Magister Scientiae - MSc (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) / At a meeting of worl leaders at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, it was recognized that because of the tremendous increase in the size of the global populations (which now is estimated to exceed six billion), there were concerns that global biodiversity was at risk if insufficient land were not put aside for conservation within formal Protected Areas. The primary aim of this study was to compare investment in Protected Areas in relation to socio-economic conditions at global and regional levels. / South Africa

Please read the abstract in the section, 00front, of this document / Thesis (DPhil (Zoology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

The conservation of biotic diversity is a growing challenge within southern Africa at the beginning of the 21st century. Growing populations and trends toward a questionable Western development model place demands on the use of land for food, fiber, and fuel production. The traditional establishment and use of formal conservation areas is being challenged against the needs of humans and the past unbalances created by colonial rule. Conservation areas, as isolated islands in a sea of change driven by interconnected economic and social systems, may not be a basis for sustainable biodiversity conservation. This thesis examines characteristics of avian species diversity response to abiotic environmental variables and land transformation. Environmental and land-use correlates of species gradients, species diversity patterns, and the spatial patterning of bird assemblages varied with location. The findings supported a conceptual model of multi-scaled controls on bird distribution, and the related notion that local community structure is the result of both regional environmental and local-scale landscape pattern that must be taken in to account in regional conservation planning assessments. An analytical framework including an landscape model, use of complementary-based reserve selection procedures, gradient analysis, and inclusion of the total spatial economy and development needs of the KwaZulu-Natal Province proved to be important for developing an integrated conservation plan for sustainable avian conservation. Pattern recognition results of the spatial economy and landscape pattern revealed the strong dichotomy in Western economic versus rural African landscapes, which have lead to strong differences in avian assemblage patterns. The research described in this thesis targets specific objectives of the Sustainable Biosphere Initiative by addressing requirements for landscape level analysis of humans and ecosystems in an integrated analytical framework. The development of a co-evolutionary landscape ecology framework for examining human-ecosystem interaction provides a strong basis for supporting targeted conservation planning within regions rather than supporting a generic conservation planning framework. / Thesis (DPhil (Sustainable Ecological Management))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

Thesis (M.E.S.)--York University, 2002. Graduate Programme in Environmental Studies. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-128). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ71600.

Thesis (M. For. Sc.)--University of Canterbury, 2003. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-137). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Orientador: Paulo Yoshio Kageyama / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-09T02:11:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rocha_DulceMariaSucenada_D.pdf: 5411414 bytes, checksum: 039b3f3595695af930696a184ea4e0a4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: Este trabalho utilizou marcadores moleculares do tipo RAPD e caracteres morfológicos para estudar a variação encontrada dentro de P. emargiantus sensu Lewis (Fabaceae, Papilionoideae, Dipteryxeae). O objetivo foi verificar se o dimorfismo observado dentro deste taxon pode ser interpretado como variação dentro de uma mesma espécie ou se é indicativo de que P. emarginatus sensu Lewis engloba mais de uma entidade taxonômica, e neste caso, qual a relação entre cada uma dessas entidades bem como qual a melhor forma de nomeá-las. Lewis em uma publicação sobre Legumes da Bahia, considerou P. pubescens (Benth.) Benth. e P. polygalaeflorus (Benth.) Benth. Como sinônimos de P. emarginatus Vog. e, desde então, vêm sendo consideradas como tais em vários bancos de dados botânicos. Entretanto, P.emarginatus, como proposto por Lewis, é uma espécie dimórfica com indivíduos de flores róseas, folhas pubescentes e com folíolos de ápice levemente retuso e indivíduos de flores roxas, folhas glabras e com folíolos de ápice fortemente emarginado. Não foram encontradas populações mistas contendo indivíduos das duas morfos (rósea e roxa) de P. emarginatus sensu Lewis. Os resultados obtidos, tanto para dados moleculares como para os morfológicos são concordantes e separam as duas formas (rósea e roxa) de P.emarginatus sensu Lewis. A análise molecular mostrou que 74% da variância encontrada é explicada pela diferença entre as formas rósea e roxa. A análise canônica discriminante empregada para analisar as diferenças entre as formas baseado em dados morfológicos, permite separar as duas formas (r=0,963 p<0,0001). As análises anteriores, juntamente com os fototipos dos três taxa, permitiram concluir que P. polygalaeflorus é sinônimo de P. emarginatus Vog. e P.pubescens deve ser mantida como espécie distinta / Abstract: RAPD markers and morphological characters were employed in order to study the variation observed in Pterodon emarginatus sensu Lewis (Fabaceae, Papilionoideae, Dipteryxeae). The objective was to verify if the dimorphism observed in this taxon could be interpreted as variation within a species or if it indicates that P. emarginatus sensu Lewis contains more than one taxonomical entity and in this case, what is the relationship of them and how would be the best way to denominate them. In a publication about the legume species of Bahia (Brazil), Lewis has considered both P. pubescens (Benth.) Benth. and P. polygalaeflorus (Benth.) Benth. as synonyms of P. emarginatus Vog.. Since then, these two species have been treated as synonyms of P. emarginatus in many botanical databanks. However, P.emarginatus as proposed by Lewis, is a dimorphic species presenting individuals with pink flowers, pubescent leaves, and retuse folioles apex as well as plants with purple (violet) flowers, glabrous leaves and strong emarginate folioles apex. There is no mixed population of the two morphs (pink and violet) of P.emarginatus sensu Lewis in the field. The results of the AMOVA for RAPD markers showed that 74% of the observed variance was due to the difference between morphs pink and violet. The canonical discriminant analysis for morphological data agrees with molecular data showing a good separation of the two morphs (r= 0,963 p<0,0001). Those analyses together with the phototypes for the three taxa under study indicate that P.polygalaeflorus is a synonym of P.emarginatus and P.pubescens should be maintained as a separate species / Doutorado / Biologia Vegetal / Doutor em Biologia Vegetal

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology: Information Technology, Durban Institute of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2005. / Throughout Africa, growing human populations and resulting loss of wildlife habitat is a critical issue for most animal species. It is more and more common for privately owned small or medium sized farms to reintroduce wildlife on their land and such protected areas are fast becoming the only refuges available to wild animals. However a comprehensive understanding of the complex ecological processes taking place is vital for the effective management of restricted areas and the conservation of biodiversity. Due to the enormous complexity of an ecological system and the long periods of the related dynamics, it is very difficult to analyse the interaction between animals and plant populations without suitable computer models. In this thesis, the dynamics between elephant and trees (a major food source) are considered using computer simulations. / M

Thesis (M.Tech.: Information Technology)-Durban Institute of Technology, 2005 iii, iii, 85 leaves / Throughout Africa, growing human populations and resulting loss of wildlife habitat is a critical issue for most animal species. It is more and more common for privately owned small or medium sized farms to reintroduce wildlife on their land and such protected areas are fast becoming the only refuges available to wild animals. However a comprehensive understanding of the complex ecological processes taking place is vital for the effective management of restricted areas and the conservation of biodiversity. Due to the enormous complexity of an ecological system and the long periods of the related dynamics, it is very difficult to analyse the interaction between animals and plant populations without suitable computer models. In this thesis, the dynamics between elephant and trees (a major food source) are considered using computer simulations.

As the earth’s landscape becomes increasingly urbanized, local wildlife must adapt to urban conditions or migrate to areas that are more rural. Urban wildlife face challenges such as direct loss of habitat, competition with non-native species, disturbance due to anthropogenic noise, and micro-climatic changes. Factors such as temperature, relative humidity, and noise affect the acoustical environment and may affect the ability of many animals, including birds, to communicate. Understanding how urbanization affects birds’ singing behavior is critical because singing often plays a vital role in attracting mates and defending territories. In addition, as global climate change occurs it will become increasingly important to understand the influence of abiotic factors such as temperature on the singing behavior of birds. Developing a deeper understanding of how those abiotic factors affect singing and other associated behaviors may help guide future conservation actions. Carolina Wrens are often used to study the role of singing in defending territories. They are also a common subject for ranging studies. However, surprisingly little research has been conducted on the factors influencing Carolina Wren song activity over the course of a day. No studies have compared the singing activity of Carolina Wrens in urban and rural environments. The purpose of this study was to compare the singing activity of Carolina Wrens in urban and rural areas. Specifically, this study looked for patterns in the timing of songs throughout the day and examined the effects of season, temperature, and anthropogenic noise on singing activity in urban and rural settings. I analyzed data from 4 SongMeter© SM2 data loggers (2 located at an urban park in Bowling Green, KY and 2 located at a rural preserve in Hart County, KY). The data loggers were programmed to record ambient sound for 3 minutes at the beginning of every hour. A Hobo® data logger was deployed with each SongMeter© SM2 data logger to record temperature and relative humidity at 15-minute intervals. One week of data in May and one week of data in July were analyzed. Both weeks had similar photoperiods, temperatures, and amounts of precipitation. For each recording, I documented the number of Carolina Wren songs I heard and a categorical assessment of the precipitation and anthropogenic noise due to traffic or machinery. I conducted Chi-square analyses to compare the seasonal or site-based observed frequencies of singing activity to the corresponding expected frequencies. In May, Carolina Wrens at the urban site sang more than their rural counterparts. Daily activity patterns were visually analyzed using the average number of songs detected for each hour’s sampling period. No Carolina Wrens were heard singing the hour before sunrise or the hour after sunset. In May, the dawn chorus lasted nearly twice as long as in July. Zero-inflated Poisson regressions were used to determine the correlations between Carolina Wren singing activity and temperature or anthropogenic noise. Carolina Wren singing activity had significant correlations with both variables.

The objective of this thesis is to quantitatively understand the economic performance of protected area management strategies for forest and biodiversity conservation. Examples such as integrated conservation and development and eco tourism are assessed in terms of their ability to deliver on welfare benefits to local communities, and an assessment of the opportunity costs of forest conservation as a land use strategy. In addition the contribution of forest conservation in protected areas can make to poverty alleviation and economic development is also examined. The geographical focus of this study is the Albertine Rift region of East and Central Africa, stretching north from the southern end of Lake Tanganyika through the spine of Africa to the northern end of Lake Albert. The Albertine Rift is one of Africa’s most important landscapes for the conservation of forests and biodiversity. The overarching objective is addressed using a series of case studies empirically valuing the opportunity costs of conserving forests in a selection of sites in the central part of the Albertine Rift. The success of conservation is most often measured against progress in reducing habitat or species loss and not often in terms of the contribution of the protected area to poverty alleviation and local economic development. Achieving improvements of conservation strategies in the social dimension requires objective evidence on their effects. Economic valuation of protected area resources provides a quantitative means of assessing the promise and performance of conservation policies in achieving welfare benefits to local communities. This thesis provides three case studies each addressing current valuation and social issues in conservation and sets them in a context of managing protected areas in the broad dynamic setting of poverty alleviation and economic growth from a developing economy perspective. In addition two of the empirical studies are as concerned with methodological enquiry and the performance of novel environmental economic valuation techniques, such as the contingent valuation and choice modelling approaches, as the application of results to conservation questions. The empirical studies show that the benefits to local households and communities from their local forests may be greater than at first perceived. Across all protected area categories, biomes and income groups, households derived significant amounts of their overall income from their local protected area with large proportions of the value of goods harvested from forests being consumed in the home. Amongst income groups high income households often appropriated a greater share of the value of forest goods. There was no significant difference found between the household consumption and the sale of protected area products between income groups. The findings indicate that imposing reductions in forest use may increase poverty amongst local people whilst increasing household income will not necessarily reduce forest exploitation. This indicates that community conservation and integrated conservation and development programmes must target the poor forest adjacent households more actively to ensure poverty alleviation, whilst providing improved protection and law enforcement for effective conservation. It is also shown that biodiversity conservation can have an economic return through mountain gorilla eco-tourism. Findings show a disparity between what constitutes eco-tourism and the real values of tourists towards biodiversity conservation and local social benefits from protected areas. Despite showing a high marginal utility for biodiversity conservation, consumers are unwilling to pay for local community benefits from tourism as part of the permit price to view gorillas. Clearly the link between successful conservation and the welfare status of local communities is not sufficiently established in the minds of consumers to influence their spending decisions. The challenges of effectively mobilising communities to protect biodiversity are discussed in the context of the variable impacts of integrated conservation and development programs over the last three decades. Direct payment payments for conservation services schemes are discussed as an innovative tool to add to the gamut of community approaches currently on offer. Payments for conservation schemes are viewed with cautious optimism in terms of their possibility for success. Despite their allure of being more economically and socially efficient at achieving welfare and conservation objectives, given the complex nature of any society, no less research in to social and economic dynamics of protected area use by local communities would be needed to ensure success of such schemes. However, the overwhelming majority of benefits form protected areas are tied up in ecosystem services values. Mechanisms to generate funding and distribute payments for these benefits in terms of offsetting the local opportunity costs are essential to change local behavior and reduce forest degradation and destruction.