The “vulnerable” listing by IUCN of cheetah Acinonyx jubatus in Africa has caused urgency in the protection of their habitat and development of predator management strategies. By understanding the movement and home range of cheetah in Botswana, translocation of problem cheetah or reintroduction of non-problem animals can be managed appropriately. More importantly this information will help to protect what is already there. Due to the increasing numbers of cheetahs being taken by illegal trade and poaching, there have become incidents of orphaned cubs where the only option for their survival is rehabilitation for release into the wild, or euthanasia. The first part of the study focuses on baseline information of movement patterns of cheetah in Botswana. Eleven cheetahs were collared and monitored from 2003-2007, including males and females with and without cubs from the Ghanzi and Southern districts. The understanding of cheetah movement is critical in determining methods of protection and survival of the species in protected areas living with competing predators such as lion Panthera leo, brown hyaena Hyaena brunnea and leopard Panthera pardus, as well as on farmlands where human conflict and habitat loss are the main causes of cheetah death. In the Southern district the cheetah were able to move freely in and out of the Jwana Game Reserve surrounded by communal livestock farms with low to medium conflict, utilizing various livestock protection methods, whilst Ghanzi consisted of livestock and game farms where conflict was high and protection methods were limited or nonexistent. Home ranges in males ranged from 492 km2(in single males) to 849 km2(in one coalition) in Ghanzi, while females ranged from 241 km2 to 306 km2 in Jwaneng. In addition, in order to determine the correlation between spoor density and true density, a 15 month spoor study was conducted in Jwaneng at the Jwana Game Reserve on a population of free ranging wild cheetah. A correction factor was tested and adjusted for accuracy, resulting in two formulas to be used in the wet and dry seasons. Spoor surveys are by no means a determinant factor, as they need to be repeated over time to observe population fluctuations due to outside factors, and are time consuming and can be expensive, but they are a management tool that can be utilized for estimations of cheetah densities on private farms or protected areas. The third part to the study was the rehabilitation of three orphaned cubs, from different families, that were put together from eight to twelve weeks old. The goal of this project was to raise and release fully functional, self sufficient, breeding animals into the wild population on a game farm. These cubs were raised in isolation until 1.5 years of age, then transferred to a 100 ha enclosure where they were given the opportunity to learn to hunt. Daily observations of their behavioural development and hunting abilities were recorded for 48 days and are presented in a descriptive way. At two years old they were released onto a 9000 ha game farm where their potential to survive on farmland was monitored. Botswana does not have the facilities or desire to keep predators captive, and if orphaned cubs could be utilized by placing them back into wild populations where they could add to the gene pool, alternatives would be available for captive bred animals or cheetahs facing life long captivity. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Centre for Wildlife Management / unrestricted

The Master's thesis deals with the issues of the arms trade between Mexico and USA, focusing on the arms trafficking. The first chapter introduces the topic in general and analyzes the current situation of the world market in small arms and light weapons. The second and third chapter describe the characteristics of arms trade and its legislative framework in both countries - USA, Mexico - define local specifics and identify main trading partners. Bilateral trade in SALW between USA and Mexico, its process and practice how the trading takes place, is described in fourth chapter. The impact of arms trade on both countries is defined in the fifth chapter together with designed proposals to help to restrict illegal arms trafficking between partners and to reduce its negative impacts.

Submitted by Alison Vanceto (alison-vanceto@hotmail.com) on 2017-08-30T12:40:07Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissMCRB.pdf: 4007382 bytes, checksum: 57811fe7cd23decd5de8586c15aeec6b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ronildo Prado (ronisp@ufscar.br) on 2017-09-20T14:17:53Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissMCRB.pdf: 4007382 bytes, checksum: 57811fe7cd23decd5de8586c15aeec6b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ronildo Prado (ronisp@ufscar.br) on 2017-09-20T14:18:00Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissMCRB.pdf: 4007382 bytes, checksum: 57811fe7cd23decd5de8586c15aeec6b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-20T14:22:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissMCRB.pdf: 4007382 bytes, checksum: 57811fe7cd23decd5de8586c15aeec6b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-22 / Outra / Brazil is considered the most diverse nation in the world and is estimated to have more than 13% of the world biota and 1919 species of birds. However, their removal from the natural environments for both illegal trade and captive maintenance, presents one of the main problems to be solved by the competent organs of fauna protection. In view of this, the centers for the rehabilitation and sorting of wild animals, responsible for receiving, identifying, marking, triaging, evaluating, recovering and allocating specimens of native wildlife were instituted. These institutions make an indispensable contribution to the process of conservation of ex situ species and are strong allies in the relocation of species in their habitat. The objective of this dissertation was to obtain data about the avifauna received at Pro-Arara, a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center created in the municipality of Araras-SP, generating information about the factors that affect the different species and motivate the delivery of these in this type of enterprise, as well as to develop a computer registry system to assist in local management. To do so, data recorded from July 2014 to July 2016 were considered for all species received and destined, as well as their provenance, analyzing by the documentation submitted by the environmental police. The development of the computer program was carried out jointly with the computer sector of the Municipality of Araras and the data collected were compiled and organized in a descriptive statistical way. During the study period, 607 birds were received, totaling 61 species distributed in 15 orders and 25 families. The most frequent order recorded was the Psittaciformes, Psittacidae family, comprising 49.59% of the total number of birds received. Within this group, individuals of the species Psittacara leucophthalmus (18,29%), Brotogeris chiriri (9,56%), Ara ararauna (7,74%) and Amazona aestiva (6,92%) predominated. Seven species are listed in the list of endangered fauna in the State of São Paulo: Ara ararauna (47), Ara chloropterus (1), Alipiopsitta xanthops (1), Sporophila maximiliani (5), Amazona amazonica (9), Sporophila angolensis (16) and Cyanoloxia brissonii (4), corresponding to 13,67% of the total. Regarding the provenance of the animals received, seizures by the environmental police (64,74%), followed by rescue of animals in situations of danger carried out by the competent organs (16,8%) predominated, and spontaneous self-surrender Population, in which the animal was in an irregular domestic guard (9,72%). Of the total number of animals received, 56,01% were referred to areas of release and monitoring in the State of São Paulo and 23,40% remained in the process of rehabilitation. The percentage of deaths recorded was 14,5%. From the results obtained, it is concluded that the Pro-Arara is a fauna enterprise with great importance for the conservation of avifauna species in the state of São Paulo and it would be important to be expanded to increase its capacity to receive animals. Another important action is the intensification of environmental education work, to raise people´s awareness in relation of the role of species in the natural environment. / O Brasil é considerado a nação com maior diversidade no mundo estimando-se que possua mais de 13% da biota mundial e 1919 espécies de aves. Entretanto, sua retirada dos ambientes naturais tanto para o comércio ilegal quanto para manutenção em cativeiro, apresenta-se como um dos principais problemas a ser resolvido pelos órgãos competentes de proteção à fauna. Diante disso, foram instituídos os centros de reabilitação e triagem de animais silvestres, responsáveis por receber, identificar, marcar, triar, avaliar, recuperar e destinar espécimes da fauna silvestre nativa. Estas instituições prestam contribuição indispensável no processo de conservação de espécies ex situ e são fortes aliadas na realocação das espécies em seu habitat. Sendo assim, esta dissertação teve como objetivo a obtenção de dados a respeito da avifauna recebida no Pró-Arara, um Centro de Reabilitação de Animais Silvestres criado no Município de Araras-SP, gerando informações sobre os fatores que afetam as diferentes espécies e motivam a entrega destas nesse tipo de empreendimento, bem como desenvolver um sistema computacional de registro para auxiliar na gestão do local. Para tanto, foram considerados dados registrados no período de julho de 2014 a julho de 2016 referente a todas as espécies recebidas e destinadas, assim como suas procedências, analisando a documentação entregue pela polícia ambiental. O desenvolvimento do programa computacional foi realizado em conjunto com o setor de informática da Prefeitura Municipal de Araras e os dados coletados foram compilados e organizados de forma estatística descritiva. No período estudado foram recebidas 607 aves, totalizando 61 espécies distribuídas em 15 ordens e 25 famílias. A ordem mais frequente registrada foi a Psittaciformes, família Psittacidae, compreendendo 49,59% do total de aves recebidas. Dentro deste grupo predominaram indivíduos da espécie Psittacara leucophthalmus (18,29%), Brotogeris chiriri (9,56%), Ara ararauna (7,74%) e Amazona aestiva (6,92%). Foram registradas sete espécies que constam na lista da fauna ameaçada de extinção no Estado de São Paulo: Ara ararauna (47), Ara chloropterus (1), Alipiopsitta xanthops (1), Sporophila maximiliani (5), Amazona amazonica (9), Sporophila angolensis (16) e Cyanoloxia brissonii (4), correspondendo a 13,67% do total. No que diz respeito à procedência dos animais recebidos, predominaram as apreensões realizadas pela polícia ambiental (64,74%), seguidos de resgate de animais em situações de perigo realizado pelos órgãos competentes (16,8%) e, entrega espontânea realizada pela própria população, a qual o animal encontrava-se em guarda doméstica irregular (9,72%). Do total de animais recebidos, 56,01% foram encaminhados para áreas de soltura e monitoramento no Estado de São Paulo e 23,40% ainda permaneciam em processo de reabilitação. O percentual de óbitos registrados foi de 14,5%. A partir dos resultados obtidos, conclui-se que o Pró-Arara é um empreendimento de fauna com grande importância para o auxílio na conservação das espécies de avifauna no estado de São Paulo e seria importante ser ampliado para aumento de sua capacidade de recebimento de animais. Outra ação primordial é a intensificação dos trabalhos de educação ambiental, para a conscientização das pessoas em relação ao papel que as espécies exercem no meio natural.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the current South African regulatory framework related to the illegal trade in wildlife, provides the means to regulate the illegal trade in rhino horn effectively. In an effort to combat and eradicate the illegal trade in wild species and parts therein, South Africa has enacted numerous laws and it has ratified various international conservation Conventions. However, with more than 800 rhinos having been killed in 2013 alone, it is doubtful whether these laws and conventions are adequate. The first chapter is an introductory chapter summarising the latest statistics on rhinos fatalities as a result of poaching, an estimate on their numbers as well giving a brief overview of what laws and conventions will be discussed in this study. In the second chapter the historical development of the trade in rhino horn is dissected, who the culprits are and the reason why rhinos are poached for their horn. The third chapter analyses international conventions that have been adopted by South Africa, including conventions such as the Convention on International Trade in Enangered Species, the Convention on Biological Diversity and agreements such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The fourth chapter will focus more on the regional contributions which the African Union and Southern African Developing Community have made in an effort to combat the illegal trade in endangered species and their products such as rhino. The fifth and final chapter discusses South African legislation which comprises of the National Environmental Management Act, National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act, National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act and the Criminal Procedure Act so as to determine what influence it has had in the effort to regulate the illegal trade in rhino horn. The conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that the South African regulatory framework on paper is indeed adequate enough to regulate and even eradicate the illegal trade in rhino horn. The reason, however, for it’s currently failure is attributable to a lack of enforcement of these measures as a result of a lack of provisions holding entities accountable. / LLM (Import and Export Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the current South African regulatory framework related to the illegal trade in wildlife, provides the means to regulate the illegal trade in rhino horn effectively. In an effort to combat and eradicate the illegal trade in wild species and parts therein, South Africa has enacted numerous laws and it has ratified various international conservation Conventions. However, with more than 800 rhinos having been killed in 2013 alone, it is doubtful whether these laws and conventions are adequate. The first chapter is an introductory chapter summarising the latest statistics on rhinos fatalities as a result of poaching, an estimate on their numbers as well giving a brief overview of what laws and conventions will be discussed in this study. In the second chapter the historical development of the trade in rhino horn is dissected, who the culprits are and the reason why rhinos are poached for their horn. The third chapter analyses international conventions that have been adopted by South Africa, including conventions such as the Convention on International Trade in Enangered Species, the Convention on Biological Diversity and agreements such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The fourth chapter will focus more on the regional contributions which the African Union and Southern African Developing Community have made in an effort to combat the illegal trade in endangered species and their products such as rhino. The fifth and final chapter discusses South African legislation which comprises of the National Environmental Management Act, National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act, National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act and the Criminal Procedure Act so as to determine what influence it has had in the effort to regulate the illegal trade in rhino horn. The conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that the South African regulatory framework on paper is indeed adequate enough to regulate and even eradicate the illegal trade in rhino horn. The reason, however, for it’s currently failure is attributable to a lack of enforcement of these measures as a result of a lack of provisions holding entities accountable. / LLM (Import and Export Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

In this dissertation, I investigate the role of oil resources and economic and political institutional quality on the economic performance of Iran. To this end, I examine four related themes. First and foremost, I provide a detailed picture of the economic structure of Iran and compare its performance with other oil and non-oil economies of the Middle East and the Middle Easterb region. As we get a clear picture of the relative economic position of Iran in the MENA region, I go further into macroeconomic analyses of oil wealth effects on the Iranian economy. The second theme investigated in this dissertation is the interaction of political power structure with oil rents and their effects on Iranian economic growth. This study is the first examination which takes into consideration political factionalism interaction with oil rents in the case of Iran. The results show that oil resources have a direct positive effect on economic growth in Iran. However, the interaction effect of factionalism (as a proxy for political asymmetry degree) with oil rents is negative and significant. The third theme which is examined in this study is illegal trade in Iran. This topic is also related to natural resource management in Iran. A large number of fuel products smuggled from Iran are due to heavy subsidies within the country. In this study, I measure the amount of illegal trade in Iran, identifying the major causes and indicators of smuggling. The average of illegal trade in Iran’s total trade is 13%. The value of annual illegal trade, on average, is within the range of $ 2.5 - 3 billion. The fourth topic which is examined in this dissertation is macroeconomic populism in Iran. The main source of financing populism spending in Iran is the oil revenues. Therefore, it is connected to the management of natural resources.

This research deals with the challenges of the conservation of tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) in the Chitwan National Park of Nepal and aims to be a model for tiger conservation in the tropical areas of other tiger range countries. Despite the high level of public concern and major investments during the last few decades for conservation, wild tigers continue to be under grave threat, and their preservation now requires, more than ever before, using reliable ecological knowledge for their conservation interventions. In this dissertation, I investigated various factors that affect on tiger conservation in this park: population status of prey, dietary patterns of tiger and its impact on sympatric carnivores (e.g., leopard) and increasing human-wildlife conflicts, effects of habitat structures and human disturbances on prey and predator species abundance and distribution.

In this dissertation, I investigate the role of oil resources and economic and political institutional quality on the economic performance of Iran. To this end, I examine four related themes. First and foremost, I provide a detailed picture of the economic structure of Iran and compare its performance with other oil and non-oil economies of the Middle East and the Middle Easterb region. As we get a clear picture of the relative economic position of Iran in the MENA region, I go further into macroeconomic analyses of oil wealth effects on the Iranian economy. The second theme investigated in this dissertation is the interaction of political power structure with oil rents and their effects on Iranian economic growth. This study is the first examination which takes into consideration political factionalism interaction with oil rents in the case of Iran. The results show that oil resources have a direct positive effect on economic growth in Iran. However, the interaction effect of factionalism (as a proxy for political asymmetry degree) with oil rents is negative and significant. The third theme which is examined in this study is illegal trade in Iran. This topic is also related to natural resource management in Iran. A large number of fuel products smuggled from Iran are due to heavy subsidies within the country. In this study, I measure the amount of illegal trade in Iran, identifying the major causes and indicators of smuggling. The average of illegal trade in Iran’s total trade is 13%. The value of annual illegal trade, on average, is within the range of $ 2.5 - 3 billion. The fourth topic which is examined in this dissertation is macroeconomic populism in Iran. The main source of financing populism spending in Iran is the oil revenues. Therefore, it is connected to the management of natural resources.

International trade in fauna and flora is curently considered as one of the greatest threats to populations of many wildlife species. According to available information, some species are declining mainly due to persecution by people for meat or for trade. Illegal trade is increasing as well. Its yearly turnover is estimated to be in the order of billions of US dollars. This diploma theses analyzes the international trade with selected bird species under the CITES Convention - Asian hornbills, African turacos, South American tukans and arassari, and pigeons and doves during the period from 1990 till 2015. Although the CITES Convention has proven to contribute to protecting biodiversity and protecting endangered species by monitoring and regulating the trade with them, it has its limitations and shortcomings. These are described in this diploma thesis on the example of some specific cases.

The illegal trade in endangered animals in KwaZulu-Natal, with an emphasis on rhino poaching, is tactically addressed in this dissertation. The aim is to expose the nature and extent of these crimes; the victims, offenders and modus operandi involved; the adjudication of wildlife offences; the causes and consequences concerned; the relevant criminological theories to explain these crimes; and recommendations for prevention. This research intends to examine the contemporary pandemic of rhino poaching in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and offer potential techniques for intervention. Furthermore, one of the main goals of the study is to reveal and enhance the extremely neglected field of conservation criminology. A general disregard by society for the environment, as well as the overall ineffectiveness and corruption of criminal justice and conservation authorities, comes to the fore. The purpose of the research is therefore to suggest possible prevention strategies in order to protect the rights of endangered species. / Criminology and Security Science / M.A. (Criminology)