, unsustainable land management practices. The demise of this conservative regime came in 1989: Queensland Labor took office and enacted a raft of environmental laws as part of a general shift towards biodiversity conservation. This research was undertaken primarily during this latest Queensland Labor administration. Two environmental statutes were examined. The Vegetation Management Act 1999 (Qld) (VMA) was a new statute enacted to redress the effects of broadscale land clearing on freehold land. The Land Act 1994 (Qld) (LA) was an existing statute upon which requirements for sustainable management on leasehold land were grafted. The aim of this thesis has been to advance understanding of natural resource legislation and contribute to the body of knowledge on State environmental laws. Each law is examined in the traditional doctrinal manner, adopting a conventional positivist approach and accompanied by socio-legal research. This methodology brings an insight into environmental law and the reality of the Queensland legislature and legal practice. This is achieved by analysing the circumstances which led to the creation of each law, including the political and parliamentary setting within which the laws were made; and by exploring the process of implementation. To assist the focus of this study, the thesis explores a series of research questions. Each designed to elicit an understanding of the making and implementation of environmental laws and to effectively link each component of the thesis to provide an integrated work. Both environmental laws aimed to rectify the degradation of rural land caused by unsustainable policy and law. Notwithstanding this common environmental endeavour, the making and implementation of each statute differed. The VMA has been one of the most controversial pieces of legislation to be made and implemented in the last decade of the Queensland parliament; conversely, amendments to the LA, never reached the same level of controversy. This thesis ultimately asks why the statutes differed and advances a range of explanatory reasons. By exploring this question, the thesis aims to show that the public environmental good, and long-term sustainability of rural land, can be more readily achieved with leasehold title. The concern, as discussed in the concluding chapter, is that leasehold tenure might be facing its own expiry in Queensland.

In this thesis I explore the conflicts which have arise between middle class' conservationists and working class timber communities. I examine the New South Wales rainforest controversy as a case study and seek to place the animosity and hostility which arose there within the context of class analysis. At the same time, I integrate other important dimensions of social life, particularly rural ideologies and ideologies of masculinity, into an overall analysis of class power. I show that important cultural divisions underlaid the political conflict, particularly differing conceptions of nature and history, and that these had their roots in different labour processes. After introducing my theoretical framework, I provide an economic context for my cultural analysis by examining the restructuring of the north coast hardwood timber industry during the 1960s and 1970s. This is followed by two chapters which analyse the labour process in the timber industry. Here I explore both class struggles on the shop-floor and cultural productions which arise within the workplace and in rural communities. The subsequent chapters focus more closely on environmental politics. I analyse the New South Wales rainforest campaign by offering a critique of 'pluralist' political strategies and I then locate this campaign within a wider context by briefly overviewing the anti -uranium and green bans campaigns of the 1970s. One of my major conclusions is that environmental politics is flawed by the neglect by activists of the class effects of their political activities. Assessments of political campaigns solely in terms of ecological goals are seriously deficient because they fail to register how conservationists' actions facilitate capitalist strategies of industry restructuring and thereby further entrench capitalist class power. Theoretically, my thesis is based on principles of 'realist' methodology and I use concepts drawn from labour process theory, class analysis, and the theory of ideology. The thesis is heavily weighted toward oral history material, gathered during field work interviews on the north coast of New South Wales. I analyse this material using 'popular memory' theory and other studies of working class culture. In so doing, the thesis provides timber workers with a voice in a debate which has largely been dominated by 'middle class' conservationists. Politically, the thesis is an intervention into current debates about new social movements and their relationship to the left. I argue that an effective alliance between socialists and environmentalists entails a rejection of wilderness politics in favour of urban environmental issues. I conclude that 'pluralist' political strategies of lobbying for state- conferred concessions should be rejected in favour of strategies which develop alternative economic programmes at local and regional levels.

This creative writing thesis begins with the premise that climate change poses critical outcomes for the Australian continent, and asks what the consequences of this are as the precariousness of Australia’s future in relation to climate change continues to gather pace. Comprising a novel (70%) and exegesis (30%), the thesis as a whole seeks to explore the connections between climate change, land and culture in Australia, and to investigate settler Australian understandings regarding ‘place’, ‘belonging’ and ‘home’ in relation to both settlement and unsettledness in contemporary times.

The critically endangered grey nurse shark (Carcharias taurus) off eastern Australia is the focus of a non-consumptive, economically important marine wildlife tourism (MWT) industry centred on scuba diving with the sharks. This industry has been identified as a potential threat to the continued survival and recovery of the species. Legislative guidelines and a national code of conduct for scuba diver behaviour were developed to mitigate adverse impacts of MWT on the sharks. This research assessed the putative impacts of scuba diving MWT on grey nurse shark behaviour and the efficacy of management strategies across differing life-history stages and aggregation sites. Underwater stereo-video photogrammetry was used to develop a partial ethogram of the swimming and non-swimming behaviours of grey nurse sharks at locations within aggregation sites during daylight hours without MWT. Predominantly low-energy behaviours were exhibited and no threatening agonistic behaviours were observed. Underwater visual census also documented primarily low-activity swimming behaviours in sharks during interactions with MWT scuba divers of varying demographics and revealed absolute diver compliance with management guidelines. Passive acoustic telemetry showed sharks may have exhibited more active swimming when patrolling between two locations within a site but adopted low-energy swimming behaviours for the majority of the time during daylight hours regardless of scuba diving MWT. Sharks at differing life-history stages probably conserved energy at aggregation sites in association with their migratory movements and reproductive cycles. Differences in the swimming and patrolling behaviours of sharks were attributed to natural variation in environmental conditions (i.e. topography and currents) at the sites as they were not consistent with scuba diving MWT activity. This research strongly suggested that management strategies are effective at protecting the east Australian population of grey nurse sharks from MWT disturbance. Consequently, the grey nurse shark scuba diving MWT industry in its current form is ecologically and economically sustainable.

Hybridisation between closely-related species is an ongoing threat to many species that can be exacerbated by anthropogenic practices. The Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa) is a dabbling duck native to the southwest Pacific that is currently under threat of hybridisation with introduced Mallard (A. platyrhynchos). Mallard are known to hybridise with and threaten many other dabbling duck species throughout the world. To evaluate the threat posed by hybridisation with introduced domestic Mallards to the Australian subspecies of the Pacific Black Duck (A. s. rogersi), a set of nine microsatellite markers were selected to genetically differentiate these species and detect hybrids. The use of these microsatellite markers on putative Pacific Black Ducks found that the overall frequency of hybridisation in Australia is currently low (1.5%) and also revealed that the frequency of hybridisation tended to be higher in urban compared to rural Victoria. Behavioural observations suggested that while Mallards are dominant over Pacific Black Ducks, the latter have not been excluded from parks inhabited by Mallards. In contrast to mainland Australia, most birds on Lord Howe Island appear to be Mallards of New Zealand stock descent. It’s unclear whether hybrids resident were bred locally or whether they emigrated from New Zealand. The lack of Pacific Black Duck phenotypes on Lord Howe Island suggests that this species has been outcompeted by Mallards. In addition to hybridisation with Mallards, anecdotal reports have suggested that Pacific Black Ducks are also hybridising with Chestnut Teals (A. castanea). Based on microsatellite analysis, Chestnut Teal - Pacific Black Duck hybrids were detected, albeit at a low frequency (0.5%), among a sample of putative Pacific Black Ducks sampled throughout Australia Overall, Mallard – Pacific Black Duck hybridisation does not currently seem to be widespread. However, the precautionary principle would advise eradication methods to be put into place to prevent the spread of the Mallard genome throughout Australia’s Pacific Black Duck population to protect the genetic integrity of the Australian subspecies.

A significant and growing number of authors and commentators have proposed that ecologically enlightened (‘greened’) religion is the solution or at least a major part of the solution to the global ecological crisis. These include Birch, 1965 p90; ... . Proponents offer a variety of reasons for this view, including that the majority of the world’s and many nations’ people identify themselves as religious, and that there is a large amount of land and infrastructure controlled by religious organisations worldwide. However, the most important reason is that ‘religion’ is said to have one or more exceptional qualities that can drive and sustain dramatic personal and societal change. The underlying or sometimes overt suggestion is that as the ecological crisis is ultimately a moral crisis, religion is best placed to address the problem at its root. ¶ ... ¶ This thesis tests the proposition that religion is the solution to the ecological crisis. It does this using a case study of mainstream religion in Australia, represented by the Catholic, Anglican, and Uniting Churches. The Churches’ ecological policies and practices are analysed to determine the extent to which these denominations are fulfilling, or might be able to fulfil, the proposition. The primary research method is an Internet-based search for policy and praxis material. The methodology is Critical Human Ecology. ¶ ...

The Precautionary Principle (or 'the Principle') has been controversial and subject to debate over terminology, definition, and means of implementation and, even when articulated in legislation, it is frequently not used in the discretionary decision-making process. This thesis proposes that the Principle has a role to play in the conservation of threatened species and ecological communities in Australia. In Australia, the protection of threatened species and ecological communities has not been immune from the general reluctance to embrace the Precautionary Principle, although it is an area that lends itself to its use. The potential for serious or irreversible harm is high if incorrect decisions are made about the characterisation or status of species or ecological communities, or processes that may impact on them. Often the available scientific evidence is uncertain, inadequate, or inexact. The decisions are made against a background of potential conflict as there can be numerous stakeholders affected by the outcomes. The decisions are further complicated by being science-based, and the nexus between science and policy is confusing. Under the current national 'listing' system there is no effective provision made for species or communities where there is genuine concern that they are threatened, but the science is uncertain. Uncertainty will generally defeat a listing nomination: there is no ante-room for nominations of concern, no place for species or ecological communities to be watched over pending clarification of the uncertainty. This thesis examines the Australian approach to the Precautionary Principle. The key elements of the Principle and triggers for the application of the Principle are identified, and key issues in relation to the role of science, the choice of science, and 'scientific uncertainty' are clarified. The thesis concludes that the Principle should be a significant tool in the environmental decision-making framework. The thesis then examines the application of precaution in the listing of species, ecological communities, and key threatening processes under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth). Precaution is available to both the key decision-makers, the Minister and the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, under the legislation but both have failed to apply the Principle in listing. The thesis draws upon the approaches of the International Union for Conservation of Nature , the Endangered Species Act of 1973 in the United States of America and domestic examples to inform the discussion, and concludes that, under appropriate circumstances, the Precautionary Principle could play a key role in the listing of species, ecological communities and key threatening processes. It is asserted that a lack of will rather than 'way' hinders its appropriate use. A checklist and guidelines are proposed for the application of the Principle and, in the absence of legislative reform, the thesis highlights the potential of the existing legislation for a balanced precautionary approach to listing. The door to the anteroom would thus be opened.

After European settlement, Australian rangelands especially in South Australia underwent significant changes because of the main land use of pastoralism. Many studies have revealed that the plant communities are negatively effected by herbivory mainly by sheep. The main aim of this study is to separate the different effects of sheep, rabbits and kangaroos. This was examined by survey supported by experimental and modelling research. A 32,000 km² area previously surveyed by Tiver and Andrew (1997) in eastern South Australia was re-surveyed to monitor populations of perennial plant species at sites of various intensity of grazing by sheep, rabbits and kangaroos (goats populations are low in the study area), the most important vertebrate herbivores. Plant population data were collected in both sheep paddocks and historically ungrazed by sheep (road reserves) by using the Random Walk method and analyzed using Generalized Linear Modelling (GLM) to separate the effects of sheep and rabbits on plant regeneration and their regeneration in response to grazing. These data were also compared to similar data collected by Tiver and Andrew in 1992 (1997) to ascertain if the reduction in rabbit numbers through introduction of RCV had allowed increased regeneration. Regeneration of many species inside paddocks were negatively affected and species in roadside reserves neither did not significantly increase from 1992 to 2004. However, some species showed increase of populations in spite of sheep grazing, with some species being less susceptible than others. This research also indicates kangaroo grazing impact on some plant species. Reduction in rabbit numbers following the 1995 release of calicivirus has not been effective in restoring regeneration. Another experiment was conducted at Middleback Field Station near Whyalla to identify herbivore grazing pressure on the arid zone plant species Acacia aneura using unfenced, sheep fenced and rabbit fenced grazing exclosures. This experiment was set up with seedlings in exclosures, ten replicates of each treatment, at plots four different distances from the watering point to identify the survivorship of seedlings. Data were collected by recording canopy volumes of seedling over an 18 month period and analyzed by Residual Maximal Likelihood (REML). Seedlings both near and far from the watering point were severely effected by large herbivores, either sheep, kangaroos or both, and in a separate experiment kangaroo grazing effects on the seedling were also identified. Seedlings browsed by the rabbits were recovered better than the seedlings grazed by the large herbivores. Decreasing kangaroo activities has been noticed when the rabbit movements increased. Computer modelling was conducted to predict the future plant population structure over 500 years using a matrix population model developed by Tiver et al. (2006) and using data collected in the survey as a starting point. Extinction probabilities of populations of Acacia aneura near watering points, far from watering points and under pulse grazing scenarios were compared. Sheep grazing was found to cause eventual extinction of populations in all parts of sheep paddocks. Together, the results indicate that sheep are the major herbivore suppressing regeneration of perennial plant species. Kangaroo and rabbits have an identifiable but lesser effect. The results have implications for conservation and pastoral management. To achieve ecological sustainability of arid lands a land-use system including a network of reserves ungrazed by sheep and with control of both rabbit and kangaroo numbers will be required.

This research paper summarizes legal regulation regarding Environmental Impact Assessment in the Czech Republic and Commonwealth of Australia. Both these countries recently enacted amendments to the current regulation or taken steps to implement changes of this process in order to make it more efficient in term of costs of the proceedings and also in terms of more quality protection of the environment. The author consequently compares and contracts these legal regulations and analyses how they fulfill the worldwide respected principles for EIA Best Practice. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

It is widely acknowledged that the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and that they have limited resources and capacity to deal with the problems of adaptation without assistance from the international community. While PICs might logically take a regional approach in requesting international assistance to implement adaptation measures, climate change affects a wide range of activities. This study examined Pacific Island responses to donors' assistance, with particular focus on Australian and Japanese assistance and explored cross-sectoral issues associated with planning and implementation of adaptation measures by PICs. Australia asserts that a scientific knowledge base and capacity to use timely locally tailored scientific data is a fundamental requirement for guide policy makers and planners to provide cost-effective resource management and the implementation of locally appropriate adaptation measures. Australia has provided assistance on that basis through its overseas aid program from the early 1990s. However, given the diversity of local concerns, the different stakeholders have different perceptions of the threat and risks of climate change and preferred response measures. Under these conditions, robust scientific knowledge alone does not necessarily translate into sensible decision-making processes, in the absence of further assistance to assist PIC in enhancing their institutional capacity and to implement climate change projects. Japanese assistance, which specifically targets climate change in PICs, was found to be limited to the promotion of climate change research and human resource development. More broadly, Japanese ODA has prioritized PICs' environmental problems and the improvement of their livelihood over time, because the primary objective of Japanese assistance is to support PICs' taking ownership of their own development through capacity development with its grant aid and technical cooperation. Interviewees' opinions, particularly those of government officials, regarding Japan's assistance indicated that PICs adaptation needs were generally consistent with their needs for livelihood improvement and economic growth. Responses also revealed that it was of fundamental importance to PICs that donors' recognize and understand the diverse condition in each country and develop individually tailored responses through comprehensive program-based assistance. The delivery of Japanese ODA on a bilateral basis was thus welcomed by many PICs. It is clear that PICs are unable to implement the necessary adaptation responses without significant financial and technical assistance from donors. Interviewees responses tended to highlight their personal or agencies' preferred process for obtaining and delivering aid. Both Australian and Japanese assistance to date have provided little impetus for institutional change to promote a long-term commitment to the implementation of adaptation measures by PICs. In addition, the different funding mechanisms have caused institutional fragmentation between agencies in PICs, resulting in limited information sharing and lack of policy coordination across agencies. Donor expectations and PICs' adaptation needs are unlikely to be met until PICs' institutional challenges, including the ability to effectively utilize existing funds, are addressed.