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Demographic responses to environmental stress have long been hypothesized in classic population theory, though empirical analyses remain scarce and traditionally focus on aggregate units of analysis. With the growing concern over environmental degradation it remains an empirical question as to how, to what extent and in which spatial and temporal scales populations, especially in developing countries, are directly and indirectly affected by their immediate natural surroundings. This paper examines the link between fertility related behavior of women at the individual level and several environmental determinants across eight sub-Saharan West African countries. Data is pooled from georeferenced Demographic and Health Surveys (conducted 2001-2005) combined with long term climatic data and a time series of remotely sensed vegetation index spanning 23 years. Results consistently show little to no effect of immediate natural resources or gross land degradation on fertility related behavior, but that effects tend to become more pronounced in larger geographic scales. Despite data limitations these results call for improved theoretical specificity. Questions that need to be addressed, both theoretically and empirically, are at which spatial and temporal scales environmental pressures induce certain types of demographic responses. / text

Land degradation is a national concern that needs to be redressed and prevented by the government and its agencies as it has a significant impact on agricultural productivity and food security. The National Department of Agriculture is in the process of reforming the sustainable resource use policy to deal with the causes of land degradation and to promote the sustainable use of natural resources, particularly in povertystricken areas. Prior to 1994, this policy was only applied in areas where commercial agriculture was practised. The researcher has explored the struggles encountered during the implementation of the sustainable resource use policy through a case study approach within the Enkumane region of KwaZulu-Natal. The research followed a cross-sectional approach drawing from methods such as typology techniques, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, which were employed at various stages in the policy process, from the levels of policy-makers to the intended beneficiaries. A literature review emphasized the importance of applying inte~ated and participatory approaches in implementing a public policy. The results highlighted significant differences of opinion concerning the implementation of the sustainable resource use policy within and between the different stages of the process from policy to implementation. This was partly attributed to the inadequacy in terms of clear roles, direction and guidelines, and also in terms of the institutionalisation of experience, knowledge and skills. It was recommended that a more co-ordinated and integrated effort is required to reform the policy. This calls for the establishment of mechanisms to ensure that people at all stages in the policy process are involved in a participatory manner, towards the continual improvement of the sustainable resource use policy. The significance of this study is twofold, firstly the financial burden of ineffective policies is unacceptable to our society. Secondly, the research has a potential to enhance the policy to implementation process, which may provide a platform for improving the sustainable resource use policy. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Botany))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Botany))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (doctoral)--Uppsala University, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [160]-164).

Thesis (doctoral)--Uppsala University, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [160]-164).

Submitted by Maria Lucia Solera (lucinha@ipt.br) on 2018-04-05T14:54:47Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Solera_Maria_Lucia.pdf: 7380822 bytes, checksum: b8c2f83d71228edc0643d9c3ef334ac5 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Bruna Bacalgini null (bruna@sorocaba.unesp.br) on 2018-04-05T17:53:42Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 solera_ml_dr_soro.pdf: 7380822 bytes, checksum: b8c2f83d71228edc0643d9c3ef334ac5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-05T17:53:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 solera_ml_dr_soro.pdf: 7380822 bytes, checksum: b8c2f83d71228edc0643d9c3ef334ac5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-09 / A mineração representa um importante setor na economia promovendo diversos benefícios econômicos e sociais ao país. Ainda que apresente impactos positivos, os cenários da degradação originados pela atividade minerária causam impactos negativos ao meio ambiente, dificultando a recuperação da área degradada. Esta pesquisa discute a aplicabilidade da bioengenharia de solos como estratégia promissora para recuperar um talude de pilha de estéril. Esse talude está constituído por materiais de diferentes granulometrias, alta declividade e elevado índices de vazios, características físicas que podem afetar o desenvolvimento ou mesmo a recolonização da vegetação nativa por processos naturais de sucessão. Três modelos estruturais de bioengenharia de solos denominados de guirlanda, colmeia e retentor foram confeccionados para reter mistura de solo-substrato/sementes de Crotalaria juncea, Mucuna aterrina e Cajanus cajan como adubos verdes visando à produção de matéria orgânica e promover as condições necessárias para posterior revegetação do talude. Os resultados obtidos com aplicação dos índices desenvolvidos para avaliar os modelos indicam que a guirlanda apresentou melhor resultado, destacando-se a baixa dificuldade de instalação do modelo no talude, a baixa dificuldade de preenchimento do solo-substrato/sementes no modelo e o alto desenvolvimento da adubação verde. O segundo melhor desempenho foi alcançado pelo modelo retentor seguido pelo modelo colmeia com o pior desempenho. Na análise dos bioindicadores ambientais do solo, a guirlanda apresentou melhor resultado na produção da matéria orgânica, em número de morfoespécies e em numero de indivíduos da fauna edáfica, seguindo pelos modelos retentor e colmeia. Os critérios preestabelecidos especificamente para avaliar esses modelos indicam potencial de aplicabilidade em futuros projetos de pesquisas para recuperar situações similares de degradação em áreas de mineração a céu aberto. / Mining represents an important sector in the economy promoting many economic and social benefits to the country. Although this represents positive impacts, the degradation scenarios originated by the mining activity cause negative impacts to the environment, which difficult the recovery of the degraded area. This research discusses the applicability of soil bioengineering as a promising strategy for recovering a slope of a waste dump. This slope consists of materials of different granulometries, high slope and high void ratio, physical characteristics that can hinder the development or even the recolonization of native vegetation by natural succession processes. Three soil bioengineering structural models, named as guirlanda, colmeia and retentor were made to retain a mix of soilsubstrate and seeds of Crotalaria juncea, Mucuna aterrina and Cajanus cajan as green manures for the production of organic matter and to promote the necessary conditions for future revegetation of the slope. The results obtained with application of the indices developed to assess the models indicate that guirlanda presented the best results, with highlights for the low difficulty in installing the model on the slope, the low difficulty of filling the model with the mix of soil-substrate and seeds and the high development of green manure. The second best performance was achieved by retentor model followed by the worst performing colmeia model. In the analysis of soil environmental bioindicators, guirlanda presented better results in the production of organic matter, in number of morphospecies and in number of individuals of the edaphic fauna, followed by the models retentor and colmeia. The specifically pre-established criteria to assess these models indicate the potential applicability in future research projects to recover similar situations of degradation in open pit mining areas.

No description available.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:52:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CarlosCGD.pdf: 1489111 bytes, checksum: 001f763e52671d83a36d43eff64141cc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-05-19 / The objective of this study was to investigate the environmental perception of: People with common-sense knowledge on the desertification process in RN. People with scientific knowledge on the desertification process in RN. Focal points in the combat at desertification of the RN and public ministery representant with actions in interinstitutional articulations promoter (and/or relative actions) at the desertification process in the RN. The research was carried in the city of Natal-RN and in two small cities of the Serid? region (RN): Caic? and Currais Novos. The research carried, is classified as exploratory and 22 people were interviewed. The research includes: The propension/intensity of the desertification in the RN and in the Serid? region; Evaluation of the knowledge of those interviewed, concerning the subject desertification ; Problems in order to combat desertification; Causes of desertification; The profile of the interviewed. The results of this present study indicate that the a desertification process is more agressive in the Serid? region than in the state of RN, being the two following: the absence of preocupation of the affected population with the process and the escarcity of governamental recurses, indicates how problems greather in the combat to the phenomen. Decreasing of produtivity in the agriculture and increasing of the migration to the urbans centers have been the main consequences of the process, that have at water scarcity, deforestation and extraction of argil (being this, regional factor), relevant variables in the influence to the surgiment of the desertification process of the RN / O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a percep??o ambiental de: Detentores de conhecimento popular acerca do processo de desertifica??o no RN. Detentores de conhecimento cient?fico acerca do processo de desertifica??o no RN. Pontos focais no combate ? desertifica??o do RN e representante do minist?rio p?blico que atuasse na promo??o de articula??o interinstitucional (e/ou a??es relacionadas) ao processo de desertifica??o no RN. A pesquisa foi realizada em Natal-RN e em dois munic?pios da regi?o do Serid? (RN): Caic? e Currais Novos. A pesquisa realizada, que ? enquadrada como explorat?ria, contou com 22 pesquisados e abordou: A propens?o/intensidade da desertifica??o no RN e no Serid?; Avalia??o do conhecimento do pesquisado, acerca do assunto desertifica??o ; Problemas no combate ? desertifica??o; Causas da desertifica??o; Perfil dos pesquisados. Os resultados obtidos apontam que a desertifica??o ? mais grave na regi?o do Serid? que no Estado como um todo, sendo a falta de preocupa??o da popula??o afetada pelo processo e a escassez de recursos governamentais, indicadas como principais problemas no combate ao fen?meno. Perda de produtividade agr?cola e eleva??o da migra??o para os centros urbanos evidenciaram-se como as principais conseq??ncias do processo, que tem na escassez de ?gua, no desmatamento e na retirada de argila (sendo esse ?ltimo, fator regional), vari?veis de destacada import?ncia na influ?ncia ao surgimento do processo de desertifica??o do RN