This thesis investigated the restoration of mauri (life-force) to Ōkahu Bay, Auckland New Zealand. Ōkahu Bay is part of the land and waters of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, a Māori hapū (sub-tribe). Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei has been driving the restoration, restoring Ōkahu Bay based on their worldview, visions, and concerns. This vision and control of the restoration process allows them to bring in the hapū in sustainable engagement and have the long-term vision and commitment necessary for self-determination. However, while there has been progress with projects and improved decision-making authority, hapū members are still not seeing their whānau (family) swimming in and caring for Ōkahu as much as they would like. Interviewees wanted to see an explicit focus on encouraging hapū members to use the bay, such as more educational programs and water-based activities, and continued efforts to improve water quality. Shellfish populations have also not recovered after a decade of monitoring due to structural aspects such as existing stormwater pipes. Changing these requires Auckland City Council to make stronger commitments to supporting Ngāti Whātua’s restoration. Overall, this investigation showed that in this restoration, a clean environment is essential to build community and a community is essential to build a clean environment. This community-driven restoration, while not perfect, has great potential to truly reconnect people with their environments, decolonize the land and the people, and create thriving ecosystems and people that benefit themselves, their communities, and the wider Auckland community.

This study tested the performance of classification, regression, and ordination techniques to evaluate the spatiotemporal dynamics of threats to big sagebrush ecological sites. The research was focused on invasion by annual exotic grasses and encroachment by woodlands. We sought to identify those areas that have had a persistent coverage of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) in big sagebrush ecological sites. We took advantage of the contrast in greenness between multi-temporal (within one year) remotely sensed vegetation indices captured in the spring and summer to find a distinct phenological signature that allowed mapping cheatgrass. We utilized support vector machines (SVM) to classify three temporal scenarios for which field data sets were available. SVM performed very well with accuracies of 70% (producer's) and 95% (user's) for the class of interest (presence of cheatgrass). This was the focus of chapter 2. In chapter 3 we report the development of vegetation continuous fields (VCF) for three years of interest 1996, 2001, and 2007 in order to detect active woodland encroachment. We prepared VCF for shrubs, trees, herbaceous vegetation, and bare ground using a suite of remotely sensed spectral reflectance, vegetation indices, and transformations. We compared the performance of multivariate regression trees (MRT) and random forests (RF) to develop the VCF multi-temporal series. RF outperformed MRT in both accuracy and ability to appropriately map the continuum of percent cover across large landscapes. We estimate that 17,570 hectares of big sagebrush lands showed encroachment by woodlands. Our goal in chapter 4 was to develop a similarity index for large rangeland landscapes. Trend assessments field sites and a long-term annual series (1984 - 2008) of remotely sensed imagery were used in conjunction with multidimensional scaling (MDS) to measure ecological distance to undesired states such as invasion by exotic annuals and encroachment by woodlands. In this chapter our units of analysis were soil-mapping units, which were predominantly composed of one ecological site (>60%). Our MDS results show that different ecological sites can be identified in the reduced MDS statistical space. The observed transitions and trajectories of mountain, Wyoming, and basin big sagebrush sites correlated well with the ecological expectation in semiarid lands. We anticipate that managers can use our protocols to update ecological site descriptions and state and transition models from a remotely sensed perspective.

Le sujet de la présente thèse est La soutenabilité de l’accumulation du capital et de ses régimes : une approche macroéconomique en termes de soutenabilité forte. Elle s’articule en deux parties. Deux chapitres composent la première : le chapitre 1 s’inscrit dans le débat sur la possibilité d’un capitalisme stationnaire. Il analyse l’absence des rapports sociaux spécifiques du capitalisme dans les travaux de certains économistes écologiques au moyen d’exemples historiques de crise écologique et des théories éco-marxistes. Le chapitre 2 discute les analyses monétaires de certains économistes écologiques selon lesquelles un état stationnaire est incompatible avec un système dans lequel la monnaie est créée comme une dette portant intérêt en adoptant un point de vue post-keynésien. La deuxième partie est plus empirique et se compose de trois chapitres. Le chapitre 3 examine la relation sociale à l’exergie au sein du régime d’accumulation fordiste et du capitalisme financiarisé et mondialisé. L’approche en termes d’énergie est intégrée à un cadre théorique régulationniste informé par l’approche en termes de démocratie carbone. L’objectif est d’identifier des ruptures dans les modalités d’usage de l’énergie qui accompagnent les transformations observées dans d’autres domaines. Le chapitre 4 prolonge le précédent au moyen d’une analyse économétrique de la relation PIB-CO2 pour la France de 1950 à 2013 en tenant compte de la rupture dans les régularités de l’accumulation du capital entre le régime d’accumulation fordiste et le régime d’accumulation néolibéral ainsi que des possibles asymétries. Le chapitre 5 analyse les ambitions nationales en matière de réduction de gaz à effet de serre, dénommées volontarisme carbone, replacées dans le contexte du capitalisme globalisé et financiarisé contemporain. / The subject of my PhD is The sustainability of capital accumulation and its regimes : a strong sustainability macroeconomic approach. It is composed of two parts. The first one is composed of two chapters that review the literature on two aspects : The first chapter tackles the debate on stationary capitalism. It reviews the way capitalism is taken into account by ecological economists and analyzes it in light of historical examples of ecological crises and of insights from eco-marxist theories. Chapter 2 tackles the debate about the so-called monetary growth imperative analysed from a post-Keynesian point of view. The second part is a more empirical one and is composed of three chapters. Chapter 3 attempts at framing the exergy-useful work approach into a régulationnist theoretical framework informed with insights from the Carbon democracy approach. It investigates the social relationship to energy in the Fordist and Neoliberal accumulation regimes. The fourth chapter attempts at furthering the third chapter by investigating the CO2 - GDP relationship through econometric means taking into account structural breaks between accumulation regimes and possible asymmetries. Chapter 5 investigates the commitment of countries to reduce their greenhousegas emissions within the context of globalized finance-led capitalism.

This thesis is based on two observations. First, that conventional buildings cause two major losses that involve non-human nature – the loss of native biodiversity and the loss of non-human nature experience for the buildings’ human inhabitants – and that these losses both contribute to a perceived separation between humans and the rest of nature. Second, that there appears to be a growing interest in connecting buildings with nature but there is little agreement on what it actually means to ‘design with nature’. As such, the purpose of this study is two-fold: (1) to describe the meaning of ‘designing with nature’ in current architectural practice and provide a working definition of nature-based design, and (2) to explore how this can be interpreted to encourage human connectedness with non-human nature, while addressing the two major losses mentioned above. It is thus an attempt to reframe the role of building as one that provides for all inhabitants of a site, both human and non. A framework was developed that captures and summarizes the dominant ways in which design draws on nature. The framework emphasizes the importance of using ecosystems not only as models, but foremost as context. The core concepts of the framework can thus be discussed from the perspective of buildings that act like an ecosystem and that interact with their ecosystem, and are described as: ecological sense of place, regenerative ability, ecosystem health, mutually beneficial relationships, context, appropriate management, functions, ecosystem principles, values, patterns, conditions, and adaptations. Although the concepts presented in the framework are themselves not new, the way in which they are organized does contribute a new perspective on the field of nature-based design. In addition to providing a graphic model that summarizes the essence of an evolving field, the research highlights the role of scale and place in linking building design, native biodiversity, nature experience and connectedness with nature. It thus acts as a backdrop on which to bring a discussion of ecological citizenship into the architectural dialogue.

Cattle ranching in Vermilion Parish is a social-techno-ecological system (STES) that is currently vulnerable due to changing social, technological and ecological conditions. In addressing ways to increase the adaptive capacity of cattle ranching in Vermilion Parish, I used a multiple, mixed method approach grounded in a critical constructivist framework. Constructivism is the idea that our relationship to facts is constructed by our social context. It is these perceptions that shape people’s actions. By looking at these perceptions through an emancipatory frame I was able to understand multiple interpretations of meaning, consciously address them, consider how they may have shaped our actions, and then alter those meanings and power relationships. In an effort to increase the adaptive capacity of cattle ranching in Vermilion Parish, my research focused on actions, why people perform those actions, and how to change them. This research connected the physical landscape of the marshes, the individual landscape of perception, and the conceptual landscape of resilience. If resilience is the ability of a system (cattle ranching in vermilion parish) to recover after a disturbance, adaptive capacity is when the actors within the system can influence that system’s resilience. I explored the history of cattle ranching in Vermilion Parish from three different, but overlapping perspectives – environmental, social, and technological. These perspectives compliment the information from interviews and 3CM sessions. These 15 interviews revealed the perception of 11 types of threats facing cattle ranching in Vermilion Parish. The body of literature surrounding resilience theory identifies traits of highly adaptive systems. The recommendations and suggestions outlined in Chapter 6 exist at the intersection of the actors’ perception of specific threats and the decidedly generalized traits of highly adaptive systems. These suggestions were geared towards increasing the adaptive capacity of cattle ranching in Vermilion Parish. Given these layered landscapes and their complexity, my recommendations were subject to feedback loops and long periods of integration. These recommendations contribute to the theoretical foundation detailed in Chapter 3 by identifying specific ways that the actors of this particular system may be able increase their own adaptive capacity. / text

This thesis is based on two observations. First, that conventional buildings cause two major losses that involve non-human nature – the loss of native biodiversity and the loss of non-human nature experience for the buildings’ human inhabitants – and that these losses both contribute to a perceived separation between humans and the rest of nature. Second, that there appears to be a growing interest in connecting buildings with nature but there is little agreement on what it actually means to ‘design with nature’. As such, the purpose of this study is two-fold: (1) to describe the meaning of ‘designing with nature’ in current architectural practice and provide a working definition of nature-based design, and (2) to explore how this can be interpreted to encourage human connectedness with non-human nature, while addressing the two major losses mentioned above. It is thus an attempt to reframe the role of building as one that provides for all inhabitants of a site, both human and non. A framework was developed that captures and summarizes the dominant ways in which design draws on nature. The framework emphasizes the importance of using ecosystems not only as models, but foremost as context. The core concepts of the framework can thus be discussed from the perspective of buildings that act like an ecosystem and that interact with their ecosystem, and are described as: ecological sense of place, regenerative ability, ecosystem health, mutually beneficial relationships, context, appropriate management, functions, ecosystem principles, values, patterns, conditions, and adaptations. Although the concepts presented in the framework are themselves not new, the way in which they are organized does contribute a new perspective on the field of nature-based design. In addition to providing a graphic model that summarizes the essence of an evolving field, the research highlights the role of scale and place in linking building design, native biodiversity, nature experience and connectedness with nature. It thus acts as a backdrop on which to bring a discussion of ecological citizenship into the architectural dialogue.

Magistro darbe tiriama Nemuno kilpų regioninio parko Punios šilo sumedėjusią augaliją. Darbo objektas – Punios šilas bei jame esantys gamtinis rezervatas ir botaninis – zoologinis draustinis. Dabar Punios šilas – viena svarbiausių Nemuno kilpų regioninio parko dalių. Darbo tikslas – ekologinis Nemuno kilpų regioninio parko Punios šilo sumedėjusios augalijos vertinimas. Darbo metodika – Išanalizavus literatūrinę medžiagą ir remiantis Nemuno kilpų regioniniame parke esančiame Punios šile atliktais sumedėjusios augalijos tyrimais, stebėjimais nustatytas medžių rūšių išsidėstymas, jų pasiskirstymas kvartaluose. Buvo nustatyta medynų ekologinė būklė. Tyrimai buvo vykdomi visuose 48 Punios šilo kvartaluose. Kiekvienam kvartalui sudaryta atskira lentelė, iš kurios atsispindi bendras užimamas kvartalo plotas hektarais, sklypų skaičius, medynų sudėtis, būdinga augavietė, medynų amžiaus vidurkis, skalsumas, medynų tūris. Darbo rezultatai – nustatyta esama sumedėjusios augalijos rūšinė sudėtis, medynų įvairovė, ekologinė būklė. Punios šilo gamtinių objektų būklė yra gera. Pagal medynų charakteristiką Punios šile pušynai užima didžiausią plotą, eglynai per puse mažesnį, o ąžuolynai ir beržynai beveik vienodą plotą. / Post–graduate work examined the Nemunas loops regional park the forest of Punia woody vegetation. Object of the work - forest of Punia with nature reserve and botanical - zoological preserve that are in it. Now forest of Punia - one of the most important part of the Nemunas Loops Regional Park. Aim of the work - the ecological assessment of Nemunas loops regional park forest of Punia woody vegetation. Method of the work - analysis of literary material and on the basis of the Nemunas Loops Regional Park located in forest of Punia for the woody vegetation studies, the observations set out in the distribution of tree species, their distribution areas. It was found the ecological status of the woods. Studies were conducted in all 48 blocks of forest of Punia. For different block was made separate table, which is reflected in the total area in hectares occupied by block, parcel number, stand composition, characterized place of growth, average age of stands, the volume of stands. Results of the work - the existing woody vegetation species composition, stand diversity, the ecological status was set. Forest of Punia natural objects are in good condition. Under the stands testimonial pine forests occupy the largest area of the forest of Punia, fir - a half lower, and the oak woods, and birch forest takes near the same area.

The first objective of this PhD was to determine the degree of ecological segregation between five sympatric species of toothed whales (i.e. common dolphin Delphinus delphis, harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena, bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus, striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba and long finned pilot whale Globicephala melas) inhabiting a restricted and highly productive area, the North West Iberian Peninsula (NWIP). To this end, chemical parameters analyses were used as an "alternative method" of assessing diet and habitat of these animals over different periods of integration, complementing the information given by traditional methods of investigation such as stomach contents, faeces analyses and field observations. The second objective was to evaluate the contamination status of these species in order to estimate the toxicological risk these populations face and to complete the existing database. In this context, trace elements, carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes, as well as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were selected as chemical parameters for our investigations.Firstly, the chemical parameters were used as ecological tracers of populations (or parts of populations) by drawing an image of the diet and habitat of the species at different time scales. We estimated that the food web has five trophic levels, with toothed whales occupying the top positions, with no significant difference in trophic positions among them, ranging from 4.3 to 5.3. While the analysis of a single chemical parameter did not completely segregate between the five species, the information gained by combining the analyses of several long-term ecological tracers (i.e. nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes in teeth and renal cadmium concentrations) revealed ecological niche segregation in two dimensions of this niche (the trophic and the spatial dimensions). However, year-to-year or seasonal variations could not be investigated, except for in common dolphin, and thus temporary overlap cannot be excluded. Additionally, we showed that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) profiles could be a relevant tracer of the foraging ecology of taxonomically close species, allowing a fine separation of the species as result of their different patterns. This was particularly clear for the harbour porpoise and striped dolphin.Secondly, the contamination status of the species in this area was evaluated, with concentrations interpreted in the light of biological and ecological factors. But the bioaccumulation of trace elements appeared to be less predictable than that of POPs. Bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises were found to have higher PCBs concentrations than the rest of the analysed NWIP toothed whales, as well as those of adjacent NE Atlantic waters.The main results of this PhD highlight the relevance of exploiting these chemical parameters as ecological tracers, as well as their usefulness in the comprehensive study of structure and function of ecosystems through the role of top predators. Combined with the information on anthropogenic activities, this work can also contribute to the development and implementation of management plans and mitigation measures for these five species of toothed whales in the NWIP.

Avoiding the negative effects of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity is especially challenging when also the management institutions are spatially and administratively distributed. This doctoral thesis introduces five case studies that investigate ecological, social and social-ecological relations in fragmented landscapes. I present new approaches in which research and governance can detect and manage mismatches between landscape ecology and planning. The case studies include urban and forested landscapes where an intense land-use is limiting the connectivity, i.e., the potential for many species to disperse between the remaining patches of habitat. Graph-theoretic (network) models are applied to map connectivity patterns and to estimate the outcome for dispersing species at the patch level and for the whole study system. In particular, the network models are applied to evaluate the spatial complexity and the potential mismatches between ecological connectivity and geographically distributed management institutions like protected areas and municipalities. Interviews with municipal ecologists complement the spatial analysis; revealing some problems and ways forward regarding the communication and integration of ecological knowledge within local spatial-planning agencies. The results also show that network models are useful to identify and communicate critical ecological and social-ecological patterns that call for management attention. I suggest some developments of network models as to include interactions between species and across governance levels. Finally, I conclude that more effort is needed for network models to materialize into ecological learning and transformation in management processes. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defence the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Manuscript. Paper 2: Manuscript.</p>

This practicum investigates the application of ecological literacy theory to the practice of landscape architecture. Ecological literacy can be defined as the ability to comprehend the complex relationships of one’s surrounding environment and live life with greater environmental sensitivity. The Lake Winnipeg watershed is home to over 5 million people, and draws its water from four Canadian provinces and four American states. With the anthropogenic manipulation of the landscape, native watershed functions like water retention and filtration have been compromised. Each year, increasing amounts of phosphorus enter the lake from agricultural and urban fertilisers and effluents. This nutrient loading creates algal blooms toxic to humans and other species that rely on the lake for survival. The proposed programmatic framework and design interventions are intended to address these impacts by fostering watershed sustainability and ecological literacy, while engaging citizens in the processes associated with increasing local ecological integrity.