Thesis (Ph.D.)--McMaster University, 2006. / Supervisor: Richard Preston. Includes bibliographical references (p. 392-416).

<p>The Natura 2000 Network is one of the European Unions many tools concerning nature conservation, and is without comparison the premier contribution when it comes to halting the loss of biodiversity. This essay is a case study on how the regional work with the Natura 2000-network has been carried out in four different counties. These counties are Södermanland, Västernorrland, Jämtland and Örebro. They have been compared based on the theoretical concept of sustainable development. This essay describes how the officials in the County Administrations view the regional implementation of Natura 2000 when it comes to the selection of Natura 2000-sites with forest habitats and the creation of an additional protective measure. This study takes its basis in a bottom-up approach which focuses on value conflicts that have emerged regionally and how different fundamental attitudes brings forward different aspects of sustainable development. Interviews with County Administration officials show that there are differences in the approach and different key factors that have affected the selection of sites and the work with area protection. One approach starts from an ecological point of view while the other takes the socio-economic aspect more into consideration during the selection process. Two main factors that have emerged are also the importance of the regional landowner-structure and the evident time- and staff shortage that has been experienced in all four counties. The results also show that the nature reserve form is the most common area protection for Natura 2000-sites with forest habitats in the four examined counties.</p> / <p>Natura 2000-nätverket är ett av EU:s många verktyg och i särklass det främsta bidraget till att hejda förlusten av den biologiska mångfalden. Denna uppsats är en fallstudie för att se hur det regionala arbetet med Natura 2000-nätverket sett ut i fyra olika län. Dessa län är Södermanland, Västernorrland, Jämtland och Örebro län. De har jämförts utifrån det teoretiska begreppet hållbar utveckling. Uppsatsen beskriver hur tjänstemän på länsstyrelserna ser på den regionala implementering av Natura 2000-nätverket när det gäller urval av Natura 2000-område med skogshabitat och tillblivelsen av ett ytterliggare områdesskydd.</p><p>Studien utgår från ett underifrånperspektiv som fokuserar på de värdekonflikter som uppstått regionalt och hur olika grundinställningar lyfter fram olika aspekter av hållbar utveckling. Intervjuer med länsstyrelsens aktörer visar att det finns skillnader i tillvägagångssättet och olika nyckelfaktorer som påverkat urvalet av område och arbetet med områdesskyddet. Det ena tillvägagångssättet tar sin grund i ett mer ekologiskt synsätt medan det andra tar större hänsyn till de socioekonomiska aspekterna i urvalsprocessen. Två huvudfaktorer som framkommit är även betydelsen av den regionala markägarstrukturen och den upplevda personal - och tidsbrist som tydligt framgår i alla de fyra undersökta länen. Resultatet visar även att naturreservatsformen är det vanligaste områdesskyddet för Natura 2000-områden med skogshabitat i de fyra studerade länen</p>

Based on field and archival research, Becoming Wilderness analyses the fluid constructs of game preservation and their affect within networks and landscapes to the west of Tarangire National Park, Northern Tanzania from the late 19th Century until the present. The initial query of this thesis is how and why Tarangire comes to be separated as different from its surrounding (on the map and within policy) and what this has entailed for what is ‘within’ and ‘outside’. This thesis is written to add to the understanding of how ‘one of Tanzania’s most spectacular wilderness areas’ was created, in order to problematize and deepen the understanding of the factual people/park conflicts and entanglements existing there today. Through a topological investigation, it shows Tarangire’s transformation from peripheral to central and the simultaneous transformation of peopled landscapes from central to borderlands. Based on interviews, focus groups and archival research the thesis firstly investigates the transformation of peopled landscapes to the west of Tarangire National Park. Secondly it analyses the alternations in the tsetse geography that has previously been claimed to be the root cause behind the creation of the park, pointing to the fluid and relational character of tsetse landscapes. Thirdly, this thesis queries the notion of an ‘imposition of wilderness’ and suggests that vast tracts of Tanzania’s protected areas have in fact gradually become wilderness within heterogeneous networks, rooting themselves in ways that are far more tricky to oppose than had they suddenly been imposed. As such it seeks to contribute to the understanding of the root causes of conservation vs. people conflicts existing today. / People Land and Time in Africa (PLATINA)

This study was designed to investigate concerns with respect to the delivery of special education services in reserve schools, to identify the special needs of children attending these schools, and to study means of identifying and assessing children with special needs. The information obtained was used to develop a special education funding formula which would be more sensitive and responsive to the specific needs of Indian students in schools on reserves in Saskatchewan.<p> The study which was an exploratory field study involved two or more days of intensive discussion between the researcher and various groups of people on each of six reserves. At the conclusion of the study, a committee comprised of representatives of each band met with the researcher to review the findings and to make recommendations.<p> The study addressed three main areas of concern-the identification and assessment of special education students, the special needs of students in reserve schools, and funding arrangements. Results indicated that current procedures for identifying and assessing special education students are vague, costly, and time-consuming. As well, bands do not have easy access to the qualified personnel to do the identification and/or testing. It was also discovered that large numbers of students in reserve schools are handicapped because they are severely disadvantaged, seriously age-grade misplaced, and/or severely emotionally deprived. These categories of handicap, although not recognized by the the special education funding formulas, do interfere with the academic achievement and success of the students. Bands are experiencing problems with the current funding arrangements. Inadequacy of funds to cover the costs of delivering appropriate programming, lack of firm policies and procedures for accessing and allocating funds or to direct the process of delivering funds to the band level, and ineffective systems at the band level for administering special education funds are the chief problems.<p> It was recommended that the funding formula should consist of three components--a low cost component to offset the costs of programming for the mildly to moderately handicapped; a special needs component to cover the costs of programming required beyond what is provided through the low cost component; a support services component to cover the costs of education psychologists, classroom consultants, speech therapists, and other consultant services. As well, it was stressed that for such a formula to be truly functional, well-defined policies and procedures would have to be developed and implemented.

Since they first emerged into the public consciousness in 1994, the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) has gathered considerable attention and support on the world stage for its struggle with the Mexican federal government over the issue of indigenous rights. The Zapatistas are now popularly viewed as indigenous rebels standing up for indigenous rights against the neoliberal economics. Yet comparatively less attention has been given to its struggles with the federal government over an area of protected land within the Lacandón jungle known as the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve. The conflict is centered on a large settler population within the Reserve and whether it is a threat to the jungles viability. The environmental group, Conservation International (CI) believes that they are, yet the settlers enjoy the support of the EZLN, who opposes any attempt to move them. Despite this dispute, the two organizations claim seemingly similar goals. CI has declared that it is dedicated to local control over conservation projects. Meanwhile, EZLN has been fighting for greater local political power in regards to indigenous government. More striking still, is that this matter has placed the EZLN in direct opposition to the Lacandón Maya, even though it has portrayed itself as the defender of all of Mexicos indigenous people.<p>It is these apparent contradictions between the EZLNs political positions and the actual sides of the conflict that make the struggle over Montes Azules worth examining. Beyond the simplified statements of public platforms, the objections of the EZLN to the reserve and its supporters to the Lacandones position are rooted in historical conflicts over decision making on landholding. The EZLN feels that the government has constantly excluded indigenous farmers from decision making over this matter to their detriment and thus it feels that local control over land is a fundamental part of indigenous life. As such its position on Montes Azules must be understood in terms of how its ideas of being indigenous come into conflict with the Lacandón Mayas territory in the reserve and CIs position on the settler population. In this way indigenous identity is seen not merely as a matter of cultural significance, but a foundation for a concrete political agenda, which is articulated in the EZLNs stance over Montes Azules.

The understanding of central banking has evolved several times in the history. Different economic and political conditions shaped the structure of monetary policy and the stance of central banks. The Central Bank of Republic of Turkey (CBRT) also has experienced several reactionary policy shifts throughout its history. Nowadays, majority of central banks have started to follow financial stability programs after the Global Financial Crisis of 2008-09. The CBRT was one of the followers of financial stability targeting and has started to implement a new monetary policy structure after the Global Financial Crisis. The new monetary policy of the CBRT in which the financial stability was put nearby price stability came up with new challenges. Therefore in this thesis, we elaborate on the challenges of the CBRT and propose policy suggestions for the possible deficiencies of the new structure of the CBRT. We argue that the experiences of the CBRT in the inflation targeting period and the macroeconomic conditions of both during and post crisis period have shaped the new structure of the monetary policy, and the new policy mix of the CBRT may not be successful in all its targets at the same time because of the existence of &ldquo / macroeconomic quadrilemma&rdquo / tradeoffs as well as because of the ineffectiveness of the tool portfolio of the CBRT.

This thesis presents a model that simulates and solves power system dispatch problems utilizing stochastic linear programming. The model features the ability to handle single period, multiple bus, linear DC approximated systems. It determines capacity, energy, and reserve quantities while accounting for N-1 contingency scenarios (single loss of either generator or line) on the network. Market systems applying to this model are also proposed, covering multiple real-time, day-ahead, and hybrid versions of consumer costing, transmission operator payment, and generator remuneration schemes. The model and its market schemes are applied to two test systems to verify its viability: a small 6-bus system and a larger 66-bus system representing the Ontario electricity network.

This thesis presents a model that simulates and solves power system dispatch problems utilizing stochastic linear programming. The model features the ability to handle single period, multiple bus, linear DC approximated systems. It determines capacity, energy, and reserve quantities while accounting for N-1 contingency scenarios (single loss of either generator or line) on the network. Market systems applying to this model are also proposed, covering multiple real-time, day-ahead, and hybrid versions of consumer costing, transmission operator payment, and generator remuneration schemes. The model and its market schemes are applied to two test systems to verify its viability: a small 6-bus system and a larger 66-bus system representing the Ontario electricity network.

Since they first emerged into the public consciousness in 1994, the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) has gathered considerable attention and support on the world stage for its struggle with the Mexican federal government over the issue of indigenous rights. The Zapatistas are now popularly viewed as indigenous rebels standing up for indigenous rights against the neoliberal economics. Yet comparatively less attention has been given to its struggles with the federal government over an area of protected land within the Lacandón jungle known as the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve. The conflict is centered on a large settler population within the Reserve and whether it is a threat to the jungles viability. The environmental group, Conservation International (CI) believes that they are, yet the settlers enjoy the support of the EZLN, who opposes any attempt to move them. Despite this dispute, the two organizations claim seemingly similar goals. CI has declared that it is dedicated to local control over conservation projects. Meanwhile, EZLN has been fighting for greater local political power in regards to indigenous government. More striking still, is that this matter has placed the EZLN in direct opposition to the Lacandón Maya, even though it has portrayed itself as the defender of all of Mexicos indigenous people.<p>It is these apparent contradictions between the EZLNs political positions and the actual sides of the conflict that make the struggle over Montes Azules worth examining. Beyond the simplified statements of public platforms, the objections of the EZLN to the reserve and its supporters to the Lacandones position are rooted in historical conflicts over decision making on landholding. The EZLN feels that the government has constantly excluded indigenous farmers from decision making over this matter to their detriment and thus it feels that local control over land is a fundamental part of indigenous life. As such its position on Montes Azules must be understood in terms of how its ideas of being indigenous come into conflict with the Lacandón Mayas territory in the reserve and CIs position on the settler population. In this way indigenous identity is seen not merely as a matter of cultural significance, but a foundation for a concrete political agenda, which is articulated in the EZLNs stance over Montes Azules.

This study was designed to investigate concerns with respect to the delivery of special education services in reserve schools, to identify the special needs of children attending these schools, and to study means of identifying and assessing children with special needs. The information obtained was used to develop a special education funding formula which would be more sensitive and responsive to the specific needs of Indian students in schools on reserves in Saskatchewan.<p> The study which was an exploratory field study involved two or more days of intensive discussion between the researcher and various groups of people on each of six reserves. At the conclusion of the study, a committee comprised of representatives of each band met with the researcher to review the findings and to make recommendations.<p> The study addressed three main areas of concern-the identification and assessment of special education students, the special needs of students in reserve schools, and funding arrangements. Results indicated that current procedures for identifying and assessing special education students are vague, costly, and time-consuming. As well, bands do not have easy access to the qualified personnel to do the identification and/or testing. It was also discovered that large numbers of students in reserve schools are handicapped because they are severely disadvantaged, seriously age-grade misplaced, and/or severely emotionally deprived. These categories of handicap, although not recognized by the the special education funding formulas, do interfere with the academic achievement and success of the students. Bands are experiencing problems with the current funding arrangements. Inadequacy of funds to cover the costs of delivering appropriate programming, lack of firm policies and procedures for accessing and allocating funds or to direct the process of delivering funds to the band level, and ineffective systems at the band level for administering special education funds are the chief problems.<p> It was recommended that the funding formula should consist of three components--a low cost component to offset the costs of programming for the mildly to moderately handicapped; a special needs component to cover the costs of programming required beyond what is provided through the low cost component; a support services component to cover the costs of education psychologists, classroom consultants, speech therapists, and other consultant services. As well, it was stressed that for such a formula to be truly functional, well-defined policies and procedures would have to be developed and implemented.