Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study is situated in the context of Christian ecotheology, which offers both a Christian critique of ecological destruction and an ecological critique of Christianity. One dimension of Christian ecotheology involves ecumenical discourse on the content and ecological signi-ficance of the Christian faith. This calls for a reinterpretation of all the classic Christian symbols. The focus of this study is on the ways in which the nature of sin is understood in contemporary contributions to ecotheology. In the literature, this is done explicitly through a redescription of sin but is often also implicit in a discussion of the root causes of environmental destruction and reflections on the underlying question – what on earth has gone wrong with the world in which we live? – given the ominous signs of environmental destruction. This study is more specifically situated in a larger project entitled: “Redeeming sin: Hamartology, ecology and social diagnostics”, registered at the University of the Western Cape. This study investigates the positions of five distinct authors who have offered a redescription of the nature of sin through their contributions to ecotheology. These authors are John Chryssavgis (Greek Orthodox Church), Aruna Gnanadason (Church of India), Jesse Mugambi (Anglican Church in Kenya), Larry Rasmussen (Lutheran Church in North America), and Rosemary Radford Ruether (Roman Catholic Church, based in North America). Their understanding of sin is described and analysed on the basis of a close reading of primary and secondary sources. Similarities and differences between their positions on the nature of sin are then compared in order to capture the state of the contemporary debate in ecotheology and to consider emerging horizons for further discourse and research on hamartology and ecology. / 2023-12-01

Magister Theologiae - MTh / Long-standing ecumenical debates on the relationship between “Faith and Order” (what the church is) and “Life and Work” (what the church does) exist. Although these dimensions are inseparable, the emphasis is often placed on either the one or the other, such as either on Christian identity or on social responsibility. Similar tensions may be found in ecumenical discourse on “spirituality and society”, between “ecumenical vision” and “social transformation”, “Christianity and culture”, or “faith and science”.

Ecological indicators are defined as quantifiable metrics that can be used to monitor the state of ecosystems and their response to environmental perturbations. In the global oceans, commonly used indicators are typically based on the presence and distribution of phytoplankton (as indexed by the concentration of chlorophyll-a [Chl-a]), which form the base of oceanic food webs. Phytoplankton phenology (the timing of phytoplankton growth) and phytoplankton size structure are particularly important ecological indicators that can be derived via ocean colour remote sensing. Phytoplankton phenology has a direct control on food availability, which subsequently impacts the survival of higher trophic levels and the structure of marine ecosystems. Meanwhile, phytoplankton size structure can be used to define the major functional groups that ultimately influence marine food web structure, biogeochemical cycling and carbon export. The Red Sea is a relatively unexplored tropical marine ecosystem, particularly in relation to its large-scale biological dynamics. In light of recent evidence of rapid regional warming, the need to monitor the response of the Red Sea to potential future ecosystem modifications is becoming more imminent. Using a combination of contemporary oceanographic tools, with an emphasis on ocean colour remote sensing, this PhD thesis attempts to validate the retrieval of phytoplankton ecological indicators in the Red Sea - specifically phytoplankton abundance, phenology and size structure. The interannual variability of both indicators and their linkages with the regional physical environment are also explored.

Stable isotope analyses are powerful tools for reconstructing ancient ecologies and ecosystems, as they are independent of morphology and directly reflect dietary ecology. The application of stable isotope analyses, however, is not without limitations, as determination of food web dynamics using these methods often relies on poorly tested assumptions. The guiding thread of this thesis is the testing of foundational cornerstones on which these methods rely, in order to validate the suitability of applying these techniques to different mammalian clades, and to more reliably and confidently interpret the isotopic signals preserved in extinct organisms. The first chapter of this thesis tests the validity of an important assumption behind the interpretation of stable carbon isotope analyses for understanding diet in terrestrial mammalian herbivores: if, as assumed for almost two decades, mammalian bioapatite δ¹³C is enriched by 14‰ relative to dietary δ¹³C. By analyzing new isotopic data from a never before assessed herbivorous group spanning a broad range of body masses—sloths (Xenarthra, Mammalia)— and other mammals with experimentally controlled or observationally known diets, I discovered considerable variation in diet–bioapatite δ¹³C enrichment among mammals. Statistical tests (ordinary least squares, quantile, robust regressions, Akaike information criterion model tests) documented independence from phylogeny, and a previously unrecognized strong and significant correlation of δ¹³C enrichment with body mass for all mammalian herbivores. A single-factor body mass model outperformed all other single-factor or more complex combinatorial models evaluated, including for physiological variables (metabolic rate and body temperature proxies), and indicated that body mass alone predicts δ¹³C enrichment. These analyses, spanning more than 5 orders of magnitude of body sizes, yield a size-dependent prediction of isotopic enrichment across Mammalia and for distinct digestive physiologies, permitting reconstruction of foregut versus hindgut fermentation physiologies for fossils and refined mean annual paleoprecipitation estimates based on δ¹³C of mammalian bioapatite. Second, I sought to evaluate the existing paradigm governing identification of closed canopy rainforests in the fossil record using mammalian δ¹³C data: the presence of mammals with dietary δ¹³C <-31‰, which has only been observed in closed canopy rainforests in Equatorial Africa, the only other tropical ecosystem sampled extensively. This chapter provides a characterization of δ¹³Cbioapatite, δ¹³Chair and δ¹⁵Nhair of a modern mammalian community in western Amazonia, in Peru, to test if the isotopic structure of mammals in this Neotropical ecosystem is similar to those in African tropical rainforests. The results indicate that despite their marked geographical and taxonomic differences, median δ¹³Cdiet values from closed canopy rainforests in Amazonia (-27.4‰) and equatorial Africa (-26.9‰) are not significantly different. Amazonian mammals, however, seem to exploit a narrower spectrum of dietary resources than equatorial African mammals, as depicted by the absence of highly negative δ¹³Cdiet values previously proposed as indicative of rainforests (<-31‰). I hypothesize that differential effects of late Pleistocene extinction may be responsible for the ecological disparities among the two rainforests, by significantly reducing evolutionary time and dietary breadth reflected in the modern Amazonian mammalian community. Finally, the third chapter of this dissertation evaluates assumptions behind δ¹⁵N amino acid compound specific analyses in order to test the controversial hypothesis of carnivory and consumption of proteins of animal origin in fossil sloths. This analytical technique relies on three main assumptions. First, that the offset between the δ¹⁵N of glutamic acid (δ¹⁵NGlx) and phenylalanine (d15NPhe) in the organism under study will increase with increasing trophic level. Second, that the offset between δ¹⁵NGlx and δ¹⁵NPhe at the base of the food chain is relatively constant and has a value of -8.4‰ for C3 ecosystems. Third, that the trophic discrimination factor in all ecosystems (the difference in δ¹⁵NGlx relative to δ¹⁵NPhe with increasing trophic level) is 7.6‰. The results of my experiments conducted on extant xenarthrans (sloths and anteaters) with controlled diets document that only the first assumption holds true. Rather than relying on an equation with constants introducing uncertainties and that are not applicable to organisms feeding on a combination of items of different origin (e.g., C3 + C4 plants), δ¹⁵NGlx and δ¹⁵NPhe values by themselves can accurately reconstruct the trophic position of organisms. Indeed, the results on δ¹⁵NGlx and δ¹⁵NPhe herein obtained for five xenarthran species in controlled feeding experiments, combined with mammalian data available from the literature, show strong and significant correlations between these two AAs and with trophic positions. Both the TP equation and the regression analyses of δ¹⁵NGlx and δ¹⁵NPhe suggest that the Pleistocene fossil ground sloths 𝘔𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘪 and 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 were not pure herbivores as commonly presumed, but rather that they were both mixed feeders/omnivores, incorporating items of animal origin in their diets.

This dissertation is an historical examination of policy and discourse as it impacts on ecological questions in South Africa, with a focus on land, mining and fishing. It shows how ecological issues are embedded in relations of class, race and gender. It argues that relation of nature and society and social relations form each other historically. Specifically, it makes visible how apparently progressive ideas to overcome the legacy of apartheid have served to perpetuate the ecological crisis after the end of apartheid. That is, although liberation ideology aims to overcome irrational and harmful forms of domination, current strategies of overcoming racial dispossession on the basis of capitalism rely on increasing and unbridled exploitation of natural resources. The dissertation concludes with a consideration of political perspectives and agency responding to the ecological crisis in South Africa today. It provides a survey of government, activist and community initiatives and assesses their capacity to help create a new relationship of nature and society, as the basis for a new society.

Protected areas are an important tool for biodiversity conservation. Statutory protected areas are, however, perceived to currently be insufficient in extent and functioning for achieving conservation goals. Conservation action on privately owned land plays an increasingly vital role in expanding the global conservation estate. Private Land Conservation Areas (PLCAs) exist with internal properties and external contexts and do not occur isolated in space and time. They can thus best be described as linked social-ecological systems. Little comprehensive work has yet been done concerning the structure and functioning of PLCAs. However, an understanding of their emergence, long-term persistence and contribution to conservation is highly relevant. How can PLCAs maintain their identity against disturbances in order to be resilient into the future? Spatial patterns and relationships determine the answer to this question. Geographical location influences the private conservation estate through different drivers, namely biophysical conditions, network connections and membership, as well as socio-economic conditions. I thus used a comparative, spatially explicit and holistic approach to better understand spatial resilience of PLCAs in the Western Cape Province of South Africa as case study region. The approach was based on assessing representative measures for four elements of system identity (being components, relationships, sources of continuity, and sources of innovation). I expected that geographical location and spatial variation in social-ecological factors strongly influence PLCA types, socio-economic interaction networks among protected areas and other stakeholders, contribution to conservation by PLCAs and their ecotourism performance. Information and data for this research were obtained from personal interviews conducted with owners and managers of 70 PLCAs across the province. Additional data were derived via conservation authorities and online tools. My findings show that the identity and resilience of PLCAs are strongly dominated by the influence of spatial location and heterogeneity in factors such as ecological features or socioeconomic context. I was able to verify existing PLCA types, namely game and habitat reserves, which strongly depended on the biophysical context. Visitation rates were influenced by location which determined the adopted corporate model of PLCAs. Clear neighbourhood effects emerged in socioeconomic interaction networks, which further highlighted great potential to enhance collaboration across scales. PLCAs provided a substantial contribution to conservation targets in terms of importance (covering critical biodiversity areas) and urgency (protecting ecosystems of threatened status). My findings will be valuable to highlight opportunities for more effective conservation in the study region, and to advance insights into the spatial resilience of social-ecological systems.

Coastal areas are very susceptible to environmental problems such as sea-level rise, coastal flooding, increased frequency and intensity of extreme events, and changes in marine ecosystems that are arising from global climate change and variability. In the South African context, the Agulhas Current is important for its crucial role in regional climate and weather as well as the fishing livelihood of the coastal communities along the east coast of South Africa. Despite the efforts made to understand the Agulhas Current and the impacts of climate and environmental change, the shelf region remains poorly understood mostly due to the difficulties associated with observing and modelling such strong currents. The marine resource users in the fishing communities along the east coast of South Africa show long term dependence on the neighbouring ocean going back at least three generations. These communities provide long term, rich, detailed, and contextualized environmental knowledge from their daily interactions with the sea. This study seeks to investigate the local climate and environmental change knowledge of the fishers based on their own observations, perceptions, and experiences. The convergence/divergence of the marine resource user’s knowledge with the traditional scientific findings is explored using a broad, participatory methodology including desktop literature analysis, interviews and an adopted version of the Rapid Vulnerability Assessment (RVA). Results show that fishers in Tshani-Mankosi have observed changes in the rainfall, sea surface temperature and wind patterns in their community. According to the fishers, sea surface temperature and annual rainfall seem to have decreased while winds and rainfall related extreme events have increased. Similar observations were noticed in the scientific research at a larger spatial and temporal scale. Key differences and similarities between the two types of knowledge come from factors such as knowledge construction processes, scales, type of data output and parameters of interest. Finally, the study reveals opportunities and challenges of research collaboration between the community and scientific researchers.

No description available.

This thesis aims to develop a workbook to assess social-ecological justice (SEJ) in projects, plans and processes. Social-ecological justice bridges many sustainability discourses in order to create a more inclusive and wider sustainability concept than previous ones (Gunnarsson Östling &amp; Svenfelt, (Submitted Book Chapter)).  In order to fill the gap between SEJ theory and practically assessing SEJ in projects, plans and processes there is a need for a tool that can help and guide practitioners in their work. This thesis aims to fill the existing gap by developing the SEJ workbook. A lot of the developed SEJ methodology is based on an already existing workbook developed by the Resilience Alliance (2010) called: Assessing resilience in social-ecological systems: Workbook for practitioners. This workbook and SEJ have the same definition of what a social-ecological system is, and share a lot of similar theoretical aspects. The methodology of this thesis is a combination of a theoretical study of the SEJ concept, an analytic comparative study between a Resilience Assessment and the SEJ concept, and semi-structured interviews with practitioners that in different ways works with sustainable development today. The result is a five steps workbook that consists of the parts: 1) Identifying issues, defining the area and actor analysis, 2) History of the issues, 3) Dynamics of the issues and cross-scale interactions, 4) Governance and 5) Acting on the assessment. Each step has questions that aim to help the analyst complete the SEJ assessment. This entire process creates an inclusive and broad understanding of SEJ issues in projects, plans and processes. The complete SEJ assessment can help decision makers and actors in the area make well informed decisions for future sustainable development. It can also serve as a first step in an EIA (environmental impact assessment) with connections to social, ecological and socioeconomic aspects.

Soil seed banks are important to the maintenance and restoration of floras. Extant seed banks exhibit unique characteristics with regard to the distribution of seed size and seed density. Seeds were recovered from the Upper Pennsylvanian Wise Formation in southwest Virginia. Structurally preserved seeds were also examined from coal balls of the Pennsylvanian Pottsville and Allegheny Groups, Ohio. The size distribution of the seeds from the Wise Formation is similar to that of structurally preserved seeds of the Upper Pennsylvanian Pottsville and Allegheny Group coal balls. In contrast, the seed size distributions in extant wetland, grassland, woodland and forest habitats are significantly narrower than that of seeds from the Pennsylvanian seed banks. Larger seeds are less dependent on light for germination, and aid in seedling establishment more than smaller seeds, especially in dense stable forests where disturbance events are rare. Large seed size may contribute to increased seed longevity, which reduces the effect of environmental variability on seed germination and development. The significantly larger size of the Palaeozoic seeds may have imparted an advantage for seedling establishment in the dense Palaeozoic forests. The preponderance of large seeds may be a result of the absence of large seed predators (e.g. herbivorous tetrapods), and may have been an evolutionary strategy to minimize damage to the embryo from a predator population dominated by small invertebrates with chewing or sucking mouthparts. The estimated seed density of 192 seeds/m2 in the Palaeozoic seed bank falls within the range of modern seed banks, but at the lower end of modern seed bank densities in a variety of habitats.