Univ., Diss.--Göteborg, 2007. / Enth. 4 Beitr.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1998.

This doctoral dissertation was produced in a cooperation between Halmstad University (Wetland Research Centre, School of Business and Engineering) and Lund University (Limnology &amp; Marine Biology, Department of Ecology). Abstract . Wetland creation at large, regional scales is implemented as a measure to abate the biodiversity loss in agricultural landscapes and the eutrophication of watersheds and coastal areas by non-point source nutrient pollution (mainly nitrogen). The consequences of creating many new wetlands for biodiversity conservation and nutrient reten- tion (ecosystem functioning) in agricultural landscapes are still relatively unknown, both on local (per wetland) and regional (per landscape) scales. In Sweden, wetland creation has progressed already since the 1990s, and by now larger numbers of created wetlands are present, mainly in the intensively farmed landscapes of southwestern Sweden. This thesis aimed to investigate the following aspects in these systems: (i) their large-scale effects on biodiversity, (ii) their functional diversity of bacterial denitrifiers, (iii) the abiotic and biotic influences on wetland ecosystem functioning, (iv) the potential for biodiversity-function links, and (v) the potential for functional links and joint functioning.(i) Created wetlands hosted diverse assemblages of macroinvertebrates and plants. They maintained a similar com- position and diversity as natural ponds in agricultural landscapes. The environmental conditions per wetland did hardly affect macroinvertebrate and plant assemblages, and the prerequisites for nutrient retention did neither. In landscapes were wetland creation efforts had increased the total density of small water bodies by more than 30%, macroinver- tebrate diversity of created wetlands was facilitated on both local and regional scales. (ii) Diverse communities of denitrifying bacteria with the capacity for conducting different denitrification steps (functional types) were present in all investigated wetlands. The richness of denitrifying bacteria communities was affected by nitrate concentration and hydraulic loading rate, which may potentially be relevant for the nitrogen retention function of created wetlands. The diversity across different functional types of bacterial denitrifiers increased with nitrate concentration. (iii) Both abiotic and biotic factors influenced ecosystem functions of created wetlands. Variation in nitrogen retention was associated to nitrate load, but even to vegetation parameters. In wetlands with constant nitrate load, planted emergent vegetation facilitated nitrogen retention compared to other vegetation types. In wetlands with variable loads, nitrogen retention was facilitated if nitrate load was high and many different vegetation types were present; nitrogen load could explain the majority of the variation in nitrogen retention compared to vegetation parameters. Phosporus retention of created wetlands was best explained by vegetation parameters. Litter decomposition was inhibited at high nitrate to phosphorus ratios. Methane production increased with age and decreased with plant cover. (iv) Biodiversity may facilitate wetland ecosystem functions, particularly in dynamic wetland ecosystems. Nitrogen retention increased with vegetation type diversity, phosphorus retention capacity with plant richness, and litter decomposition with macroinvertebrate diversity. (v) Created wetlands have the capacity of sustaining several parallel ecosystem services. Some wetland functions were coupled; nitrogen retention increased with fast litter decomposition. On the other hand, methane emission and nitro- gen retention were independent of each other, as were nitrogen and phosphorus retention.In conclusion, created wetlands have the potential to at least partly abate the lost biodiversity and multifunctionality caused by the past extensive destruction of natural wetlands in agricultural landscapes. / <p>[Paper II] Milenkovski S., Thiere G., Weisner S.E.B., Berglund O. &amp; Lindgren P.-E. Variation of eubacterial and denitrifying bacterial biofilm communities among constructed wetlands. Submitted manuscript. [Paper V] Thiere G. &amp; Weisner S.E.B. Influence of biotic and abiotic parameters on ecosystem functioning of created wetlands. Manuscript.</p>

Efforts to resolve environmental planning and decision-making conflicts usually focus on participant involvement, mutual understanding of the problem situation, evaluation criteria identification, data availability, and potential alternative solutions. However, as the alternatives become less distinct and participant values more diverse, intensified negotiations and more data are usually required for meaningful planning and decision-making. Consequently, questions such as "What collaborative spatial decision making design is best for a given context?" "How can the values and needs of stakeholders be integrated into the planning process?" and "How can we learn from decision making experiences and understanding of the past?" are crucial considerations. Answers to these questions can be developed around the analytic and discursive approaches that transform diffused subjective judgments into systematic consensus-oriented resolutions. / This dissertation examines the above issues through the design, implementation, and assessment of the Collaborative Spatial Delphi (CSD) Methodology. The CSD methodology facilitates spatial thinking and discursive strategies to describe the complex social-technical dynamics associated with the knowledge-structuring-consensus nexus of the participation process. The CSD methodology describes this nexus by synthesizing research findings from knowledge management, focus group theory, systems theory, integrated assessment, visualization and exploratory analysis, and transformative learning all represented within a collaborative geographic information system (GIS) framework. / The CSD methodology was implemented in multiple contexts. Its use in two contexts - strategic planning and management of urban green spaces in Montreal (Canada); and priority setting for North American biodiversity conservation - are reported in detail in this dissertation. The summative feedbacks from all the CSD planning workshops help incrementally improve the design of the CSD process. This dissertation also reports on the design and use of questionnaire surveys to incorporate local realities into planning, as well as the development of an evaluation index to assess the face validity and effectiveness of the CSD process from the perspective of workshop participants. / The accumulated evidence from the CSD implementations suggests that many core issues exist across spatial problem solving situations. Thus, the design and specification of a core collaborative process model provides benefits for knowledge exchange. General systems theory was used to classify the core technical components of the collaborative GIS design, and soft systems theory was used to characterize the human activity dynamics. Object oriented principles enabled the generation of a flexible domain model, and the unified modelling language (UML) visually described the collaborative process. The CSD methodology is used as a proof of concept. / This dissertation contributes to knowledge in the general areas of Geography, Geographic information systems and science, and Environmental decision making. The specific contributions are threefold. First, the CSD provides a synthesis of multi-disciplinary theories and a tested tool for environmental problem solving. Second, the CSD facilitates a fusion of local and technical knowledge for more realistic consensus planning outcomes. Third, an empirical-theoretical visual formalism of the CSD allows for process knowledge standardization and sharing across problem solving situations.

Together with the prospect of global environmental change, biodiversity loss is arguably the most pressing environmental issue of our time. Conserving biodiversity is a complex issue and effectively engaging people in conserving biodiversity, although challenging, is crucial. Various conservation initiatives exist that incentivise landowners to participate in restrictive conservation agreements such as the stewardship programme. From an environmental perspective, stewardship is simply people taking care of the earth and the stewardship programme is an innovative conservation initiative that aims to assist private or communal landowners by making biodiversity conservation more attractive through incentives and providing them with the necessary skills and know-how. In South Africa, landowners can enter into biodiversity stewardship agreements in the following options: A Biodiversity Management Agreement (under National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act No. 10 of 2004), a Protected Environment (under Protected Areas Act No. 57 of 2003) or a Nature Reserve or National Park (under PAA) with the latter two agreements requiring formal declaration and restrictions on the land. The time frames and management requirements are aligned with the degree of conservation protection. Understanding landowner perceptions and motivations is critical for the successful implementation of the Biodiversity Stewardship Programme. The aim of this study was to determine how new participatory conservation systems, such as the Biodiversity Stewardship Programme, can assist in biodiversity conservation on private land within the City of Cape Town. This research made use of a case study methodology with the main research tool being semi-structured face-to-face interviews conducted with landowners and managers. This was supplemented with documentation and participant and direct observations. It was evident that predicting pro-environmental behaviour based on characteristics and perceptions is complex and varies from individual to individual. It emerged that certain characteristics can possibly indicate pro-environmental behaviour however pro-environmental behaviour does not necessarily indicate a willingness to participate in restrictive conservation measures such as the Stewardship Programme. Despite a lack of resources and capacity amongst conservation institutions, the research discovered a well-coordinated well-structured conservation system built around constructive partnerships in particular amongst the official conservation organisations. Biodiversity stewardship forms a crucial component of a set of tools to consolidate the protected area network in the City of Cape Town and is playing an increasingly important role in conserving the unique biodiversity within the City. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

More than a decade after the World Bank was forced out of the dam-building industry due to the social and environmental consequences of the projects they helped to finance, World Bank support for the development of the Nam Theun 2 (NT2) Hydroelectric Project, located atop the bio-diverse Nakai Plateau in central Laos, signals the re-emergence of the Bank’s involvement in large-scale dam construction initiatives. The NT2 project is the Bank’s response to its international critics. The project is a ‘test case’ for a new model of hydropower development that seeks to counteract any negative consequences to the surrounding environment and populations through the enactment of a new set of environmental and social safeguards that the Bank had spent over a decade developing. As the optimal consequence, if NT2 achieves the goal of safeguarding the bio-diverse environment of the Nakai region through the creation and implementation of long-term ‘socially and environmentally sustainable’ livelihood activities capable of raising the living standards and income levels of Nakai villagers beyond the national poverty line, then the NT2 model of development will be validated and its use in other World Bank supported hydroelectric initiatives all but assured. The alternative result is that the new safeguard mechanisms fail to achieve these goals, significantly contributing to the destabilization of one of the of the most environmentally and culturally unique regions in the world. This thesis analyzes the effectiveness of NT2 social and environmental safeguards in order to determine to what extent this new model of development is achieving the objectives it set prior to construction. Using a range of data, it analyzes outcomes produced from the core safeguards program of the project: the resettlement livelihoods’ programmes. Analysis of villagers’ livelihoods after resettlement clearly indicates that the NT2 model was never able to overcome challenges posed by reduced access to forest and agricultural lands for re-establishing villagers’ core land-based livelihood activities. As a result, many villagers have abandoned the livelihoods programmes at resettlement villages across the Plateau. In the short term, these villagers have, nevertheless, significantly increased their incomes through intensified commercial fishing and export-oriented rare timber and endangered wildlife extraction activities. The problem for NT2 developers such as the World Bank is that this form of economic activity is neither socially nor environmentally sustainable, placing the regional environment, local populations and the NT2 project in jeopardy. / Graduate

Thesis (M.Env.Dev.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008. / Full text also available online. Scroll down for electronic link.

Thesis (doctoral)--Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2004. / Thesis documentation sheet inserted. Appendix reprints four papers and manuscripts co-authored with others. Includes bibliographical references. Also partially issued electronically via World Wide Web in PDF format; online version lacks appendix .

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The ultimate goal of conservation planning is to ensure persistence of biodiversity. Biodiversity patterns and ecological processes are important aspects in conserving biodiversity. Although most researchers in conservation planning have focused on targeting biodiversity patterns, ecological and evolutionary processes can ensure persistence of biodiversity if incorporated into conservation planning. Ecological processes are the main drivers or sustainers of biodiversity. The aim of this research was to identify and map the spatial components of ecological processes in a portion of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area to aid in the implementation of biota movement corridors. Different methods have been used to identify suitable corridors but not much has been done on defining and mapping ecological processes that will ensure that the corridors maintain and generate biodiversity. A thorough literature survey was done to make a list of ecological processes that are important in maintaining the biodiversity in the area. Spatial components of ecological processes were mapped as surface elements aligned along linear environmental interfaces or gradients. The last part of the research was to suggest suitable movement corridors based on ecological processes. The results include five spatial components: riverine corridors, areas of high carbon sequestration, edaphic interfaces, upland-lowland interfaces and ecotones. Riverine corridors were mapped using a 1000 m buffer on either side of low lying rivers and 500 m buffer around rivers in the uplands. A map showing the carbon sequestration potential of vegetation in the study area was made using Moderate-Resolution Image Spectroradiometer (MODIS) derived NDVI data and the National Level Carbon Stock dataset done by the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) Pantropical. Edaphic interfaces were idenfied using by a 250 m buffer around contrasting soil types. Upland-lowland interfaces identified by a 250 m buffer along upland and lowland habitats. Classification of Landsat 8 was used to identify ecotones in the study area. The results of the spatial components were then compared with the habitat transformation map which shows populated areas. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die uiteindelike doel van bewaringsbeplanning is om voortbestaan van biodiversiteit te verseker. Biodiversiteitspatrone en ekologiese prosesse is belangrike aspekte in die bewaring van biodiversiteit. Alhoewel die meeste navorsers in bewaringsbeplanning fokus op teiken biodiversiteitspatrone, kan die voortbestaan van ekologiese en evolusionêre prosesse van biodiversiteit verseker word deur insluiting in bewaringsbeplanning. Ekologiese prosesse is die belangrikste drywers, of onderhouers, van biodiversiteit. Die doel van hierdie navorsing was dus om die ruimtelike komponente van ekologiese prosesse in 'n gedeelte van die Kavango Zambezi oorgrensbewaringsgebied te identifiseer en te karteer om te help met implementering van biota bewegingsdeurlope. Verskillende metodes is al gebruik om gepaste deurlope te identifiseer, maar min navorsing is gedoen oor definisie en kartering van ekologiese prosesse om te verseker dat die deurlope biodiversiteit sal onderhou en genereer. 'n Deeglike literatuurstudie is gedoen om 'n lys op te stel van ekologiese prosesse wat belangrik is in die handhawing van biodiversiteit in die gebied. Ruimtelike komponente van ekologiese prosesse is gekarteer as oppervlak elemente gebonde aan lineêre omgewingskoppelvlakke of gradiënte. Die laaste deel van die navorsing was om geskikte bewegingsdeurlope, gebaseer op ekologiese prosesse, voor te stel. Die resultate sluit vyf ruimtelike komponente in: rivierdeurlope, gebiede van hoë koolstofsekwestrasie, edafiese koppelvlakke, hoogland-Laeveld koppelvlakke en grensekotone. Rivierdeurlope is gekarteer met behulp van 'n 1000 meter buffer aan weerskante van laagliggende riviere en 500 meter buffer rondom riviere in die hooglande. ‘n Kaart wat die koolstofsekwestrasiepotensiaal van plantegroei in die studie area toon is gemaak met behulp van Moderate-Resolution Image Spectroradiometer (MODIS) afgeleide NDVI data en ʼn koolstofvoorraaddatastel (National Level Carbon Stock dataset) voorsien deur die Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC). Pantropiese edafiese koppelvlakke is geïdentifiseer met behulp van 'n 250 meter buffer rondom kontrasterende grondtipes. Hoogland-Laeveld koppelvlakke is geïdentifiseer deur 'n 250 meter buffer langs die berg en laagland habitatte. Klassifikasie van Landsat 8 data is gebruik om ekotone in die studie area te identifiseer. Die resultate van die ruimtelike komponente is vergelyk met die habitattransformasiekaart wat bevolkte gebiede toon.