Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'National parks and reserves Victoria Planning'

Two parks are studied as successful examples of protected natural areas in developing countries to demonstrate the importance of addressing local human needs while caring for the park ecosystem. Nominated as successful in a survey of park experts, Pakistan's Kirthar National Park and Nepal's Royal Chitwan National Park are presented as case studies. Strategies reported to be successful in dealing with conflicts with local human populations in 28 protected areas in 18 countries are also discussed. The need for cultural sensitivity by land use planners and managers in protecting and creating sustainable natural areas is stressed.

This thesis explores Recreational Carrying Capacity (RCC). The investigation looks at the theory of RCC, and trends in recreational use and management to make a first estimate of the RCC of Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. An extensive literature review is used to synthesize the social, ecological and managerial factors called for in RCC theory; and to summarize relevant aspects of park policy and recreation trends. This review serves as a foundation for adapting a RCC model from the literature. The model is then used to estimate the RCC of the developed backcountry areas of Garibaldi Provincial Park. The emphasis of the thesis is on the ecological component of RCC: a bio-climatic zone inventory, a soil capability survey, and a visual impact assessment are all undertaken to build an estimate of the ecological sensitivity of the study area. The model also uses social influences and BC Parks policy to assist in the formulation of the RCC for the study area. The RCC estimates derived are not precise because of weaknesses in the data base. Nevertheless, the estimates do indicate that the most desirable areas for recreation within Garibaldi Park have reached or exceeded the capability of the biophysical resources of those areas to sustain the recreational activities undertaken. As important as the RCC estimation is the identification of biophysical limitations of the study area. These limitations call for careful site selection in the development and management of Garibaldi Park to protect the biophysical resources which attract recreational use. If the model is to be of greater assistance in park planning and management then more precision is required in the investigation. Increased precision requires dividing the broad bio-climatic zones into sub-zones or micro-zones to allow site and route selection for managing the study area. RCC theory and the RCC model used are useful as planning tools because of the comprehensiveness required by the theory and the explicitness of the values used within the model. However, this comprehensiveness demands a large data base which is not available in the case study of Garibaldi Park. This points to the need for further research if RCC theory and the model used are to be of utility to park planning in B.C.
Applied Science, Faculty of
Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of
Graduate

This creative project investigated, planned and developed a master plan for the new National Zoological Botanical Park of Costa Rica. Based on an appraisal of the appropriate vegetation type for introduction onto a proposed study site, the flora and fauna from similar sites elsewhere in Costa Rica were identified. Placing the flora in the appropriate areas on the proposed study site allowed the fauna that has direct association with specific flora to be located. Based on slope analysis, contour formations, flora and fauna habitats, visitor and staff requirements, a master plan for the new National Zoological and Botanical Park of Costa Rica was developed.
Department of Landscape Architecture

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005.
Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 386 p.; also includes graphics (some col.). Includes bibliographical references (p. 312-322). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

The Eden To Addo Corridor Initiative aims to connect formally protected areas in a conservation corridor from the coastal area of the Eden District near Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape, South Africa to the Addo National Elephant Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The corridor will incorporate government and privately owned land, and will be an attempt to maintain ecological processes at a range of spatial and temporal scales. The Langkloof Valley lies between the Baviaanskloof World Heritage Area and the Tstitsikamma National Park; two formally protected areas that will be incorporated into the Eden To Addo Corridor. Spatial prioritization analyses allow conservation planners to select areas that should be targeted for conservation action based on a range of criteria. Historically, ecological criteria have been included mostly alone in spatial prioritization. Recently, the idea of ‘conservation opportunity’ has emerged in the field of conservation planning; the notion suggests that a range of different types of data should be included in processes to spatially prioritise for conservation. By including those data defined as ‘human’ and ‘social’ data into prioritising activities, the feasibility of conservation plans can be accounted for, but historically conservation planners have failed to do so. I conducted a literature review that demonstrated that although the importance of human and social data are acknowledged in the conservation planning literature, these data that define opportunity are rarely actually included in spatial prioritisation analyses. I then carried out a social assessment that allowed me to define the social and human context of our study area and, specifically, what stewardship instruments land managers in the Langkloof would be prepared to engage. We found that land managers were generally willing to engage, but lacked the financial capacity to adopt conservation methods. Using a subset of the social and human data that were collected in the social assessment, I trialled a new Decision Support Software to fuse those data with ecological data in a novel attempt to identify priority areas for conservation action based on ecological integrity and feasibility. We also scheduled (ranked) land managers to approach for conservation action with a focus on local champions and clusters of land managers displaying strong conservation characteristics. Two corridors were identified; a major corridor in the western region of the valley and a secondary corridor closer to the middle. The members of the Initiative have been briefed on the outcomes, which provided them an opportunity to provide feedback; it is hoped that the framework of this study can be used for planning future connections. The Eden To Addo Corridor Initiative sent out a stewardship extension officer in February 2011 to approach those land managers areas that were identified. This planning exercise is a good demonstration of how, by collaborating effectively, academic conservation planners can contribute to supporting decision making by organizations that are implementing conservation action.

Bibliography: leaves 170-179.
vi, 179 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.
Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library.
Describes a deterministic computer model for simulating forest dynamics which is the applied to a number of different timber harvesting scenarios in the mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans F.Muell.) forests of Victoria, south-eastern Australia. Also looks at a number of new mathematical problems in the design of nature reserve systems.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Depts. of Applied Mathematics, Environmental Science and Management, 2000?

The Lake Minnewanka area is one of Banff National Park's most scenic and highly visited regions. Impacts such as the loss of significant montane habitat (characteristic of the Lower Bow Valley ecosystem) and social implications like crowding led to the need to develop a strategy for managing the area. The author worked with a planning team from the Canadian Parks Service(CPS) in Banff National Park (BNP) to develop the Minnewanka Area Plan. The primary purpose of the thesis is to evaluate the Minnewanka Area Plan to determine whether it effectively serves to maintain and enhance ecological integrity. A theoretical framework based on integrated ecosystem management was developed to evaluate the plan. Normative criteria from literature on recreational carrying capacity management and meaningful public participation were defined and applied to the plan. Overall, the plan was rated as successful according to the normative criteria. All of the criteria for an effective approach to carrying capacity management were considered and the plan reflected a fair and efficient public participation process. Stakeholder input influenced plan decisions to a high degree and several partnerships were developed through the planning process. Several inadequacies in the plan were identified through the evaluation. The adoption of an approach to ecosystem management called the Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) was recommended as a guiding principle within the plan. The step-by-step LAC model was seen as overly complex in the context of the case study. Indicators and a monitoring program which are central to the LAC process were not defined as part of the plan. The evaluation of the public participation process indicated that stakeholder participation was high early in the planning process and reflected a partnership relationship where stakeholders shared the power of decision-making. During completion of the draft and final plan, the process became one of public consultation where the level and frequency of participation was lowered. Recommendations for improving the efficacy of the Minnewanka Area Plan are made within the thesis. A simpler approach to visitor and resource management which maintains the essential criteria of the LAC approach is suggested. Measures for maintaining a high level of public participation and improving the accountability of the CPS in decision-making are proposed. The normative criteria based on carrying capacity management and meaningful public participation processes are presented as a model for facilitating integrated ecosystem management in area planning within national parks.

Bibliography: leaves 106-109. Provides guidelines to develop a strategy for the integrated management of change to a bio-geographical and socio-economic environment. The case study of Vivonne Bay, Kangaroo Island is used to express these notions at a local level, with potential implications and applications to other coastal communities.

This thesis investigates different styles of government which accord different opportunities for participation of 'power to the people'. An understanding of democratic theory is thus essential as perspectives on democracy illustrate numerous styles of democratic practice and opportunities for citizen involvement. While an object of this theses is to locate styles of democracy used by modern liberal governments, the focus of the research explores the exercise of responsible citizenship. Democratic behavioural techniques of the citizen are carefully examined both in theory and practice. The case being made is that citizens, accustomed to a participatory style of democratic government, have been trained in the 'arts of participation' to act as a caretaker of both their lives and environment. With a shift in the style of government towards an elitist democratic approach, practised by the Kennett Government, the responsible citizen, as caretaker, is excluded from government decision-making processes. In response to the closing off of participatory mechanisms in favour of the elitist style of government, the responsible citizen, is turned into a person engaging in acts of civil disobedience in order to maintain his or her vigilance over the lives and environment of his or her community.