<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the level and extent of community participation in the Danga Ecological Sanitation Project carried out in the Zvishavane district of Zimbabwe. The people-centered approach was chosen as a theoretical background. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to gather relevant information. The results indicated that the community was not fully involved in the ecological sanitation project. As a result, the project had a poor performance record. In the course of this study, political interference in community projects carried out in Zimbabwean rural communities, resulting in the failure to reach the intended beneficiaries, was also noted. Full community participation in community projects may ensure that empowerment and ownership take place. Institutional arrangements, which in most cases impede development, need to be readdressed with clear demarcation of decision-making processes.</p>

Le ministère de l’Éducation de l’Ontario a présenté sa nouvelle politique en matière d’éducation environnementale en 2009. Elle implique la participation de tous ceux œuvrant au sein du système éducatif, incluant les enseignants. Dès le départ, les enseignants ne sont pas neutres à l’égard de l’environnement. Les valeurs environnementales préalables des enseignants auront-elles un impact sur l’accueil qu’ils réservent pour cette politique? À l’aide de l’échelle du New Ecological Paradigm développé par Dunlap, Van Liere, Mertig et Jones (2000), cette étude mesure les valeurs environnementales des enseignants d’un conseil scolaire francophone du Nord de l’Ontario et évalue l’accueil qu’ils réservent à la politique d’éducation environnementale pour ensuite vérifier s’il y a une relation entre ces facteurs. Les résultats démontrent que le groupe accueille la politique de façon plutôt favorable. Les valeurs environnementales semblent exercer une influence sur l’attitude qu’adoptent les enseignants face à celle-ci, mais c’est vraisemblablement dans le niveau d’action qu’ils entreprendront que cette influence se manifestera.

There are two serious methodological problems in the research literature on school effectiveness, the ecological problem in the analysis of aggregate data and the problem of not controlling for important confounding variables. This dissertation corrects these errors by using multilevel modeling procedures, specifically Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM), and the Canadian Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007 data, to evaluate the effect of school variables on the students’ academic achievement when a number of theoretically-relevant student variables have been controlled. In this study, I demonstrate that an aggregate analysis gives the most biased results of the schools’ impact on the students’ academic achievement. I also show that a disaggretate analysis gives better results, but HLM gives the most accurate estimates using this nested data set. Using HLM, I show that the physical resources of schools, which have been evaluated by school principals and classroom teachers, actually have no positive impact on the students’ academic achievement. The results imply that the physical resources are important, but an excessive improvement in the physical conditions of schools is unlikely to improve the students’ achievement. Most of the findings in this study are consistent with the best research literature. I conclude the dissertation by suggesting that aggregate analysis should not be used to infer relationships for individual students. Rather, multilevel analysis should be used whenever possible.

For many years, the development of an Emissions Trading Scheme to mitigate against climate change has been one of the most controversial political issues in New Zealand, particularly since the obligation for emission reduction is placed on some of New Zealand‘s most productive organisations. This thesis explores the variation in corporate responses to climate change and searches for the underlying drivers which motivate and/or inhibit action. A sample of organisations obligated to reduce emissions under the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme was selected, and interviews were conducted with senior managers with designated responsibility for the issue. A narrative analysis of interview transcripts was used as the methodology. The Bansal and Roth (2000) Model of Corporate Ecological Responsiveness was selected as a framework to consider the motivating logics (including competitiveness, legitimacy, and social responsibility) emerging from the narratives, and insights from other theoretical models applied. In some cases, the findings were explained in ways anticipated by the literature. But in other cases, the results diverged from expected outcomes. Competitiveness was the most commonly attributed motivation influencing corporate responses to climate change, followed by legitimation seeking and, least frequently, social responsibility. However, it was clear that most responses, and actions, were informed by mixed motives, rendering the Bansal and Roth model insufficient for capturing the complexity of organisational motivations underlying their responses to environmental issues. Factors of influence, particularly issue salience of consumers, played an important role in determining similarities and divergence of response to climate change issues. Where there were synergies between the factors, it encouraged proactive organisational actions. The results showed a range in managerial attitudes and organisational responses to climate change, in relation to risks and opportunities. Some results suggested that organisations respond in similar ways to climate change based on a convergence of institutional pressures, whereas in other cases organisations seemed to be driven to seek a competitive advantage in being as different as legitimately possible, leading to a divergence in responses. This research revealed that political and market uncertainties were seen as a barrier to corporate response. Where synergies existed between economic, institutional and market forces, it was attractive for firms to innovate and differentiate. Overall, the insights gained from this study may provide a greater understanding of the concerns of the business community towards climate change and what conditions will be most conductive to encouraging corporate climate change action.

Ecological restoration has been identified as an increasingly important tool in environmental policy circles, from reversing species loss to mitigating climate change. While there has been a steady rise in the number of research projects that have investigated social and ecological values that underpin ecological restoration, scholarship has predominantly been carried out at the theoretical level, to the detriment of engaging with real-world ecological restoration projects. This has resulted in generalised and speculative accounts of ecological restoration values. This thesis seeks to address this research gap through a critical analysis of the roles of aesthetic values in the creation and implementation of restoration policy, using three different case studies of ecological restoration at the landscape level in the United Kingdom. I employ interdisciplinary research methods, including semi-structured interviews, interpretive policy analyses, still photography, and sound recording techniques, to better understand the multi-sensorial qualities of ecological restoration. I trace the role of aesthetic value from the initial development of restoration policy through to the management of the post-restoration landscape, considering along the way how aesthetic values are negotiated amongst other types of social and ecological values, how aesthetic values are measured, articulated, and projected onto the landscape by restoration policy makers, and the ways in which aesthetic values are applied through design and management strategies across each site. Throughout the thesis, I engage with a number of current research themes within the ecological restoration literature that intersect with aesthetic value, such as the use of ‘native’ and ‘non-native’ species in landscape restoration, and the procedure through which landscape reference models are selected. I also address hitherto unasked spatial questions of ecological restoration, including an examination of the aesthetic relationships between a restoration site and adjacent landscapes, and the application of spatial practices to regulate certain forms of post-restoration landscape utility. I demonstrate that aesthetic values play a multitude of different roles throughout the restoration process, and ultimately show that as aesthetic values are captured and put to use to different ends through policy, they are inherently bound up with competing ethical visions of society-nature relationships.

No description available.

Fishes are widely used by biologist as ecological indicators that measure key elements of complex systems, without having to capture the full complexity of a specific system. The Vaal River in South Africa is classified as Africa’s hardest working river and is home to, two yellowfish species that are socially and economically important. Both these yellowfish species are considered to be sensitive to changes in water quantity and quality, habitat destruction and utilisation pressure and are often used as ecological indicators to manage aquatic ecosystems. Very little however, is known about their movement, response to changing environmental variables and interspecies habitat preferences. This study therefore aims to use radio telemetry as a method to characterise and evaluate how yellowfish behaviour is influenced by changing environmental variables. To characterise the behavioural ecology of the Vaal-Orange River yellowfish species in lentic and lotic ecosystems, Labeobarbus aeneus (n=18) and L. kimberleyensis (n=3) were fitted with externally attached radio transmitters in Boskop Dam (L. aeneus, n=4) and the Vaal River (L. aeneus, n=14) (L. kimberleyensis, n=3). Various methods were used to collect yellowfish species including: gill nets, to target mobile individuals, in deep habitats, electro-fishing (electro-narcosis) to collect yellowfish in shallow habitats and angling techniques in a wide variety of habitats. Thereafter yellowfish species were sedated and tagged with externally attached radio transmitters, before being released back into the system. Yellowfish were monitored for eleven months using a remote monitoring system together with manual monitoring surveys. Analyses of data collected showed that L. aeneus follows distinct behavioural patterns, with some individual variations in behaviour. Labeobarbus aeneus exhibited higher movement that are associated with deeper water during daylight hours (04:00-16:00). During nocturnal periods (20:00-04:00) L. aeneus showed a decrease in movement activity and preferred shallower water compared to daytime. However, L. aeneus in the Vaal River seems to be less influenced by bright daylight and this might be due to the turbidity of the river water. Labeobarbus aeneus in Boskop Dam showed higher movement counts during full moon phases whereas L. aeneus in the Vaal River showed higher movement counts during new moon phases. All tagged fishes in Boskop Dam and in the Vaal River preferred deeper water during full moon phases than during new moon phases. Movement were significantly higher (P<0.05) with increased temperatures and shallower water in summer whereas movement significantly decreased (P<0.05) with a decrease in temperature and increased depth in autumn and winter. Seasonal movement data were, however, limited. This study confirms that radio telemetry methods can be used to characterise the behavioural ecology of yellowfish species. In addition, the study has improved the knowledge of how environmental variables may affect the behaviour of yellowfish species. However, due to limited data and our understanding of these species, it is still uncertain how behaviour of yellowfish species can be applied as an ecological indicator of aquatic ecosystems. / Thesis (MSc (Zoology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Fishes are widely used by biologist as ecological indicators that measure key elements of complex systems, without having to capture the full complexity of a specific system. The Vaal River in South Africa is classified as Africa’s hardest working river and is home to, two yellowfish species that are socially and economically important. Both these yellowfish species are considered to be sensitive to changes in water quantity and quality, habitat destruction and utilisation pressure and are often used as ecological indicators to manage aquatic ecosystems. Very little however, is known about their movement, response to changing environmental variables and interspecies habitat preferences. This study therefore aims to use radio telemetry as a method to characterise and evaluate how yellowfish behaviour is influenced by changing environmental variables. To characterise the behavioural ecology of the Vaal-Orange River yellowfish species in lentic and lotic ecosystems, Labeobarbus aeneus (n=18) and L. kimberleyensis (n=3) were fitted with externally attached radio transmitters in Boskop Dam (L. aeneus, n=4) and the Vaal River (L. aeneus, n=14) (L. kimberleyensis, n=3). Various methods were used to collect yellowfish species including: gill nets, to target mobile individuals, in deep habitats, electro-fishing (electro-narcosis) to collect yellowfish in shallow habitats and angling techniques in a wide variety of habitats. Thereafter yellowfish species were sedated and tagged with externally attached radio transmitters, before being released back into the system. Yellowfish were monitored for eleven months using a remote monitoring system together with manual monitoring surveys. Analyses of data collected showed that L. aeneus follows distinct behavioural patterns, with some individual variations in behaviour. Labeobarbus aeneus exhibited higher movement that are associated with deeper water during daylight hours (04:00-16:00). During nocturnal periods (20:00-04:00) L. aeneus showed a decrease in movement activity and preferred shallower water compared to daytime. However, L. aeneus in the Vaal River seems to be less influenced by bright daylight and this might be due to the turbidity of the river water. Labeobarbus aeneus in Boskop Dam showed higher movement counts during full moon phases whereas L. aeneus in the Vaal River showed higher movement counts during new moon phases. All tagged fishes in Boskop Dam and in the Vaal River preferred deeper water during full moon phases than during new moon phases. Movement were significantly higher (P<0.05) with increased temperatures and shallower water in summer whereas movement significantly decreased (P<0.05) with a decrease in temperature and increased depth in autumn and winter. Seasonal movement data were, however, limited. This study confirms that radio telemetry methods can be used to characterise the behavioural ecology of yellowfish species. In addition, the study has improved the knowledge of how environmental variables may affect the behaviour of yellowfish species. However, due to limited data and our understanding of these species, it is still uncertain how behaviour of yellowfish species can be applied as an ecological indicator of aquatic ecosystems. / Thesis (MSc (Zoology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Little is known about infants’ ability to deal with commonly encountered situations in which speech from one individual occurs simultaneously with that of others. Previous research has shown that while age of the infant and intensity of the background matter, so does the number of background speakers. The read-aloud multi-talker speech used in previous studies is perceptually different from conversational speech typically encountered by infants. To test generalizability, this study used a background of ecologically valid multi-talker speech. Using the head-turn preference procedure, infants were presented with passages of background noise with and without target infant-directed speech at a 10 dB SNR. Results show that while 9-month-olds prefer passages containing target speech with a white noise background, both 9- and 12-month-olds failed to show a preference with a multi-talker background. This inability to segregate speech streams under ecologically valid conditions demonstrates the adversity infants face to learn their community’s language.

Ecological immunology is the study of the ecological and evolutionary factors that explain variation in the function of, and investment in, the immune system. Within this field, reproduction-based trade-offs are an important focus, where studies often address the immunological costs associated with the expression of secondary sexual traits used in mate choice. Specifically, the Immunocompetence Handicap Hypothesis (ICHH) links the expression of secondary sexual traits to immune function, stating that testosterone promotes the expression of these traits while suppressing the immune system. In doing so, testosterone may maintain the honest expression of such traits, but also ultimately cause sex differences in immunity because males tend to have high levels of testosterone. I explore aspects of these topics using two model systems: the Psittaciformes (Parrots: Chapter 2) and the Charadriiformes (shorebirds), in particular the sex-role reversed Red phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius). In Chapter 2, I employed a phylogenetically informed approach to investigate the relationships among immune investment, plumage colouration and longevity in parrots. I found that immune investment was greater in more colourful species, as well as in those with a slower pace-of-life (i.e., longer incubation periods), but not specifically in those with longer lifespans. In Chapter 3, I investigated the role that reproductive behaviours play in determining sex differences in corticosterone levels. One explanation for sex differences in the stress response is that selection favours a reduced response in incubating birds to reduce nest abandonment. I generally found little support for sex differences in corticosterone being driven by behaviours related to incubation. Moreover, in phalaropes, sex differences in corticosterone were already present prior to incubation. In Chapter 4, I found that males have higher levels of testosterone than females, but that females were immunosuppressed compared to males. However, I found evidence that testosterone may regulate immune function in females, but not males. The observation of female-biased immunosuppression is consistent with Bateman’s Principle, and although there was some evidence of a testosterone-mediated handicap acting through immune function, these results attest to a fundamental lability in the relationship between testosterone and immunity. In Chapter 5, I demonstrated that plumage colouration in phalaropes is condition-dependent and so potentially conveys useful information to conspecifics. Yet, the relationship was negative in both sexes such that more colourful individuals had poorer immunocompetence, which was contrary to predictions. In Chapter 6, I demonstrated that phalaropes pair assortatively (positively) based on plumage colouration, but negatively based on aspects of size. I discuss the results of this dissertation in the light of life history theory, as well as in the context of mechanisms maintaining signal honesty.