Marine tourism is an expanding segment of both international and domestic tourism in KwaZulu-Natal and can be of valuable contribution to the national and local economy, but there are also concern s about its sustainability. Two of the most popular marine activities in KwaZulu-Natal are diving and recreational fishing. However, these two different user groups can also create conflicts as they have very different user practices in relation to the same marine area and its resources. While certain marine regions along the coast have been declared marine protected areas with site specific management plans, other popular marine areas remain almost unmanaged. Shelly Beach on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal is the most popular boat launching site on the Natal coastline with both divers and recreational fishermen visiting a fossilised sand dune reef called Protea Banks which is situated 7 to 8 km off-shore from Shelly Beach. The reef is famous for its abundance of fish as the attraction for fishermen and big sharks attracting divers. A controversial topic in association with Protea Banks is its shark population. The divers are concerned that the number of sharks is decreasing, while the fishermen are concerned about there being too many sharks eating their hooked fish before they can boat their catch. This study looks at marine tourism and sharks using Protea Banks as a case study for marine tourism and management. The focus is on stakeholders' and different marine user groups' opinions on management, marine resource protection and user conflict. The issue of sharks and sustainability in association with both diving and recreational fishing is also investigated. The study shows that the stakeholders have developed a system of self-regulation based on the experience gained from their utilisation of Protea Banks. The stakeholders prefer to maintain this system rath er than the authorities declaring the area a marine protected area or in other ways further involve the authorities. The various stakeholders express different but specific environmental concerns including carrying capaci ty, seasonality and unsustainable pressure during the peak tourist season, shark and fish management, and lack of enforcement of regulations. The study concludes with recommendations toward s a site specific management plan for Protea Banks. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

The South African Sugarcane production is one of the world’s leading sugarcane (Saccharum spp. Hybrid) producers. However, in recent years Eldana saccharina Walker has been the most destructive pest in South African sugarcane production, causing great crop loses per annum and is the most important factor limiting sugarcane productivity. The pest has been monitored using a traditional visual approach whereby a representative sample of stalks is taken from a field and split longitudinally to assess damage and count the number of E. saccharina larvae and pupae. However, this approach is time-consuming, labour intensive and sometimes biased as only easily accessible areas are often surveyed. In order to investigate a more economical but equally effective survey methodology, this study aimed to determine the potential of using hyperspectral remote sensing (spectroradiometry) for identifying sugarcane attacked by E. saccharina. A hand-held spectroradiometer ASD Field Spec® 3 was used to collect leaf spectral measurements of sugarcane plants from a potted-plant trial taking place under shade house conditions at the South African Sugarcane Research Institute (SASRI). In this trial, nitrogen (N) and silicon (Si) fertilizers were applied at known levels to sugarcane varieties. Varieties were either resistant or intermediate resistant or susceptible to E. saccharina attack. In addition, watering regimes and artificial infestation of E. saccharina were carefully controlled. Results illustrated that severe E. saccharina infestation increased spectral reflectance throughout the whole spectrum range (400 – 2500 nm) and caused a red-edge shift to the shorter wavelength. Eldana saccharina stalk damage was also linearly related to modified normalized difference vegetation index (mNDVI) using R2025 and R2200 (R2 = 0.69). It was concluded that hyperspectral data has a potential for use in monitoring E. saccharina in sugarcane rapidly and non-destructively under controlled conditions. A followup study is recommended in field conditions and using airborne and/or spaceborne hyperspectral sensors. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

<p> The purpose of this study was to determine community perceptions of changes in ecosystem services from the restoration of Noisette Creek saltmarsh in North Charleston, South Carolina and to explore the potential impacts of restoring Noisette Creek ecosystems on human well-being. Ecosystem services are human benefits from resources and processes that are supplied by natural ecosystems. These services have been shown to directly affect human well-being in the people using these services. Secondary data were collected at the ZCTA level to create social, economic, and health indicators to assign current levels of well-being in the study area. Three focus groups and 25 q-sorts, using 24 paired statements inspired by focus group data, were conducted to determine community perceptions of restoration and the role of Noisette Creek in influencing human well-being within the community. North Charleston in most well-being indicators scored relatively low compared to Charleston County as a whole and selected ZCTAs within the county, particularly in economic security. The focus group data showed seven main themes surrounding Noisette Creek and its restoration, the most prevalent being access to the creek, sense of community, and awareness of the condition and history of Noisette Creek. Three factors representing three discourses (awareness, ecosystem services, and community) emerged from the 25 q-sorts, all with a mix of individuals from various earned incomes and racial compositions. The general consensus using all three analyses is that the restored ecosystem services provided by Noisette Creek could lead to an overall environmental, social, and economic improvement in the area, and therefore have a positive impact on the well-being of area residents. </p>

<p> Despite an increasing interest among land managers in collaborative management and learning from place-based Indigenous knowledge systems, natural resource management negotiations between Indigenous communities and government agencies are still characterized by distrust, conflict, and a history of excluding Indigenous peoples from decision-making. In addition, many scholars are skeptical of Indigenous communities attempting to achieve self-determination through bureaucratic and scientific systems, which can be seen as potential mechanisms for co-opting Indigenous community values (e.g. Nadasdy 2003). </p><p> This dissertation considers how Indigenous communities and state agencies are meeting contemporary natural resource governance challenges within the Pacific Northwest. Taking a community-engaged scholarship approach, the work addresses two exemplar case studies of Indigenous resource management negotiations involving forest management with the Karuk Tribe in California (U.S.) and the X&aacute;xli'p Indigenous community in British Columbia (Canada). These cases explore the ways and degree to which Indigenous peoples are advancing their self-determination interests, as well as environmental and cultural restoration goals, through resource management negotiations with state agencies&mdash;despite the ongoing barriers of uneven power relations and territorial disputes. </p><p> Through the 1990s and 2000s, both the X&aacute;xli'p and Karuk communities engaged with specific government policies to shift status quo natural resource management practices affecting them. Their respective strategies included leveraging community-driven management plans to pursue eco-cultural restoration on their traditional territories, which both overlap with federal forestlands. In the X&aacute;xli'p case, community members successfully negotiated the creation of the X&aacute;xli'p Community Forest, which has provided the X&aacute;xli'p community with the exclusive right to forest management within the majority of its traditional territory. This <i>de jure</i> change in forest tenure facilitated a significant transfer of land management authority to the community, and long-term forest restoration outcomes. In the Karuk case, tribal land managers leveraged the Ti Bar Demonstration Project, a <i>de facto</i> co-management initiative between the Forest Service and the Karuk Tribe, to conduct several Karuk eco-cultural restoration projects within federal forestlands. Because the Ti Bar Demonstration Project was ultimately abandoned, the main project outcome was building the legitimacy of Karuk land management institutions and creating a wide range of alliances that support Karuk land management approaches. </p><p> Through my case studies, I examined how Indigenous resource management negotiations affect knowledge sharing, distribution of decision-making authority, and longstanding political struggles over land and resource access. I first asked, how is Indigenous knowledge shaping natural resource management policy and practice? My analysis shows that both communities are strategically linking disparate sets of ideas, including Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Western scientific knowledge, in order to shape specific natural resource governance outcomes. My second question was, how does access to land and resources shift through Indigenous resource management agreements? This work demonstrates that both communities are shifting access to land and resources by identifying "pivot points": existing government policies that provide a starting point for Indigenous communities to negotiate self-determination through both resisting and engaging with government standards. And third, I considered how do co-management approaches affect Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination? The different case outcomes indicate that the ability to uphold Indigenous resource management agreements is contingent upon establishing long-term institutional commitments by government agencies, and the broader political context. </p><p> This work emphasizes the importance of viewing the world from the standpoint of individuals who are typically excluded from decision-making (Harding 1995, 1998). Pursuing natural resource management with Indigenous peoples is one way for state agencies to gain innovative perspectives that often extend beyond standard resource management approaches, and consider longstanding relationships between people and the environment in a place-based context. Yet the assumption that tribal managers would export Indigenous knowledge to agency "professionals" or other external groups, supposedly acting on behalf of Indigenous peoples, reflects a problematic lack of awareness about Indigenous perspectives on sovereignty and self-determination--central goals for Indigenous communities that choose to engage in natural resource management negotiations. </p><p> Several implications emerge from these findings. First, Indigenous community representatives need to be involved in every step of natural resource management processes affecting Indigenous territories and federal forestlands, especially given the complex, multi-jurisdictional arrangements that govern these areas. Second, there is a strong need to generate funding that enables Indigenous communities to self-determine their own goals and negotiate over land management issues on a more level playing field. Finally, more funding must be invested in government programs that support Indigenous resource management.</p>

<p> Having a reputation for being socially responsible is increasingly important to firm managers. To bolster their reputation, many firms have begun adopting corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The existing literature has primarily addressed the benefits of engaging in CSR initiatives, but has largely ignored the costs. This dissertation empirically explores the various costs of engaging in CSR and the critical role that civil society plays in creating those costs. </p><p> The first study, co-authored with Michael Toffel and John Maxwell, focuses on the non-market costs associated with adopting a CSR initiative. To manage reputational risks associated with supply chains, buyers are increasingly seeking information about their suppliers' labor and environmental performance. We hypothesize particular circumstances in which buyers can screen suppliers that have representative disclosures based on their participation in the Global Compact, which requires a public commitment and a public report. We find that the threat of scrutiny from civil society can deter firms with misrepresentative disclosures from participating. </p><p> In the second study, I examine the market response to the apparel industry after the collapse of Rana Plaza. CSR initiatives have been found to help firms preserve firm-value after a negative social or environmental event occurs. However, CSR initiatives may also signal to investors that the firm will respond by self-regulating to help repair the industry's aggregate reputation. I find that firms with CSR initiatives are harmed more so than those without initiatives after the collapse and that this is driven by pressure from civil society, but mitigated when firms can "cash in" on their investments. </p><p> In the third study, I analyze whether a company's symbolic policy to protecting the environment will lead to the adoption of a substantive CSR initiative, specifically an environmental management system (EMS). I find that firms with symbolic policies will be especially likely to adopt an EMS when the firm is subject to strong pressures from civil society. I also find that firms with symbolic policies are less likely to adopt an EMS when they face stronger peer pressure, suggesting that firms may use their symbolic policy as a substitute for a more substantive program.</p>

<p> I estimated patterns of shorebird abundance and species diversity in the Colorado River Delta and Upper Gulf of California wetlands in order to determine the relative contribution of intertidal wetlands and non-tidal anthropogenic wetlands to support shorebird habitat use. Species richness varied from 15 to 26 species among sites and 29 species were detected across sites. Density during the peak migration month was higher at the anthropogenic wetland Cienega de Santa Clara (mean = 168 ind/ha, 95% C.I. 29-367), and the intertidal Golfo de Santa Clara (mean = 153 ind/ha, 95% C.I. 17-323). Anthropogenic wetlands (playa and lagoons) supported high abundance of shorebirds along with intertidal wetlands in the Colorado River Delta (mudflats). In contrast, intertidal wetlands farther south on the Sonoran Coast presented lower abundance but higher diversity of shorebird, likely as a result of the higher diversity of habitats (rocky shore, sandy beach, estuary). I modeled water management scenarios for the Cienega in order to determine the response of the dominant vegetation (southern cattail, <i>Typha domingensis</i> Pers.) and the area of the outflow pool below the marsh to different scenarios of water management. The model indicates that if the inflow rate is reduced below the current 4-5 m³ s^-1 the vegetated area of the Cienega that supports habitat for marsh birds would decrease in proportion, as would the area of the outflow pool in the Santa Clara Slough identified previously as shorebird habitat. Increases in salinity will also reduce the vegetated area due to the low salt tolerance of <i>T. domingensis</i>. In winter about 90% of inflow water exits the Cienega into the Santa Clara Slough due to low evapotranspiration contributing to inundate areas that are used by wintering and migrating shorebirds. Lastly, I explored the feasibility of using Vegetation Indices (NDVI and EVI) to model Yuma Clapper Rail detections in the Cienega de Santa Clara as well as the effects of adding other habitat variables and the presence of fire events in the performance of linear models based on NDVI. Both NDVI and EVI were positively related to the Yuma Clapper Rail detections. The relationship was weak to moderate, but significant (P &lt; 0.001), which suggests other factors besides the vegetation condition play an important role in the bird distribution pattern. A model including all the variability among years was a better predictor of the rails detected per transect, than models for fire and non-fire years. We did not find a significant effect from adding habitat features (water % or vegetation %), and we recommend to include variables at both microhabitat level and landscape level, relevant before and during the breeding season in order to increase the explanatory power of models.</p>

<p> Managers at automotive manufacturers are seeking ways to reduce energy consumption, costs, carbon emissions, and waste from production processes. Researchers and practitioners perceive energy efficiency as the least expensive and most effective way to deal with issues related to climate change, but adoption of energy efficiency measures has been slow among industrial facilities. The topic of this research study was the decision-making process for energy efficiency projects in the U.S. automotive manufacturing industry. Flaws in this decision-making processes are preventing changes that can dramatically reduce energy usage, cost, and pollution. The study was grounded in the theories of energy management, organizational learning, systems thinking, and strategic management. Data is from open-ended question interviews and questionnaires of 21 decision makers in automotive manufacturing companies in the United States about their perception and experiences regarding the decision-making process for energy efficiency projects. The data were coded to identify themes. The findings indicated that organizational leaders with responsibility over energy management should include energy management standards and frameworks such as ISO 50001, Six Sigma DMAIC, and Energy Star as guidelines for selecting energy efficiency projects. Decision makers may find these results useful in improving their decision-making processes for evaluating energy efficiency projects. This research has the potential to promote positive social change in the automotive industry by reducing energy consumption and business costs, and it could benefit communities by reducing pollution through increasing energy efficiency in the automotive manufacturing industries.</p>

At the heart of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) lies the focus of identification and assessment of predicted impacts, with the management actions (i.e. Environmental Management Programmes) (EMPr) often being described only in illustrative terms. In order to promote effective Environmental Management (EM) it is important that the management actions arising from EIAs are clearly defined and translated into a good quality EMPr. The thesis had three aims, (1) to determine what is regarded as high-quality criteria for EMPrs (i.e. develop an EMPr review package), (2) to determine the quality of a sample of 20 South African EMPrs by applying the EMPr review package and (3) to provide feedback on the utility of the review package. The EMPr review package was developed by converting high quality criteria for EMPrs into a review package. The EMPr review package has been structured around five (5) Review Areas each with between two and six review categories. Review categories contain between one and eight review sub-categories informing the criteria. The EMPrs were reviewed by applying the EMPr review package. Key shortfalls of EMPrs were found to be: • A lack of project detail and overview to place the EMPr in context; • Insufficient descriptions of the receiving environment and baseline environmental conditions; • Lack of maps, layouts and facility illustrations prescribing where activities must or must not take place; • In most cases no objectives and targets were set for management measures; • The stakeholder engagement process was not clearly defined (who, how, when); • The document and record keeping process was unclear; • The process of managing emergency situations and subsequent remediation were lacking; • No implementation timeframes were set for the implementation of mitigation measures; and • The rehabilitation process was not described in detail. The use of, and overall utility of the EMPr review package is simple and straight forward. A shortfall of the EMPr review package, however, is that results are likely to differ from one reviewer to another based on the reviewer‟s experience with EMPrs. The application of the EMPr review package might improve the quality of EMPrs and over time contribute to improved environmental performance. / Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

At the heart of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) lies the focus of identification and assessment of predicted impacts, with the management actions (i.e. Environmental Management Programmes) (EMPr) often being described only in illustrative terms. In order to promote effective Environmental Management (EM) it is important that the management actions arising from EIAs are clearly defined and translated into a good quality EMPr. The thesis had three aims, (1) to determine what is regarded as high-quality criteria for EMPrs (i.e. develop an EMPr review package), (2) to determine the quality of a sample of 20 South African EMPrs by applying the EMPr review package and (3) to provide feedback on the utility of the review package. The EMPr review package was developed by converting high quality criteria for EMPrs into a review package. The EMPr review package has been structured around five (5) Review Areas each with between two and six review categories. Review categories contain between one and eight review sub-categories informing the criteria. The EMPrs were reviewed by applying the EMPr review package. Key shortfalls of EMPrs were found to be: • A lack of project detail and overview to place the EMPr in context; • Insufficient descriptions of the receiving environment and baseline environmental conditions; • Lack of maps, layouts and facility illustrations prescribing where activities must or must not take place; • In most cases no objectives and targets were set for management measures; • The stakeholder engagement process was not clearly defined (who, how, when); • The document and record keeping process was unclear; • The process of managing emergency situations and subsequent remediation were lacking; • No implementation timeframes were set for the implementation of mitigation measures; and • The rehabilitation process was not described in detail. The use of, and overall utility of the EMPr review package is simple and straight forward. A shortfall of the EMPr review package, however, is that results are likely to differ from one reviewer to another based on the reviewer‟s experience with EMPrs. The application of the EMPr review package might improve the quality of EMPrs and over time contribute to improved environmental performance. / Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

<p> The abstract is not available from PDF copy and paste.</p>