The aim of this thesis is to examine the nature of the changes that took place within paper conservation, a section of the practice/occupation of material conservation, in the United Kingdom during the period from 1975 to 2005. In the 1970s, conservation emerged as a distinct practice within the museum sector from two sources: semi-skilled cleaners and movers of art objects, and the traditional restorers of cultural objects. From then until the end of the century, it continued to grow and mature. The nature of this growth and the changes that took place within it will be modelled with the objective of enabling future changes within conservation to be evaluated. The evaluation of conservation in this manner will determine its definition as an industry. The changes will be assessed by highlighting their effect on one section of conservation practice, namely paper conservation. This practice concentrates on the conservation of cultural material created using paper, including such categories of artefacts as watercolours, fine art prints, drawings, ephemera, archival materials, books and all paper-based sculpture. During the period between 1970 and 2000, paper conservation developed from being a fledgling practice to becoming an accepted standard within the museum sector. In becoming so, it placed great emphasis on professionalism. This provided paper conservation with a template for change, a process through which it could develop and grow. Paper conservation embraced this process as a means of providing a set of standards to which it could adhere, but also as a means of garnering greater acceptability for its approach within the wider museum sector. Issues relating to the development of a profession and professionalism will be further explored as part of the literature review. Organisational change was also considered to have a relevance to the development of paper conservation, and this, too, will be explored within the literature review. Steps to professionalise conservation and subsequent changes in the wider museum sector were seen to have had the most impact on the structure of conservation. They may also have had relevance for the practice itself. Paper conservation was successful in having its occupational aims accepted throughout the museum sector, and this has further implications for those interested in researching by occupations of the professionalisation process. An understanding of the nature of this change, and how paper conservation reached its goal of acceptance for its values, is indispensable for those involved in decision-making within conservation today, and in the future. The thesis is based on an analysis of documents from the period directly relating to change within the field of conservation. It also includes interviews with personnel who were practising conservators, the providers of conservation education, and officers of the different agencies representing conservation. Research questions were formed from this analysis, and multiple case studies were undertaken to analyse these questions.

<p> Several state, federal and non-profit agencies have developed collaborative goals for restoring habitat in New England and New York for a declining rabbit species, the New England cottontail (<i>Sylvilagus transitionalis</i>, NEC). My goal was to evaluate habitat restorations at both the local, or site, scale, and the landscape scale. In order to objectively quantify the suitability of the sites being managed, I developed a Habitat Suitability Index, based on the HSI models designed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I identified candidate habitat variables for NEC, including types of cover and refuges, and food, and then asked a panel of NEC experts to rank the importance of the candidate variables. I collected data on the most important habitat variables at 60 sites managed for NEC across New England and eastern New York. The NEC experts also ranked the same 60 sites from 1 (unsuitable) to 5 (optimal). The model was optimized to improve agreement with expert opinions for the 60 sites. Specific applications may include determining when a site is suitable for releasing translocated or captive breed rabbits, and identifying habitat features that need modification as forest succession progresses. To evaluate habitat restoration efforts at a larger landscape scale, I created metapopulation models for two management focus areas (Cape Elizabeth and Kittery-Berwick) in Maine for population viability analyses. I ran simulations to compare the relative effects of the two focus areas as well as five management scenarios. I conducted a sensitivity analysis to determine the importance of various model parameters on extinction risk. The Cape Elizabeth focus area, which has more habitat patches that are closer together, had lower extinction risks than Kittery-Berwick. Reintroductions and creating additional habitat appeared especially important in the Kittery-Berwick focus area. The simulation results were sensitive to changes in the standard deviations of the survival and recruitment rates, and the probability of catastrophic mortality, indicating that variation is detrimental to NEC metapopulation growth. Variation in weather caused by climate change may need to be mitigated by monitoring and managing NEC habitat and populations.</p><p>

<p>Billions of dollars have been invested in land protection as a strategy to conserve biodiversity based on the assumption that protected areas buffer species from processes that drive extinction. Increasingly, protected area expansion and connectivity are being incorporated into climate change adaptation strategies to facilitate anticipated shifts in species ranges in response to predicted changes in temperature and precipitation. However, the effectiveness of protected areas at maintaining biodiversity, either by reducing the risk of extinction or facilitating colonization into new areas, has not been well established. In addition, the growing reliance on multiple-use protected areas that allow resource extraction, such as timber harvest and mineral mining, has raised questions about whether multiple-use protected areas are equally beneficial for long-term biodiversity conservation as more strictly protected areas that limit active resource management. In order to address these questions using repeated Breeding Bird Atlas data, I first had to confront the limitations of existing approaches to account for imperfect detection by developing a novel modelling approach to addresses the gap between requirements of other multi-season occupancy models (i.e. repeated sampling) and existing datasets. I then applied that single-visit dynamic occupancy modelling approach to Atlas data in New York and Pennsylvania for 97 species to quantify drivers of colonization and extinction while accounting for imperfect detection in landscapes that varied by type and amount of land cover and area under protection. In general, protected areas increased colonization and lowered extinction probabilities to an increasing degree as both forest cover and neighborhood protection decreased, with particular benefits for forest breeding birds. Both strict and multiple-use protected areas increased colonization and reduced extinction more for mature forest species than early forest species, with the greatest benefits accruing when forest cover was relatively low. These results provided the most comprehensive evidence to date that protected areas can facilitate species persistence by both reducing the risk of extinction and providing attractive colonization sites as species? ranges shift and that biodiversity conservation can be compatible with renewable resource extraction.

The Bechstein’s bat, Myotis bechsteinii, is known as one of Britain’s most elusive mammals. Critical information on the species is lacking, hindering evidence-based conservation and management in a human-dominated landscape. In this thesis, I used a combination of molecular and landscape approaches to assess the genetic health and population genetic structure of M. bechsteinii and understand how the British landscape affects the species habitat and its connectivity. I also aimed to develop new molecular tools, such as non-invasive genetic sampling and molecular ageing, which could then be used to better monitor the species. Data from nuclear markers (microsatellites) showed high levels of genetic diversity and little inbreeding across the species range, though genetic diversity was slightly lower in Britain than in mainland Europe. Bayesian and spatial Principal Components (sPCA) analysis showed a clear separation between British and European populations. This analysis also revealed that in Europe the Italian population south of the Alps was found to constitute a different group from other sites. In Britain, there was genetic structuring between the northern and southern part of the species range. Despite there being little genetic divergence in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences throughout most of Europe, the mtDNA patterns in Britain confirmed this separation of northern and southern populations. Such genetic structuring within Britain — in the absence of any obvious physical barriers — suggested that other features such as landuse may limit gene-flow. To better understand how the species interacts with 4 the British landscape, I used a landscape genetic approach, habitat suitability modelling using presence-only data and a landscape connectivity analysis. The negative association of M. bechsteinii presence with distance from woodland was identified as the main variable determining habitat suitability, while the landscape genetics results highlighted the importance of woodlands for gene flow. M. bechsteinii habitat was highly fragmented and only showed good connectivity if the species was able to disperse over 5,000 m. These results subsequently highlight the importance of woodlands not only for providing suitable habitat, but also in maintaining genetic connectivity between populations. Then, I investigated the use of non-invasive capture-mark-recapture (CMR) and demographic history models to estimate the population size and changes of M. bechsteinii. Bat droppings were collected below roosting sites of a single colony. After species identification, the 123 droppings belonging to M. bechsteinii were genotyped at nine DNA microsatellite loci in order to differentiate all individuals. All microsatellites showed very low amplification rates indicating low quality samples. However, at a larger scale, the use of population demographic models to assess effective population size variation using a dataset of 260 bats of the British population gave an estimate of the effective population size of 6,569 (CI: 5,307-8,006) and suggested that the British population of Myotis bechsteinii is stable and possibly expanding. Finally, I developed an epigenetic assay to estimate the age of individual bats. For this, I measured DNA methylation on bats of known age at seven CpG sites from three genes. All CpG sites from the tested genes showed a significant relationship between DNA methylation and age and provided reliable age estimates. 5 The findings presented in this thesis show that despite exhibiting high levels of genetic diversity throughout its range, the genetic structure, habitat and connectivity of M. bechsteinii populations is highly influenced by woodlands. It also offers a novel method to monitor the species by developing an assay which can provide information on the age structure of an entire colony from a single sampling session. Such approaches are much needed in the field of conservation and could in the future help preserve a wider range of species.

In an increasingly urbanised world, historic settlements have been facing tremendous urbanisation and development pressures. In this context, historic settlements included on the World Heritage List ought to be flagships for urban conservation. This dissertation investigates how effectively the existing protection and management policies under the World Heritage Convention contribute to the protection of historic urban settlements and especially their surroundings. The factors affecting urban settlements, and the responses adopted by the international community for the protection of urban heritage, are investigated – first in relation to urban settlements in general, and then in relation to historic settlements included on the World Heritage List. To get a holistic view of how historic settlements have been protected under the World Heritage Convention, the monitoring mechanisms established under the Convention are examined. The analysis of the results of the first cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise and of the state of conservation reports resulting from the Reactive Monitoring process provide an overall view of the main issues influencing the protection of World Heritage settlements. To get an overview of the factors affecting the surroundings of World Heritage settlements in particular, the concept of buffer zone – adopted under the World Heritage Convention as the main mechanism for the protection of the surroundings of World Heritage properties – is investigated not only in relation to its use in other disciplines and to the protection of natural protected areas, but also in the nomination files over time. To investigate how historic settlements and their surroundings in particular have been affected by urbanisation and development pressures, and how they have been protected under the World Heritage Convention, four case studies are studied, namely Angra do Heroísmo in Portugal, Olinda in Brazil, Marrakesh in Morocco and the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. In all four cases I examine how their inscription on the World Heritage List has influenced their protection and that of their surroundings in particular, how the existing managements systems established for their protection have responded to urbanisation and development pressures, and what are the main factors affecting their state of conservation. In addition, as the Kathmandu Valley has received enormous attention under the World Heritage system, this case study is also analysed to obtain an in-depth understanding of how the system has been implemented for the protection of World Heritage settlements. The case studies shed light on five inter-related aspects. First, that the legal and management arrangements adopted for the protection of the World Heritage settlements are not built upon what is considered to be their outstanding universal value, and are insufficient to effectively address existing urbanisation and development pressures. Second, that the factors affecting the state of conservation of World Heritage properties increasingly originate from beyond the properties‘ boundaries, but there is nevertheless no integration of the planning and management arrangements for the World Heritage settlements within their wider urban context. Third, that the surroundings of the World Heritage settlements investigated have continued to undergo considerable change since the time of inscription and are now much more urbanized areas, despite existing legal mechanisms for their protection. Fourth, that although Angra do Heroísmo, Olinda and Marrakesh present similar factors affecting their state of conservation to those identified for the Kathmandu Valley, they have not received the same attention from the World Heritage Committee, pointing to a lack of clarity on the selection process for the follow-up of the state of conservation of a property through Reactive Monitoring. Fifth, in relation to the Kathmandu Valley only, that the involvement of the international community has considerable limitations and needs to be improved. These aspects show that the protection and management policies under the World Heritage Convention are limited, not effectively implemented or enforced, and only address a limited number of the existing needs. The dissertation concludes by articulating how existing trends influencing urban settlements can be more effectively addressed by existing mechanisms under the World Heritage Convention. Finally I bring forward the policy implications deriving from the research findings and suggest broad strategies for improving some of the processes and practices for the protection of World Heritage settlements and their surroundings in particular.

<p> Involving a diversity of stakeholders in conservation issues is an important and growing trend in wildlife management. My thesis provides a case study of a collaborative conservation effort in which representatives from sportsmen&rsquo;s and environmental groups came together to advise the Arizona Game and Fish Department in a project to restore bighorn sheep to the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona. These stakeholders formed the Catalina Bighorn Sheep Restoration Advisory Committee to help address the human dimension factors of the project, build public support, and guide project planning and implementation. In addition to participant observation and document analysis informing my study, I surveyed 31 stakeholders both on and off the Advisory Committee and interviewed key Advisory Committee members. All stakeholders were in favor of collaborative conservation. However, there were objections to this particular Advisory Committee for this particular project. Although stakeholders had a diversity of values that informed their beliefs, the Advisory Committee members who took the time to understand the science involved, develop mutual trust and respect for others at the table, and held a strong commitment to the project goals were able to shift deeply held, values-based beliefs and find consensus on contentious project elements. This included agreeing on a mountain lion management plan that called for the killing of mountain lions that preyed on the newly reintroduced bighorn sheep. Stakeholders not on the Advisory Committee did not come to agreement on most elements of the project. This study contributes to the understanding of collaborative conservation efforts by providing a case study of a controversial wildlife conservation project that involved diverse stakeholders who worked together, successfully found consensus, and achieved their main goal of getting bighorn sheep back on the mountain.</p><p>

Although urban heritage has been a research field in the focus of scholars’ attention since the concepts of restoration and rehabilitation of monuments had been extended to entire areas such as historical city centres, before the mid‐twentieth century, architectural studies approached towns only through individual historical monuments, and historical studies only through juridical, political, and religious institutions or economic and social structures. In consequence, urban space as the manifestation of the urban phenomenon in its complexity has been largely ignored by the practice of urban conservation. This thesis aims to be a theoretical approach to the field of urban conservation, revealing its place at the crossing of history, architecture, urbanism, geography, philosophy, and anthropology. The creation of place, its understanding, the meaning that places hold for human identity and the way they shape us in return. The basis of such an enquiry is set by looking at attitudes towards the historic fabric over time and the origins of the notion of ‘urban conservation’ in its European context. The concentration of economic, social and cultural exchanges over long periods of time, which characterises traditional urban cultures, gives the value of historical areas in towns. Therefore, the history of urban development provides a substantial contribution towards the protection, conservation, and restoration policy of historic towns and urban areas as well as towards their development and adaptation to contemporary life. The term ‘integrated conservation’ emerged as a response to these changes in conservation’s relationship to heritage and its context. This broadened image of heritage enables a better understanding of how human activity has shaped the urban fabric and of how conservation can be perceived today as a component of management of urban change. This raises a number of theoretical and methodological issues, which are discussed in detail in this thesis: how do we understand the historic urban areas and how do we elicit their cultural values in order to protect and use these values. This research is therefore concerned with the origin and nature of ideas relevant to urban conservation, rather than with what is commonly regarded as being a prescriptive doctrine in heritage conservation generally, and indeed urban conservation. In reality, this latter view of the theoretical and philosophical body of research in conservation is hindering its theoretical development as a discipline and has an undesired, stalling effect on practice development. This is why this research aims to provide tools for thinking about specific conservation issues, not self‐sufficient theories. The references span a very wide timescale because of the inherent preoccupation of humans with their own inhabiting of the world, which is ultimately the frame in which urban settlements are inscribed.

Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) continue to decline due to habitat loss, poaching and conflict with humans. Yet, developing effective land conservation strategies for elephants is difficult because there is little information available on their foraging ecology, habitat use, movements and home range behaviors. Using the lead animal technique, 14 free-ranging, tame elephants at the Seblat Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) were observed for 4,496 hours to describe their foraging ecology and diet. The majority of their daily activity was feeding (82.2 ± 5.0%), followed by moving (9.5 ± 4.0 %), resting (6.6 ± 2.1%) and drinking (1.7 ± 0.6%), and individual activity budgets varied among individuals for all activities. At least 273 plant species belonging to 69 plant families were eaten by elephants and five plant families of Moraceae, Arecaceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, and Euphorbiaceae were most commonly consumed. Elephants browsed more frequently than grazed, especially in the wet season. Levels of crude protein, calcium, phosphorus and gross energy in plants eaten by elephants in Seblat appeared adequate for meeting the nutritional requirements. Home range size of an adult female elephant in the SECC during 2007–2008, was 97.4 km2 for the MCP and 95.0 km2 for the 95% fixed kernel. There were no relationships between average monthly elephant home range sizes or movement distances with rainfall. Distances to rivers and ex-logging roads had little effect on elephant movements, but vegetation productivity, as measured by the Enhanced Vegetation Index, did affect elephant movements. We used resource selection and compositional analysis habitat ranking approaches to describe adult female elephant habitat use in the SECC. The elephant used medium canopy and open canopy forests more than expected; however, during the day closed canopy forests were used more than at night. Locating and capturing wild elephants in tropical rainforest environments are difficult and high-risk tasks. However, using tame elephants improves the search efficiency of finding wild elephants in dense forests and reduces risks to staff and target elephants. Use of experienced veterinarians and standing sedation techniques also greatly reduce the risks of elephant injury while immobilizing elephants.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago Divinity School, June 1997. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Waikato, 2007. / Title from PDF cover (viewed April 8, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 113-118)