Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Natural resources conservation areas – Spain'

In recent decades there has been a push to try and include communities in natural resource conservation initiatives. This thesis uses a multidisciplinary approach and a series of case studies in the Ecuadorian Amazon to look at the role that common property regimes can have in conservation initiatives. Results show that community managed forests can have positive conservation outcomes. Local communities, however, will often integrate into local market economies creating significant tradeoffs between livelihoods, local management decisions and natural resource conservation. Nonetheless, resource scarcity can drive the evolution of local resource management institutions and communities have the potential to accurately monitor changes in natural resources. These results suggest that local communities have the potential to play an important role in conservation practices but that local economic incentives can affect the way in which communities manage their resources.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Deakin University, 2004.
Title from PDF title page (viewed on Aug. 23, 2005). Appendix 19 (p. 297-313): Attitudes and perceptions of land managers and owners in the Grassy Box Woodlands Conservation Management Network : a draft confidential report for the New South Wales National Parks & Wildlife Service. 2002. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2003.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) was established in 1997 to facilitate Transfrontier Conservation (TFCA) initiatives in the SADC region and thereby support economic development, conservation of biodiversity, as well as the promotion of regional peace and stability. To this effect, their regional planners require a thorough knowledge of the condition of areas in which the estimated actions will be carried out. To date, the PPF have used base datasets, such as land cover and population densities, in their GIS projects to support their decision making processes. However, they have realised the importance of developing rigorous methods for the extraction and generalization of biodiversity information for informed conservation decisions. The main aim of this study was, therefore, to develop a spatial framework for the generalisation and integration of data to become meaningful information that may be readily interpreted. The resultant framework represents a methodology for, firstly, identifying and, secondly, prioritizing core natural areas or units (CNU). CNUs were modelled to represent large blocks (minimum 100 km') of contiguous natural vegetation that are far from major roads and densely populated places. They were, then, ranked into three classes of importance (low, medium and high) according to an ecological value derived for each. This made the framework comprehensive in its considerations of regional biodiversity and robust enough to be used for planning at the SADC scale. By organising data and quantitative approaches logically in a robust, but rigorous, way, spatial frameworks provide the structure for combining specialized knowledge as well as scientific analysis and pragmatic politics in an effective planning process. This could guide plans which are proactive instead of reactive, visionary as well as pragmatic and well founded in research and understanding.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) was gestig in 1997 om oorgrens bewarings-initiatiewe in die SADC streek te fasiliteer en daardeur steun te verleen aan ekonomiese ontwikkeling, die bewaring van biodiversiteit asook die bevordering van vrede en stabiliteit in die streek. Om dit te behaal benodig die betrokke streeksbeplanners 'n grondige kennis van die toestand van die areas waarin die beoogdede aksies uitgevoer sal word. Tot op hede het die PPF basis datastelle, van byvoorbeeld landgebruik en populasie-digtheid, ingespan m hul GIS projekte om besluitnemingsprossese te ondersteun. Daar is egter besef dat dit van hoogste belang is om deeglike metodes te onwikkel vir die onttrekking van biodiversiteits-informasie sodat ingeligte besluitneming moontlik gemaak kan word. Gevolglik was die hoof oogmerk van hierdie studie om 'n ruimtelike verwysingsraamwerk te ontwikkel wat data kan veralgemeen en integreer tot betekenisvolle inligting wat geredelik interpreteerbaar is. Die daaruit-vloeiende raamwerk stel 'n metodologie voor wat Kern Natuurlike Areas (KNA) eerstens kan identifiseer en tweedens kan prioritiseer. Hierdie KNA is gemodelleer om groot blokke (minstens 100km2 ) van aaneenlopende natuurlike plantegroei, ver van hoofpaaie en dig bevolkte gebiede, voor te stel. Hulle is hieropvolgend gesorteer in drie range van belangrikheid (laag, medium en hoog) na gelang van 'n ekologiese waarde wat vir elk afgelei is. Hierdeur is die raamwerk, in terme van voldoende oorwegings teenoor streeks-biodiversiteit, omvattend gemaak en terselfdertyd robuus vir beplanning op die SADC skaal. Deur data en kwalitatiewe benaderings logies en in 'n deeglike en robuuste wyse te organiseer, bied ruimtelike verwysingsraamwerke die struktuur om gespesialiseerde kennis met wetenskaplike analise en pragmatiese politiek te kombineer in 'n effektiewe beplanningsproses. Hierdeur kan planne geformuleer word wat proaktief is instede van reaktief, visionêr sowel as pragmaties, en terselfdertyd goed gefundeer bly op navorsing en begrip.

This Study was in accordance with the Threats Classification Scheme (Version 3.2) developed by the IUCN – CMP to identify the potential pressures and threats to the Mai Po Nature Reserve (MPNR), and with the Rapid Assessment and Prioritization of Protected Area Management (RAPPAM) developed by WWF to evaluate the management effectiveness of the MPNR. The pressure and threat identifications were conducted by on-line and on-site questionnaire surveys in Phase 1 of this Study whilst the management effectiveness evaluation was conducted by on-line questionnaire survey and interview script sent to representatives from AFCD and WWF-HK in Phase 2 of this Study. This Study identified the most significant impact on the MPNR was pollution followed by climate change and severe weather, residential and commercial development, and invasive exotic and problematic species, genes and diseases. Other than these impacts, it also identified that sedimentation was another significant impact on the MPNR. In view of the management effectiveness, the results shown that the management effectiveness of the MPNR was considered as adequate. Biodiversity conservation and habitat management as well as education and scientific research efforts were the strengths of the MPNR. However, insufficient long-term financial outlook was ranked as the least indicator in this Study, and lack of financial resources was also reported as one of the major factors influencing the management goals for the MPNR in reality. Comparison with other protected areas outside Hong Kong in terms of management effectiveness, and non-parametric correlation test, Spearman’s Rank Correlation Analysis, were conducted in this Study, and the results shown that there were significant positive correlations between inputs and outputs as well as between processes and outputs contributing the overall management effectiveness. It was suggested that stakeholders and communities should be engaged in future planning for the MPNR for better management making decision processes, and a proposed one-day pass measure was recommended in this Study as a considerable option for the future financial resource of the MPNR. Meanwhile, efforts should also be made proactively on seeking for other sources to make the MPNR being operated smoothly and sustainably.
published_or_final_version
Environmental Management
Master
Master of Science in Environmental Management

At a meeting of worl leaders at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, it was recognized that because of the tremendous increase in the size of the global populations (which now is estimated to exceed six billion), there were concerns that global biodiversity was at risk if insufficient land were not put aside for conservation within formal Protected Areas. The primary aim of this study was to compare investment in Protected Areas in relation to socio-economic conditions at global and regional levels.

The islands of Bonaire and Curacao, Dutch Caribbean, were both mapped along their leeward coasts for dominant coral community and other benthic cover in the early 1980s. This mapping effort offers a unique baseline for comparing changes in the benthic community of the two islands since that time, particularly given the marked differences between the two islands. Bonaire is well-protected and completely surrounded by a marine protected area (MPA), which includes two no-diving marine reserves; additionally, Bonaire's population is only around 15,000. In contrast, the island of Curacao is home to 140,000 inhabitants and marine protection is limited, with a reef area of 600 ha established as a "paper" park (i.e., little enforcement). Video transects collected by SCUBA over the reefs were collected on Bonaire in January of 2008; when compared to data from 1985, coral cover had declined in the shallowest portion of the reef (< 5 m) and was mostly the result of declines in Acropora spp., whereas head corals increased. Transects closest to the no-diving marine reserves showed higher coral cover and diversity than transects located farther from the reserves. Satellite remote sensing techniques were used to create landscape-scale reef maps along the leeward coasts of both islands, which could differentiate areas of high hard coral cover (> 20%), predominantly sand (> 50%) and areas where hard coral and sand were mixed with soft corals, sea whips and marine plants. These modern maps (2007-09) were groundtruthed using the video data collected on Bonaire for accuracy and then compared to the early 1980s maps of the reefs on both islands. Bonaire experienced declines in coral cover overall and the remaining coral was increasingly patchy; however, changes in patch characteristics were not significant over the time period, but status as a marine reserve and the sheltering of the shoreline did appear to buffer against coral loss. Surprisingly, the island of Curacao did not experience a decline in total coral cover, but did become increasingly patchy, significantly more so than Bonaire. The Curacao Underwater Park afforded no additional protection against coral loss or fragmentation than an adjacent unprotected area of reef. The difference between the two islands in coral loss versus fragmentation has the potential for a unique natural experiment to study the effects of habitat fragmentation in the absence of overall habitat loss at the landscape scale. The Bonaire National Marine Park could benefit by restricting visitors to its most frequented dive sites by increasing the cost of entry into a tiered pay system, thus generating more income for education and management of the park, as well as deterring some divers from these overused sites. Satellite remote sensing-derived maps are useful for rapid reef mapping and can be utilized for comparison to ancillary maps created by more traditional methods. Satellite-derived maps can only distinguish benthic habitats coarsely (3-4 habitat classes) and are only as reliable as their source data, they benefit greatly from fieldwork to determine depth, geographic location, and benthic habitat cover in real time.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2005.
Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-129). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

This study aimed at analysing the South African government's attempt at reconciling poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation in the context of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). The study analyses this, using the cases of Hluleka and Mkanbati Nature Reserves in the Eastern Cape Province. To achieve this aim, the study used qualitative research methodology, which employed a three-pronged approach.

This study evaluates the potential for community-based ecotourism as conservation and development strategy in Kome village, which is an unprotected area. The study adopts the ecotourism concept to illustrate how communitybased ecotourism can be a tool for conservation and development in poor rural communities. Adopting the intensive case study design, the study investigates the major challenges for community-based ecotourism in Kome village. Findings reveal that Kome community derives low socio-economic benefits including limited earnings, low employment, poor benefits sharing and lack of entrepreneurships. Kome has a potential to offer better community-based ecotourism products due to diverse tourist attractions ranging from historical, cultural activities to natural scenery. The study suggests and recommends formation of a partnership between the Kome community, private, public sector and the NGOs as a strategy for development. The study concludes that ecotourism can be an appropriate option for conservation and development for Kome village.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-- University of Western Sydney, 2008.
A thesis submitted to the University of Western Sydney in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, School of Natural Sciences, College of Health and Science. Includes bibliographies.

In this thesis I examine the limits of community involvement in accomplishing the conservation goals of biodiversity and ecosystem function in resource management by analyzing the multiple interest groups that compose community. Two case studies are presented to accomplish this goal. The first case study is the West Hawaii Fisheries Management Area, where a group of community stakeholders provide management recommendations that are then implemented by the state. The second case study is the Ka’u forest reserve, where community involvement is invited into the management decision-making process but is also limited in its ultimate political power by the state. Through an examination of these cases I find that the ability of community involvement to accomplish conservation goals is limited when powerful interest groups within the community oppose these goals.

Historical ad hoc allocations of land for biodiversity conservation have led to a biased representation of habitat within the Cape Floristic Region, with Protected Areas concentrated in upland areas at high altitudes and on steep slopes. The field of Conservation Planning developed to ensure that allocations of areas to Protected status no longer result in such bias and rather promotes the persistence of biodiversity. This study reviewed a recent allocation of land to biodiversity conservation within Western Cape of South Africa, using both a quantitative and qualitative approach, to determine their value to biodiversity conservation. The area was previously used for commercial forestry but now has been allocated to conservation land-uses. The allocation was based on the area’s value to the forestry industry. The qualitative approach in this study engaged with relevant stakeholder groups to map priority areas, while the quantitative approach used available data on biodiversity features to map priority areas. Neither approach determined that the area allocated is in its full extent a priority for biodiversity conservation. This indicated that in the current era of Conservation Planning, Protected Areas are still being allocated in an ad hoc manner, as a result of their limited perceived benefit to anthropocentric needs. The future allocation of land to biodiversity conservation should rather integrate expert knowledge and available quantifiable data to ensure that priority areas for biodiversity conservation are being protected.

The dissertation is rooted in the implications of the policy on Transfrontier Conservation Areas. It is a comparative policy analysis study of sustainable development in South Africa between the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area and Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Resource Area. Qualitative research methodology and theoretical analysis are used in this research. Qualitative research answers the question, “what is going on here?” (Bouma, 1996: 169). The research on the two Transfrontier Conservation Area is investigated through literature review and to a lesser extent by conducting face to face interviews with government officials dealing with the two Transfrontier Conservation Areas. The approach in the research is the Managerial approach. “The focus of the management approach is the improvement of the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of the public sector by the utilisation of techniques which were once regarded purely appropriate to the private profit sector” (Parsons, 1995: 479). The dissertation also examine the effects of the two TFCA’s in question on Ecotourism, Economic growth and the conservation of biodiversity for sustainable development in South Africa within the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) initiative. Chapter one is the introduction, the rationale for the dissertation, background and objectives of the study. Chapter two is the theoretical framework in detail which define the managerial approach technique used in the research. Chapter three explain Sustainable Development. It looks at various arguments by the different school of thoughts. It also explains the link between the economy and the environment. In chapter four Environmental Economics and the TFCA’s are looked into as part of the aim of the dissertation to establish whether the policy of the TFCA’s on economic growth and sustainable development is viable or not. Chapter five examine Ecotourism as one of the sub-themes of the dissertation. Ecotourism is defined and the value of ecotourism is examined. Integrated tourism plan is also discussed in the chapter in order to determine the effects of TFCA’s in question on ecotourism. Chapter six deals with the case study no. one of the dissertation which is the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area. It is an indepth study on this TFCA i.e. history of the region of these protected areas, management structures, zonation rivers, diseases etc. Chapter seven is a further expansion on the case study no. one and looks at the developmental aspects of the TFCA. Chapter eight deals with the second case study of the dissertation which is the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation and Resource Area. It describes in detail the composite parts of this TFCA. It also looks at sociological, cultural and historical resources of the TFCA in question. Opportunities for development and the activities that can boost the economic growth of the region and the surrounding communities. Chapter nine is the concluding chapter of the dissertation which gives findings and recommendation of the dissertation.
Dissertation (MA(Political science))--University of Pretoria, 2007.
Political Sciences
unrestricted

Demand for outdoor recreation has been increasing, probably due to changing lifestyle, increasing accessibility and most importantly, the need to escape from the busy city life. The rising environmental awareness couples with deteriorating environmental quality in city have encouraged people to visit the countryside to relax physically and mentally, bringing about nature-based recreation which refers to activities carried in the natural environment for self-enjoyment and pleasure. Through engaging in nature-based recreational activities, conservation of natural resources and recreation needs of human can be achieved, as well as arousing environmental awareness. Hence, nature-based recreation is regarded as a sustainable way to serve the nature and mankind. Yet, recreational activities in nature can impose pressure on nature and thus planning is essential for nature-based recreation, so as to comply with the obligation of nature conservation and optimize recreation opportunities for people. This study aimed to investigate and assess the effectiveness of planning of naturebased recreational activities in Hong Kong, hence provide suggestions to improve the provisions and enhance the experiences of nature-based recreational activities. The overall planning of nature-based recreation in Hong Kong was investigated and Shing Mun Reservoir, Nam Sang Wai and Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve were chosen as studied sites for evaluation. Questionnaires and interviews had been conducted to gather opinions of visitors, green group and planner. In general, it is found that the country park system and the Management Agreement Scheme formed the skeleton of planning of nature-based recreational activities. Yet, the current planning provisions were insufficient to cover all existing and potential venues. Problems were identified in the insufficient protection to natural resources and lack of adaptability and evaluation of the country park system, lack of understanding and appreciation of the nature by the public, insufficient supports to facilitate nongovernment planning and management to nature-based recreational activities, and lack of determination in conserving the nature in macro planning. It is recommended to enhance the current country park system, including natural resources protection, nature education, regulation assessment and evaluation, and improve adaptability; enhance Management Agreement Scheme to minimize the management difficulties; and extend the coverage of Hong Kong Planning Standard and Guidelines to include nature-based recreation and creating ancillary guidelines for planning to remind key issues. Further, strong determination in nature conservation and sustainability of the government is important to guide and facilitate effective planning for nature-based recreational activities.
published_or_final_version
Environmental Management
Master
Master of Science in Environmental Management

Contemporary conservation and development understanding in both policy and academic circles espouses that natural resources have a significant contribution to the livelihoods of local people and that knowledge of this can better foster conservation policies that are consistent with livelihood and ecological needs. This thesis is based on research conducted in the southern Kalahari region, South Africa among the San and Mier communities bordering Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. It looks at the importance of natural resources to the San and Mier community groups and ascertains the extent of resource use and its value within broader livelihood portfolios. It also focuses on the cultural values of natural resources and interactions among institutions and actors and how these shape natural resource governance and livelihood outcomes. Overall, natural resources represent an important livelihood source contributing up to 32 % and 9 % of the total income of the San and Mier respectively or up to 46 % and 23 % if livestock incomes are included. However, the dependence on, diversification patterns and distribution of natural resource income vary substantially between and within the two communities. With regards to the cultural values attached to natural resources by the San and Mier, the findings show that these arise from an incredibly diverse and sometimes conflicting array of values that punctuate the two communities’ way of life and they are inextricably linked to resource use. Lastly, governance of natural resources in the co-managed Park and communitymanaged resettlement farms is characterised by complex institutional arrangements, compounded by the existence of multiple actors that have multiple and sometimes conflicting objectives – as shaped by different meanings and interpretations of natural resources. Heightened inter- and intra-community conflicts are common, notably resource use conflicts between the San and Mier and between the San ‘modernist’ and ‘traditionalist’ groups. This demonstrates that the communities’ livelihood dynamics in general and the dependence on natural resources in particular, are closely linked with ecological, economic and social factors including history, culture and present livelihood needs. By exploring the social-environment interactions, the study highlights the complexities and diversity of resource use for livelihoods that should be taken into consideration for both conservation and development policy interventions and research. The main argument of the study is that the contribution of natural resources to local livelihood portfolios in co- and community-managed areas, can be better understood through a consideration of cultural dynamics and institutional arrangements since these condition natural resource access, value and use.

Em certo momento evidencia-se que os problemas ambientais contemporâneos são fruto de atividades humanas e têm origem social, pautadas no sistema de pensamento dominante. Assim, são criados instrumentos - as unidades de conservação - para proteger a natureza da ação humana. No Brasil, tal instrumento foi oficializado por meio do Sistema Nacional de Unidades de Conservação, que criou 12 categorias de UCs, divididas em dois grupos, de proteção integral e uso sustentável. A presente dissertação buscou analisar uma categoria peculiar de unidade de conservação, o Refúgio de Vida Silvestre. Esta categoria encontra-se no grupo das unidades de proteção integral da natureza (permite-se apenas uso indireto), porém pode ser composta por propriedades privadas. Desta forma, percorreu-se o histórico da criação do Sistema Nacional de Unidades de Conservação, investigando, naquele contexto, as origens da categoria. Foi possível observar que, acidentalmente ou não, a categoria Refúgio de Vida Silvestre tem uma configuração sem precedentes, e que diante da problemática ambiental atual, que enseja uma mudança de paradigma, pode se mostrar adequada e viável. A análise da categoria levou à reflexão sobre a situação dos proprietários cujas terras são abrangidas por tal unidade de conservação, as quais enfrentam uma tensão de racionalidades – uma racionalidade ambiental é imposta sobre a racionalidade dominante, instrumental/econômica, pois as unidades de conservação trazem restrições às atividades produtivas que podem prejudicar a expectativa de ganhos econômicos crescentes. À luz das teorias contemporâneas que abordam a questão ambiental, pôde-se inferir que, de forma geral, espera-se que estas pessoas, visando compatibilizar suas necessidades com os objetivos da proteção preconizada pela unidade de conservação, tirem proveito dessa nova situação. Ou seja, lancem mão de suas capacidades para ecologizar suas atividades, porém dentro da racionalidade dominante. Teoricamente, existem alternativas a esta tendência, entretanto são mais profundas, exigindo a transformação desta racionalidade dominante, que pode ser considerada a raiz da crise ecológica dos dias de hoje. De uma análise mais ampla partiu-se para aspectos mais restritos, para a análise de um Refúgio de Vida Silvestre específico, o Refúgio de Vida Silvestre dos Campos de Palmas, no Paraná. Para tanto, caracterizou-se a região onde a unidade foi criada e, portanto, o contexto histórico que moldou um ecossistema ao longo do tempo de forma que atualmente merecesse (ou precisasse) ser protegido. Através de um desenho inspirado na abordagem teórico-metodológica da Teoria da Tradução, o processo de criação do RVS-CP foi descrito e analisado, demonstrando a rede sociotécnica formada simetricamente por atores humanos e não humanos durante tal processo, e buscando identificar como agem, suas demandas, seus agenciamentos e instrumentos de ação. Por último, chegou-se à vida concreta daquelas pessoas cujas propriedades estão inseridas no Refúgio de Vida Silvestre dos Campos de Palmas. Neste ponto a busca centrou-se numa pesquisa que considerasse tanto elementos da racionalidade econômica quanto de racionalidades substantivas. Tendo em vista a tensão de racionalidades proveniente da criação da UC, pôde-se verificar que, apesar de geralmente relegadas a segundo plano, as esferas imateriais da vida têm papel crucial nos objetivos dos proprietários entrevistados. E que as estratégias de meios de vida dessas famílias acompanham as tendências de transformação ocorridas nas últimas décadas no mundo rural, fortemente marcadas pela combinação de rendas agrícolas e não-agrícolas.
At one point it is evident that contemporary environmental problems are the result of human activities and have social origin, rooted in the dominant thought system. Thus, instruments are created - protected areas - to protect nature of human action. In Brazil, this instrument was made official by the Sistema Nacional de Unidades de Conservação, which created 12 categories of protected areas, divided into two groups, full protection and sustainable use. This study aimed to analyze a particular category of protected area, the Wildlife Refuge. This category belongs to the group of strictly protected areas of nature (is allowed only indirect use), but can consist of private property. Thus, toured the historical creation of the Sistema Nacional de Unidades de Conservação, investigating, in that context, the origins of the category. It was observed that, accidentally or not, the Wildlife Refuge category has an unprecedented configuration, and in front of the current environmental panorama, which entails a paradigm shift, may prove appropriate and feasible. The category analysis led to reflection on the situation of the owners whose lands are covered by such conservation unit, which face a confrontation of rationalities - an environmental rationality is imposed on the dominant rationality, instrumental/economical because protected areas bring restrictions on productive activities that may harm the expectation of increasing economic gains. In the light of contemporary theories that address the environmental issue, it might be inferred that, in general, it is expected that these people in order to match your needs with the objectives of protection advocated by the conservation unit, take advantage of this new situation. That is, take hold of their capacity to greening its activities, but within the dominant rationality. Theoretically, there are alternatives to this trend, however are deeper, requiring the transformation of dominant rationality, which can be considered the root of the ecological crisis of today. From a broader analysis get to to narrower aspects, until the analysis of a specific Wildlife Refuge, the Refúgio de Vida Silvestre dos Campos de Palmas, in Paraná. For this, it was characterized the region where the unit was created and therefore the historical context that shaped an ecosystem over time so that now deserved (or needed) to be protected. Through an desing inspired on the theoretical and methodological approach of the theory of translation, the process of creating the RVS-CP was described and analyzed, demonstrating the socio-technical network formed symmetrically by human and non-human actors in this process, and seeking to identify how they act, their demands, their negotiations and action tools. Finally, we come to the real life of those people whose properties are included in the Refúgio de Vida Silvestre dos Campos de Palmas. At this point the research focused on a search to consider both elements of economic rationality and substantive rationality. Considering the rationalities confrontation from the creation of the UC, it was observed that although usually relegated to the background, immaterial things of life have crucial role in the objectives of respondents owners. And the livelihood strategies of these families follow the trends of transformation that occurred in recent decades in rural areas, strongly marked by the combination of agricultural and non-agricultural incomes.

This study provides a framework using matrices that address three main issues. First of all, the matrices are used to integrated physical needs that compose human systems in an attempt to reduce the human impact. Secondly, the matrices are used to develop a higher integration of time allowing the user to apply time to a wide variety of needs that contribute to a high quality of life. Lastly the matrices are used to integrate the aspects of space with the aspects of time. This shows that the whole, time and space, is greater than the sum of the parts. I pursued this study in an attempt to further define sustainable design. The application of the matrices was practiced in a design competition for urban sustainability.
Department of Architecture

Visitors to parks and protected areas within the United States and worldwide often visit these areas with a particular destination in mind, such as seeing Old Faithful erupt in Yellowstone National Park or standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon National Park. These visitor use destinations, and the pathways leading to them, such as trails and roadways, see high levels of use, and as a result, impacts to soil, vegetation, air, water, soundscapes, and night skies that result from this use. The field of recreation ecology studies these impacts to park and protected area resources resulting from recreation use. Research conducted by recreation ecologists helps park and protected area managers prevent and minimize these impacts and preserve park resources for future generations. However, not all recreation use and impacts occur along designated pathways and at visitor destinations. The impacts that result outside of these designated areas often cause more damage to park resources such as vegetation and soil. The studies presented in this dissertation examine what factors are influencing visitor behavior outside of these destinations and pathways, such as when visitors travel off of designated trails. The results provide managers with a set of factors that may influence visitor behavior outside of visitors’ intended destinations. These factors will enable managers to better understand existing visitor spatial behavior patterns and associated resource impacts, and also predict where resource impacts may be likely to occur due to visitor recreation use, enabling prevention of future impacts from occurring.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate tourism capacity, the effectiveness of the management plan and the visitors’ willingness to pay (WTP) for increased conservation effort in the Buccoo Reef Marine Park (BRMP) in Tobago. Non-market contingent valuation was applied to estimate tourists’ WTP, using the data from a survey of 164 tourists. Local residents and government agencies were consulted to evaluate the management plan and the tourism capacity. Eighty-eight percent of local residents stated that the park was not well managed and that they lacked trust in the park agency. The density of tourists was 67-97% more than socially acceptable crowding norm. The tourists were willing to pay an additional entry fee of US$11.72 per person, which would generate additional revenue for the park management. In conclusion, the BRMP management needs modification in order to increase stakeholders’ trust, reduce tourists crowding intensity, and generate additional user-based revenue.

Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) is considered a win-win approach to reconcile conservation with natural resource use. CBNRM aims to accomplish conservation whilst prioritising development and contributing to poverty alleviation. This study analysed the different components of a CBNRM initiative, Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary (BWS), located in western Uganda. The study was carried out by interviewing the managing committee members (n= 8) as well as local households (n= 68) regarding the manner in which the project works, and the associated benefits and constraints. The main management issues recognised were a lack of monitoring and committee cohesiveness. The information gathered through the household survey enabled the calculation of the value of local livelihood options. This was done on the premise that conservation is better accepted when land users realise the economic value of natural resources. The average annual value of household livelihoods was represented by 30% crop production, 57% natural resource use, and 13% livestock. Lastly, wetland assessments were performed using the WET-Health and WET-EcoServices methodologies from the Wetland Management Series. These assessments indicated that the impacts of local livelihoods on the wetland were currently low but potential issues could arise with the increasing human population density. Ultimately, BWS presents both environmental and social costs and benefits. With a detailed and interdisciplinary method specific recommendations of improvement can be made to reduce such costs and further reconcile the conservation of Bigodi Wetland with local natural resource use..

Orientador: Rozely Ferreira dos Santos
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo
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Resumo: Planejar uma unidade de conservação é, entre outras atribuições, demonstrar a riqueza de ambientes e a variedade de unidades de paisagem, ocorrentes no passado ou no presente. Comparar cenários passados e presente, visando obter medidas para a conservação futura, não é uma tarefa simples. A Ecologia da Paisagem é uma teoria que vem auxiliando a compreender tais relações, pela análise da complexidade e da multiplicidade dos fatores que atuam no meio. Nesta direção, este estudo teve por objetivo construir e analisar cenários da paisagem, baseando-se no arcabouço teórico da ecologia de paisagem e utilizando como ferramenta um sistema de informação geográfica. A bacia hidrográfica do rio Mambucaba foi o estudo de caso. Ela ocupa cerca de 67% de toda a extensão do Parque Nacional da Serra da Bocaina, que representa um importante reduto de Mata Atlântica e fonte de abastecimento de diversas comunidades litorâneas. Essa bacia hidrográfica é bastante representativa das alterações humanas na paisagem do Parque. A combinação de diversos mapas temáticos permitiu evidenciar uma grande variabilidade de ambientes resultante de fatores biofísicos (geologia, geomorfologia, solos, hidrografia e cobertura vegetal) e sócio-econômicos (uso e ocupação da terra). Uma grande complexidade ambiental foi verificada no cenário passado (considerado livre de pressões antrópicas) dado o número elevado (84) de tipos de unidades de paisagem obtido. No cenário atual a paisagem apresentou-se ainda mais variável e complexa (111 tipos de unidades de paisagem identificadas) devido às interferências de origem humana que têm comprometido seriamente a conservação dos recursos ambientais da área de estudo e, por extensão, de todo o Parque. As vias de acesso foram apontadas como estruturas responsáveis pela origem e distribuição de impactos negativos por toda a bacia hidrográfica Mambucaba. A metodologia utilizada mostrou-se rápida e eficiente na caracterização da paisagem, no diagnóstico do nível de degradação e na indicação de medidas de recuperação e conservação para unidades de paisagem específicas da área de estudo
Abstract: Environmental planning in protected areas it is, beyond others attributions, to present the environment richness and variety of landscape units, in the past or presents. We need to compare these scenarios to get plans for future conservation. The Landscape Ecology is a theory that help us to understand such relationships, trough the analysis of complexity and multiplicity of the factors that act in the environment. In this sense, the objectives of this research were evaluate landscape scenarios, based on landscape studies and using a geographic information system. The Mambucaba river watershed was the studied area. It occupies over 67% of the ¿Serra da Bocaina¿ National Park , which represents an important redoubt of Atlantic Forest and water source to the diverse littoral communities. This watershed is a representation of the human alterations in this park. The combination of diverse thematic maps allowed to evidence a great environmental variability of the biophysical factors linked to geology, geomorphology, pedology, hydrography, land use and cover land. A great environmental complexity was verified in the original scenario (free of the human pressures). It was observed 84 kinds of landscape units. In the recent scenario, the landscape presented even more variability and complexity (111 landscape units). It was consequence of human interferences in the past and present, that threated seriously the conservation of the environmental resources of the study area and, for triggered, all the park. The trails had been pointed as structures responsible to the origin and distribution of the negative impacts for all the basin. The methodology was efficient in the landscape characterization and forest degradation diagnosis. It was possible to show proposals about recovery and conservation in specific landscape units
Mestrado
Saneamento e Ambiente
Mestre em Engenharia Civil

This thesis utilizes three theoretical approaches; political ecology, settler culture and community conservation to examine soil conservation and the white agrarian environment in colonial Zimbabwe to evaluate to what extent players in government and the agricultural sector were conscious or concerned about preservation and conservation of the soil. The thesis also examines the role of local and international ideas in the colony’s conservationist tradition, and whether the soil conservation movement was identity-forming among the colony’s settler farmers. The history of conservation on settler farms in colonial Zimbabwe can be periodized into three broad timeframes - from the 1890s to around the mid-1930s, between 1934 and 1965 and the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) period. In the first three and half decades of the 20th century the history of conservation can best be described as being characterized by a series of “dilemmas.” The British South Africa Company (BSA Co.) administration did not pursue soil conservation in any significant, synchronized or sustained manner. In the second period, from 1934 to 1965, there was considerable progress in the construction of conservation works on settler farms. This process was the result of recommendations made by Natural Resources Commission, a body that was appointed in 1938 to investigate the status of the colony’s natural resources. The mid-1940s were characterized by the formation of Intensive Conservation Areas (ICAs) in settler farming districts whose mandate was to oversee the construction of conservation works to rehabilitate settler farms. With the support of the Natural Resources Board (NRB), and the Department of Conservation and Extension (CONEX), formed in 1948 to provide expertise on conservation-related matters and extension support, all settler farming areas were covered by trained CONEX staff, though in most instances very thinly distributed due to high demand for their service and manpower constraints in the department. The third period, the UDI era, was characterized by attempts by the minority settler government to forestall majority rule in the colony. Malawi and Zambia (formerly Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia, respectively) had been granted their independence by Britain in 1964. As decolonization was taking place in other parts of Africa, black majority rule in colonial Zimbabwe also seemed imminent. To the alarm of the white minority government, Britain had set out to grant majority rule to its African colonies, including Southern Rhodesia (renamed Rhodesia after Zambia’s independence). The Ian Smith-led government of Rhodesia, feeling betrayed, declared UDI on 11 November 1965, delaying Zimbabwean independence by another 15 years. With the end of the Federation in 1963, the colony could no longer rely on federal resources as it had done between 1953 and 1963. Sanctions, imposed in reaction to UDI, further put the regime in a tight corner. Their impact was quite significant. Fuel had to be rationed, and general belt-tightening across the board inevitably followed as major Rhodesian exports such as tobacco and minerals were embargoed on international markets. The start of the liberation war at the end of the 1960s further complicated matters.
Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2013.
gm2014
Historical and Heritage Studies
Unrestricted

One of the biggest questions surrounding common-pool natural resources (CPRs) lies in understanding the circumstances which increase the likelihood of sustainable use and those that lead to resource degradation. Small-scale fisheries are an example of a CPR that has proven difficult to manage sustainably. I use social network analysis methods to examine the social connectivity of small-scale fishing communities and the association of network structures with collaborative behavior of small-scale fisheries in the Northern Gulf of California, Mexico.I found considerable connectivity of communities via kinship ties of small-scale fishers, both within the region and to other areas in Mexico. Fisher kinship relationships are important mechanisms for information transfer. Identifying communities in the network that are most likely to share information with other communities allows managers to develop more effective and efficient education, outreach, and enforcement efforts.Communities are also connected by their use of the same fishing zones and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). My results provide suggestions for dividing communities based on common use of fishing areas and MPAs. This may help fishers and managers to develop, implement, and enforce boundary rules that will facilitate regional management of small-scale fisheries. My results provided mixed evidence for the role of social structure in impacting positive outcomes for fisher' ability to collaborate and organize. A wide range of factors affect the emergence of institutions for CPR management. Similarly, finding a common network structure that can accurately predict sustainable use of CPRs is unlikely. Knowing how people are connected and the ways in which information about CPR resources moves through (or is hindered from moving through) a network can improve manager's ability to develop more effective strategies and actions. Adding social networks into the CPR management toolbox provides a mechanism by which those working in management and conservation can incorporate social structure into management activities.An understanding of the social networks that connect communities and the potential pathways for information transfer, combined with a system of enforceable rules and policies and effective outreach methods and materials, may help managers and resource users more effectively and sustainably manage CPRs in the long term.

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Não recebi financiamento
The ongoing concern with environmental problems and the fi nity of natural resources arise the need to create special spaces for the maintenance of natural environment and biodiversity conservation - these areas are called Con servation Units (CUs). This study aims to evaluate the potential for the creation of protected areas according to the SNUC in Vitassay and Rosa Pinhal in the municipality of Boituva and was organized in two articles. In a rticle 1 , the areas were evaluated trough the scoring method, where areas were scored in 11 pre - established criteria. These criteria were analyzed through phytosociological study, rapid ecological assessment and landscape analisys . The score was summed and converted to a scale from 0 to 100 . Fragment 1 (Vitassay) scored 53,48 and Rosa Pinhal scored 76,74 points in 100 possible. The conclusion was that Vitassay can become an "Area of ecological interest" , a sustainable use conservation unit, and Ro sa Pinhal may be settled to an i ntegral p rotection conse rvation unit such as " Natural Municipal Park" . In article 2 w as conducted a phyt osociological analysis trhough plots method. 12 plots of 10x10m w ere demarcated in each of the fragments, distributed in two blocks containing six parcels each, forming a set of 20x30m , measuring 600m² in each of the four areas, 1200m² in Rosa Pinhal and other 1200m² in Vitassay, totaling an area of 2400m² sampled vegetation. The calculations were made using the Fitopac 2.1 application. They sampled 365 individuals belonging to 82 spe cies, 171 individuals and 46 species in the area Rosa Pinhal, and 1 94 individuals and 4 8 species in Vitassay area. The Shannon diversity index (H ') was 3.473 in Rosa Pinhal and 3 . 463 in Vitassay. In Rosa Pinhal the ten species with higher cover values (IV C) totaled 64.5% of the total IVC and , in Vitassay , summed 70.23% of the total IVC. Related to the successional groups in Rosa Pinhal area only 17.3% (8 species) species are pioneers and 67.3% (31 species) not pioneers. In Vitassay 34% (16 species) are pio nner and, 59.5% (28 species) are not pioneer s . Four endangered species were found in Rosa Pinhal and three in Vitassay. The results and analysis allowed the construction of a diagnosis of Vitassay and Rosa Pinhal fragments in the municipality of Boituva an d it was found that both areas have characteristics that favor conservation due to the presence of endangered species and diversity found in this fragments.
Da contínua preocupação com os problemas ambientais e a finitude dos recursos naturais, surge a necessidade da criação de espaços especiais para a manutenção da natureza e conservação da biodiversidade - essas áreas são denominadas Unidades de Conservação (UCs). Este trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar o potenc ial para criação de unidades de conservação de acordo com o Sistema Nacional de Unidades de Conservação ( SNUC ) nas áreas Vitassay e Rosa Pinhal no Município de Boituva e foi organizado em dois artigos. No artigo 1 foi utilizado o método de pontuação avalia ndo 11 critérios pré - estabelecidos. Esses critérios foram avaliados através de uma análise de paisagem , estudo fitossociológico, e análise da integridade biótica. A pontuação foi somada e convertida para uma escala de 0 a 100. No fragmento 1 (Vitassay) a pontuação foi de 51,16 e no fragmento 2 (Rosa Pinhal) de 76,74 de 100 possíveis . Concluiu - se que Vitassay pode se tornar uma “Área de relevante interesse ecológico” UC de Uso Sustentável e Rosa Pinhal possui vocação para UC de Proteção Integral como “Parqu e Natural Municipal”. No artigo 2 foi feita uma análise fitossociológica utilizando o método de par celas. F oram demar cadas em cada um dos fragmentos 12 parcelas de 10x10m distribuídas em 2 blocos contendo 6 parcelas cada formando um conjunto de 20x30m (600 m²) em cada uma das 4 áreas sendo 1200m² em Rosa Pinhal e outros 1200m² em Vitassay, totalizando assim uma área de 2400m² de vegetação amostrada. Os cálculos foram realizados utilizando o aplicativo FITOPAC 2.1. Foram amostrados 365 indivíduos pertencentes a 82 espécies, sendo 171 indivíduos e 46 espécies na área Rosa Pinhal, e 1 94 indivíduos e 4 8 espécies na área Vitassay. O índice de diversidade de Shannon (H’) foi de 3,473 em Rosa Pinhal e 3,463 em Vitassay. Em Rosa Pinhal as dez espécies com maior valor de cobertura (IVC) somaram 64,5% do IVC total e em Vitassay somaram 70,23% do IVC total. No que diz respeito ao grupo ecológico na área Rosa Pinhal percebe - se que apenas 17,3% (8 espécies) das espécies são pioneiras, 67,3% (31 espécies) não pioneiras. Na área Vitassay visualiza - se uma maior quantidade de espécies pioneiras 34% (16 espécies), 59,5% (28 espécies) não pioneiras. Foram encontradas 4 espécies ameaçadas em Rosa Pinhal e 3 em Vitassay. Desa forma foi possível construir um diagnóstico dos fragment os Vitassay e Rosa Pinhal e verificou - se que ambas as áreas possuem características que favorecem a conservação devido à presença de espécies ameaçadas e d a diversidade encontrada nos fragmentos.

The Conservation Unit (CU) of the Wildlife Refuge Mata do Junco is located on the outskirts of the city of Capela, Sergipe, Brazil . Home to endangered species, like the monkey guigó for example, fragments of Atlantic forest and headwaters of several rivers, most notably the source of the River Lagartixo responsible for the water supply of the city of Capela. Like other CU in the country, the WR Mata do Junco suffers from a lack of respect to their goals and values, especially the extractive use of natural resources. These difficulties have been addressed with actions of the Environmental Education in Unit of Conservation. Environmental Education (EE) is an important instrument of legitimation and consolidation of Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development . Thus this research aims to analyze the characteristics of the results of Environmental Education that were developed in the Wildlife Refuge (WR) Mata do Junco in Capela city - Sergipe in the years 2012 and 2013 . To that end, data with the technical coordination of the WR and with the locals, especially from its surroundings and visitors to the CU through semi - structured interviews were collected . The procedure for the analysis of the interview with the technical coordination of WR Mata do Junco was discourse analysis, merging it with the standards set out in the Management Plan for the CU. In interviews with the community the content analysis method, which seems appropriate when applied to extremely diverse discourses was used. After this analysis, the WR Mata do Junco was classified according to the regularity of actions implemented of the EE in spot . The results point to the awareness of most respondents , confirming the performance of the shares of EE by CU, according to current legislation, being considered as a conservation with active behavior.
A Unidade de Conservação Refúgio da Vida Silvestre Mata do Junco localiza-se nos limites do município de Capela, Sergipe, Brasil. Abriga espécies ameaçadas de extinção como o macaco-guigó, fragmentos de mata atlântica e nascentes de vários rios, se destacando a nascente do Rio Lagartixo, responsável pelo abastecimento de água da cidade de Capela. Assim como as demais UCs do país, o RVS Mata do Junco sofre com a falta de respeito aos seus objetivos e valores, em especial pelo uso extrativista dos recursos naturais. Tais dificuldades tem sido combatidas com ações de Educação Ambiental pela referida Unidade de Conservação. A Educação Ambiental é um importante instrumento de legitimação e consolidação da conservação ambiental e do desenvolvimento sustentável. Assim a presente pesquisa objetiva analisar as características dos resultados das Ações de Educação Ambiental que foram desenvolvidas no Refúgio de Vida Silvestre Mata do Junco em Capela Sergipe nos anos 2012 e 2013. Para tanto, foram coletados dados com a coordenação técnica do RVS e com os moradores da região, sobretudo do seu entorno e visitantes da UC através de entrevistas semi-estruturadas. O procedimento para a análise da entrevista com a coordenação técnica do RVS Mata do Junco foi análise do discurso, intercalando-a com as normas estabelecidas no Plano de Manejo da UC. Para as entrevistas com a comunidade foi utilizada a análise de conteúdo, método que se mostra apropriado quando aplicado a discursos extremamente diversificados. Após essa análise, o RVS Mata do Junco foi classificada segundo a regularidade das ações de EA implementadas in locus. Os resultados apontam para a sensibilização da maioria dos entrevistados, confirmando a atuação das ações de EA pela UC, seguindo a legislação vigente, sendo considerada como uma Unidade de Conservação com comportamento ativo.

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.

Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2000.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The composition and state of soil-stored seed banks on- and off the mesa Tafelberg, in the Nama Karoo rangelands of the Eastem Cape, South Africa, were investigated within the context of a broader restoration ecology project "Restoration of degraded Nama Karoo rangelands: the role of conservation islands'". The premise for this seed bank study was that restoration of degraded semi-arid rangelands is possible through applied management programs based on the methodology and practice of ecological restoration. Broadly acknowledged properties of non-equilibrium environments (e.g. unpredictable climates and varying degrees of disturbance) and soilstored seed banks (e.g. spatial and temporal distributions) formed the basis for investigating. the general environment and the properties.. of existing seed, banks, in the Tafelberg locality. The potential role of hills as refugia for palatable plant species was an under-lying element of the investigation. Following a brief investigation, of historical and contemporary research and policy on rangeland degradation in semi-arid regions of the world, the fundamental need for comprehensive and applied seed bank research in the Nama Karoo is emphasised. Within the framework of the umbrella project, the seed bank study examined local environmental criteria commencing with an investigation into seed bank- and vegetation habitats. Chemical and physical properties of soils from twenty two sites on- and off Tafelberg were described. Substantial soil habitat variation, between the top, the north west slopes and plains and the south east slopes and plains of Tafelberg, was identified. Micro-site variation between open-canopy (interplant spaces) and closed-canopy (under plant cover) microhabitats was found to be significant Primary soil habitat differences were linked to soil organic matter content which was found to be low on the plains relative to the top and slopes; and, low in open-canopy micro-sites relative to closed-canopy sites. Soil texture and nutrient composition on- and off Tafelberg was found to be highly variable with significant differences between the top and the plains as well as between the north west and south east plains. The slopes were found to be intermediate (showing some level of gradient) between the top and the plains. Soil nutrient variation was interpreted as a function of textural and parent-material properties of soils. Anthropogenic factors for accelerated erosion, deposition, leaching and salt-crust formation were also considered. It was concluded that while properties of soils on- and off Tafelberg are inherently related to parent soils, changes to textural and nutrient properties may be occurring and these changes may have been exacerbated by high levels of grazing. An investigation (focusing on small shrubs) of plant phenological response, in relation to rainfall and grazing gradients, identified trends of peak budding- and flowering seasons following rainfall during summer and autumn respectively. A continuum of seeding activity, with peaks in late autumn and early winter, was construed from quarterly data. Flush vegetative growth was noted for most small shrubs during spring, autumn and summer surveys. Since some form of activity related to reproductive output (flush growth, budding, flowering or seeding) was apparent at almost all times of the year, it is argued that high intensity disturbance (including grazing) might impact negatively on plant survival, leading to reduced reproductive input (i.e. seeds) into future generations. Plant communities on the top and plains are described noting significant differences between vegetation on top of Tafelberg (comprising primarily high production, palatable grass and shrub species) and that on the plains (comprising mainly spinescent, ephemeral, toxic and low production species). Given the high grazing pressure on the plains (relative to the less utilised slopes and top of Tafelberg), differences in vegetation composition are discussed in relation to studies elsewhere that describe degraded rangelands. It is concluded firstly that the plains surrounding Tafelberg are degraded, secondty that long term over-utilisation has altered vegetation composition and finally that inter-grazing rest periods of three- or six months alone may not restore vegetation diversity nor desirable plant species to the plains. Results of germination trials (investigating soil-stored seed banks) from two sampling episodes (spring and autumn 1998) revealed that seed banks in soils removed from the plains, slopes and top of Tafelberg followed distribution patterns observed in above-ground vegetation. Species-specific data was not finalised for this thesis since not all seedlings matured and flowered within given time constraints. In order to compare seedling emergence data, plant categories were developed that distinguished ephemerals versus persistent (perennial) species and dicotyledonous species versus grasses and other monocotyledonous plants. Samples from the top and the middle to upper slopes showed a high percentage of palatable and persistent grass and shrub species present in soil-stored seed banks while over twothirds of plants germinating from plains' soil samples were ephemeral species and most of these were both tiny «Scm) and short-lived «3 months). Most of the perennial species germinating from plains' samples were seedlings of Pentzia incana, Chrysocoma ciliata and succulents (mostly Mesembryanthemaceae) but few perennial grasses were present. On the other hand, roughly 94% of seedlings germinating from samples from the top and 63% of seedlings germinating from two slopes of Tafelberg respectively were persistent- grass or shrubby species. Roughly 89% of ephemeral species recorded from slopes' samples germinated from the lowest footslope sites. Seed densities were closely linked to micro-habitats with roughly three-fold differences between open- (lower seed density) and closed-canopy (higher seed density) micro-sites. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated that most of the variation in seed density data was explained at the micro-habitat level. Seasonality played a secondary role with significant twoway interaction between the two effects. It is concluded that both factors must be considered when developing restoration programmes that aim to improve both overall plant cover and improved plant species diversity. While the original or "pristine" state of vegetation composition and seed banks on the plains is unknown, concems were raised regarding the apparently degraded state of total above- and below-ground plant diversity on these plains. A likely consequence of habitat degradation is that species with specific soil-, nutrient ratio-, aspect- and altitudinal requirements from the top and slopes of Tafelberg (as well as from nearby plains' refugia) may not be able to establish in degraded habitats on the plains. The identification of pioneer plant species (tolerant of habitat degradation) that allow increased vegetation cover and safe-sites for seedling germination of desirable plant species is recommended. Restoration programmes will need to be coupled with strict grazing management principles that allow seedling germination. establishment and successful reproductive output of desirable plants for future rangeland regeneration. Common and salient features of the soil habitat, plant pbenological response and germination trial studies are brought together in an examination of habitats and related seed bank diversity on- and off Tafelberg. Acknowledging the brevity of this research study, but utilising case studies from elsewhere and integrating both lines of questioning, the conclusion is again reached that the plains surrounding Tafelberg are degraded through decades and probably centuries of grazing by domestic livestock. It is considered crucial that restoration through improvement (or rehabilitation) of habitats and increased seedling safe-sites be considered. Both climate and grazing management appear to play an irrevocably linked role in shaping vegetation composition in rangelands. While rangelands are intrinsiCalfy adapted to surviving extremes of climatic variability found in non-equilibrium regions it is argued that the impacts of grazing, particularly during times of drought and climate change, are slowly reducing the intrinsic "buffer-capacity" of rangelands to withstand these changes and extremes. It seems apparent from research elsewhere that restoration through passive management is slow and probably not economically achievable within a viable time frame. The instifution and promotion of integrated and strategic programmes that identify and address issues of land degradation and land use change in semi-arid rangelands is recommended. The input and endeavours of different authorities, ministries and a broad public participation incentive are encouraged in these proposed programmes in order to ensure broadly-based input into long term sustainability and conservation of the considerable biological diversity of these regions. Seed bank assessment is considered to be a valuable means of indicating restoration potential and ranqeland condition with potential for the identification of both degraded and conservationworthy areas. Finally, some limitations and challenges of this study are examined through a process of firstly identifying alternative approaches to research methodologies and secondly through proposing recommendations for future research projects. While alternative methods could have been applied for the purposes of accomplishing this study it is concluded that, within the given time- and other constraints, the appropriate methods were applied.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die samestelling entoestand van groncbbewaarde saadbanke.op en van die mesa Tafelberg af, in die Nama Karoo weiveld van die Oos-Kaap, Suid-Afrika, is ondersoek binne die konteks van 'n wyer herstelekologieprojek: "Restourasie van oorbeweide Nama Karoo weiveld: die rol van bewannqseilande'". Die uitqanqspunt van hierdie saadbankondersoek was dat dit moontlik is om beskadigde semidroë weiveld te herstel deur middel van toegepaste bestuursprogramme wat gebaseer is op die metodologie en praktyk van ekologiese herstel. Algemeen erkende eienskappe van nieekwilibrium- omgewings (byvoorbeeld onvoorspelbare klimate en wisselende mates van versteuring) en grond-bewaarde saadbanke (byvoorbeeld ruimtelike en temporale verspreidings), het die basis gevorm vir die ondersoek van die algemene omgewing en die eienskappe van bestaande saadbanke in die Tafelberg omgewing. Die potensiële rol van heuwels as skuilplek vir aanvaarbare plantspesies was 'n onder1iggende element van die ondersoek. Na 'n kort ondersoek van historiese ~n kontemporêre navorsing en beleid oor weiveldbeskadiging in semi-droë streke van die wêreld, is die fundamentele behoefte aan omvattende en toegepaste saadbanknavorsing in die Nama Karoo beklemtoon. Binne die raamwerk van die oorkoepelende projek het die saadbankondersoek plaaslike omgewingskriteria bestudeer, beginnende met 'n ondersoek na saadbank- en plantegroeihabitats. Chemiese en fisiese eienskappe van grond vanaf twee en twintig terreine op en van Tafelberg af is beskryf. Omvattende grondhabitatwisseling tussen die kruin, die noordwestelike hange en die vlaktes en die suidoostelike hange en vlaktes van Tafelberg is geïdentifiseer. Mikroterreinwisseling tussen die oop-dak (tussenplantruimtes) en toe-dak (onderplantdekking) -mikrohabitats is as beduidend bevind. Primêre grondhabitatverskille is gekoppel aan die inhoud van die grond se organiese materiaal, wat op die vlaktes as laag bevind is vergeleke met die kruin en hange; en laag bevind is in oop-dak-mikroterreine vergeleke met toe-dak-terreine, Daar is gevind dat die grondtekstuur en voedingstofsamestelling op en van Tafelberg af aansienlik varieer, met beduidende verskille tussen die kruin en die vlaktes, en ook tussen die noordwestelike en suidoostelike vlaktes. Daar is gevind dat die hange intermediêr is (toon 'n mate van gradiënt) tussen die kruin en die vlaktes. Die wisseling in grondvoedingstowwe is vertolk as 'n funksie van teksturele en ouermateriaaleienskappe van grond. Antropogeniese faktore vir versnelde erosie, neerslag, loging en soutkorsvorming is ook oorweeg. Die gevolgtrekking is gemaak dat terwyl die eienskappe van grond op en van Tafelberg af inherent aan ouergrond verwant is, kan veranderinge aan tekstuur en voedingstofeienskappe voorkom, en hierdie veranderinge kon deur hoë vlakke van weiding vererger gewees het. 'n Ondersoek (wat op klein struike gefokus het) van plantfenologiese reaksie met betrekking tot reënval en weidingsgradiënte het tendense van piekbot- en blomseisoene na reënval gedurende die somer en herfs onderskeidelik geïdentifiseer. 'n Kontinuum van saadskietaktiwiteit, met piektye in laat herfs en vroeë winter, is van kwartaallikse data saamgestel. Groeistuwing is vir die meeste klein struike waargeneem gedurende lente-, herfs- en someropnames. Aangesien die een of ander vorm van aktiwiteit met betrekking tot voortplantingsgroei (groeistuwing, bot, blom of saadskiet) op feitlik al die tye van die jaar sigbaar was, word daar geredeneer dat hoëintensiteitversteuring (ook weiding) 'n negatiewe impak op plantoorlewing kan hê, wat sal lei tot verminderde voortplantingsinset (m.a.w. sade) in toekomstige geslagte. Plantgemeenskappe op die kruin en vlaktes word beskryf met beduidende verskille tussen plantegroei op die kruin van Tafelberg (wat hoofsaaklik bestaan uit hoëproduksie, smaaklike gras- en struikspesies) en dié ap die vlaktes (wat bestaan uit hoofsaaklik doringagtige, efemere, toksiese en laeproduksie-spesies). Gegee die hoë weidingsdruk op die vlaktes (vergeleke met die minder benutte hange en kruin van Tafelberg), word verskille in die samestelling van plantegroei bespreek met betrekking tot studies elders wat beskadigde weiveld beskryf. Die gevolgtrekking word eerstens gemaak dat die vlaktes om Tafelberg beskadig is, tweedens dat langtermyn-oorbenutting die samestelling van die plantegroei verander het, en laastens dat interweiding-rusperiodes van drie tot ses maande alleen dalk nie die diversiteit van plantegroei of die verlangde plantspesies op die vlaktes kan herstel nie. Die uitslae van kiemingstoetse (wat ondersoek ingestel het na grond-bewaarde saadbanke) van twee steekproefepisodes (lente en herfs 1'998)het getoon dat saadbanke in grond wat van die vlaktes, hange en kruin van Tafelberg verwyder is, die verspreidingspatrone volg wat in bogrondse plantegroei waargeneem is. Spesie-spesifieke data is nie vir hierdie tesis gefinaliseer nie, aangesien nie alle saailinge binne die gegewe tydsbeperkinge gegroei en geblom het nie. Ten einde saailing-verskyningsdata te vergelyk, is plantkategorieë ontwikkel wat efemere en langdurige (meerjarige) spesies en dikotiele spesies en grassoorte en ander monokotiele plante onderskei. Steekproewe van die kruin en teen die middelste en boonste hange het 'n hoë persentasie van aanvaarbare en standhoudende gras- en struikspesies getoon wat in grond-bewaarde saadbanke teenwoordig is, terwyl meer as twee derdes van plante wat in die vlaktes se grondmonsters ontkiem het, efemere spesies was, en die meeste daarvan was klein «5cm) en met 'n kort leeftyd «3 maande). Die meeste van die meerjarige spesies wat van die vlaktes se steekproewe kom, was saailinge van Pentzia incana, Chrysocoma ciliata en vetplante (hoofsaaklik Mesembryanthemaceae), maar min meerjarige grasse was teenwoordig. Daarenteen was onderskeidelik ongeveer 94% van saailinge wat van monsters van die kruin en 63% van saailinge wat van twee van die hange van Tafelberg ontkiem het, langdurige gras- of struikspesies. Ongeveer 89% van die efemere spesies wat van die hange se steekproewe aangeteken is, het op die laagste voethang-terreine ontkiem. Saaddigthede toon 'n noue verband met mikrohabitats, met ongeveer drievoudige verskille tussen oop- (laer saaddigtheid) en toe-dak (hoër saaddigtheid) -mikroterreine. 'n Multivariaatontleding van variansie (MANOVA) het aangedui dat die meeste van die variasie in saaddigtheidsdata op die mikrohabitat-vlak verduidelik is. Seisoenaliteit het 'n sekondêre rol gespeel, met beduidende tweerigting-interaksie tussen die twee uitwerkings. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat albei faktore oorweeg moet word wanneer herstelprogramme ontwikkel word wat ten doel het om algehele plantbedekking en die diversiteit van verbeterde plantspesies te verhoog. Terwyl die oorspronklike of "ongerepte" toestand van die plantegroei se samestelling en saadbanke op die vlaktes onbekend is, is kommer uitgespreek oor die klaarblyklik beskadigde toestand van die totale bo- en ondergrondse plantdiversiteit op hierdie vlaktes. 'n Waarskynlike gevolg van habitatbeskadiging is dat spesies met spesifieke grond-, voedingstofverhouding-, aspek- en seevlak-vereistes van die kruin en hange van Tafelberg (asook van nabygeleë vlakteskuilings) nie in staat sal wees om in beskadigde habitats op die vlaktes te vestig nie. Die identifikasie van pionierplantspesies (verdraagsaam vir habitatbeskadiging) wat verhoogde plantegroeidekking en veilige terreine vir saailingontkieming van verlangde plantspesies toelaat, word aanbeveel. Herstelprogramme sal gekoppel moet word aan streng weidingsbeginsels wat saailingontkieming, die vestiging en suksesvolle voortplantingsproduksie van gewenste plante vir toekomstige weiveldherstel moontlik maak. Algemene en belangrike eienskappe van die grondhabitat, plantfenologiereaksie en kiemingsproefondersoeke word saamgevoeg in 'n ondersoek van habitats en verwante saadbankdiversiteit op en van Tafelberg af. Met erkenning van die kortstondigheid van hierdie navorsingsondersoek, maar met benutting van gevallestudies van elders en die integrasie van albei vraaglyne, word daarweertot die slotsom gekom dat die vlaktes om Tafelberg beskadig is deur dekades en waarskynlik eeue se beweiding deur mak lewende hawe. Dit word as uiters belangrik beskou dat herstel deur verbetering (of rehabilitasie) van habitats en 'n groter aantal saailing beveiligingsterreine oorweeg moet word. Dit lyk asof klimaat sowel as weidingsbestuur 'n onherroeplik gekoppelde rol speel in die vorming van die samestelling van plantegroei op weiveld. Terwyl weiveld intrinsiek aangepas is by die oorlewing van uiterste klimaatswisseling wat in nie-ekwilibriese streke aangetref word, word daar geredeneer dat die impak van beweiding, veral gedurende droogtetye en klimaatsverandering, stadigaan die intrinsieke "buffervermoë" van weiveld verminder om hierdie veranderinge en uiterstes te weerstaan. Dit blyk uit navorsing elders dat herstel deur passiewe bestuur stadig en waarskynlik nie ekonomies haalbaar is binne 'n lewensvatbare tydsraamwerk nie. Die instelling en bevordering van geïntegreerde en strategiese programme wat kwessies van grondbeskadiging en verandering van grondgebruik in semi-droë gebiede identifiseer en oplos, word aanbeveel. Die insette en pogings van verskillende owerhede en ministeries en deelname deur die breë publiek word aangemoedig in hierdie voorgestelde programme ten einde insette met 'n breë basis in die langtermyn~volhoubaarheid en bewaring van die aansienlike biologiese diversiteit van hierdie streke te verseker. Saadbankbeoordeling word beskou as 'n waardevolle manier om die herstelpotensiaal en weiveldtoestande met die potensiaal vir die identifisering van beskadigde sowel as bewaringswaardige gebiede aan te dui. Laastens word 'n paar beperkings en uitdagings van hierdie studie ondersoek deur 'n proses van eerstens die identifisering van alternatiewe benaderings tot navorsingsmetodologieë, en tweedens deur die voorstel van aanbevelings vir toekomstige navorsingsprojekte. Terwyl alternatiewe metodes toegepas kon gewees het ten einde hierdie studie af te handel, is die gevolgtrekking dat die toepaslike metodes binne die gegewe tyd5- en ander beperkings toegepas is.

Small scale protected zones are valuable for helping the health and productivity of fisheries at Lake Tanganyika (East Africa). Spatial placement of protected areas relies on accurate maps of benthic habitats, consisting of detailed bathymetry data and information on lake-floor substrates. This information is unknown for most of Lake Tanganyika. Fish diversity is known to correlate with rocky substrates in ≤ 30 m water depth, which provide spawning grounds for littoral and pelagic species. These benthic habitats form important targets for protected areas, if they can be precisely located. At the NMVA, echosounding defined the position of the 30-m isobath and side-scan sonar successfully discriminated among crystalline basement, CaCO3-cemented sandstones, mixed sediment, and shell bed substrates. Total area encompassed from the shoreline to 30 m water depth is ~21 km2 and the distance to the 30-m isobath varies with proximity to deltas and rift-related faults. Total benthic area defined by crystalline basement is ~1.6 km2, whereas the total area of CaCO3-cemented sandstone is 0.2 km2. Crystalline basement was present in all water depths (0-30 m), whereas CaCO3-cemented sandstones were usually encountered in water ≤ 5 m deep. Spatial organization of rocky substrates is chiefly controlled by basin structure and lake level history.

The movement to conserve natural resources in the United States began as a response to the perceived inefficiency which governed resource allocation. The subsequent environmental movement served to expand the definition of conservation to include not only the efficient use of resources, but also the preservation of land in its natural state. In Indiana, this supposed deficiency in conservation led some environmentalists to establish the Indiana Nature Preserves System which locates remnants of the Indiana wilderness and protects them from development. The Indiana Nature Preserves System is symbolic of the Land Ethic proposed by the early ecologist Aldo Leopold, who believed that man was but one component of the "land community." To alter all natural areas, Leopold and Indiana preservationists argued, was both an assault on ecological stability and on the right of nature to exist for its own sake.
Department of History

Orientador: Emilia Wanda Rutkowski
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo
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Resumo: As Unidades de Conservação (UCs) são o tipo de área protegida que se configuram como a principal estratégia do poder público para promover a conservação da biodiversidade e recursos naturais à ela associados. A integração dessas unidades à dinâmica territorial, intervindo e alterando-a, quando necessário, é essencial para que sejam cumpridos os seus objetivos de criação. A zona de amortecimento é um dos instrumentos do plano de manejo das UCs que respondem pela integração da unidade ao território. No presente trabalho foram analisados o Sistema Nacional de Unidades de Conservação (SNUC), o Plano Estratégico Nacional de Áreas Protegidas e os planos de gestão do território cujos objetivos e diretrizes influenciam a implementação das zonas de amortecimento. Com a finalidade de entender o isolamento inicial das áreas protegidas no Brasil, foram recuperados os marcos históricos da estruturação político-institucional do Estado brasileiro na área de conservação ambiental: das primeiras ações de proteção dos recursos naturais na época do império até a territorialização da conservação da biodiversidade, que culminou com a criação do Sistema Nacional de Unidades de Conservação (SNUC). Os planos de gestão do território foram apresentados e analisados segundo a perspectiva de integração das UCs aos diversos usos do território. Os critérios para a delimitação física da zona de amortecimento definidos pelo Conselho Nacional de Meio Ambiente (CONAMA) e pelo Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (IBAMA) foram listados e, a partir da legislação analisada, foram discutidos os elementos que elas oferecem para a viabilização das zonas de amortecimento.
Abstract: The Conservation Units are a sort of protected area which presents themselves as being the main strategy of the State to promote the maintenance of biodiversity and its natural resources. The integration of these Units into the dynamics of the territory, causing to intervene in and transform it whenever necessary, is essential so that the objectives of their creation are met. The buffering zone is one of the tools of the UCs management plan which is responsible for the integration of a Unity into the territory. In this study, the Conservation Units National System (SNUC), the National Strategic Plan of Protected Areas, as well as the territory management plans, whose goals and policies affect the implementation of the buffering zones, have been analysed. In order to understand the initial isolation of protected areas in Brazil, it was necessary to retrace the historic events which contributed to the political-institutional organization of Brazilian State concerning the realms of environmental conservation: from the first actions taken towards the protection of natural resources at the Empire Age to the =territorialization' of biodiversity conservation, leading to the creation of the Conservation Units National System (SNUC) The territory management plans have been presented and analysed according to the expectations of the UCs integration into the several uses of the territory.The criteria for the setting of the geographical boundaries to the buffering zones established by the Environment National Board (CONAMA) and the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources National Institute (IBAMA) have been listed, and basing on the analysed legislation, the elements they provide for the viability of the buffering zones have been discussed.
Mestrado
Saneamento e Ambiente
Mestre em Engenharia Civil