Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-128).

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1990.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1990.

Thesis--Universidade de São Paulo. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 205-214).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1973. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliography.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 152 p. : ill. (some col.), map. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 140-147).

No abstract provided / Thesis / Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Over 18 years after the democratic government took power in South Africa, environmental changes relevant to the land reform policies are taking place because of unintended consequences of land reform policy. This study aimed at investigating the effects of the South African land reform policy on land use and land cover change on a land restitution project in Makotopong, Limpopo province, South Africa. The study used remote sensing techniques through the analysis of Landsat TM images acquired in 1994 and 2007 to produce landscape maps and derive land cover change. Statistics deriving the nature of the decline in the general condition of the land restitution project gave an insight into the kind of landscape transformation that has taken place before and after land restitution program. Quantification of land cover classes have shown a decline in post-transfer activities with a decline in agricultural productivity, as illustrated by the decline in area covered by agricultural crops (showing a decline from 78.03 ha in 1994 to 20.43 ha in 2007). The study recommends that spatial data analysis through remote sensing procedures should form the information base in monitoring and evaluating the land reform projects. Results of this study demonstrated that quantification of the changes in land use and land cover types can be very useful in deriving the nature of the general environmental and social condition of the land reform project. / Thesis (M. Sc (Geography) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2012

Land use change is one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity, and agricultural intensification has severely affected farmland birds in Europe. As a rapidly declining long-distance migrant and obligatory brood parasite, the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus is an interesting species on which to investigate the impacts of land use on birds. My thesis focuses on understanding the causes and mechanisms behind cuckoo declines in Britain by exploring relationships between land use, cuckoos, their hosts and adult cuckoo prey. Cuckoo population trends vary between habitat types, resulting in changes to cuckoo-habitat associations. There was little evidence of preference for semi-natural or agricultural habitats where cuckoos were widespread before their declines began, but they were strongly selective of semi-natural grass, heath and woodland by the 2000s while avoiding farmland. This suggests that female cuckoos specialised in parasitizing dunnocks (Prunella modularis) are now scarce while meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis) cuckoos have been retained in semi-natural habitats. However, as habitat cover had a consistently stronger statistical effect than host abundance on the presence or retention of cuckoos, the availability of other resources may limit current cuckoo distribution. The probability of cuckoo presence increased with the abundance of known cuckoo prey, predominantly large, hairy moth caterpillars. These species have undergone greater declines than other moths and their population trends also vary by habitat: abundance has increased in semi-natural habitats but declined in improved grassland and woodland. Therefore changing prey abundance may be a key driver of cuckoo declines in farmland. Although fundamental questions on the causes of cuckoo declines remain unanswered, maintaining semi-natural habitats as a stronghold for cuckoos in Britain might be an effective conservation strategy in the immediate future. However, measures adopted under agri-environment schemes which increase moth abundance may offer long-term mitigation of cuckoo declines while benefiting other insectivorous species.

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