Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Re-introduction'

This paper is the executive summary for the research project 'Re-Engineering the New Product Introduction Process.' The project is made up of a number of portfolio submissions describing differing areas of the research. The key reason for the research was to identify a way in which a case study company could radically improve its time to market for new products by improving the process followed. An action research methodology was employed and project team used to aid the development and validation of the process and supporting tools. The result of the work was a proceduralised process for the introduction of new products, Coupled with detailed supporting tools and techniques. This paper summarises the details of the new process and describes the supporting projects. The levels of validation and implementation for all tile projects are also described as these were at differing levels of implementation within the case study organisation.

The conservation benefits of animals in captivity are limited to education and genetic preservation. However, where species or sub-species are critically endangered, the release of captive bred animals into the wild can be used as a strategy to supplement existing populations or to form new founder populations. Cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus born in captivity have no prior experience of survival in wild circumstances. Captive bred cheetahs are currently the greatest source of individuals. This project worked in conjunction with IUCN reintroduction guidelines and pre-existing recommendations in an attempt to develop an ideal methodology of reintroducing captive bred cheetah into the wild. Three captive bred cheetahs, one female and two males, were reintroduced onto Makulu Makete Wildlife Reserve, a predator proofed reserve in the Limpopo province of South Africa, as part of an experimental rehabilitation project. The cheetahs had to lose their homing instinct, be habituated to researchers, become accustomed to eating venison, chewing skin, infrequent large meals and strength development within the three months spent in the enclosures. The cheetahs were habituated to the field researchers on foot and to research vehicles for ease of monitoring. A soft release methodology was used to ease the cheetahs into the environment. Upon release they were tracked twice daily to observe behavior and interaction with their environment. The duration of the project was 20 months which includes enclosure time. The establishment of a home range indicated that the resource need of the cheetahs was satisfied. Eight habitat types were identified in the study area and all cheetahs encompassed part of each in their home range. Though the hunting instinct was present in all the cheetahs, the appropriate hunting techniques and prey selection had to be learned overtime. There was no difference between what was stalked and what was caught. From the observed kills, prey weight ranged from small <40 kg to medium <160 kg. This weight range is comparable to wild cheetahs that select prey within the same range. Each cheetah hunted every four to five days and consumed three to five kilograms of meat per day. Nine prey species were identified, two of which were not detected during direct observations. In the collection of scat, the trained dog found approximately a scat per hour while each direct observation by the researchers took approximately 10 hours. These captive bred cheetahs had to learn how to hunt and how to select appropriate prey thus addressing learned behavior versus instinct. Given the frequency and intensity of injuries sustained and the extensive human influence in the form of veterinary treatment, the reintroduction was not a success. However the techniques developed and modified are relevant for future endeavors‟.
Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2011.
Animal and Wildlife Sciences
unrestricted

Black Figure Floral Ware is an understudied style of pottery which was produced in Boiotia and the nearby regions of Euboia and Phokis during the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.E. Floral Style vases are painted with compositions formed predominantly of palmettes and lotuses rendered in black gloss without the incised details which are typically associated with Black Figure pottery. The corpus of Boiotian Floral Ware is divided into two sub-styles: the Northern Style and the Southern Style. The Northern Style is thought to have been produced in the area North and West of the Kopais while the Southern Style was chiefly produced in the Thespiai-Thebes and the Tanagra regions. To date our understanding of the development of the Southern Style has been based on systematically excavated floral evidence from Rhitsona (Ancient Mykalessos) and the Thespian Polyandrion and random vases from the Skhimatari Museum. Previous research incorrectly identified Tanagra as the primary source of Southern Floral Ware with little regard for Thebes as an important producer. Newly discovered ceramic evidence from four Theban cemeteries now indicates that Thebes was in fact a major producer of Floral Ware. The excavations have brought to light new floral groups and have provided evidence which indicates that vases previously identified as Tanagran or Euboian are more likely to be Theban.
This dissertation chronicles the morphological and iconographical development of the Southern Floral Style according to the systematically excavated floral vases from Rhitsona and the Thespian Polyandrion. Rim and base profiles from the Thespian Polyandrion, Thebes and Haliartos are classified and floral motifs from datable contexts are assigned to types. The evidence indicates that it is the overall shape of the vase and the decorative details within the compositions, rather than a specific rim or base type or compositional layout that identifies regional differences, if any. Newly excavated vases from Haliartos are presented not only to provide a contrast for the Southern Style Floral Ware, particularly in terms of their shape, but also in order to establish a bridge between this dissertation and any future studies of the Northern Style Floral Ware.

The global decline of large (> 10 kg) carnivores has resulted in a variety of conservation measures being put into practice to prevent extinctions. The establishment of predator-proof fences around protected areas has been a successful tool for reducing human-predator conflict. Furthermore, the re-introduction of large carnivores into small (< 1 000 km²), enclosed reserves has aided in the conservation of many species. Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and lions (Panthera leo) have benefitted from such re-introductions. The re-introduction of cheetahs before lions into the Mountain Zebra National Park (MZNP) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa provided a unique opportunity to study the effects of lions on an already established cheetah population. Spatial data were downloaded remotely from GPS collared individuals (n=4) and cheetah kill data were collected using the GPS cluster method before (2012-2013) and after (2013-2014) the lion (n=3) re-introduction. The same methods were used for lion kill data collection once they had been re-introduced. In general, cheetah home range size did not change after the lion re-introduction. Cheetahs selected areas with a combination of open and closed vegetation covers, while lions selected either open or closed areas of vegetation covers. In addition, as vegetation cover became thicker, the presence of cheetahs decreased. The cheetahs preyed upon seven species before and 11 species after the lion re-introduction. Medium sized prey comprised the bulk of the cheetah diet with kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) and springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) being the preferred species both before and after the lion re-introduction. The lion diets consisted of medium to large sized prey, with the male lions selecting eland (Tragelaphus oryx) and buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and the lioness selecting red hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus). The cheetahs had no significant dietary overlap with the lions and there was only one record of kleptoparasitism. The results of my study indicate that cheetahs are able to co-exist with lions when lions are at low densities in an enclosed reserve. The cheetahs did not experience landscape-level displacement because they made fine-scale adjustments to avoid lions within their environment. This adaptability may have important management implications for future re-introductions of cheetahs into enclosed game reserves.

Submitted by Edileide Reis (leyde-landy@hotmail.com) on 2013-04-29T18:42:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Conceicao, Ligia.pdf: 475789 bytes, checksum: 1626391bff5c862f77ca5497ae00f744 (MD5)
Approved for entry into archive by Maria Auxiliadora Lopes(silopes@ufba.br) on 2013-06-11T13:48:19Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Conceicao, Ligia.pdf: 475789 bytes, checksum: 1626391bff5c862f77ca5497ae00f744 (MD5)
Made available in DSpace on 2013-06-11T13:48:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Conceicao, Ligia.pdf: 475789 bytes, checksum: 1626391bff5c862f77ca5497ae00f744 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004
O presente estudo tem como objetivo compreender as interpretações dos jovens portadores de necessidades educativas especiais acerca das práticas socioeducativas para a reinserção social, desenvolvidas em um Abrigo, pertencente à Fundação da Criança e do Adolescente (FUNDAC), em Salvador/Bahia. Inicialmente, apresenta-se uma interpretação bibliográfica, visando contextualizar historicamente a concepção e assistência implementadas para o atendimento aos portadores de necessidades educativas especiais, enfocando-se em seguida o processo de segregação e institucionalização infligido a esses sujeitos, tomando-se como eixo principal, para a consecução do estudo, o conceito de Instituição Total, desenvolvido por Goffman. A opção metodológica foi a abordagem qualitativa, com o uso da etnografia semiológica, baseada nos conceitos epistemológicos e dispositivos metodológicos da Etnopesquisa. Utilizou-se como técnica de análise de ?dados? a interpretação das narrativas dos jovens e professores sobre as ações implementadas para a reinserção social com base na análise de conteúdo. A partir da análise das narrativas foram identificadas três categorias analíticas: Institucionalização, Práticas Pedagógicas e Reinserção Social. Com base nas análises dessas categorias analíticas, pode-se afirmar que o Abrigo, oficialmente considerado uma ?casa de passagem?, trata-se, na realidade, de uma Instituição Total (GOFFMAN, 1974), indo de encontro ao Artigo 101 ? Parágrafo Único ? do Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente (ECA, 1990) ?o abrigo é medida provisória e excepcional, utilizável como forma de transição para a colocação em família substituta, não implicando em privação de liberdade?. Em relação às práticas educativas para a reinserção social, conclui-se que se revelam sociopedagogicamente ineficazes, reforçando ademais, um modelo institucional com características de uma Instituição Total. Tais ações, implementadas em regime fechado, só reforçam a segregação social dos portadores de necessidades educativas especiais, dificultando a sua reinserção social e a conquista da dignidade da vida.
Salvador

O objetivo desse trabalho é compreender como o Padre José de Anchieta elaborou sua obra dramática, composta por doze autos teatrais, unindo a cultura européia, fortemente influenciada pelo cristianismo, com a cultura indígena brasileira. Para isso serão analisados alguns costumes e mitos indígenas descritos pelos cronistas que viajaram pelo Brasil no Século XVI. Também será abordada a tradição teatral em Portugal nas variantes Popular, mimos, jograis e entremezes; Escolar, comédias e tragédias clássicas; e Religiosa composta por pastoris, presépios e autos. E finalmente a analise das peças de Teatro de José de Anchieta, escritas em tupi ou que contenham fragmentos em tupi, buscando o sincretismo que o mesmo desenvolveu em sua obra. Anchieta falava para um público composto por colonos europeus, muitos dos quais degredados e índios falantes da língua brasílica, portanto um público totalmente novo, e para o entendimento da mensagem evangelizadora que seu teatro trazia fez-se necessário a re-elaboração dos elementos culturais indígenas e europeus iniciando um processo sincrético onde Deus (Jeová) tomará a forma de Tupã, os anjos ganharão assas coloridas ao modo das emplumagens1 indígena e o Demônio será dividido em vários personagens, diferentemente da tradição judaico-cristã e mais próxima a cultura indígena brasileira que acreditava em vários demônios. Esses receberão nomes de índios inimigos dos portugueses e características que compõem alguns dos seres espirituais que aterrorizavam os amerabas como o Curupira, o Caapora, o Baetata e outros. Alguns costumes como a poligamia, as cauinagens2 e a antropofagia, ritual no qual os índios devoravam seus prisioneiros para se vingar da morte de seus antepassados; serão criticados no teatro anchietano. Porem outros costumes serão aceitos e re-significados como a abertura de caminhos para os Karaibas3, o desbaste e varredura das trilhas na qual passariam os Profetas errantes; ou a troca de nome dos algozes dos prisioneiros, costume que mais tarde será incorporado pelos padres para falar sobre o batismo; incentivando o índio a assumir um novo nome mas desta vez cristão e uma nova personalidade, disposta a abandonar suas praticas ancestrais. Compreender os primórdios do teatro no Brasil, escrito pelo Padre José de Anchieta nos idos do Século XVI, é buscar entender as características que deram inicio a formação da cultura brasileira.
The aim of this work is the understanding on José de Anchieta, a catholic priest, who has developed his literary composition which was distributed in twelve theatrical plays. He connected the European culture strongly influenced by the Christianity with the Brazilian indigenous culture. Some myths and habits described by the historians who had travelled throughout Brazil in the XVI century will be accurately studied. It will also be mentioned the tradition of the theater in Portugal in its popular diversity as: mimes, narrative novels spoken on the streets and dramatic theater games; in the school tradition, the comedies and tragedies; and in the religious, the feast that celebrates Jesus nativity and the plays about religious theater. Anchieta started to talk to an audience constituted by European settlers most of them were in fact banished people and he also spoke to the native who could speak the Brazilian language. By the way, it was a very brand new audience for him. Therefore for the Gospel message be understandable through his plays, it was necessary a re-elaboration about the European and the native cultural elements to launch a syncretic process where the Christian God (Jeová) is going to take the form of Tupã; the angels are going to win colored wings as it is in the native way; the Devil is going to be diversified in more than one and will be called by native names with such characteristics known as being the Curupira the Caapora, the Baetata and other native devils. Some of the native habits as the polygamy, the fact of some native having several wives; the cauinagens, feasts where the native drank a fermented beverage made mainly of roots and fruit; the anthropophagi, a ritual where the native practiced devouring prisoners from their rival tribes in order to revenge the death of their ancestors, all of these subjects are discussed in Anchietas theater. However, other habits will be accepted and re-signified as the opening of the paths for the karaíbas; the trimming and the sweep of these paths where the errant prophets would pass by; or changing the names of their executioners. Such a habit that lately it will be utilizable by the priests to speak about the baptism where the native would assume a new name and a new personality. To understand the beginning of the first steps of the theater in Brazil, written by José de Anchieta in the early of the XVI century is to search for an understanding of the characteristics that initiated the formation of the Brazilian culture.

Thesis (M.Arch. (Prof.))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning, 2012.
Over 800 000 people access and commute through Johannesburg Inner City every single day. (JDA, 2009) Out of this, a certain group of people enter the city with every intention to fi nd permanent residency and work within the city. They mostly come from afar, rural or semi-rural areas and often from neighbouring countries. Unfortunately, with the continuously changing urban environment, it can be an incredibly difficult process to adapt to alone. As such, this can be the best time and the worst time of their lives, fi lled with mixed emotions of excitement, disappointment, fear and anticipation. This is the time where one may manage to truly live life, or end up surviving it. The sudden change in lifestyle, security, social and economic conditions, entertainment and habitat can create situations where the very best will fail in their quest to improve their lives and fall into degenerate lives of crime and despair from which very few will emerge stronger. As I see it, architecture is the science of building, in terms of not only visually inspiring structures but more importantly, structures that can improve the lives of people whilst preserving the environment and assisting in the building of a stronger economy and moral fi bre. I believe that architecture is at the root of civilization itself. However, due to a multitude of varying levels of control implemented into the urban realm of Johannesburg’s Inner City, in order to ensure this change, it appears that parts of the physical environment are being distorted to accept a selected group of city inhabitants, leaving the marginalised group to fend for themselves. In saying this, there thus appears to be a new form of segregation occurring within the city. As such, the social and physical environments are beginning to lose a certain key characteristic of what a city should be – spirit and integration between all of its parts. This thesis therefore investigates a design that strives to create a bridge between Johannesburg’s Inner City and the formal environments where new city-dwellers can fi nd respite and are assisted to achieve their goals without succumbing to the pitfalls that would otherwise await them. The design will ensure that the transition between these new-comers’ old and new lifestyles and surroundings is as painless as possible allowing them to reach their full potential quickly and hopefully removing the risk that they may become a burden to themselves and society. This thesis will focus on the construct of a 21st century interpretation of Godin’s familistère, not necessarily in its structural make up but rather in its funding, management and programmatic structure to fulfi l its mission in a sustainable manner as well as the new idea of connecting these factors into the ‘bigger picture’. (Benevolo, 1971) This thesis will address the fundamentals of target group, services provided, training, temporary living accommodation, optimal time of stay, work ethics, funding and most importantly, the spatial framework required for such integration to occur. The results of this thesis will culminate in a full-scale detailed design of such a construct and propose how it could be achieved spatially for the direct benefi t of those individuals, as well as the indirect effect it could have on the physical make-up of Johannesburg’s Inner City.

The Pigeon River suffered major water quality degradation from 1908 through the 1980’s from paper mill effluent which resulted in the extirpation of many native fish species. Mill modifications have cleaned the effluent to the degree where some native species are recolonizing many areas of the river. In 2001, the Pigeon River Restoration Project was initiated to re-introduce native non-game species which have been unable to return of their own accord. In addition to relocation of selected suitable species, captive production of the tangerine darter (Percina aurantiaca) has been attempted since current translocation methods have proven impractical due to the small number found in the Pigeon River system. It is anticipated that, through hatchery propagation, sufficient numbers of tangerine darters might be produced for re-introduction. This method has seen limited success with other Percina species. Using brood stock of tangerine darters collected from the Pigeon River above the paper mill, three attempts to spawn and propagate tangerine darters were conducted at the Conservation Fisheries Incorporated (CFI) facility in Knoxville, TN. In the first trial, no eggs were spawned; the second year produced approximately 290 eggs and larvae but relatively few survived. The third attempt produced approximately 331 eggs and larvae, resulting in approximately 85 juveniles, but grow-out was problematic; future propagation efforts will target optimum grow-out densities as well as determine the nutrition requirements for larval and juvenile tangerine darters.

Reintroductions aim to re-establish self-sustaining populations of the focal species within its indigenous range, but their outcomes are variable. An issue commonly perceived as limiting reintroduction success is the tendency for decisions to be based on personal opinion and general assumption. Reintroduction outcomes are ultimately determined by the relative forces of mortality, dispersal and recruitment; but these are influenced by a myriad of proximate factors that may need to be managed. This has led to a diverse array of management techniques being developed; however, comprehensive records of these are rarely available. As certain techniques can induce unpredictable effects they need to be tested to ensure that they are used appropriately. In the initial part of this thesis, I develop the concept of Translocation Tactics which I define as “techniques capable of influencing post-release individual performance or population persistence” (Paper I). This concept is founded on a review of 195 peer-reviewed scientific articles, the IUCN/SSC Guidelines for reintroductions and other conservation translocations (‘the Guidelines’), and 73 case-studies from the IUCN/SSC Global Reintroduction Perspectives Series. Through this review, I identified 30 tactics used during bird and mammal translocations which I organised into The Translocation Tactics Classification System (TTCS) providing a structural framework to help practitioners anticipate threats, and identify appropriate tactics. I use the TTCS to assess the coverage of tactics in the Guidelines, and conclude that they offer an extensive, but not exhaustive coverage. The absence of six tactics reinforces the benefit of developing context-specific resources to support their broadly applicable approach. I expand upon this concept by outlining the theoretical basis of common release tactics (e.g. delayed- and immediate-release, the number of founders, behavioral training) and provide examples of their application and evidence of their effectiveness during Australasian reintroductions (Paper II). The second part of this thesis empirically investigates the biological, behavioral and physiological effects of pre-release captivity on reintroduced eastern bettong (Bettongia gaimardi), to evaluate the potential use of captivity as a tactic. This research focuses on founders at Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary (MFWS) a mainland-island and outdoor laboratory in southeast Australia. Founders were released using three tactics (1) wild-wild or immediate-release, (N=16) incorporating wild founders without captive experience, (2) wild-captive-wild or delayed-release, (N=16) incorporating wild founders released after 3-18 months in captivity, (3) captive-wild, (N=6) incorporating captive-bred founders. Founders were monitored for up to 18 months post-release, and the data were used to compare a range of variables including performance (survival and reproduction), physiology (stress and body-mass), and behaviors (movement and nesting). My results suggest that exposing wild founders to captivity did not alter their performance or body-mass post-release, despite being heavier and having fewer pouch young when released. However, the lack of a population-level effect may reflect the high-quality and low-risk (e.g. predator-free) release-site which resulted in optimum performance irrespective of release tactic (Paper III). Pre-release captivity did induce a range of sub-lethal responses including influencing the stress physiology of wild founders which may be associated with chronic stress (Paper IV). In addition, wild and captive-bred founders tended to display wider exploratory movements, and higher rates of activity when released with captive experience; while the wild-captive-wild group also tended to build poor quality nests (Paper V). I interpreted these results based on their expected effect on establishment during subsequent reintroductions beyond-the-fence which carry a greater risk of failure. Overall, I recommend captivity is avoided when possible to reduce the risk to founders, except during reintroductions requiring pre-release quarantine.

The South Australian mainland tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii eugenii) was presumed extinct in the wild from the early 1930's, until a feral population was re-discovered in New Zealand. Eighty-five animals were returned to Australia as part of a repatriation program into their former range. The establishment phase after a reintroduction is a critical time as animals may fail to survive if they cannot find resources and avoid predators in an unfamiliar habitat. To maximise reintroduction and establishment success, reintroductions need to be planned with a good understanding of the animals’ ecology and anti-predator strategies. To improve this understanding requires experimental reintroductions and detailed monitoring. This thesis investigates the experimental reintroduction of 46 wallabies into Innes National Park in South Australia and examines the influence of release group familiarity on establishment. Part of this was an investigation of home range, habitat requirements and social behaviours during establishment and seasonally post-establishment. The thesis includes three data chapters which focus on (1) home range and core area, home range stability and degree of overlap with conspecifics; (2) habitat selection at the landscape scale and for day and night use within home range; and (3) factors influencing fine scale habitat use and social grouping behaviours in light of predation risk. In this study, the animals’ perceived risk of predation is assumed to be reflected by surrogate measures of risk, such as distance to cover, likelihood of using cover, group size, and distance to nearest neighbour. Release group familiarity was established by housing animals together in captivity for at least one month prior to release (“familiar” groups), whereas “unfamiliar” release groups comprised animals housed separately but released together. After each reintroduction the first month was considered to be a time of “establishment” in the environment. During the establishment month, home ranges were not randomly located within the landscape, as indicated by the biased occupancy of particular habitat types. Habitat types selected at the landscape scale were similar for familiar and unfamiliar release groups. However, animals released in unfamiliar groups showed a stronger preference for denser high cover habitat during their nocturnal activities within their home range. As tammars use cover to conceal themselves from predators, this result suggests that animals released in unfamiliar groups were more cautious than those released in familiar groups. Indeed at the fine scale, it was also found that animals released in unfamiliar groups were more likely to be found in high cover habitat, and forage closer to cover at night than did those released in pre-established familiar groups. Using habitat with more caution and capitalising on communal vigilance in an unfamiliar habitat may ultimately improve the likelihood of survivorship and overall reintroduction success. Comparing habitat decisions and social behaviours during the establishment period to similar times of year post-establishment suggested that animals' naivety about their new environment influenced some decisions they made. While habitat selection at the landscape scale was similar during establishment and at an equivalent time of year post establishment, analyses showed that they preferred to use melaleuca (a high cover habitat) during their nocturnal activities during establishment much more strongly than they did once they had established. Home range and core areas were also significantly smaller during the establishment month than at an equivalent time of year post establishment. This result supports the idea that animals will restrict their movements when they are unfamiliar with the habitat and predation risks. It also suggests that some habitat choices improved once they were familiar with their new environment and presumably predation risks. Their habitat choices reflected better anti-predator behaviour than those made during the establishment period: they were more likely to use high cover habitat, they remained significantly closer to cover while foraging, and group sizes were larger than during establishment. Seasonal habitat selection at the landscape and home range scales suggested that the five habitat types within the study area provided different fundamental resources for the animals, as they were preferred at different times of year. Some differences in habitat selection were observed between the sexes, and the females were more selective in their diurnal and nocturnal activities. These differences most likely reflected, in part, differences in predator avoidance and reproductive strategies of the sexes, where females' preference at the landscape scale shifted towards high cover habitat during spring, the time of year when pouch young vacate the pouch and start to become independent. While no such selection at the landscape scale was observed for the males, it was also observed that within their daily activities both sexes were more likely to be found in high cover habitat during spring than any other time of the year, perhaps suggesting that as males were following the females. Overall, females generally selected Eucalyptus diversifolia, Acacia anceps and grassland at the landscape scale, and used E.diversifolia for refuge during the day and the other two habitats for foraging at night, whereas males generally preferred Melaleuca halmaturorum instead of E.diversifolia for diurnal refuge. Eucalyptus rugosa was mostly avoided by both sexes. From month to month, both sexes expanded rather than shifted their home ranges to incorporate new areas, and these new areas were explored with conspecifics (when the amount of new area increased the amount of sharing also increased), highlighting their reliance on communal vigilance when in unfamiliar habitat. More new areas were incorporated into home ranges from July to December than from January to May. Time since release was not influential, which also supported the conclusion that perhaps home ranges moved to follow resources or overlap conspecifics more. Indeed, in one circumstance when neighbouring animals had died, a male wallaby was observed to move four kilometres through unfamiliar habitat and completely shift his home range in search of other residence. Compositional analysis of habitat use versus availability indicated that monthly home ranges were selectively positioned in the landscape and were always larger than 4ha. Males' home ranges were larger than females', and males shared more of their home ranges than females did, supporting the usual sex bias observed for polygamous species. Core areas were proportional to the size of the home range, with similar sizes held by males and females and throughout the year. Core size was not influenced by the degree of overlap with conspecifics, with similar amount of core area shared by both sexes year round. The time of year influenced home range size, the smallest were held in winter when food resources were likely to be most abundant, but also when inclement weather was likely to restrict movements, as the animals' ability to detect predators may be hindered due to wet and windy conditions. Living with conspecifics is known to assist predator detection by group vigilance. Indeed, this study found the amount of home range overlap and the time two individuals spend together was positively correlated, and the size of home ranges decreased when more of it was shared with conspecifics, which suggested that sharing of home range was important. The degree which home ranges were shared was observed to be a fairly stable requirement for both sexes and did not change with season or time since release. Despite previous isolation from predators, the wallabies displayed anti-predator behaviours which incorporated interrelated benefits obtained from group vigilance and using protective cover. Additionally, these behaviours were adjusted according to their familiarity with the habitat. Post-establishment, animals were observed to go further from cover when they were a greater distance from their nearest neighbour but surrounded by larger numbers of conspecifics. Whereas during the establishment period, animals ventured further from cover when they were closer to a nearest neighbour, but group size was not influential. It is known that larger groups of animals have more false alarms to predators, and false alarms result in the animals‟ wasting energy in fleeing. If false alarms are more prevalent while occupying unfamiliar habitat with unfamiliar risks, then relying on large numbers of conspecifics while establishing may have been more of a liability than a benefit during the establishment period. However, some anti-predator strategies were commonly used, regardless of familiarity with their habitat. During the establishment month and post-establishment, animals were always more likely to be found in high cover habitat when they were further from their nearest neighbour, or were surrounded by fewer conspecifics. Some strategies and habitat decisions may have reflected differences in reproductive needs. While females, with and without pouch young did not differ in how far they would forage from protective cover, females with pouch young remained closer to their nearest neighbour than those without. This finding perhaps reflected the importance of relying on communal vigilance when their flight time from a predator may be hindered due to increased weight and bulk of a pouch young. These findings supported the theory that group vigilance anti-predator strategies are somewhat innate in the tammars, as having previously been completely isolated from predators their responses could have been lost, and once released there was no opportunity to socially learn the appropriate responses off an established population. Some habitat and social grouping behaviours were occasionally unexpected but may have been balanced out by other behaviours. This study observed that animals foraged further into the open during winter than at any other time of year, which contradicts findings by other authors where tammars foraged further into the open when the weather was fine. However, I also found that animals remained closer to their nearest neighbour during autumn and winter than at any other time of year. Perhaps foraging further into the open in inclement weather is actually safer if it provides a greater chance to detect and react to an approaching predator. For example, a fox approaching from the scrub edge would not give the wallaby enough time to respond. An additional benefit of foraging further away from cover in larger group sizes, is that animals can flee in different directions confusing the fox, as it would have to make a quick decision and chose one animal to pursue. Animals were furthest from their nearest neighbours in spring which was also somewhat surprising as this is when pouch young vacate the pouch and it was observed that females with pouch young remain closer to their nearest neighbour suggesting they gain some anti-predator benefit from doing so. However, during spring the animals were also more likely to be found in high cover habitat than at any other time of year, so this may have somewhat balanced out the need for a close neighbour. Overall, this study confirmed that tammars retain anti-predator behaviours despite previous isolation from predators. However, their habitat and social decisions improved with time since release. In this experimental study, animals released in groups with unfamiliar conspecifics appeared to be at an advantage as they displayed habitat use and social groupings which suggested they were using their new habitat with more caution. Therefore, this study recommends releasing groups of unfamiliar conspecifics. Releasing animals at different times of year also had an influence on how they used their habitat. Animals released in spring displayed behaviours suggesting that they were more cautious in avoiding predators: they were more likely to be found in cover, foraged closer to cover, and were in larger group sizes than those animals released in winter. Therefore, it is recommended that animals are released at a time of year where conditions are fine and resources are abundant. Releasing females with pouch young did not appear to hinder the animals after their release (compared to females without pouch young) and could be recommended as young permanently evacuating the pouch in the wild are at a greater advantage than juveniles released from captivity. Results from this experimental study were used to assist ongoing management decisions and were imperative in the planning of subsequent reintroduction events for this species, and can be applied more generally to other species with similar anti-predator strategies.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2011

Prior to the construction of the dams, migrating salmonid species accessed the upper reaches of the Capilano, Seymour, and Coquitlam watersheds as an integral part of their natural lifecycle. There are multiple initiatives being undertaken by BC Hydro and the stakeholders to re-introduce sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) to one of their natural habitat in the upper Coquitlam watershed. Concerns have been raised that the restoration may be in conflict with the drinking water mandate of Metro Vancouver’s watershed management policies. The research objective of this project was to investigate and assess the social, economic, and environmental aspects of restoring an extirpated sockeye salmon population. Through an exploratory case-study approach, the research concluded that the existing fish passage constraints and reliance upon re-anadromy to restore the population are limiting factors in sustaining the Coquitlam Reservoir sockeye.