Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2008. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 164-178). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 186-196).

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 123-131).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2000. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-150). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

The Kootenay Region of British Columbia is an important landscape connection for wildlife diversity in the Yellowstone to Yukon ecoregional corridor. Significant conservation efforts have provided substantial areas designated to protect wildlife ecosystems in this area. Yet climate change and on-going human development threaten the future resilience of these ecosystems. In light of this complex problem, the goal of this dissertation is to evaluate the effectiveness of current wildlife conservation policy mechanisms, their potential vulnerability in the face of climate change, and the motivation of stakeholders to support policy adaptations. In particular, the research undertakes to understand how community support for adaptation strategies that mitigate climate change impacts on wildlife ecosystems may evolve through direct engagement in conservation assessment and design processes. The thesis therefore addresses the overarching question: “How does stakeholder engagement in an assessment of climate change impacts on wildlife ecosystems influence support for appropriate wildlife habitat and species intervention policies?” The dissertation reviews conservation policies applicable to British Columbia, reviews the efficacy of how those policies are implemented in the Kootenay Region, assesses the potential scope of ecosystem vulnerability to climate change in the region, and evaluates how stakeholder values, beliefs and attitudes motivate support for wildlife conservation and how this is influenced by engaging in a workshop that explores scenarios and impacts of climate change. The efficacy of current conservation policies was evaluated against ecosystem representation, objectives from the Kootenay-Boundary Land Use Plan, the recent ecoregional assessment for the Canadian Rocky Mountains prepared by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the Mountain Caribou Recovery Plan, conservation of habitat for Grizzly bears, fisher, lynx, wolverine and wolves, and recent conservation proposals. The potential for climate change impacts was assessed by modelling future ecosystem and wildlife habitat change scenarios. Finally, stakeholder motivation was evaluated by engaging a group of selected participants in a process involving a preliminary survey, attending a one-day workshop, and one-on-one interviews. Broadly, the research found that 1) that although the Kootenay Region has conservation policies in place that provide substantive protection for ecosystems and wildlife habitat, such policies were not designed to accommodate climate change impacts, and 2) value-based conflicts and institutional shortcomings are barriers to policy reform needed to address resilience in the context of climate change. Perspectives on a conservation design process explicitly addressing the tensions inherent in socio-ecological systems are offered as a framework for considering policy reforms required to contend with climate change impacts on wildlife conservation. / Graduate

Orientador: Luiz Fernando Costa Nascimento / Coorientador: José Alexandre Matelli / Banca: Andrea Paula Peneluppi Medeiros / Banca: Gisela Rita Alvarenga Monteiro Masques / Resumo: O acelerado processo de ocupação urbana que as cidades produzem para abrigar suas populações, vem impactando no ambiente físico e natural. Reflexo deste desequilíbrio está no surgimento da Ilha de Calor, promovida pelo excesso de áreas construídas, pouca permeabilidade no solo e de áreas vegetadas, contribuindo com o aumento de temperatura e com a alteração do balanço energético do lugar tornando os ambientes favoráveis para a proliferação de doenças vetoriais como a dengue. A maioria das pesquisas sobre Ilha de Calor estão relacionadas com conforto térmico e o equilíbrio ambiental nas áreas urbanas, sendo um desafio sobre as causas das alterações ambientais sobre as condições de saúde. Segundo a Secretária de vigilância epidemiológica da cidade de Taubaté-SP, na região do Vale do Paraíba, com população de 280.000 hab., notificou no ano de 2014 mais de 9 mil casos de dengue, sendo a terceira maior cidade com registro da doença no ano. A escassez de dados sobre o microclima que contribuam com a saúde pública e com as propostas do plano diretor da cidade, justifica esta pesquisa em reconhecer os impactos sobre o meio ambiente e associar a Ilha de Calor com os casos de dengue ocorridos na faixa etária de 0 a 9 anos. O objetivo do trabalho foi de identifica as mudanças de uso e ocupação do solo urbano entre os anos de 2000 e 2010 e detectar as alterações de temperatura de superfície da área urbana no verão de 2014 e associar com os casos de dengue ocorridos no mesmo período nos s... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The accelerated process of urban occupation that cities produce to shelter their populations, has impacted the physical and natural environment. Reflection of this imbalance is in the emergence of the "heat island", promoted by the excess of constructed areas, little permeability in the soil and of vegetated areas, contributing with the increase of temperature and with the alteration of the energy balance of the place making the environments favorable for the proliferation of vector-borne diseases such as dengue. Most research on 'heat islands' is related to thermal comfort and the environmental balance of urban areas, and is a challenge on the causes of environmental changes on health conditions. According to the Secretary of Epidemiological Surveillance of the city of Taubaté-SP, in the Vale do Paraíba region, with a population of 280,000 inhabitants, in the year 2014 reported more than 9 thousand cases of dengue fever, being the third largest city with registered disease in the year. The scarcity of data on the microclimate that contribute to public health and the proposals of the city master plan justifies this research in recognizing the impacts on the environment and associating "heat islands" with dengue cases occurring in the range age from 0 to 9 years. The objective of this work was to identify changes in urban land use and urban occupation between 2000 and 2010 to detect changes in the surface temperature of the urban area in the summer of 2014 and to associate wit... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

In Lesotho, agriculture is the dominant activity and involves crop and livestock production, range management and forestry activities. The current climatic variability in the country has caused decline in food production as result of increased dry spells, frequency of droughts and erratic rainfall. These climatic events are expected to have a significant impact on the livelihoods of the smallholder farmers. In combatting the harmful effects of climate change, smallholder farmers in Lesotho have employed various adaptation strategies based on their local knowledge and limited means. While these strategies may not be optimal they obviously constitute the basis for potentially effective improved technologies which can be developed and communicated through an efficient extension system, hence the need to precisely identify them and understand the factors that affect their choice. The main objective of this study was therefore, to identify the adaptation strategies and investigate the factors influencing smallholder farmers’ choice of those adaptation strategies. The study made use of multi-stage stratified sampling technique to select 160 respondents across four agro-ecological zones (lowlands, highlands, foothills and Senqu River Valley) in Leribe and Mohales’Hoek districts of Lesotho. Primary data for the study were collected using semi - structured questionnaire assisted with interview schedules administered on the respondents. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and the multinomial logistics regression model. The results show that there are more males than females, majority of the respondents’ attained primary education, and older people dominate the smallholder farming system. The adaptation strategies used in MNL model were soil and water management, crop management and livestock management. The results further revealed that soil and water management strategies were the most adopted climate change strategies amongst smallholder farmers. It is understood that marital status, age and gender, income, land tenure, crop grown, extension services, and agro-ecological zones are the determinant factors influencing the choice of the adaptation strategies. This study concludes by recommending that smallholder farmers should be sensitised about climate change and both government and non-government organisations working on climate change related issues should direct their attention to rural communities to ensure effective response to climate change.