Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Protected area planning'

This study reviews and evaluates the current status of management planning and policy in Protected Areas (PAs) in Bangladesh via a case study of two Wildlife Sanctuaries and one National Park. Using a mixed method approach, the research evaluates the perceptions and attitudes of local residents and other stakeholders towards the effectiveness of protected area planning and management, specifically co-management plans for the case study areas. The research was based on semi-structured and in-depth interviews with key informants, focus group discussions, and questionnaire surveys of village residents. The study revealed a complex socio-economic context characterised by poverty; within this, a diverse range of stakeholders exist whose interests in, and perceptions of, protected area management do not necessarily coincide with those of the Forest Department officials, leading to situations of conflict and difficulty for the Forest Department in enforcing the law over areas of forest in Bangladesh, a situation that has not been helped by the limited availability of manpower and modern equipment. It is concluded that the co-management approach, by taking into account the interests, wishes, and aspirations of the local communities, holds out better prospects of protecting the forest, meeting the objectives of the protected area management plans, and development ambitions of local communities. However, the findings suggest that community participation needs to be improved if effective forms of co-management are to be achieved, in turn improving the chances of conserving the forest for future generations while permitting the present generation to pursue sustainable livelihoods. Based on this study, it is clear that not only is action required to increase the participation of the local community, but human resource development is required to produce parallel institutional capacity building within the Forest Department. Moreover, programmes designed to support the generation of alternative livelihood opportunities are required to reduce dependency on forest resources. All of these lines of development are essential to increase the capacity of the local communities and officials to work together to develop and implement the management objectives of the National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. However, without genuine political will to act it will be difficult to achieve the aforementioned ambitions/objectives.

The thesis examines community involvement in the planning of protected areas designated for biodiversity conservation. The research centres on a case study of planning at two coastal sites in Belize: Bacalar Chico and Caye Caulker. The study employs qualitative methodology to analyse forms of public participation in planning and to explore the relations and strategies of power in operation between the diverse actors in the process. The case study revealed that official public participation exercises functioned as circumscribed forms of consultation. Local stakeholders were granted some opportunity to express their opinions, but decision-making remained in the hands of the planning agencies. Certain key local actors could, however, make use of alternative channels of involvement, such as political lobbying and informal social contact. Both forms of community involvement were played out in a complex arena of power relations. The power strategies of actors drew on unevenly distributed resources such as knowledge, discourse, authority and access to state apparatus. Actors also employed a range of tactics including persuasion, compromise, manipulation, exclusion, enrolment and the formation of alliances to secure influence in the power arena. At one level of abstraction it was possible to identify a power-typology of local actors with characteristic interests, roles and relations with planners. From the two original analytical themes a third, grounded theme emerged relating to the central role played by the planning authorities. Instead of fostering meaningful participation, planners were effectively engaged in a process of containment: their actions in the power arena were geared toward avoiding or blocking disruption and maintaining control. But containment was partial, and the extent of counter-containment helped to explain differences in planning progress between the two study sites. The thesis goes on to argue that attempted containment is inherent in the planning of externally-driven, biodiversity-oriented protected areas.

The natural characteristics of protected areas have changed for a variety of reasons through time. Changes in protected area landscapes can occur because of natural and/or cultural processes. Natural processes such as geomorphological disturbance and climatic condition can permanently and/or temporarily change the characteristics of the environment. In addition, changes in human needs, knowledge and activities are the cultural driving forces behind changing characteristics of landscape through time. These changes can be studied both spatially and temporally. Spatially, protected area landscape structures such as shape, size and location with respect to their neighbourhood context can be studied to describe landscape configuration. Temporally, landscape functions such as different geographical locations and land characteristics can be studied to determine the rate of temporal variability in landscape. Any changes in temporal characteristics may lead to changes in spatial characteristics of protected areas and vice versa. This thesis has developed a framework to enhance the landscape ecological planning approach with attention to changes in landscapes of protected areas. Considering landscape ecological concepts, this framework draws upon spatial and temporal characteristics of protected areas. Initially, a basic model of the landscape ecological approach to protected area planning and data requirements for landscape ecological planning was developed according to the concept of landscape ecological planning. In order to examine the model in the real world, the data requirements for landscape ecological planning were implemented using a case study method. The basic list of data required for landscape ecological planning was further developed through the case study approach by highlighting the importance of road metrics in the process of planning. In addition, the case study approach proved that spatial and temporal metrics can be used in the interpretation of spatial configuration and temporal variability of protected areas th rough a quantitative method. The framework was developed for three case studies in Iran and three case studies in Australia. A number of metrics were applied in order to quantify spatial and temporal aspects of the protected areas. A list of spatial and temporal criteria was developed to assist interpretation of area compaction, spatial fragmentation and temporal variability of protected areas. Using the criteria list, a new framework for spatial and temporal evaluation of protected areas has been developed. This can be used to determine spatial and temporal management issues of protected areas at the landscape scale. Then planning scenarios for spatial and temporal issues of protected areas at the landscape scale can be suggested. The developed framework has the potential to be applied to all protected areas even where detailed ecological data and information are not available. In addition, when all data required are available, the developed framework using spatial and temporal metrics has the potential to suggest a flexible zoning plan for protected areas.

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South Africa’s coastal environment is characterized by an increasing network of Marine Protected Areas (MPA), with the purpose of conserving fisheries resources and marine biodiversity. The coast is also home to over a hundred rural small-scale fisher communities, such as the community at Struisbaai Noord, which are considered to be marginalised communities heavily dependent on marine resources for their food security and income needs. The small-scale fisher community at Struisbaai Noord is one of several fisheries operating in the waters off the coast of Struisbaai. The others are: a migratory commercial line fishery, boat and shore-based recreational fishery, chokka squid commercial fishery, and commercial trawlers. The overall aim of this study is to understand the human (social, economic, cultural and institutional) dimensions of the small-scale fisheries sector in Struisbaai, with a particular focus on the livelihood strategies that fishers in this community employ, in order to inform future marine protected area planning in the Agulhas region.

Northern Ireland, like many other nations, has made high-level commitments to improving marine management and conserving biodiversity through the development of a representative network of marine protected areas (MPAs). However progress to fulfil commitments was found to be hampered by complex governance, poor interdepartmental cooperation and lack of political will. Stakeholder participation is a vital component of MPA planning and implementation, and the successes of MPA designation is greatly affected by fisher buy-in and compliance. This Thesis presents a novel participatory mapping method, which was used to directly engage fishers in the development of quantitative pre-planning data on their spatial access priorities. Data on the perceptions of fishers' and their thoughts on marine management, including MPA site suggestions, were also gathered. Stakeholder engagement and the incorporation of stakeholder data should facilitate the development of MPA planning solutions that have a reduced negative impact on stakeholders. This assertion was tested with the fisher-derived data. Multiple MPA planning scenarios were developed and the benefit of incorporating both quantitative and qualitative fisher data was clearly demonstrated on planning solutions. A novel approach of transparent inclusion of stakeholder MPA suggestions into decision-support software was also proposed. MPAs and fisheries face increasing competition for space from emerging ocean uses. Building upon previous strategic conservation planning-based approaches to ocean zoning, planning scenarios were developed to simultaneously optimise space allocations for MPAs, renewable energy generation and fisheries. The approach enabled explicit assessment of the trade-offs between competing uses, which should help increase the transparency and defensibility of planning decisions. It was also established that co-location of marine industries can significantly affect both the cost and the spatial configuration of marine planning solutions. The use of the insights and tools developed in this Thesis should contribute to improved MPA planning processes and help reduce the amount of conflict associated with planning solutions.

Protected area site selection is generally carried out using biodiversity data as surrogates. However, reliable and complete biodiversity data is rarely available due to limited resources, time and equipment. Instead of drawing on inadequate biodiversity data, an alternative is to use environmental diversity (ED) as a surrogate in conservation planning. However, there are few studies that use environmental diversity for site selection or that evaluates its efficiency
unfortunately, no such example exists for Turkey, where biodiversity is high but our knowledge about it is unsatisfactory. Hence, this study was carried out to investigate the efficiency of environmental surrogates and the utility of different biological taxa in conservation planning. The objective was to find out the most efficient surrogates, either environmental or biological, for conservation planning, so that limited resources can be used more efficiently to establish an effective protected areas network. The study was carried out in northeastern Turkey, within the Lesser Caucasus ecoregion. The taxonomic groups considered include large mammals, breeding birds, globally threatened reptiles and amphibians, butterflies, highly threatened plants, and ecological communities. The distribution data was taken from a previous study, while climate and topographical data were obtained from various sources and produced through spatio-statistical techniques. Complementarity-based site selection was carried out with Marxan software, where the planning unit was the 100 sq.km. UTM grid square. Various statistical methods, including geographically weighted regression, principal components analysis, and p-median algorithm, were used to determine ED across the units. Performance of different approaches and different sets of surrogates were tested by comparing them to a random null model as well as representation success. Results indicate that endemic or non-endemic highly threatened plant species, butterfly species and ecological communities represent biodiversity better than other taxa in the study area. As such, they can be used on their own as efficient biodiversity surrogates in conservation area planning. Another finding is that highly threatened plant species are required to be used in the site selection process if they need to be represented well
in other words, they are their own surrogates. It was demonstrated that while ED alone can be used as a surrogate to represent biodiversity of an area, they are not as good as biodiversity surrogates themselves. It is also suggested that using species taxa with smaller distributional ranges or taxa that complement each other due to ecological differences as surrogates provide better results. On the other hand, ED might be a more suitable surrogate if resources are very limited or field work is impossible. In such cases, using ED in conjunction with one of the better biodiversity surrogates is probably the best solution.

La presente tesi di dottorato prende in considerazione tecniche di rilevamento acustiche (Remote sensing, RS) e ottiche per lo sviluppo di modelli di distribuzione e mappatura (Distribution and mapping modelling, DMS) come strumenti di gestione per valutare lo stato degli habitat bentonici e per supportare decisioni relative alla pianificazione dello spazio marittimo (Marine Spatial Planning). Modelli di distribuzione di habitat e specie sono stati analizzati congiuntamente ad analisi spaziali e analisi di immagine da video subacquei, e messi in relazione alle caratteristiche geomorfologiche del substrato, raccolte tramite RS e validate tramite immersioni di controllo. L’impiego del Sistema Informativo Geografico (GIS) ha permesso di disegnare spazialmente la distribuzione e l’estensione degli habitat così come la distribuzione e l’intensità delle pressioni antropiche, creando quindi un dataset utile a sostenere adeguate scelte gestionali. L’accuratezza dei modelli è stata testata e confrontata. I risultati hanno permesso di definire un quadro metodologico che potrebbe essere facilmente recepito a fini gestionali. Sono infatti state sviluppate delle linee guida da distribuire ai gestori di Aree Marine Protette e ai manager interessati alla gestione della fascia costiera, utili ad inviduare le aree prioritarie in termini di conservazione, sulla base di modelli predittivi che potrebbero suggerire anche eventuali azioni di recupero ambientale. I risultati ottenuti dal presente lavoro mettono quindi in relazione complessità geomorfologica e habitats, permettendo di sviluppare piani di gestione che prendono in considerazione la distribuzione e l’intensità degli impatti antropici.
The present doctoral degree thesis is based on the implementation of remote sensing (RS) methods habitat mapping and distribution modelling (DMs) techniques as management tools to assess the status of benthic habitats and to support Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) decisions. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to model the spatial boundaries of the physical and biological datasets, as well to assess the proximity of anthropogenic pressures. Through spatial examination, image analysis and underwater video, the biological patterns of habitats/species were related to the variation in geomorphology based on geophysical substrate properties gathered through RS techniques in combination with optical data, collected during the ground truthing sampling. In addition, DMs and classification approaches were applied and their accuracy tested. Finally, a methodological framework was suggested as guideline to inform and provide recommendations to managers and policymakers about how to accurately locate and best protect benthic habitats and its resources, how to evidence possible different sensitivities between habitats in relation to geomorphology, create or redefine different zones or levels of protections at Marine Protected Areas and how to forecast future changes due to global warming and/or anthropogenic activities. General results demonstrate that the produced maps provide information about where the habitats/species could be present and how they are related to the geomorphological context and/or the anthropogenic pressures. Results emphasize the role of critical expert evaluation of spatial predictions before they are used to guide policy. We conclude that RS and DMs could be very useful tools for understanding the distribution of species–habitat associations and to help resources managers make informed and ecologically relevant decisions.

Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) is a popular and heavily exploited seafood throughout its range. This species supports the primary fishery in many Caribbean countries, especially in the Bahamas, which reports the highest catches and where spiny lobster serves as the number one food export. P. argus possesses one of the longest pelagic larval durations of any marine species, ranging from 6-12 months. This allows for the possibility of long-range dispersal, which would make it difficult to determine if local adult populations originate from areas close-by or within the same countries/jurisdictions, thus presenting implications for conservation and management of the species. This project seeks to explore the policy implications of lobster larval dispersal in the Bahamas by examining the larval connectivity of locally spawned P. argus in order to determine the mean dispersal kernel and to identify hotspots of settlement within the area. A coupled biophysical model was used to simulate larval transport from scaled egg production of 47 release locations within the Bahamas. The model was initialized bi-weekly from April through May, the highest months of larvae production in the Bahamas, with each model run occurring for a maximum of 180 days. The dispersal kernel for the Bahamas was calculated to be an average of 100-300 km, indicating that the larvae released within its boundaries typically settled there as well. Due to the long pelagic larval duration, larval particles were able to travel extensive distances, averaging trajectories covering distances of 4000 km and greater from the source locations. Yet, those same larval particles still settled in locations within the Bahamas, suggesting local retention, which varies from the common perception that lobster in the Bahamas originate elsewhere. This knowledge can be used to assess and perhaps reevaluate conservation and management strategies related to the Bahamian P. argus fishery, including the implementation of MPAs and/or MPA networks, input and output management controls, and other management tools.

Karst topography is the result of a specific combination of geological conditions, precipitation, biota, and temperature, and is characterized by the gradual solution of the underlying bedrock and the development of underground drainage routes for surficial runoff. Many of these karst landscapes are found in urbanized areas, where the potential for anthropogenic impact is quite high. In many instances, municipalities on karst terrains choose to mitigate these impacts by implementing ordinances that place restrictions on permissible land uses near karst landforms. This dissertation asks the question: are the impacts of karst-related land use regulation on human / social systems significant enough to merit consideration during the regulation writing and implementation process? In the process of answering this question, it is hoped that a broader understanding will be developed of how land use regulations are used to control and regulate human activity on karst lands, particularly (but not exclusively) in the United States; and that the conclusions drawn from that overview might serve as the beginnings of a generally applicable framework for the development of karst regulation.

The current development plan system in Malaysia provides minimal protection for protected areas. Shortcomings can be seen in policies, decision making processes, and implementation and enforcement. In addition, existing legislation, development plan procedures, policies, and guidelines do not support integrated planning and management for protected areas. This raises concern for those involved with all aspects of protected area planning and management. Within this thesis international best practices have been critically reviewed and an in depth case study of the Klang Gates Ridge National Monument conducted. This research has confirmed that there is a lack of emphasis on the planning and management of protected areas in the Malaysian development plan system and what protection exists is ineffective, poorly managed and not fully implemented. This situation was further exacerbated by the lack of development plan documents and guidelines related to protected areas that promote an integrated approach to development control, decision making and enforcement. The research also identified that there was a lack of personal to advise on and take good decisions in relation to environmental matters. Poor consultation with stakeholder and the public also contribute to the situation in Malaysia. These shortfalls need immediate remedy. There is already a development plan system in place to attend to environmental matters but at present it has not been developed comprehensively. By including planning and management of protected areas in the development pan it could become a comprehensive and important tool to ensure protection and conservation of natural resources. Proposals to amend the legislation, develop a comprehensive environmental management plan, set up a lead agency to enforce planning and management of protected areas, enhance public consultation and recruit qualified staff to advise and take good environmental focused decisions are presented.

Avoiding the negative effects of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity is especially challenging when also the management institutions are spatially and administratively distributed. This doctoral thesis introduces five case studies that investigate ecological, social and social-ecological relations in fragmented landscapes. I present new approaches in which research and governance can detect and manage mismatches between landscape ecology and planning. The case studies include urban and forested landscapes where an intense land-use is limiting the connectivity, i.e., the potential for many species to disperse between the remaining patches of habitat. Graph-theoretic (network) models are applied to map connectivity patterns and to estimate the outcome for dispersing species at the patch level and for the whole study system. In particular, the network models are applied to evaluate the spatial complexity and the potential mismatches between ecological connectivity and geographically distributed management institutions like protected areas and municipalities. Interviews with municipal ecologists complement the spatial analysis; revealing some problems and ways forward regarding the communication and integration of ecological knowledge within local spatial-planning agencies. The results also show that network models are useful to identify and communicate critical ecological and social-ecological patterns that call for management attention. I suggest some developments of network models as to include interactions between species and across governance levels. Finally, I conclude that more effort is needed for network models to materialize into ecological learning and transformation in management processes.

At the time of the doctoral defence the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Manuscript. Paper 2: Manuscript.

I denna studie beskriver jag problemet hur planering och zonering av destinationer för friluftsliv och ekoturism kan göras. Genom att utveckla och analysera teori och resultat abduktivt har analys och slutsats utvecklats med Kristianstad Vattenrike som utvalt studerat område. Kristianstad Vattenrike är ett av Sveriges fem biosfärområden och sträcker sig nästan över hela Kristianstad kommun med en mångfald av olika naturtyper. Som utnämnt biosfärområde ska man bidra till hållbar utveckling och utveckla området utefter ledorden bevara, utveckla och stödja och planera området i kärnområden, buffertzoner och utvecklingsområden. För att uppnå studiens syfte att abduktivt visa i teoretisk och analytisk växelverkan hur man kan planera och zonera en destination för friluftsliv och ekoturism så har jag valt att beskriva hur planering av friluftsliv kan göras, om zonering, om planering för ekoturism och rural turismutveckling. Dessa har utvecklats abduktivt med utvald kvalitativ metod för analys av en destination, Kristianstad Vattenrike, och hur det planeras i praktiken för eventuell zonering av friluftsliv och ekoturism enligt tre intervjuer och skriftliga källor om Kristianstad Vattenrike. I studiens resultat och analys analyseras tre frågeställningar för syftet: 1) Vilka förutsättningar för friluftsupplevelser och ekoturism erbjuder natur, landskap samt infrastruktur i Kristianstad Vattenrike?, 2) Hur planeras det för friluftsliv och ekoturism i Kristianstad Vattenrike? och 3) Varför ska zonering användas som medel för att planera hållbara destinationer för friluftsliv och ekoturism? Här beskrivs vilket brett utbud av naturtyper som erbjuds i ett friluftsliv som hela tiden utvecklas med behov och efterfrågan på området, men också med produktutveckling. Det beskrivs att de använt bl a plan för att utveckla badplatser inom Kristianstad Vattenrike som kan utvecklas generellt för friluftslivet. För ekoturism görs vissa näringslivssatsningar men inget som direkt lyckas inspirera till ett hållbart ansvarstagande för företag, men ett par uthålliga entreprenörer har lyckats med utveckling av säsonger för upplevelse av Vattenriket över året. Zonering som medel för planering av friluftsliv och ekoturism beskrivs och klargörs att det är en eftersatt modell i Sverige för planering av friluftsliv och ekoturism och även så i Kristianstad Vattenrike. Efter granskade resultat och analyser så dras slutsatser med studien att zonering behöver en svensk uttalad definition för att lättare kommuniceras och förstås för implementering som destinationer som Kristianstad Vattenrike skulle dra fördel av vid planering och zonering för friluftsliv och ekoturism.

L'espace naturel est l'objet d'enjeux très divers relayés par le droit qui y applique de nombreuses procédures et règles spécifiques. il doit concilier le développement des sociètés humaines et la protection de la nature. les aires protégées, pour l'essentiel, les parcs nationaux, les réserves naturelles et les arrêtés de protection de biotope, fournissent le cadre privilégié d'une étude d'ensemble du régime de protection dans ces espaces qui impose de sérieuses restrictions au droit des sols et notamment au droit de construire sur lequel se fonde le droit de l'urbanisme. des problèmes de conflit de normes apparaissent donc entre un droit de l'environnement qui a vocation à protéger les espaces, et un droit de l'urbanisme qui entend aménager, exploiter ces mêmes espaces. les relations conflictuelles entre des deux droits conduisent à analyser de manière systèmatique le régime de l'occupation des sols dans chaque aire protégée de france. au demeurant, le droit de l'environnement s'intéressera à la question de la superposition de réglementation qui conduit à des entraves à la conservation de la nature, ce, en raison d'une transformation de l'espace générée par la construction ou l'aménagement en terrains à bâtir
The concept of protected natural area, including national parks and nature reserves, encompasses a variety of legal regimes. Among them, the most classical ones originate from a combination of legal statuses and police regulations. These protections are rooted in both environmental and planning laws, which tend to overlap, making it harder to clearly identify the regimes and principles that inspired them in the first place, and to appreciate their legal significance.On the one hand, the present work aims at defining the legal regime applicable to each of these protected natural areas, by explaining its specific normative organisation; on the other hand, its goal is to identify the contribution of planning law to the protection of natural areas, through its rules and procedures. The legal framework of the protection of natural areas thus clarified, it faces a double set of challenges. The first ones lay in the prioritisation and the articulation of regulations and procedures that derive from diverse laws applicable to the space. It also implies to remove certain obstacles linked to the competition of police regulations. The second set of challenges emanates from an emerging global law of sustainable development that has been granted constitutional status by the Chart for the Environnement. This global law irriguates the whole regulations and is now binding on all public policies, including city planning.constitutional level through the Environmental Charter

Recently adopted global marine protection targets aim to protect 10-30% of marine habitats within the next 3 to 5 years. However, these targets were adopted without prior assessment of their attainability. Moreover, our ability to monitor progress towards such targets has been constrained by a lack of robust data on marine protected areas (MPAs). In this thesis I present the results of the first explicitly marine-focused, global assessment of MPAs in relation to three global marine protection targets. Approximately 2.35 million km2, equivalent to 0.65% of the world’s oceans, are currently protected, and only 12% of that is ‘no-take’. Over the last two decades, the marine area protected globally has grown at ~5% per year. At this rate, even the most modest target is unlikely to be met for at least several decades. The utility of large-scale conservation targets has been repeatedly questioned, although mainly on ecological grounds. However, if, as is suggested here, their primary role is to motivate behavioural change, then a more serious problem is that they seem to be failing in this regard, too. I explore possible reasons for this and suggest two main problems: firstly, an as yet unmet need to develop a hierarchical system of targets that reflects the multi-scale and pluralistic nature of ecological and political systems; and secondly, feedback mechanisms between political will, perceived attainability, and target formulation which may impede implementation of the targets. Since the adoption of the global targets, no implementation strategy has been developed, which may also impede target attainment. In order to fill this gap, I applied a rarity-complementarity heuristic place prioritisation algorithm (PPA) to a dataset consisting of 1038 global species distributions with 0.5° latitude/longitude resolution, under ten scenarios devised to reflect the global targets. This is the first time that species distribution ranges of marine species have been used in a globally synthetic way, and is by far the largest application of a PPA to date. Global priority areas for protection are identified for each scenario, which may be used to identify where regional-scale protected areas network design efforts might be focused.

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.

With the growth in human pressures on the marine environment and the increase in competition for space and resources there has been recognition by many governments of the need to use the marine environment sustainably and allow for its acceptable allocation for each sector. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the use of Marxan and Marxan with Zones as practical tools to enable the production of marine plans that integrate environmental and socioeconomic data and to suggest best practice in the types of data used. In this thesis three key aspects of data type and integration were identified and evaluated. The resolution and complexity of data required to protected marine biodiversity was assessed. The effects of using different substrate data resolution on the selection of sites to protect a range of biotopes using Marxan are determined. The nature of the data used in marine planning has significant implications for the protection of marine biodiversity. Using less complex data, of any resolution, did not adequately protect marine biodiversity. There is a need to determine what is an acceptable allocation of marine resource to each sector. Two case study areas were used to determine how to integrate conservation and socioeconomic data and objectives in a marine plan. Objectives for all the sectors could not be met completely in a single marine plan and each sector had to compromise. This research highlighted the potential compromises required and indicates that if marine heritage and biodiversity are to be protected each sector will have to change the impact it has on the marine environment. Currently marine conservation assumes that all data on habitats and species presented for use in marine planning are equal, in accuracy, precision and value. This is not always the case, with data based on a wide range of sources including routine government monitoring, specific innovative research and stakeholder based data gathering. A case study area was used to evaluate the impacts of using confidence levels in habitat data on marine biodiversity. It was found that data outputs that best protected marine biodiversity used data over 20% and over 30% confidence. With the data currently available for the UK marine environment it is not possible to be confident that a representative MPA network can be created. Together these studies contribute key recommendations for best practice in marine planning and demonstrate that the use of spatial decision support tools (Marxan and Marxan with Zones) are essential for the integration of data in marine planning, to assess how using different types of data will impact marine planning and marine biodiversity protection and to explore implications of different management actions.

Ecotourism is one of the fastest expanding tourism markets. It has received much attention in developing countries and economically impoverished regions around the world. As an agent of change, ecotourism has been linked to sustainable development strategies and initiatives in many places. However, ecotourism can induce a variety of both positive and negative environmental, cultural and socioeconomic impacts at a destination. Operating in its ideal form (according to some), ecotourism provides the tourist with a quality nature experience, generates funds and support for conservation efforts, has minimal environmental impact and provides socioeconomic benefits to local host communities. While there is evidence that ecotourism's espoused benefits can be realized, there are equally as many, if not more, cases where ecotourism has fallen short of its proposed objectives. Indeed, ecotourism's impact has been highly variable. At the same time, some have criticized that there have been relatively few practical assessments of ecotourism's status at specific destinations. This study sought to assess the current status of ecotourism at two destinations where it is being promoted as a regional development strategy. The existing tourism-park/resource-community relationships and impacts are evaluated at Jianfengling and Diaoluoshan National Forest Parks, in Hainan Province, China. Hainan, although endowed with a wealth of natural resources, is one of China's most economically backward provinces. Ecotourism has been identified as an important provincial strategy for balancing economic growth and conservation. The study is intended to enhance the capacity of ecotourism to generate benefits for both the local communities and destinations (the protected areas), and thus contribute to the sustainable development of the region more generally. Given the exploratory nature of the research, qualitative analysis was used. Interviews, observations and secondary sources were the main vehicles of inquiry employed in this study. Basic quantitative analysis was used to aid in the interpretation of interview results. Triangulation, in terms of both data sources (primary and secondary) and methods (document collection, observations, interviews, quantitative analysis), was used wherever possible to limit personal and methodological biases. Similar results were found in both the Jianfengling and Diaoluoshan case studies. Ecotourism development is at an early stage. As such, socioeconomic benefits for the local communities have been very limited. At the same time, residents have had to cope with reduced access to resources since the Parks were established in the mid-1990s. Nevertheless, community residents generally support conservation and are optimistic that tourism growth will yield benefits. Both Parks receive relatively few tourists, and neither Park charges a user fee. As a result, (eco)tourism has not, to date, contributed revenues towards conservation efforts. Although the Parks offer spectacular tropical scenery, facilities are basic and educational opportunities for tourists are few. Planning direction and recommendations are offered based on the study findings and the salient ecotourism literature. Identified opportunities, constraints and recommendations are used to provide a potential framework for the development of a park (eco)tourism plan at each study site. Results and recommendations could inform planning and management processes, and thus enhance the capacity of ecotourism to generate benefits at the study sites and, more generally, throughout Hainan.

Doutoramento em Biologia - Instituto Superior de Agronomia
Spatial Conservation Planning is a scientific-driven procedure to identify cost effective networks of areas capable of representing biodiversity through time. This conceptually simple task accommodates sufficient complexity to justify the existence of an active research line with more than 20 years already. But costefficiency and representation of biodiversity is only part of the whole challenge of Spatial Conservation Planning.The recognition that Nature operates dynamically has stimulated researchers to embrace the additional challenges of developing methods to make conventional (static) conservation approaches more dynamic and therefore increase the chances that biodiversity are preserved in the longer term. In this thesis, I present a set of tools to assist spatial conservation decision-making and address issues such as uncertainty and spatial dynamics of species ranges. These two topics are particularly relevant in the context of ongoing climate changes. I start by investigating two connectivity paradigms for the identification of conservation areas. In the first, a distance-based approach is applied for the identification of areas representing a set of species. In the second, I present a conceptual framework based on the analysis of environmental similarity between protected areas. The framework seeks to identify effective spatial linkages between protected areas while ensuring that these linkages are as efficient as possible. Then, I introduce a methodology to refine the matching of species distributions and protected area data in gap analysis. Forth, I present a comprehensive assessment for the expected impacts of climate change among European conservation areas. Finally, I address a framework for cost-efficient identification of the best areas that, in each time period, assist species’ range adjustments induced by severe climate changes. There exists a wealth of theoretical insight and algorithmic power available to ecologists. This thesis took advantage of it and (I hope) it offers useful guidance for genuine biodiversity protection.

A conservation planning protocol based on components from successful conservation projects in Mexico and other countries was developed to evaluate conservation planning practices and to serve as a template to guide future conservation planning efforts in Mexico. My research specifically explored stakeholder analysis and performance measurement as currently applied to conservation planning. Twenty-seven natural protected area (NPA) management plans and 6 plans from modified rural landscape projects (MDRL), all within Mexico, were evaluated. Additionally, 38 planning team members from 8 selected case studies were interviewed. I used the Laguna de Babicora Watershed planning process and management plan as the focus of my examination of stakeholder analysis. Seventy-four individuals who represented 5 major stakeholder categories were identified and interviewed. Examples of process-, outcome-, output-, and input-related performance measures (PMs) were developed for the Babicora project using information collected from my interviews, the existing management plan, and my conservation planning protocol. The approaches used and products generated from NPA and MDRL plans differed substantially. NPA plans often used pre-established planning guidelines dictated by the overseeing or authorizing agency. Institutional rigidity was a limiting factor to development of NPA management plans. NPA plan content suggested that planners focused more attention on inventory and strategic planning than on other planning components, yet recommended operational strategies in NPA management plans still were comprehensive. MDRL planning processes were more sensitive to local conditions, but less comprehensive than NPA plans. With MDRL plans, on-the-ground pilot projects often were initiated concurrent with inventory and strategic planning efforts. As a result, MDRL planning teams often did not complete management plans due to demands imposed by these concurrent projects. Performance measurement systems for both plan implementation and monitoring of planning processes largely were absent in all NPA and most MDRL projects. Only one MDRL case study addressed process-related performance measures. NPA and MDRL plans both suffered from poor issue identification and problem definition, offering only generic strategic statements that lacked indicators of spatial scale, geographic location, and causative agents. Management plans overall, but NPA in particular, also lacked clear links among identified problems, other key stages of the planning process, and desired or stated outcomes. Unfamiliarity with or failure to use effective diagnostic tools, coupled with a need to comply with existing planning protocols, produced management recommendations that frequently were not justified or related to identified management problems, particularly among NPA plans. MDRL case studies, which typically targeted smaller geographic areas, were not as comprehensive as NPA plans. However, MDRL case studies more often incorporated stronger participatory components. Demands from participatory processes often delayed final development of MDRL management plans. Although NPAs and MDRLs currently follow different planning processes, ultimate success in conservation management may best be served by blending complementary components from each approach. Stakeholders who participate in conservation planning fundamentally are issue specific. Current environmental literature on stakeholder methodologies endorses use of general categories. Although cross-category stakeholder analysis is useful during inventory and strategic planning, within-stakeholder analysis is necessary for successful plan implementation. My findings suggest that within-stakeholder analysis helps (1) identify problems or needs important to particular stakeholders, (2) identify stakeholders with contrasting behavior within categories, and (3) establish areas for potential collaboration. Stakeholder involvement, tailored to local conditions, should occur in all planning stages. Successful conservation planning in Mexico currently should be addressed more as a question of human organization. Suggested performance measures to help monitor and evaluate both the planning process and plan implementation were developed. Process-related PMs focused on the 4 major planning stages. Process-related PMs allow planners to analyze and reassess the direction of the planning process; they are not prescriptive, rather statements that recognize planning as a social exercise likely to face areas where trade-offs are likely to occur (e.g., problem identification, sharing decision-making, public involvement). Performance measures for plan implementation should be hierarchical, nested, and include input-, output-, and outcome-related assessment attributes.
Ph. D.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2000.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-155).
Governments have two apparently conflicting roles to play: promoter of economic development and protector of environmental quality. Economic development interests tend to have priority on most government agenda in developing countries, creating obstacles to the implementation of environmental protection policies. This trend can be reversed by introducing environmental protection concerns into the mainstream development agenda by decentralizing environmental policy implementation to development-oriented agencies. Government agencies often fail to implement environmental policies mainly because they lack political support, they have insufficient financial resources, they have not developed adequate institutional capacity, and they tend to overlook the importance of cooperation at the local level. However, the Bahia State government in Northeast Brazil was able to overcome all four of these obstacles in establishing environmentally protected areas (APAs) by introducing them into the mainstream development agenda, which was chiefly oriented toward tourism development. At the state level, a large number of APAs were created, primarily as the result of the decentralization of administrative authority among several state agencies, including development-oriented agencies linked to tourism development. This decentralization generated an apparently unintentional system of incentives for state agencies to implement APAs. The increased inter-agency competition for political control of protected areas improved the institutional capacity of each agency, and generated funds and political support at the state and local levels for APA implementation, overcoming the four obstacles. State agencies' actions were supervised by an independent oversight body, the state environmental council (CEPRAM), which had the power to interfere in the establishment of APAs and block development projects related to them. At the local level, seven case studies show that the involvement of state development agencies, and the local expectation of economic benefits from tourism, were important factors in preventing the usual local resistance to the establishment of APAs. In this context, three points determined the intensity of local political, financial, and institutional support for enforcing APA guidelines. First, APAs created as means of curbing already existent environmental problems caused by tourism or urban development mustered more local support than APAs created as environmental safeguards for public infrastructure projects. Second, APAs contained within a single municipality received more local support than APAs involving multiple municipalities. Third, the involvement of local actors at the early stages of the APA creation fostered local support for enforcement. From the lessons at the story at the state level, additional incentives to local institutions by a central authority linked to a politically independent system of checks-and-balances might improve implementation at the local level. The decentralization of environmental policy implementation to a range of development agencies can be an alternative to mainstreaming environmental concerns in the development agenda and achieving environmental protection goals. However, to make decentralization work, as my study in Bahia showed, central authorities should offer institutional incentives to decentralized agencies to ensure increased attention to environmental protection objectives in the development process; and at the same time, an independent body with oversight authority for both developmental and environmental actions should be in place to prevent development agencies from neglecting environmental concerns.
by José Antônio Puppim de Oliveira.
Ph.D.

The creation, management and implementation of Protected areas is a key strategy for territorial planning. However, the implementation of legally protected territories generates socioeconomic conflicts, which often are larger and more difficult to be solved that own environmental problems. To overcome the obstacles that arise in this process, it is necessary to use the modern tools of information and communication technology, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which, from remote sensing products and GIS techniques, enable assist the actions of planning, management and monitoring Protected Areas in a most practical, agile and dynamic way. In this context, this study aimed to analyze the applicability of GIS use as an aid to planning and environmental management in Full Protection Conservation Units. Thus, we used the bibliographical and documentary research, interviews with semi-structured guide and field research. In preparation and organization of digital maps were used QuantumGIS and Global Mapper softwares. With results, it was found that Sergipe has a good georeferenced database, but lacks data consistency and constant updating. In addition, scarcity of professionals employed in direct actions of management and monitoring of Protected Areas in the state, weakens environmental protection objectives, due to anthropic pressures. It was concluded that use of a digital atlas provides an important source of information for preparation of environmental planning and monitoring, and streamlining human resources, but the lack of trained professionals, acquisition costs of remote sensing products and unreliable biophysical information become obstacles to be overcome.
A criação, gestão e implementação de Unidades de Conservação é uma estratégia fundamental para o planejamento territorial. Entretanto, a implantação de territórios legalmente protegidos gera conflitos socioeconômicos, que muitas vezes são maiores ou mais difíceis de serem solucionados que os próprios problemas ambientais. Para auxiliar a transpor os entraves que se apresentam nesse processo, pode-se empregar as ferramentas da moderna Tecnologia da Informação e Comunicação, como os Sistemas de Informações Geográficas, que, a partir de produtos de sensoriamento remoto e técnicas de geoprocessamento, possibilitam subsidiar as ações de planejamento, gestão e monitoramento de Áreas Protegidas de forma mais prática, ágil e dinâmica. Nesse contexto, esta pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar a aplicabilidade do uso do geoprocessamento como subsídio ao planejamento e gestão ambiental em Unidades de Conservação de Proteção Integral. Para tanto, foram empregadas a pesquisa bibliográfica e documental, entrevistas com roteiro semiestruturado e pesquisa de campo. Na elaboração e organização dos mapas digitais foram empregados os softwares QuantumGIS e Global Mapper. Com os resultados obtidos, se verificou que Sergipe possui uma boa base de dados georreferenciados, todavia carece de correções dos dados e constante atualização. Além do que, a escassez de profissionais empregados nas ações diretas de gestão e monitoramento das unidades de conservação no Estado, enfraquece os objetivos de proteção ambiental, em função de pressões antrópicas. Concluiu-se que o emprego de um atlas digital fornece uma importante fonte de informações para a elaboração do planejamento e monitoramento ambiental, além de racionalizar recursos humanos, porém a falta de profissionais capacitados, os custos de aquisição de produtos de sensoriamento remoto e informações biofísicas pouco confiáveis tornam-se obstáculos a serem transpostos.

Ecosystem-based management aims to provide a mechanism for achieving a consensus among multi-sectorial activities for sustaining goods and services and achieving ecological, economic and social objectives in an area. The present study adopts innovative methods and approaches aiming to promote a holistic approach towards collaboration and effective conservation management in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). In order to understand the current management needs in the Mediterranean MPAs, a management effectiveness evaluation was conducted in the Mediterranean scale following an existing guide (Tempesta and Otero, 2013). Information was collected through a synthesis and integration of different approaches during the period 2013-2014, and MPA management was evaluated on the basis of 21 indicators that described the general categories: (i) management and legislation; (ii) conservation features; (iii) pressures; (iv) communication and outreach. Case studies were initially assessed separately and were finally compared in order to identify common challenges and good practices in MPA management that may be put forward. Some of the most important problems were the inadequate annual funding; limited surveillance and law enforcement; the inadequate stakeholder engagement and bottom-up approaches; policy gaps and long bureaucratic processes to take action; inadequate monitoring of ecological and socio-economic parameters; limited understanding of human activity threats and impacts along with defining critical thresholds that may assure good environmental status of marine ecosystems. We highly recommend that the evaluation be a cyclic process conducted by a neutral practitioner that will inform management decisions and that results should be disseminated in order to reach a high status of MPA management performance in the Mediterranean. The evaluation of MPA management effectiveness guided the next steps of the study towards addressing realistic MPA needs and providing suggestions to improve MPA management. We focused at Portofino MPA case study (Ligurian Sea, Italy) - the third smallest MPA in Italy hosting rich marine biodiversity and a significant amount of human activities. One of the future targets of the MPA’s consortium is to expand its area in order to improve its capacity to effectively protect vulnerable habitats and the species it hosts. Taking into account the past experience and the inadequate communication and up-to-date information in the area, this initiative is expected to raise conflicts and opposition from users. Hence, Portofino MPA represents a case study of particular interest and relevance with MPAs facing similar issues. Following a holistic methodological approach, an engagement process was carefully designed to provide an insight into the social networks’ characteristics directly involved in supporting stakeholder engagement for sound governance performance and co-management of resources. Enhancing stakeholder engagement from the beginning of the process is essential in order to holistically inform decisions and increase the efficiency of conservation management. It is widely accepted that stakeholder engagement may promote cooperation and the exploration of possible solutions to common problems; facilitate the mitigation of conflicts due to various interests; and enhance coordination and the enforcement of common rules in a more transparent way. A framework to examine structural patterns in social networks and identify central actors with the capacity to serve as communication hubs is suggested to boost information flow and enhance stakeholder participation in decision-making. The approach consists of two powerful tools, Stakeholder Analysis and Social Network Analysis, that their capacity to provide an in-depth knowledge of the complexity of social-ecological systems and the factors that influence the engagement process in MPA management has been recently identified. Identification of stakeholders and their relations in a social network, where information exchange and interaction occurs, may highlight important channels for communication, or indicate key stakeholders with the power to control information flow and influence perceptions. This information may be leveraged to accelerate behaviour, facilitate bridging between organisations, promote deliberation, and improve the diffusion of information in MPA management. The outcomes of the study showed that the social network of the Portofino MPA exhibits a core-periphery structure where some user groups seem to have more privileges regarding access to information and resources in the area. The core of the network keeps the network together, and central stakeholders have the capacity to act as communication hubs and facilitate a two-way information flow that will foster communication, trust and collective learning in natural resource management. However, more effort should be made towards strengthening relationships between actors that may influence or be influenced by decisions relating to the MPA. The adoption of alternative communication strategies that integrate visualisation and user-friendly web platforms, in parallel to personal communication are suggested to involve more actively marginalized actors into decisions, that will increase the network’s cohesion, mitigate the power of central actors and augment plurality and new ideas in the engagement process. Production and synthesis of quantitative and qualitative information, related to conservation features and human activities, is another important aspect in conservation management that negotiation and decisions will be based on. Management of small scale and recreational fishing is one of the most important concerns and challenges that Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have to encounter from a socio-economic, cultural and ecological point of view. Monitoring and assessing fishing activity requires complicated approaches due to the heterogeneity of methods that combine different gears depending on the target species, the season and the characteristics of the area. Many standardized strategies of fisheries management have tried and failed to capture this spatial and temporal heterogeneity, or to provide improved understanding of fishing impacts on the ecosystem components. The present study developed a framework for the monitoring and mapping of recreational and artisanal fishing activity. The framework considers and may be adjusted depending on the MPA management capacity in terms of budget and technology available, personnel available, the level of trust that characterizes the relationship between the MPA and the fishermen, and the willingness of all relevant actors and authorities to provide or collate respectively information. Data from different monitoring strategies and sources were integrated to archive a complete dataset that described different fishing practices in the area. Simple spatial indicators that describe fishing effort were used to map and describe the footprint of each fishing practice on vulnerable habitats, and identify the areas that receive greater fishing pressure. However this is the first step in order to assess the impacts of fishing pressure on vulnerable habitats. Pressure-impact assessments were conducted using spatial analysis in order to holistically inform management decisions on vulnerable habitats such as coralligenous under pressure in Portofino MPA. The approach considers the cumulative impacts caused by different fishing practices and incorporates uncertainty regarding available information following the precautionary principle. Cumulative impacts are based on a conceptual model that identifies the pathways through which activities cause harm and describing the likelihood and consequences of an event. The vulnerability assessment quantifies these causal-chain links between biophysical attributes and to human stressors that are described in the conceptual models. The vulnerability informs on the potential risk of loosing (or degrading) a particular habitat due to a specific pressure, and can provide further support to the assessment of the cumulative impacts caused by different fishing practices operating in an MPA. Coralligenous communities, in terms of coverage, are more abundant in zone B, while Posidonia oceanica meadows dominate in zone C of Portofino MPA. However, a great percentage of the habitat lies outside the MPA borders, which confirms the desire of the MPA management board to expand the area. The areas that receive the highest amount of fishing effort were located between depths of 30-40 m receive the highest fishing pressure at the majority of zone B. The vulnerability assessment revealed that artisanal nets, and both recreational and artisanal bottom longlines, had the highest potential impact on coralligenous habitat, independently from the duration that are active on the seafloor. Other recreational activities that were considered to have high potential impact for coralligenous due to the destructive characteristics of the practice and gear used, or due to the pressure’s high intensity and frequency, were vertical jigging, bottom trolling and big game with a rod and reel. The cumulative impact assessment provided an in depth understanding of combined exposure-effect approaches and identified additional areas in zone C and in greater depths, that fishing activity is necessary to be managed more strictly. Several suggestions were enlisted in order to mitigate fishing impacts on coralligenous habitats, for instance the establishment of additional spatial and temporal closures, prohibition of destructive fishing practices, etc. while policy gaps were also identified in the current management system. The approach takes into account the heterogeneity of techniques and captures the different scale of impacts on benthic habitats in a systematic, transparent and repeatable way, and provides a useful tool that integrates ecological, management and policy interventions. An emerging threat in coastal MPAs is the loss of fishing gears that drift away driven by currents and finally end up on the seafloor covering in some cases a significant amount of fragile benthic habitats like coralligenous. In Portofino MPA this is reported as a common issue and frequently divers retrieve the lost gears and monitor it. To inform the MPA regarding which areas are more susceptible to lost fishing gear, a semi-quantitative spatial analysis was conducted using information from the sea-bottom morphology (depth, slope, Benthic Position Index, rugosity, curvature). The areas identified overlap spatially with areas of high fishing effort, while the local currents agree that most susceptible areas are located in the southern part of Portofino MPA. Although data quality regarding information coming from divers was poor, the suggested analysis may provide useful information in order to focus management actions on specific areas. Finally, the Marxan with Zones conservation planning model was applied on Portofino MPA’s present zoning plan in order to provide alternative solutions for the enlargement and re-zoning of the MPA. Different scenarios concerning the regulation of human activities such as fishing and diving activities taking place at different zones were developed. In our management plan, we set high level conservation targets based on relative EU Directives, the high conservation status of the Portofino MPA (SPAMI) and management objectives. In the present study preliminary results are shown for a single scenario where a 4-zone plan is suggested to the expanded surface area of the MPA, where diving and fishing activity are re-arranged in space and strictly regulated. The suggested zoning plan provided by MARXAN with Zones ensures that high conservation objectives are reached in Portofino MPA with the lowest possible operational cost. Overall, the present study aimed to provide a complete ecosystem-based management approach that considers the social and ecological drivers of the system as complementary components for supporting future conservation initiatives towards collaborative management of resources. The management suggestions of this study provide transparent, comprehensive and efficient plans that can improve the governance and the management of marine resources in the area. Innovative tools and methods were integrated to inform several aspects in the management of marine resources in order to promote a holistic approach towards collaboration and deliberation in MPA management. The developed methodology offers guidance on how to structure and focus efforts for collecting, synthesizing and analyzing of necessary information to inform holistically policymaking and management processes. Results provide useful advise in mitigating the cumulative impacts of human activities and deliver alternative solutions that are based on strict systematic conservation planning principles. Moreover, the study may assist the Portofino MPA to build the social conditions and a future engagement strategy where stakeholders will welcome the conservation initiative for its expansion, however particular effort should be made by the MPA management board towards this direction.

O crescimento dos sistemas de áreas protegidas nas últimas décadas é considerado um dos maiores esforços da humanidade para conter a atual crise da biodiversidade. No entanto, a cobertura da superfície global por áreas protegidas é um indicador simplificado, sendo necessário ir mais além e avaliar se os sistemas de áreas protegidas representam os diferentes componentes da biodiversidade e processos ecológicos e se estão sendo geridos de forma efetiva para garantir a manutenção da biodiversidade no longo prazo. O objetivo geral do presente estudo foi realizar uma análise da efetividade de gestão e representatividade biológica do sistema de unidades de conservação (UCs) no Estado do Tocantins, avaliando como os diferentes níveis de gestão de áreas protegidas podem interferir nos processos de planejamento sistemático da conservação. Os resultados indicaram a existência de lacunas significativas na implementação das áreas protegidas existentes, apesar do desempenho relativamente bom em alguns elementos. As quatro ameaças mais importantes para o sistema de UCs avaliado foram: infraestrutura, queimadas descontroladas, caça e pecuária. A análise da distribuição de 109 espécies de vertebrados e plantas indicou a presença de padrões biogeográficos claros na biota do Tocantins, que coincidem com padrões relatados por outros autores para alguns grupos taxônomicos. No entanto, lacunas significativas foram observadas tanto na proteção das espécies, quanto na representação dos elementos bióticos identificados. Para testar os impactos dos baixos valores de efetividade e altos valores de ameaças das UCs no planejamento do sistema, reduzimos o estado de conservação das áreas protegidas em 25% e 50%. Isso resultou em acréscimos de 250.000 ha e 590.000 ha, respectivamente, no sistema de áreas protegidas, necessário ao cumprimento das metas de conservação. A representatividade dos sistemas de áreas protegidas depende da persistência da biodiversidade dentro dessas áreas, que é reconhecidamente comprometida por níveis elevados de ameaça associados à efetividade de gestão incipiente. Portanto, sugerimos que o estado de conservação da biodiversidade dentro das áreas protegidas seja incorporado a exercícios de planejamento sistemático de conservação. A definição de prioridades para a criação de novas áreas protegidas deve fazer parte de um planejamento integrado, que aborde também a consolidação de áreas protegidas existentes e estratégias mais amplas para mitigar os efeitos dos fatores principais da perda de biodiversidade fora das reservas.
The growth of protected areas (PAs) in the last decades is considered one of the humanity\'s best efforts to refrain the current crisis of biodiversity. However, the global PA coverage is a simplified indicator; it is necessary to go further and assess whether PA systems represent the different components of biodiversity and ecological processes and are being managed effectively to ensure the maintenance of their values in the long term. The main goal of this study was to analyze the management effectiveness and representation of PA system in Tocantins State, assessing how the different levels of PA management may impact the systematic conservation planning process. Results indicated the existence of significant gaps in the implementation of Tocantins PAs, despite the relatively good performance found in some elements. The four most important threats to the PAs evaluated were: infrastructure, uncontrolled fires, hunting and cattle ranching. Analysis of the distribution of 109 vertebrates and plants indicated that selected species represent biogeographical patterns of Tocantins biota and that there are significant gaps in the protection of the species and biotic elements in the current PA system. In order to test for the effects of detected low management effectiveness and high levels of threat, we reduced the conservation status of protected areas by 25% and 50%. This resulted in an increase in the conservation area network needed to achieve targets of around 250,000 ha and 590,000 ha, respectively. Our results strongly indicate that the representation of PA systems depends on the persistency of biodiversity inside PAs, which are known to be impacted by high levels of threat associated to poor management effectiveness. Therefore, we advocate that biodiversity status within PAs should be incorporated in systematic conservation planning exercises. The definition of priority areas for the establishment of new reserves should be part of an integrated planning process that addresses both the consolidation of existing protected areas and broader strategies to mitigate the effects of major drivers of biodiversity loss outside reserves.

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.

Orientador: Rozely Ferreira dos Santos
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo
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Resumo: A divergência de opiniões dos vários setores da sociedade sobre os usos e as estratégias de conservação de um território costuma ser a responsável pelos conflitos insolúveis em tomadas de decisão em planos de manejo. Ela é normalmente conseqüente da percepção que os indivíduos têm sobre o território que está sendo planejado. São poucos os estudos que fazem avaliações que podem, efetivamente, conduzir a compreensão mútua e a conciliação dos diversos interesses, seja em direção ao uso, seja em direção à conservação. Sob essa perspectiva, este estudo objetiva identificar e comparar as diferenças de percepção sobre impactos ambientais em trilha entre moradores, visitantes e pesquisadores a partir de uma realidade existente em uma unidade de conservação. A área estudada foi a trilha Cachoeira do Paraíso, localizada no antigo Parque Estadual do Itinguçu, em São Paulo. Foram feitos tabelamentos e mapeamentos de indicadores de impactos antes e depois de picos de visitação, e a realidade diagnosticada foi comparada com os resultados obtidos por simulações fotográficas e entrevistas aplicadas aos grupos sociais. O cruzamento de dados das simulações foi realizado pelo desenho de curvas de aceitabilidade da situação diagnosticada. Os resultados mostraram diferenças estatisticamente significantes da percepção sobre os impactos ambientais entre os três grupos sociais. Os moradores mostraram-se quase tão permissivos quanto os visitantes e bastante distante das perspectivas dos pesquisadores. Foram diagnosticadas diferenças em relação ao reconhecimento do impacto em tempo real, do grau de permissividade em relação aos impactos, da dispersão de opiniões e da capacidade de aceitabilidade dos impactos
Abstract: The divergences in opinion among the society groups about the uses and strategies for the territory conservation are usually the responsible for the conflicts in management planning decision. It is generally consequence of perception the individuals have over the territory that is being planned. The measure of this perception is hard because of diversity of variables involved. There are few studies that can, effectively, lead to mutual comprehension and conciliation of all the interests, directed to use or conservation. Under this perspective, this study aims to point a methodological way to identify the differences in perception about environmental impacts in trails among residents, visitants and researchers from a real situation in a conservation unit. The study area was de Paraiso Falls trail, in old Itinguçu State Park, São Paulo. Maps and tables of impact indicators were done before and after visit, and the observed reality was compared to results obtained by written and visual interviewing. The data analysis included qui-square and 1 proportion tests and acceptability graphs. It was expected that the comparison would permit to observe the differences within and among groups over the impacts in the Conservation Area
Mestrado
Recursos Hidricos, Energeticos e Ambientais
Mestre em Engenharia Civil

The marine environment provides essential ecosystem services that are critical to the functioning of the earth’s life support system and the maintenance of human well-being. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are recognised as being the mechanism though which marine natural capital may be conserved. This thesis focuses on the value associated with marine conservation in a case study area, Lyme Bay, England where a ‘closed area’ was created in 2008. A review of literature spanning 20 years shows that despite sound ecological knowledge of a marine area, the reliance on traditional neo-classical economic valuations for marine spatial planning can obscure other issues pertinent to the ecosystem approach. A further valuation of the marine leisure and recreation industry shows that the industry is of economic significance and that the MPA enables the protection of the most valuable sites but has limited benefits for protecting the full resource base. In terms of ecological value, a ‘service orientated framework’ was developed to enable decision makers to understand the links between benthic species, ecological function and indirect ecosystem services. Results spatially identify which ecosystem services occur and demonstrate the value of the MPA in ensuring delivery of these ecosystem services. In relation to the social value of the MPA the research reveals that support for the MPA is strong amongst the majority of stakeholder groups. Values are expressed as the economic, environmental and social benefits of the MPA. However, there have been clear social costs of the MPA policy and these have been borne by mobile and static gear fishermen and charter boat operators. Each valuation methodology can inform decision making. Though, if ecosystem service valuation is to become a deliberative tool for marine conservation and planning, then there is a need for a larger societal discussion on what activities and trade-offs society considers acceptable.

Orientadores: Thomas Michael Lewinsohn, Lucia da Costa Ferreira
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas
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Resumo: Esta tese examina a conceituação, delineamento espacial e gestão das zonas de amortecimento (ZA) das unidades de conservação (UC) brasileiras. Inicialmente, são analisados os principais documentos técnicos e legais utilizados para orientar o planejamento e a gestão ambiental na proximidade das UCs. O estudo revelou que a definição formal da ZA é dúbia, e a do Entorno da unidade, inadequada. O primeiro problema pode ser reduzido se considerarmos o zoneamento como produto de uma dupla territorialidade, baseada na identificação de sítios ambientais específicos e suscetíveis a pressões particulares, conjugados sob a abrangência de um sistema socioecológico mais amplo, no qual se definem os instrumentos reguladores das atividades humanas impactantes. Considerando as recomendações técnicas governamentais para o desenho e manejo das UCs, estimei a extensão territorial total para as ZAs e para o entorno das unidades no Brasil. De acordo com tais estimativas, somente as zonas de amortecimento podem vir a representar 6,6% do território nacional. Analisei também esses dois tipos de áreas especiais quanto à ocorrência de focos de calor e desflorestamentos na Região Amazônica, identificados por sensoriamento remoto orbital nos anos de 2004 a 2006 (focos de calor) e de 1997 a 2006 (desflorestamentos). Em relação a estes dois indicadores de distúrbio antropogênico, nas UCs amazônicas localizadas em áreas sob intensa ocupação humana, as ZAs exibiram uma incidência relativamente menor de pressões que as outras áreas mais afastadas da UC, sugerindo a existência de um possível caráter protetor diferenciado nesse zoneamento. Analisando os Planos de Manejo de doze UCs federais (seis Parques Nacionais e seis Reservas Biológicas), procurei categorizar para esse conjunto de unidades: (1) o modo como comumente é estabelecido o desenho espacial de suas ZAs, (2) quais são as atividades e práticas humanas consideradas como mais ameaçadoras para as áreas protegidas e (3) que estratégias de intervenção são sugeridas para reduzir os impactos dessas ações humanas. Em geral, o delineamento das zonas de amortecimento permaneceu vinculado à largura padrão de 10 km, sugerida como dimensão referencial, e mesmo nas situações em que ocorreu algum refinamento no traçado desse zoneamento, não se notou um procedimento padrão para estabelecer tais ajustes territoriais. Entre as pressões observadas na proximidade dessas UCs, a poluição e a contaminação dos corpos hídricos circunvizinhos; a exploração excessiva dos recursos da fauna e flora; a ocorrência de queimadas sem controle, e o assoreamento dos corpos d'água foram as que mais concentraram a atenção dos gestores das unidades. A preocupação com tais pressões parece refletir o receio de que uma intensificação desses fenômenos resulte em ameaças diretas a área protegida, através da degradação de seus ambientes aquáticos, do comprometimento de sua conectividade regional, do incremento da extração clandestina de recursos e da propagação de incêndios para o seu interior, entre outros. Considerando as medidas propostas nos planejamento das UCs avaliadas, a ação governamental na proximidade das unidades foi delineada sob uma perspectiva ampla o bastante para abrigar tanto iniciativas protetoras da biodiversidade e dos processos ecológicos essenciais para a UC, como para promover condições potencialmente benéficas para as comunidades locais, por meio, especialmente, do estímulo ao desenvolvimento de atividades socioeconômicas de baixo impacto ambiental. Esse perfil da intervenção variou entre as unidades, mas, em geral, as ações sugeridas nos Planos de Manejo para reduzir as pressões externas ressaltam a intensificação do controle e da fiscalização ao redor das áreas protegidas. Por sua vez, a formulação de normas regulando ou restringindo as atividades humanas ameaçadoras nas ZAs não foi um procedimento comumente observado, apesar de ser o principal objetivo legal do zoneamento. Como estudo de caso, investiguei detalhadamente as pressões ambientais geradas pelas atividades humanas na proximidade da Estação Ecológica de Maracá (Estado de Roraima, Brasil), por meio de um modelo heurístico onde são representadas as principais conexões observadas entre os agentes locais, suas demandas, o modo específico como usam os recursos, os processos ecológicos associados a cada pressão e seus prováveis impactos no ecossistema regional. O modelo incorporou informações sobre a formação histórica e social dos diferentes grupos locais, visando identificar com maior precisão onde as intervenções são mais necessárias e em que condições elas são mais efetivas. As pressões da ocupação humana na proximidade da área protegida, e suas possíveis medidas mitigadoras, foram também identificadas pelos agentes locais, numa reunião participativa do Plano de Manejo da UC. Os dois diagnósticos se mostraram complementares, apontando a importância do uso de estratégias e instrumentos diversificados na identificação das medidas mais apropriadas para a ZA dessa unidade. Ao final, os resultados do trabalho são consolidados como recomendações para o desenho e gestão das zonas de amortecimento, tendo por princípio o reconhecimento da ZA como um território em que se desenvolvem dinâmicas sociais e ambientais particulares, que deve ser entendido como um espaço de ação e compromisso conjunto entre os gestores das UCs e os residentes da região, um lugar de vizinhança, de mútua identificação, de interdependência e de futuro comum
Abstract: The thesis examines the conceptualization, design and management of buffer zones (BZ) of Protected Areas (PA) in Brazil. Initially, I analyze the key technical and legal documents that guide the design and environmental management of buffer zones of protected areas. The formal definition of buffer zones is dubious and therefore inappropriate to guide their design. This problem can be reduced by considering BZs as a dual territoriality: the ensemble of localities susceptible to social pressures that engender risks to the enclosed PAs, combined with an socio-ecological territory in which threatening human activities are to be regulated. According to current guidelines, I estimate buffer zones alone to represent up to 6.6% of the Brazilian national territory. The occurrence of hot spots and deforestation in BZs in the Amazon region was analysed from 2004 to 2006 (fires) and 1997 to 2006 (deforestation), based on satellite images. The BZs in Amazon areas under higher human pressure showed a smaller incidence of those two kinds of events compared to areas more distant from their PAs, suggesting a protective effect of these zones. Next, in analysing the approved management plans of twelve Brazilian federal protected areas (six National Parks and six Biological Reserves), we examine: (1) the criteria for establishing the boundaries of their BZs, (2) which human activities and practices are identified as more threatening to the Pas, (3) which main intervention strategies are proposed to reduce the impacts of human actions. In general, the boundaries of BZs follow the general reference width of 10 km recommended for the buffer belt, and even in situations in which the area of the BZ was then refined, no standard procedure for these territorial adjustments. Human pressures highlighted in management plans as problems in the proximity of these twelve PAs included pollution and contamination of surrounding water bodies, overexploitation of natural resources, bush fires and siltation of water bodies. There is a manifest concern that an intensification of these phenomena can directly threaten the Protected Areas through the degradation of their environment, reduction of their ecological connectivity, increase in illegal extraction of resources and the spread of fires into the PAs. Proposed actions for BZs encompassed actions to protect biodiversity and ecological processes essential for reserves, as well as other actions meant to benefit local communities, through encouraging socioeconomic activities of low environmental impact. Intervention strategies varied among management plans but, in general, they proposed to reduce external pressures mainly through the intensification of control and surveillance around the reserve. The formulation of rules regulating or restricting human activities was not common to most management plans, though, according to law, this is the main goal of the establishment of the BZs themselves. As a case study, I examined in detail the human pressures in the proximity of Maraca Ecological Station (ESEC Maracá, State of Roraima, Brazil), through a heuristic model representing the connections between local actors, their demands, their modes of acquiring and employing resources, the ecological processes associated with those pressures and their likely impacts on the regional ecosystem. The model sought to incorporate information about the social and historical origins of various local groups, to identify more precisely where interventions are most needed and under what conditions they are expected to be most effective. I then describe the pressures of human occupation in the vicinity of the reserve and possible mitigation measures as identified by local actors that participated in a planning meeting held to assist the development of the Management Plan of the reserve. Both diagnoses proved to be complementary, showing the importance of using diverse strategies and instruments to identify the most appropriate proposals for the Buffer Zone of this reserve. In conclusion, results are presented with recommendations for planning and management of buffer zones, based on the recognition of the BZ as a territory in which both social and environmental dynamics unfold, and that therefore should be understood as an area of action and joint commitment of PA managers and local residents, a place of neighborliness, mutual identification and interdependence for a common future
Doutorado
Ambiente e Sociedade
Doutor em Ambiente e Sociedade

A tese analisa os processos de conquista ecológica ao longo de um conjunto de unidades de conservação e suas áreas de entorno, envolvendo núcleos urbanos, rurais e territórios de comunidades tradicionais, como constituintes de ecofronteiras e sua relação com o desenvolvimento turístico, de forma a subsidiar perspectivas para o planejamento territorial em Mosaicos de Áreas Protegidas no Brasil. Buscouse refletir como as políticas de ordenamento territorial, condicionadas às políticas de proteção ambiental das redes ambientais, constituem estratégias geopolíticas de territorialização ecologizante, incapazes de compreender a abrangência do planejamento na região, produzindo territórios protegidos que não se viabilizam econômica, social e ambientalmente. Nosso percurso metodológico partiu da análise das ecofronteiras como categoria de leitura das formas espaciais e dinâmicas territoriais envolvendo áreas marcadas por valor estético e ecológico forte, onde coabitam tempos distintos, resultando inserções diferentes do lugar no sistema ou na rede global, bem como resultando diferentes ritmos e coexistências nos lugares. Como universo empírico de pesquisa escolheu-se o Mosaico Bocaina, situado na fronteira entre os estados do Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo, tendo como recorte territorial de análise os municípios de São José do Barreiro, Cunha, Paraty e Ubatuba. Os conflitos oriundos da expansão das ecofronteiras no Mosaico Bocaina e sua integração no âmbito do planejamento territorial em relação a outros processos paralelos de desenvolvimento territorial, como o turismo, permanecem até os dias atuais sem resolução. Os resultados aquém dos objetivos postos pela implantação do Mosaico Bocaina, desde sua criação, além de poucas perspectivas demonstradas para viabilização de uma gestão territorial integrada, nos faz crer que sua efetividade passa por mudanças que envolvam processos de governança mais abrangentes que trabalhem as lógicas zonais e reticulares das ecofronteiras constituintes de territórios-rede e seus processos de desenvolvimento. Tal constatação confirma nossa hipótese de que uma proposta de gestão integrada de áreas protegidas que transcenda os limites de um município necessita de mecanismos democráticos e abrangentes de governança que ultrapassem a esfera de domínio dos Mosaicos definidos pelo Sistema Nacional de Unidades de Conservação - SNUC. Frente ao cenário analisado, o planejamento territorial deve buscar a reconstrução das fronteiras das cidades nas quais se formam os núcleos de preservação que dão origem às ecofronteiras. Tornam-se necessários novos mecanismos de governança que englobem os territórios-rede das ecofronteiras dos Mosaicos, valorizando a participação social a partir da articulação de seus atores em diferentes escalas, no intuito de estabelecer projetos de desenvolvimento territorial menos excludente e desigual.
This thesis analyzes the processes of ecological conquest over a set of protected areas and their surrounding areas, involving urban and rural areas and traditional communities, as constituting \"ecofrontiers\" and its relation to tourism development in order to subsidize prospects for territorial planning in Mosaics of Protected Areas in Brazil. We reflected about how political territorial organization, conditioned to the environmental protection policies of environmental networks constitute geopolitical strategies of nature territorialization, unable to comprehend the scope of planning in the region, producing protected areas which do not enable economic, social and environmentally . Our methodological approach started from the analysis of ecofrontier as a category to study the spatial forms and territorial dynamics, involving areas with strong aesthetic and ecological value, where coexist different times, resulting in different inserts of place in the global network system, as well as different coexistences in places. As empirical research we chose the Bocaina Mosaic situated on the border between the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, with the territorial analysis focused on municipalities of São José do Barreiro, Cunha, Paraty and Ubatuba. The conflicts arising from the expansion of the ecofrontiers of Bocaina Mosaic and their integration in spatial planning in relation to other parallel processes of territorial development, such as tourism, remain to this day unresolved. The results not achieved in the implementation of Bocaina Mosaic, since its constitution, make us believe that its effectiveness undergoes changes involving broader governance processes working zonal and reticular logical of the network-territories and their development processes. These findings confirm our hypothesis that a proposal for integrated management of protected areas that transcend the limits of a municipality needs democratic and inclusive governance mechanisms that go beyond the sphere of the field of mosaics designed by National System of Conservation Units (SNUC). The background of socioenvironmental conflicts in the Bocaina Mosaic as a representative example of a national problem of territorial conflicts in a number of protected areas makes us believe that the territorial planning should seek to rebuild the city boundaries in which form the central core of preservation that give rise to ecofrontiers. Thus become necessary new governance mechanisms covering the network-territories of ecofrontiers in mosaics, valuing the social participation from the articulation of its actors at different scales, in order to establish territorial development projects less exclusionary and unequal.

This thesis investigates how seven communities in a subregion of the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca are conserving high forest cover in the absence of national protected areas. To conduct this study I relied on archival research and the review of community documents, focus group interviews and land use transects to explore historical and current land use. I found that communities have conserved 88.34% of the subregion as forest cover, or 58,596 hectares out of a total territory of 66,264 hectares. Analysis suggests that the communities have undergone a historical transition from more passive conservation to more active, conscious conservation particularly in the last decade. This thesis further contends that communities deserve additional financial compensation for this active conservation of globally important forests for biodiversity conservation and that exercises in systematic conservation planning ignore the reality that existing biodiversity conservation in the subregion is associated with community ownership.

O presente trabalho vem contribuir com a abordagem acadêmica dos processos participativos para envolvimento de populações tradicionais no planejamento e gestão de áreas protegidas insulares, trabalhando com populações caiçaras que habitam ilhas e trazendo reflexões por experiências com pesquisa, educação popular e gestão participativa no Arquipélago de Ilhabela. São apresentados os referenciais teóricos no campo da geografia e antropologia marítima, a abordagem de planejamento e ordenamento territorial, e questões sobre áreas protegidas e políticas de inserção social. Buscou-se fazer uma construção da concepção de pesquisa-ação-participativa a partir da educação popular, apresentando formas de trabalho e abordagens do pesquisador em campo para trabalho com comunidades tradicionais e trazendo ferramentas de pesquisa e diagnóstico participativo para estudo das comunidades e levantamento de população. Por fim são apresentados dados e informações sobre as Comunidades Tradicionais Caiçaras do Arquipélago de Ilhabela, obtidos a partir da aplicação das ferramentas descritas e do conhecimento dos sujeitos trabalhados, demonstrando que informações necessárias para discutir as relações das comunidades com as unidades de conservação podem ser obtidas a partir de práticas de pesquisa de campo. Então são trazidos argumentos para subsidiar a reflexão e planejamento da gestão do Parque Estadual de Ilhabela, tendo como foco o reconhecimento da presença da população tradicional no interior e entorno da unidade e pensando a inserção dessa comunidade no manejo e gestão participativa da natureza protegida. Para concluir demonstra-se que, com este tipo de abordagem, é possível obter dados fundamentais para pensar o ordenamento ambiental e territorial; além deste se configurar como uma maneira de envolvimento, aproximação e troca de informação. Porém, o processo de apropriação e protagonismo de populações locais na gestão de seus lugares requerem um longo caminho, com trabalhos complementares que fomentem a participação.
The present dissertation contributes with the academic approaches to participative processes fostering the involvement of traditional populations in planning and managing insular protected areas, working with the local inhabitants of the islands and offering reflections based on experience with research, popular education and participative management in the archipelago of Ilhabela. Theoretical references in the field of geography and maritime anthropology will be presented along with an approach to territorial organization and spatial planning, followed by issues related to protected areas and policies of social inclusion. We aimed at building a concept of participativeaction- research based on popular education, presenting possible ways of working with traditional communities and of approaching them, using research and participative diagnosis techniques to study these communities and to conduct a population survey. Finally, we will present data and information about the Traditional Local Communities of the Ilhabela Archipelago based on our knowledge on the surveyed subjects and on the use of the techniques mentioned above, demonstrating that the information that is necessary to discuss the relation of the communities with the areas of protection can be collected while carrying out fieldwork activities. Furthermore, we will provide elements to support the reflection about the management of Ilhabela State Park and its planning, stressing the importance of recognizing the presence of the traditional populations in its interior and surroundings and focusing on the inclusion of these communities in the organization and participative management of protected areas. In conclusion, we will demonstrate that this type of approach enables the collection of data that is essential for reflecting about environmental and territory planning, besides, it configures itself as way of getting involved, bringing one another together and exchanging information. However, the process of appropriation and control of the management of the place where they live by local populations still has to face a long journey, with the aid of complimentary initiatives that foster participation.

Orientador: Rozely Ferreira dos Santos
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo
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Resumo: Cada vez mais valorizamos a cultura tradicional e buscamos reconhecer seus elos com a sua paisagem. Todavia precisamos aumentar o nosso conhecimento, consolidar conceitos e desenvolver metodos para integrar os vários aspectos de intereses humanos e ecológicos. Sob essa abordagem, muitos estudos buscam reconhecer vínculos territoriais e históricos para atestar desempenhos pró-ambientais. Este trabalho defende a tese de que os atributos desses vínculos apresentam uma variabilidade espacial e temporal que, por sua vez, afeta o sucesso da conservação florestal. A área de estudo foi a Juréia-Itatins, uma Estação Ecológica, localizada em uma das áreas mais importantes da Mata Atlântica do Estado de São Paulo. Foi proposto um procedimento metodológico para reconhecer os elos entre processos naturais e culturais baseado em fundamentos da ecologia da paisagem. Para tanto, a história de mais de quatro séculos de ocupação foi mapeada e qualificada, por meio de SIG (ArcGis 9.2). Esses dados foram interpretados em literatura, de forma a definir as naturezas da identidade tradicional da Juréia. O passo seguinte foi localizar as áreas que apresentaram maiores mudanças, em função dos impactos ambientais e movimento da populacao. Quatro atributos da identidade tradicional foram utilizados para avaliar a perda de características históricas.Para expressar as diferenças e semelhanças das ocupacoes foi construída uma matriz de representatividade histórica que permitiu delinear a identidade tradicional em fases de evolução. Finalmente, foram aplicadas duas métrica da paisagem para identificar os grupos mais ligados a conservação ambiental e aqueles com menor possibilidade de contato com o meio natural.Os resultados mostraram que as características da identidade tradicional foram continuamente modificadas ao longo do tempo. Porém, essas mudanças não foram igualmente distribuídas na paisagem; elas apresentaram um eixo do interior para as fronteiras da Unidade de Conservação, resultando em diferentes maneiras de relacionamento com a natureza.As avaliações permitiram inferir que o processo de planejamento deve considerar o eixo espaço/tempo. Essa informação revela interesses e caminhos de convívio com a natureza, por sua vez, determinam diferentes caminhos de conservação e manejo da paisagem
Abstract: We increasingly recognize the value of traditional culture and its relationship to landscape. However, we need to increase our knowledge, consolidate concepts and develop methods to integrate various aspects of ecological and human interest. Under this approach, many studies seek to recognize territorial and historical links to attest pro-environmental performances. This study considers that the attributes of these links have a spatial and temporal variability which, in turn, affects the success of forest conservation. The study area was Juréia-Itatins ¿ an Ecological Station located in one of the most important areas of the Atlantic Forest in São Paulo State. We proposed a methodological procedure to recognize the links between natural e cultural processes based on landscape ecology. So, the history occupation for over four centuries in the Juréia Forest were mapped and classified using GIS (ArcGIS 9.2). These data were interpreted in the literature in order to define the nature of the traditional Juréia identity. The next step was to locate the areas with highest change, according to the environmental impacts and population movement. Four attributes of traditional identity were used to assess the historical loss. To express the differences and similarities of occupations was built a matrix of historical representation allowing establishing the traditional identity evolution phases. Finally, we applied two landscape metrics to identify groups linked to environmental conservation and those with less ability to connect with the natural environment. The results showed that the traditional identity features were continuously changed over time. But this change is unequally distributed on the landscape; they showed a axis from inside to the boundaries of the conservation area, resulting in different ways of relationship with nature. The evaluation led to infer that the planning process should consider the axis space / time. This information may reveal interests and ways of living with nature which, in turn, determine different ways of conservation and landscape management
Doutorado
Arquitetura, Tecnologia e Cidade
Doutora em Arquitetura, Tecnologia e Cidade

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Protected Areas represent a fundamental strategy for biodiversity conservation, yet it is essential to consider the inclusion of each in its regional context. The support and participation of society are very important to the conservation of these areas, especially with regard to their buffer zones. The aim of the present study was to develop a proposal for limits and management for the buffer zone of Itirapina protected areas, according to technical parameters and with the participation and integration of various groups of social actors, to support its effective implementation and maintenance of social and environmental functions provided by it. The research was based on the methodological principles of action research and was conducted in three stages:in the first of them was performed a dynamic analysis of the use and occupation of land in the study area and identification of groups of social actors from around the Itirapina protected areas; the second stage examined through semistructured qualitative interviews, the meaning of Itirapina protected areas and the role of the buffer zone from the perspective of groups of social actors from around these areas. The third stage brought together the people interviewed in the second step, in a planning workshop for a proposed definition of boundaries and zoning for the buffer zone of Itirapina protected areas.The surrounding population identified the goods and services provided by natural ecosystems, related them to the maintenance of environmental functions with the presence of protected areas in the region, reported changes in environmental functions due to human activities in the surrounding, and also are able to participate in decision-making processes that involve the protected areas and its buffer zone.
Unidades de conservação representam uma estratégia fundamental para a conservação da biodiversidade, entretanto é essencial considerar a inserção de cada uma delas em seu contexto regional, pois o apoio e a participação da sociedade são indispensáveis para a conservação dessas áreas, especialmente no que se refere às suaszonas de amortecimento. Tendo como objetivo elaborar uma proposta de limites e manejo para a zona de amortecimento das Estações Ecológica e Experimental de Itirapina, de acordo com parâmetros técnicos e com a participação dos diversos grupos de atores sociais interatuantes, visando subsidiar sua efetiva implantação bem como a manutenção das funções ambientais e sociais proporcionadas pelas mesmas, seguindo a orientação metodológica dos princípios da pesquisa-ação, o presente trabalho foi desenvolvido em três etapas: na primeira etapa foi realizada uma analise da dinâmica do uso e ocupação da terra na área de estudo e identificação dos grupos de atores sociais do entorno das áreas protegidas;a segunda etapa analisou, por meio de entrevistas qualitativas semiestruturadas, o significado das Estações Ecológica e Experimental de Itirapina e o papel da zona de amortecimento, na perspectiva dos grupos de atores sociais de seu entorno; a terceira etapa reuniu as pessoas, entrevistadas na segunda etapa, em uma oficina de planejamento para definição de uma proposta de limites e zoneamento para a zona de amortecimento das áreas protegidas de Itirapina. A população do entorno dessas áreas protegidas, identifica os bens e serviços proporcionados pelos ecossistemas naturais, relaciona a manutenção das funções ambientais com a presença das áreas protegidas na região, percebe alterações nas funções ambientais e as relaciona com as atividades humanas no entorno e está apta a participar de processos decisórios que envolvem as Estações Ecológica e Experimental e sua zona de amortecimento.

Potreba za organizovanom zaštitom i upravljanjem zaštićenim područjima prirode javila se krajem XIX  vijeka. To koindicira sa konstituisanjem prvog Nacionalnog parka na svijetu, Jelouston, Amerika. Formalno su za nacionalne parkove proglašena područja Durmitora, Lovćena i Biogradske gore 1952. godine. Sljedeće zaštićeno područje, Skadarsko jezero, proglašeno je 1983. dok je najmlađi Nacionalni park Prokletije formiran 2009. godine. Najmlađe zaštićeno područje u Crnoj Gori je Regionalni park Piva. Činjenica da je Crna Gora prva deklarisana ekološka država na svijetu, što je Ustavom definisana kategorija, obavezuje sve subjekte na lokalnom, regionalnom idržavnom nivou da se aktivno uključe u proces organizovanog upravljanja i zaštite područja prirode i da na kompleksan način rade na unapređenju i održivom korišćenju njihovih resursa. Primarna funkcija u svim tim procesima mora biti zaštita prirodnih elemenata, staništa, vrsta i habitata.
The need for an organized protection  and management of protected natural areas  emerged in the late XIX century. it coincides with the establishment of the first national park in the world, Yellowstone, USA. Areas of Durmitor, Lovcen and Biogradska Gora were formally declared national parks in 1952.Skadar Lake became protected area in1983, while the youngest national park Prokletije was declared in 2009. The youngest protected area in Montenegro is the Regional Park Piva.The fact that according to theConstitution Montenegro was declared the world's first ecological state, obliges all parties at local, regional and state level to actively engage in a process of organized management and protection of natural areas, as well as to work on improvementand sustainable usage of their resources. Primary function in all those processes  should be the protection of natural elements, species and habitats.

Global economy is going through a transition where investments in extractive industryprojects have drastically slowed down, which results in a competition among governments for establishing regulatory incentives to make their jurisdictions more attractive. In this context, the Ministry of Economy and Finance has created a Specialized Team to Track Investment Execution, which is intended to identify all the issues and obstacles that hinder the execution of investments so as to adjust their regulatory frameworks. As a result, the aforementioned Team submitted a bill that the Congress has recently approved, Law N° 30230, known as Economic Recovery Package, which provides for a set of measures relatedto the private investment and environmental regulations.Based on the analysis of the aforementioned measures, the authors propose that this Law does not intend to reduce the environmental standards or requirements but to provide such legal security that gives investors certainty and predictability as to the regulatory framework.
La economía mundial viene atravesando una fase de transición donde la inversión en proyectos de industrias extractivas se ha desacelerado drásticamente, lo cual conlleva a que muchos gobiernos compitan por generar incentivos regulatorios que vuelvan más atractivas sus jurisdicciones. En ese contexto, el Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas creó un Equipo Especializado de Seguimiento de la Inversión, cuyo propósito es identificar todos aquellos problemas y trabas que afectan la ejecución de las inversiones, a fin de proponer la adecuación de los marcos normativos. Es así que, a propuesta del referido equipo, recientemente fue aprobada por el Congreso la Ley No. 30230, conocida como el Paquete de Reactivación Económica, que contempla una serie de medidas vinculadas con la regulación ambiental y la inversión privada.Partiendo del análisis de las referidas medidas, los autores proponen que la Ley no busca reducir los estándares o exigencias ambientales, sino mas bien alcanzar aquella seguridad jurídica que permita otorgar certeza y predictibilidad a los inversionistas respecto del marcoregulatorio.

Species distribution maps can provide important information to focus conservation efforts and enable spatial management of human activities. Two sympatric marine predators, grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) and harbour seals (Phoca vitulina), have overlapping ranges but contrasting population dynamics around the UK; whilst grey seals have generally increased, harbour seals have shown significant regional declines. A robust analytical methodology was developed to produce maps of grey and harbour seal usage estimates with corresponding uncertainty, and scales of spatial partitioning between the species were found. Throughout their range, both grey and harbour seals spend the majority of their time within 50 km of the coast. The scalability of the analytical approach was enhanced and environmental information to enable spatial predictions was included. The resultant maps have been applied to inform consent and licensing of marine renewable developments of wind farms and tidal turbines. For harbour seals around Orkney, northern Scotland, distance from haul out, proportion of sand in seabed sediment, and annual mean power were important predictors of space-use. Utilising seal usage maps, a framework was produced to allow shipping noise, an important marine anthropogenic stressor, to be explicitly incorporated into spatial planning. Potentially sensitive areas were identified through quantifying risk of exposure of shipping traffic to marine species. Individual noise exposure was predicted with associated uncertainty in an area with varying rates of co-occurrence. Across the UK, spatial overlap was highest within 50 km of the coast, close to seal haul outs. Areas identified with high risk of exposure included 11 Special Areas of Conservation (from a possible 25). Risk to harbour seal populations was highest, affecting half of all SACs associated with the species. For 20 of 28 animals in the acoustic exposure study, 95% CI for M-weighted cumulative Sound Exposure Levels had upper bounds above levels known to induce Temporary Threshold Shift. Predictions of broadband received sound pressure levels were underestimated on average by 0.7 dB re 1μPa (± 3.3). An analytical methodology was derived to allow ecological maps to be quantitatively compared. The Structural Similarity (SSIM) index was enhanced to incorporate uncertainty from underlying spatial models, and a software algorithm was developed to correct for internal edge effects so that loss of spatial information from the map comparison was limited. The application of the approach was demonstrated using a case study of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus, Linneaus 1758) in the Mediterranean Sea to identify areas where local-scale differences in space-use between groups and singleton whales occurred. SSIM is applicable to a broad range of spatial ecological data, providing a novel tool for map comparison.

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Agriculture is the human activity with the greatest impact on the environment. Specifically, it represents the greatest threat to biodiversity. In the future, this activity should expand due to population growth, increased consumption and production of biofuels from food. To understand the possible impacts of this expansion on biodiversity, we used scenarios of land use change between 1970 and 2100 from IMAGE (Integrated Model to Access Global Environment) to test the following hypotheses: (i) areas considered as global priorities for conservation by international NGOs will be preferentially impacted by agricultural expansion in the XXI century, (ii) there is a conflict between the priority areas for carnivores conservation and agricultural expansion, and this conflict can be reduced by incorporating information on agricultural expansion in the prioritization process, (iii) the integration among countries for conservation planning may benefit both biodiversity and agricultural productivity, (iv) Brazilian protected areas will be impacted by agricultural expansion in the future and this impact will differ between protected areas of integral protection and those of sustainable use. We found that: (i) the impact on priority areas for conservation depends on the criteria by which they were set, so that areas defined by its high vulnerability are currently most affected than those of low vulnerability. Throughout the XXI century this impact is expected to increase, although the difference between the two types of priorities remains, except for High Biodiversity Wilderness Areas, defined by their low vulnerability in current time, but for which most pessimistic scenarios forecast an impact similar to priority areas of high vulnerability, (ii) there is a high spatial congruence between areas with high agricultural use in the future and priority areas for conservation of carnivores. This conflict can be reduced if the prioritization process include information on agricultural expansion; this incorporation, however, causes a profound change in the distribution of priority areas and reduces the number of protected carnivore populations, (iii) the integration of countries to create a set of priority areas for conservation that represents 17% of the land surface can protect 19% more mammal populations without reducing food production, compared to a strategy in which each country seeks to protect its territory independently, and (iv) the impact of agriculture in Brazil is expected to increase until the end of the century, threatening even the protected areas and their surroundings. This impact, however, should not be different between areas of sustainable use and those of integral protection. We conclude that agricultural expansion should remain a major threat to biodiversity in the future, even in areas of special interest for conservation. Conservation actions should be planned taking into account this threat in order to reduce their potential impacts. For this, countries like Brazil should strengthen its surveillance on agricultural expansion and on how this activity is developed. Furthermore, the integration of international conservation efforts should be pursued, given its benefits for biodiversity and food production. Finally, humanity must choose methods of agricultural production that reduce its impacts, including avoiding its future expansion, so as to meet the increasing needs of a human population globally.
A agricultura é a atividade humana com maior impacto sobre o ambiente. Particularmente, ela representa a maior ameaça à biodiversidade. No futuro, essa atividade deve expandir-se com o aumento populacional humano, o aumento do consumo e a produção de biocombustíveis a partir dos alimentos. Para entender os possíveis impactos dessa expansão sobre a biodiversidade, nós utilizamos cenários de mudança de uso do solo entre 2000 e 2100 do IMAGE (Integrated Model to Access Global Environment) para testar as seguintes hipóteses: (i) as áreas consideradas como prioridades globais de conservação pelas ONGs internacionais serão preferencialmente impactadas pela expansão agrícola no século XXI; (ii) há um conflito entre áreas prioritárias para a conservação de carnívoros e a expansão agrícola e esse conflito pode ser reduzido com a incorporação da informação sobre expansão agrícola no processo de priorização; (iii) a integração entre os países para o planejamento da conservação pode ser favorável à proteção da biodiversidade e à produção agrícola; (iv) no Brasil, as áreas protegidas serão impactadas pela expansão agrícola no futuro e esse impacto será diferente entre áreas de proteção integral e áreas de uso sustentável. Nós encontramos os seguintes resultados: (i) o impacto sobre as áreas prioritárias para a conservação depende dos critérios pelos quais elas foram definidas, assim, as áreas definidas por sua alta vulnerabilidade estão atualmente mais impactadas do que áreas de baixa vulnerabilidade. Ao longo do século XXI, o impacto geral da agricultura deve aumentar, mas a diferença entre os dois tipos de prioridades se mantém, exceto para as High Biodiversity Wilderness Areas, definidas por sua baixa vulnerabilidade, mas que nos cenários mais pessimistas podem ter um impacto agrícola semelhante ao das áreas de alta vulnerabilidade; (ii) há uma alta congruência espacial entre áreas com elevado uso agrícola no futuro e áreas prioritárias para a conservação de carnívoros; esse conflito pode ser reduzido se o processo de priorização incluir as informações sobre a expansão agrícola; a incorporação dessa informação, entretanto, provoca uma profunda alteração na distribuição das áreas prioritárias e reduz o número de populações de carnívoros protegidas; (iii) a integração entre os países para a criação de um conjunto de áreas prioritárias para conservação que represente 17% da superfície terrestre pode proteger 19% mais populações de mamíferos sem reduzir a produção de alimentos, se comparada a uma estratégia em que cada país busque proteger seu território independentemente; (iv) o impacto da agricultura no Brasil deve aumentar até o fim do século XXI, ameaçando inclusive as áreas protegidas e o seu entorno. Esse impacto, porém, não deve ser diferente entre as áreas de uso sustentável e aquelas de proteção integral. Assim, a expansão agrícola deve continuar a ser uma importante ameaça à biodiversidade no futuro, atingindo inclusive áreas de especial interesse para a conservação. As ações de conservação devem ser planejadas levando em consideração essa ameaça, a fim de reduzir seus impactos potenciais. Para isso, países como o Brasil devem reforçar sua vigilância sobre a expansão agrícola e a maneira como essa atividade é desenvolvida. Além disso, a integração internacional dos esforços de conservação deve ser buscada, dados seus benefícios para a biodiversidade e para a produção de alimentos. E por fim, a humanidade deve optar por formas de produção agrícola que reduzam seus impactos, inclusive evitando sua expansão futura, mas que possam satisfazer as necessidades da população humana globalmente.