<p> Rice farmers have a wealth of knowledge about local amphibians, impacts of chemical pesticides on amphibians and rice paddies, and changes in amphibian populations over time. I used my training in anthropology to highlight the relevance of examining the impacts of national and international policies and institutions on local rice farmers&rsquo; experiences, perceptions, and practices in regards to amphibians and rice pest management. Through a focused ethnographic approach with farmers in Banca-Banca Victoria, I found that policies and institutions have direct influences on farmers&rsquo; knowledge, attitudes, and practices including four themes among rice farmers: (1) articulated perceived consequences of non-native invasive anuran species, such as <i> Rhinella marina</i> and <i>Kaloula pulchra</i> (2) articulated perceived indicators of environmental health provided by native and non-native anuran species (3) perceptions that both native and non-native anurans can help in efforts to manage pest insects in rice paddies (4) local knowledge about impact of chemical pesticides on amphibian populations and observed temporal changes in amphibian populations. I contend that the Filipino rice farmers I worked with have insights into rice farming practices, amphibians, and the local environment that should be further explored in an effort to find alternative or modified pest management practices to positively affect farmer and environmental health, sovereignty, and dignity.</p>

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Santa Cruz, 1998. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 207-225).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2002. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xiii, 159 p. Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: Kazimierz M. Slomczynski, Dept. of Sociology. Includes bibliographical references (p. 151-159).

Hanuman langurs were studied for two years between 1980 and 1983 in Kanha Tiger Reserve, Mandla District, a 1945 sq.km tract of hilly, monsoonal, moist deciduous (sal) and dry deciduous forest, interspersed with anthropogenic meadows. Langur population density was 46.15/sq.km., 93% of troops were unimale, 69.6% of males were extra-troop (in bands), troop adult sex ratio was 1:7.9. Both gradual and rapid replacement of troop adult males occured. An all-male band attacked the study troop, killing three of six infants and, following a phase of consorting, a band male replaced the troop resident male. The observation of infanticide in a low density, undisturbed habitat supports the 'sexual selection' hypothesis and not the 'social pathology' hypothesis. Analysis of intraspecific variation suggests that troop structure and not density is associated with infant killing. The timing of takeovers with respect to the birth season agrees with that predicted if the sexual selection hypothesis is applicable. Activity, feeding and ranging budgets were estimated using scan sampling of the study troop over twelve months. Langurs selected against the use of meadow but for a clump of mixed forest at the centre of their 74.5 ha annual range. Evidence was obtained of territorial site-dependent defence. A dichotomy between troop-troop and troop-band spatial relationships is interpreted in terms of differences in male reproductive strategies and the costs and benefits of conflict. The diet was diverse, including gum and insects, but was dominated by mature leaf and fruit. Trees were not utilized in proportion to their abundance. Range patterns were related to the spatial distribution of highly selected trees and the seasonal consumption of ephemeral food items was related to their availability.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Supervisor: Karl W. Butzer. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

This dissertation is a study of the dynamics of place and people in a rural municipality in southeastern Bolivia. A study of the dialectical relations between knowledge, ecology, and culture that are manifest through the daily life of the municipality, it is an ethnography that illuminates the multiple discourses of colonialism, nationalism, modernity and decolonization that overlay one another. The contradictions and tensions produced through these intersecting discourses represent major obstacles to the project of "decolonization" and the formation of viable and equitable "intercultural" relationships, as promoted by the indigenous leadership which is the governing party of the Bolivian state since 2006. This yearlong ethnography of everyday life, conducted together with semi-annual follow up visits, reveals how people within the municipality negotiate differing and conflicting life worlds: one sustained by traditional practices of barter and local knowledge about farming, food, health and ecology); and the other governed by bureaucratic agencies and professional expertise. These life worlds signify contrasting notions about development and well-being, culture, and politics; and how between both of these it enables an equivalence that moves us closer toward the decolonizing imperative. Taking a postcolonial approach, I argue that knowledge and the systems of education in which knowledge is largely disseminated (schools, health facilities, NGOs, municipal venues, television, Internet, etc.) are crucial places for moving toward critical reflections, social change, and justice. I also intertwine an analysis of food not only as an agricultural product, but as an integral component of communal livelihoods, interactions with others, and nutritional well-being (physical, mental, and spiritual). Using concepts of border crossings and analyses to perceive and interpret local knowledge occurring in and from the margins of development, ecology, and "well-being," I advocate for the need to disrupt systems of geopolitical values, racial configurations, and hierarchical structures of meaning and knowledge in order to see and validate multiple ways of thinking, knowing and doing. Therefore, rural localities such as this one are essential "places" to learn from and learn with, and to include in the critical discussions and debates on decolonization, inter/intra-culturality, development, and well-being.^

No description available.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2004. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

This study utilizes theories from the population ecology and political strategy to make inferences about the mobilization and maintenance of gay and lesbian interest groups. Interest organizations typically have high mortality rates and are constantly replaced by new organizations. By noticing population ecology trends throughout the history of a specific population of interest organization, the entrepreneurs of a specific organization will be better able to develop an effective mobilization and maintenance strategy to keep their organization alive in the long run and allow the organization to effect more change in the broader political environment.