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Generations of hard corals have built the complex reef ecosystems that harbour a huge diversity of sea-life in the world’s shallow tropical oceans. These undergo both sexual and clonal reproduction, and may contain signatures in their genomes which help to decipher the riddles of past population dynamics and evolutionary history. Two species of coral, Acropora austera and Platygyra daedalea, were collected from sites along the east African coastline from Kenya in the north to Maputaland, South Africa in the south, and from the Chagos Archipelago. Sequences of two different DNA regions were tested, in a preliminary study, for their potential ability to elucidate connectivity and differentiation among these coral populations. These were the nuclear ribosomal ITS region of P. daedalea populations, and a previously-unused marker, the carbonic anhydrase 3/550 nuclear intron of A. austera. These molecular markers indicated high levels of connectivity amongst populations in a preliminary study based on limited sample sizes and a subset of populations. It was decided to further explore the variability of the carbonic anhydrase 3/550 intron, which showed evidence of subdivision and structuring within Mozambique populations relative to South African populations, in a study in which both the sample size per site and the number and range of sampled sites were increased. ITS sequences, although highly variable, revealed no population differentiation in P. daedalea; STR markers were used in subsequent studies of population differentiation in this species. Populations of both A. austera and P. daedalea showed signs of high connectivity along the region of the coastline sampled in this study. However, there appeared to be a disjunction in ecological connectivity between reefs in Maputaland, South Africa and those in southern Mozambique, between Durban and Maputo where the Agulhas Current originates. This was reinforced in A. austera populations which displayed a region of genetic discontinuity between Inhaca Island and Maputaland reefs of the central reef complex, in the region of Rabbit Rock. Northern reef complexes also harboured unique haplotypes in contrast to southern reefs which shared all haplotypes with those in the north, an indication that northern reefs have seeded the southern (Maputaland) reefs. P. daedalea populations appeared evolutionarily panmictic over scales relevant to this study. Evidence for fine-scale structure indicated that populations were separated from one another over ecologically relevant time-scales. These populations were defined by both their habitats and their sampling location. There was a possibility that the Platygyra species complex included cryptic species that were not distinguishable from P. daedalea. However, the disjunction in the connectivity between northern and southern population groups was also evident in the population structure of P. daedalea. There was a net immigration of propagules of both P. daedalea and A. austera into populations north of the disjunction between groups, where the prevailing current regime is dictated by the Mozambique Channel eddies. In contrast populations to the south of the disjunction (the southern population group) which are subject to the swiftly flowing Agulhas Current, showed a net emigration of propagules from Maputaland reefs. These emigrants were likely to be lost to inhospitable habitat south of the marginal Maputaland region. Although there was evidence for migration of both Platygyra and Acropora propagules between the Bazaruto Archipelago reefs and certain Maputaland reefs, genetic exchange between Mozambique and Maputaland reefs appeared to be limited and may have occurred primarily at evolutionary rather than demographic levels. Managers may need to treat the regional Maputaland reefs as separate stocks and manage them accordingly, as the relative isolation of these corals in the central and southern reef complexes in Maputaland, South Africa, means that they are at risk to losing species to evolutionary extinction. It is also important that reef health in northern Mozambique and Tanzania is maintained as, despite evidence of a break in demographic connectivity, between reefs in these regions and those in Maputaland, there was evidence to suggest that reefs were connected at evolutionary scales, thus maintaining levels of genetic diversity on southern African reefs. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

This study explores the Australian and New Zealand media-government relationship during foreign instability and regional military intervention. It offers a critique of print media coverage and political communication during the 2002-2003 Solomon Islands crisis and the subsequent Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands. By reviewing the Indexing Hypothesis and CNN Effect, this thesis considers media and government data from the year preceding the intervention. By investigating the media-government relationship in the Pacific region, this study builds on the literature that has so far primarily focused on American and European led interventions. Previous research has illustrated the advantages and limitations to specific methodological practises. This study has drawn from the current literature to form a unique methodical approach. The methods to test the Australian and New Zealand media-government relationship include content analysis, and qualitative techniques for use in four complementary tests. Findings from this study indicate that while there is some degree of the media using the political elite as a cue for newsworthy issues, the media appear to often report independently from the political elite perspectives. The political elite set the range of debate, and while the media stay within this range, they appear to sensationalise certain aspects of the debate. Government also appear to benefit from this media behaviour as it uses the media to gauge responses during the policy formation process.

This research examines the impact of marketisation on Pacific Islands students in Christchurch high schools. Specifically, this study targeted the Tomorrow's Schools policy released in 1990 with particular interest in the changes in zoning laws. These changes theoretically allowed the consumers of education (the parents and students) equal access to all secondary schools by breaking down the zones and creating a free market where 'choice' and competition reigned supreme. However, this study along with others found that in actual fact it was the 'popular' schools with enrolment schemes who had the power to choose what students they preferred. Schools were left to compete for those students deemed' undesirable' by popular schools. This study found that a dis-empowerment of the schools' enrolment schemes needs to occur in Christchurch. Obviously, on the other hand, an empowerment of Pacific Islands parents and students through the increase of information also needs to occur. Although the government has made small steps toward making the problem more visible, more definitive work needs to be done in this area. This study also examined the achievement of Pacific Islands students at a national and at a sample level and discovered that has been very little improvement in this area over the time the Tomorrow's Schools policy has been in operation. Therefore, this study ventures into an analysis of this problem and suggests possible remedies. Again, this study argues that students must be actively empowered by teachers, schools, the government, and by their own people, in order to break down the physical, mental and even spiritual battles that Pacific Islands students face in the New Zealand education system.

How do religious and political elites in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands see the modern state? This thesis addresses this question. The thesis shows that these two countries do not fit with the ideal structure of the modern state provided here. This is despite the state building efforts of Australia as the two countries largest aid donor. It shows that there are a number of ways that the state can be seen by elites. Amongst both groups of elites can the state can be seen by some as something for the security and betterment of the population. It can be seen as a structure to oppose by some religious groups. Other religious leaders see the state as a partner for the development of both countries. Political elites can see keeping the state weak as being beneficial to finance its operations. Some leaders see the state as an item of capture. It finds that though religious leaders have generally good intentions for the state, they are limited in their authority and influence. The thesis also finds that though political elites are much more important than religious elites in shaping the state, their role is limited by and tied to the people. It finds that the two societies are extremely fragmented and competitive with many differing interests. This leads to the state being seen as an item of competition. This competition does not create the conditions that the state as a structure depends on to reach its ideal form. It concludes that for the state to succeed in both countries there needs to be a shift in attitude towards it.

The thesis explores the roles and reponsibilities of New Zealand Police deployed under the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, established in 2003. Their work under this banner continues a growing trend that sees the deployment of constabulary police officers to post-conflict societies to re-establish order and build a framework for sustainable peace. Where the existing literature considers the normative dimensions of this trend, this thesis looks more closely at the micro-level interaction between international police officers and citizens of post-conflict societies. In particular, it asks questions about the suitability and sustainability of the community policing model; a model that has developed over several decades in an internal law-enforcement context but is relatively new to the peace-building sphere. The research focus is drawn from the extensive literature on the use of community policing in domestic contexts but is adapted in order to speak back to the literature on peace-bulding and international policing. The everyday experiences of New Zealand Police were deployed to Solomon Islands were explored through semi-structured interviews. In particular, the thesis found that officers experiences little of the ethnic conflict that had, according to international media, been the hallmark of the Tension period and that they showed a nuanced understanding of the social and political climate of the communities they operated in. It further found that, while officers were often keen to show respect for local tradition and local power structures, they also saw that in some cases these structures needed to be broken down for the safety and well-being of local people, particularly women and children. The New Zealand style of community policing sometimes clashed with that other contingents but overall the strength of the personal and professional relationships they had with those they worked with was the most decisive factor influencing their experience. While much of the discussion centres on the community model, the findings highlight the importance of people in the peace-building process. The model played an important role in facilititating a broad-based policing initiative in Solomon Islands but it was the personal investment by individual officers going about their everyday work that was often crucial in breaking down the barriers to peace. The finding points to the importance of empowering communities in exercising ownership over the peace-building process and the role that police officers from another country can play in encouraging that process.

The Owl-Flintstone range in southeastern Manitoba is among the most at risk in the province. Through a series of transects and plots established throughout the study area, this study characterized calving habitat at a fine scale, examined the use of caribou calving areas by large mammals and examined if a calving habitat model correctly identified high quality calving habitat. Parturient females utilized black spruce dominated islands and peninsulas on lakes as well as islands and peninsulas in bogs. Bear utilized both predicted low and high quality sites. Black spruce and lichen cover were significantly greater within known calving sites compared to predicted low quality habitat. Forbs, herbs and downed woody debris values were significantly lower within known calving sites compared to predicted high quality sites. The calving habitat model correctly identified both high quality and low quality calving habitat in the Owl-Flintstone range, however parameters could be refined.

I sampled the plant communities associated with Garry oak (Quercus garryana) in British Columbia in order to develop a classification for use in resource management. Garry oak ecosystems have been designated as critically imperiled in British Columbia. My methods employed some quantitative aspects, but were largely subjective in order to assemble a numerically-adequate data base, apply a landscape approach and include a wide geographic coverage. Although some facets of my study were influenced by European phytosociology, both methodological affinities and the results of objective comparisons place the classification in a scientific context with other studies from the Pacific Northwest oak woodlands. Forty-three (43) plant communities were identified and are described in detail. They consist of 27 communities in a category named for native plant species and 17 communities named for introduced species, organized in two categories of previous disturbance. Similar plant communities are recognized from the literature on other oak woodlands in the Pacific Northwest. The ecosystem relations of the plant communities are depicted on a subjective basis from the collected field data, supplemented with objective results at a broad level. Ecological hypotheses are suggested, along with management interpretations for each of the plant communities. Preservation and active management are emphasized in a management strategy presented for the Garry oak habitat as a whole. / Graduate

The aim of the thesis is to study the circumstances which influenced the policy of the British Government towards the decolonization of the Falklands from 1945 to 1989. A comprehensive approach to the subject enabled an examination of the inter-relationship between the various forces which defined the nature of the dilemma. The themes included economic development, the form of landownership in the Colony, Falkland politics, the strategic value of the Islands, Anglo- Argentine trade and the Antarctic dimension. The thesis presents an original interpretation of how volatile and unpredictable pressures defined the dispute. A pattern emerges which shows that Government policy consisted of responses to different situations. The structure is based on a chronological approach which concentrates on the seven major turning-points in the dispute and how they were perceived in Britain and the Falklands. It also includes three original case studies. First, there is a socio- economic study of the peculiar approach to the colonization of the Falklands in the nineteenth century which provides a background to later developments. Secondly, the 1982 Conflict shows how the problems of the last British colonial territories can be in inverse proportion to their size. Thirdly, the examination of the Falkland Lobby gives a detailed account of how a successful British pressure group is organized. The primary sources used were Foreign and Colonial Office files at the Public Records Office (Kew) for the period up to the 1950s, and the archives of the Falkland Islands Association for the period from the mid-1960s. These were supplemented by private papers, the records of the Falkland Islands Company in London, interviews with prominent people, contemporary newspapers, official documents and secondary sources.