A dissertation of limited scope submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course-work Degree of Master of Arts in the Centre for Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, 2005. / The study was conducted against the background that Ithala Game Reserve has a lot of tourism benefits. These benefits must be shared among the various sectors of the community such as the people who were evicted from Ithala and KZN Nature Conservation Services. The study was aimed at finding out whether these tourism benefits compensate for loss of land. This aim was narrowed down to the following objectives: • To investigate the level of understanding that Ithala people have towards the meaning of tourism. • To identify the criteria and strategy used by authorities to determine the beneficiaries of tourism resources at Ithala Game Reserve. • To determine the level of participation of local people in decision- making concerning tourism related matters. • To examine the level of accessibility to tourism resources of the Ithala area. • To assess the extent to which tourism benefits enhance the livelihood of the people around Ithala Game Reserve. The study hypothesised that: • That the Ithala people have a poor understanding of the meaning of tourism. • That there is no clearly defined criteria and strategy used by authorities to determine the beneficiaries of tourism benefits. • That the Ithala people do not participate actively in decision-making concerning tourism benefits. • That the level of accessibility to tourism resources is relatively restricted among the Ithala community members. • That tourism benefits do enhance the livelihood of the Ithala community in a sustainable manner. Data was collected through the use of sets of questionnaires, which had both open-ended and closed sections. After this data was collected, it was analysed through the use of computer programme, Statistical Package for Social Sciences. This programme was used to formulate frequency tables and to relate variables. There were various findings that were deduced from the responses of all interviewees. It was discovered that the Ithala community has limited knowledge about tourism and its benefits in their area. Such limitation resulted from the fact that for a long time, the Ithala community has been excluded from tourism development initiatives. This community was scattered over a large area after eviction, so they know very little about what is happening in the area. Another stumbling block to access tourism benefits is that the recent arrangements to involve the community in the tourism management are still neatly typed in the Memorandum of Understanding (the legal document that was signed by the Claimants, The Board, NCS), which is not easily accessible to people. People can begin to accept the prevailing situation provided they have sufficient knowledge about tourism. To address the concerns of the community, various recommendations were suggested. These included tourism awareness strategies, consultation and involvement of local people in tourism development initiatives, translation of tourism brochures into Zulu and construction of a cultural village. Once local people begin to grasp the concept of tourism, they will begin to accrue more benefits from this lucrative venture. / National Research Foundation and Department of Labour.

While it is commonly known that combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has profound, long-term effects on soldiers, its effects on spouses of affected soldiers are less understood. Some spouses who provide care for soldiers with PTSD develop symptoms that are similar in nature. These symptoms include but are not limited to depression, anxiety, isolation, hypervigilance, and a strong startle effect. This study explored the lived experiences of 8 spouses of Army Reservists who returned from deployment in either Iraq or Afghanistan with combat-related PTSD. This study used the couple adaptation to traumatic stress model to explore the couple's response to traumatic stress. The study also includes a discussion of the history of PTSD, including changes in criteria with the revisions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), including the most recent change in the latest version (DSM 5). Although secondary traumatic stress is not recognized in the DSM 5, an increase in awareness may result in a better understanding of mental health needs within the military culture. The study consisted of 8 semi-structured interviews among 8 female spouses of Army Reserve soldiers, using Colaizzi's method of data analysis. The results of this study identified psychological distress in all participants in connection with relationship changes, psychological distress, and lack of available mental health services. The results of this study may assist mental health professionals understand that the mental health needs of spouses of Reservists often differ from those of active duty spouses. This study may support social change by promoting the need for additional training for counselors who work with this population.

The problem: A historical study of the United States Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corus Tragic as it may seem, every generation of Americans, without exception, has had to go to war. Americans, as hopeful and idealistic about peace as any people in history, have been forced into war three times in four decades—twice in the last one. When a great nation must choose between war and survival, there really is no choice. It must fight.

This research involves an examination of the relationship between education and age on a wide array of neuropsychological test measures among patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's and vascular dementia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of education as an attenuating factor to neurocognitive decline in dementia. Although numerous studies have been published regarding the relationship between educational attainment and AD, few have included other subtypes of dementia in their investigation. To further expand the generalizability of previous findings, the sample in this study included both AD and VaD. While previous research has demonstrated a relationship between education and age-related neurocognitive decline in AD, most studies have utilized the MMSE or brief screening instrument to assess cognitive functioning. The present research included VaD and examined a variety of cognitive domains such as measures of global functioning, verbal intelligence, verbal memory, visual memory, attention/concentration, language, visuospatial skills, speed-of-processing, and abstract reasoning/executive functioning. Two standard multiple regression analyses were conducted, the first including age and education as the independent variables to assess the effects on one over and above that of the other. The second analysis included age, education, and their interaction term in order to determine if education attenuates age-related neurocognitive decline in the diagnostic groups. Raw neuropsychological test measure scores were included in all analyses as dependent measures. Results revealed that age minimally predicted performance in both groups, whereas education better predicted neurocognitive test performance in the AD group than in the VaD group. Furthermore, findings suggest that among individuals with AD, the rate of neurocognitive impairment in encoding verbal information and visuoconstructional ability is buffered by higher levels of education attainment. None of the interaction terms were significant for the VaD group. The current findings question the extent and generalizability of the presumed protective effects of higher education on age-related neurocognitive decline.

This study of mammals of the Bull Run Planning Unit has a dual character. First, mammals of special scientific or natural history interest such as threatened or endangered species were sought. This was in conjunction with a Mt. Hood Bull Run Planning Unit. Second, a zoogeographical study of mammals of the Bull Run was performed. Abundance and distributional data was recorded for each species observed. This data was related to availability to moisture as indicated by plant associations trapped. Difference in habitat utilization along a moisture gradient was investigated as a possible coexistence mechanism for sympatric small mammals in the Bull Run Planning Unit.

No description available.

Interactions between animal populations and their environment form the foundation of wildlife management, and provision of resources that enhance fitness produce effectual management. Hunting is a selective force that shapes behavior and other adaptations of harvested species and may subsequently impact diel habitat use. Moreover, linking habitat use to biological outcomes, such as survival, is needed to evidence habitat suitability because of equivocal relations among population density, habitat correlations, or energy availability to population dynamics. The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is among the most coveted and harvested waterfowl in North America and is a migratory species of ecological, economic, and social importance. The Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) is an ancestral and continentally important wintering area for North American mallards despite significant anthropogenic wetland transformation. Through targeted objectives and consequence of soil and water conservation, financial assistance programs have expanded waterfowl habitat on private lands in Mississippi. I radiomarked 265 female mallards and tracked their diel habitat use in winters 2010-2015 to evaluate objectives related to their wintering ecology in the MAV of Mississippi. Specifically, I investigated whether waterfowl hunting influenced use of some habitats during hunting season, the effectiveness of financial assistance programs in providing habitat, and habitat suitability through habitat specific survival rates. Females made greatest use of forested and emergent wetlands diurnally and emergent wetlands and flooded cropland at night. Results suggested that mallards did not avoid flooded cropland or emergent wetlands diurnally during hunting season, but conclusions were complicated by significant use of inviolate sanctuaries. Mallards used numerous incentivized conservation program wetlands, but use was less than public and privately managed wetlands. Among conservation programs, those with large enrollment and a focus on restoration (i.e., Wetlands Reserve Program) were most used by mallards. Apparent survival was independent of diurnal habitat use suggesting that mallards use of wetland complexes leads to their winter survival. Restoration of forested wetlands should be a management focus and easement programs provide such inroads on private lands. Public wetlands are an important source of habitat and inviolate sanctuary should be considered where waterfowl hunting is a predominate activity.

Grassland birds must have accessible, nutritional prey for nestlings which Conservation Reserve Program practices like CP33—Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds may provide. In 2008—2009, I monitored dickcissel nests in and around CP33 buffers at a farm in north-central Mississippi using video cameras to capture provisioning activities. I simultaneously observed foraging flights and measured distances traveled from nests. Orthopterans were the most commonly chosen prey, and dickcissels brought larger prey items when chicks were older. But, other changes in provisioning were not significantly related to nest age as I hypothesized. Also contrary to my initial hypotheses, provisioning at nests within buffers did not differ from non-buffer nests. CRP grasslands were equivalent to other available habitats. Provisioning rate and biomass decreased when an observer was present, and male feeding increased provisioning rate. Incorporating native warm-season grasses through conservation programs can increase nesting and foraging resources for dickcissels.

An increasing body of literature reveals that powerful businesspeople have a long history of using their wealth for the benefit of the greater common good. With philanthrocapitalism, a new generation of hands-on donors that have made incredible fortunes within business sectors like information technology or finance, are taking on the world's most pressuring social and environmental problem, willing to change the way of giving and enhancing traditional philanthropy. The rich entrepreneurs turned philanthropists are applying their skills and talents that have made them successful in business and infusing the charity sector with corporate tools and strategies and are getting personally engaged and using political and social networks to leverage their efforts. Driven to find solutions to the world's most severe problems, philanthrocapitalists tend to target problems that cut across national boundaries, such as AIDS, Malaria, illiteracy, and population growth. Next to these familiar fields such as health and education, philanthropists are also increasingly engaging in nature conservation. By establishing private nature reserves or taking over failed state-run nature reserves, elite donors are increasingly featuring neoliberal conservation and intervene in political ecology particularly in biodiversity hotspots in the global South. Notwithstanding philanthrocapitalism growing prominence and significance, broader public debates and academic literature is just emerging in recent years and the impact on nature conservation has received little scholarly attention. By examining the case of the Gorongosa Project (GP), a transnational nature conservation project that was established by U.S. multimillionaire Greg Carr in Mozambique, this thesis seeks to illustrate: a) how philanthrocapitalism influences nature conservation, b) how philanthrocapitalistic conservation projects work in practice and, c) enhance understanding about the implications of philanthrocapitalism in conservation governance, recognising its advantages and limitations. The thesis further seeks to contribute to the academic discourse as the far-reaching ventures of Western philanthrocapitalists have provoked a controversial debate. Advocates such as economists, journalists and political organisations argue that the financial power, unique business skills, resources and networks enable philanthrocapitalists to contribute to solving global issues more efficiently than other stakeholders. In contrast, critics from political or social sciences or conservation point out the increasing influence that wealthy philanthropists have on global policymaking as well as social and political agendas and have raised concerns about democratic values and power and wealth inequalities.

Nonpoint Source (NPS) pollution, pollution that comes from diffuse sources that are difficult to trace back to a single point such as farm fields, is a major concern affecting America's water ways. Nationally, agriculture is the leading source of water impairment and has also been identified as the largest source of pollution affecting the Chesapeake Bay. There are proposals now for a program that would pay farmers to use 15 percent less than the extension recommended amount of fertilizer. Known as the Yield Reserve Program, or Enhanced Nutrient Management, this policy could possibly help to reduce the nutrient loads. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a Yield Reserve Program on farm yields and net revenues. Costs were estimated for different policy implementations for the Virginia Coastal Plain to better understand problems with this type of program. The effects of Yield Reserve on enterprise net returns, yields, and N applications for corn under varying weather and soil conditions were estimated. Based on experimental trials from North Carolina and Virginia from 2000 to 2004, yield response functions were calculated for corn. The costs of the Yield Reserve Program vary depending on its implementation, but under current proposals these costs were estimated at $113 per hectare, and $10,855,000 for the coastal plain. This proposal is a more costly program than would be necessary to compensate farmers for yield losses based on estimates in this study. / Master of Science