Many rural communities in the United States are experiencing a transition away from traditional conceptions of agrarian lifestyles and landscapes, and are increasingly faced with a new set of values, desires, and perspectives being brought in by new residents. This change in land use and land ownership presents opportunities as well as challenges to rural areas. This paper explores the some of the grounds behind some of the changes taking place, specifically in a political economic context, and the effect these changes are having on rural landscapes and the communities they support. In the face of a changing perception of "rural", I argue that it is important to acknowledge and foster respect for a plurality of values and desires for the land, both in how productivity of the land is conceptualized, as well as the approaches taken to manage these changes into a sustainable future. Community Landcare is one approach emerging in the United States, and presents a model to foster a sense of community in a multifunctional landscape, while providing the forum for landowners to maintain their individual values while coming together with a shared interest in "caring for the land". A case study of the Catawba Valley and its developing Catawba Landcare group illustrates these connections. / Master of Arts

We report an intertidal, bone-rich peat deposit on the windward (Atlantic Ocean) coast of Abaco, The Bahamas. The age of the Gilpin Point peat (c. 950-900 cal. yr BP) is based on five overlapping radiocarbon dates (one each from single pieces of wood of buttonwood Conocarpus erectus and sabal palm Sabal palmetto, and single bones of the Cuban crocodile Crocodylus rhombifer, Albury's tortoise Chelonoidis alburyorum, and green turtle Chelonia mydas). The short time interval represented by the charcoal-rich peat suggests rapid sedimentation following initial anthropogenic fires on Abaco. The site's diverse snail assemblage is dominated by terrestrial and freshwater species. The peat is exposed today only during exceptionally low tides, suggesting a lower sea level at the time of deposition as well as a degrading shoreline during the past millennium. Fossils from Gilpin Point represent a late-Holocene vertebrate community at the time of first human presence; only 10 of the 17 identified species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals still live on Abaco. Numerous unhealed bite marks on the inside of the thick carapaces of the green turtle attest to consumption by Cuban crocodiles, which probably scavenged turtles butchered by humans. This concept, along with the dense concentration of bones in the peat, and charring on some bones of the green turtle and Abaco tortoise, suggests a cultural origin of the bone deposit at Gilpin Point, where the only Amerindian artifact recovered thus far is a shell bead.

<p>In the early 2000’s scientists noticed an increase in biomass production in the Sahel for the period 1982-2002 (a process which is referred to as ‘greening’). The goal of this thesis was to investigate the greening phenomenon at the local scale in 4 villages in south-central Niger and compare results of the investigation with the already available regional scale studies. Theoretical starting points for this study were: the micro-macro scale paradox in the Sahelian studies and the critical research about ‘received wisdoms’ and environmental narratives of African landscapes. Methods for this study were: visual interpretation of remote sensing data (aerial photographs and satellite images) and collection of farmers’ knowledge during a fieldtrip (PRA and personal interviews). This study identified that greening was not a uniform or strong process in four villages. Greening primarily concerned appearance of new trees, whereas big old trees continued to disappear. Not only rainfall was a reason behind greening, but also human factor played a substantial role. The greening phenomenon should be investigated critically, as far as its meaning for the affected land users is not clear.</p>

In the early 2000’s scientists noticed an increase in biomass production in the Sahel for the period 1982-2002 (a process which is referred to as ‘greening’). The goal of this thesis was to investigate the greening phenomenon at the local scale in 4 villages in south-central Niger and compare results of the investigation with the already available regional scale studies. Theoretical starting points for this study were: the micro-macro scale paradox in the Sahelian studies and the critical research about ‘received wisdoms’ and environmental narratives of African landscapes. Methods for this study were: visual interpretation of remote sensing data (aerial photographs and satellite images) and collection of farmers’ knowledge during a fieldtrip (PRA and personal interviews). This study identified that greening was not a uniform or strong process in four villages. Greening primarily concerned appearance of new trees, whereas big old trees continued to disappear. Not only rainfall was a reason behind greening, but also human factor played a substantial role. The greening phenomenon should be investigated critically, as far as its meaning for the affected land users is not clear.

Landscape change induced by population growth and urban development is impacting the ecosystem goods and services provided by open space, which is essential to supporting many urban and rural populations. Conserving open space cannot be attained without obtaining public support especially in a state like Texas where most open space is privately owned. This dissertation was aimed at exploring the role of place identity as an intrinsic incentive for landowner involvement in conserving open space threatened by landscape change. Four objectives addressed in this research include: 1) defining place identity and identifying its underlying dimensions; 2) developing and refining a place-identity scale; 3) developing and testing a conceptual framework to explain the relationships among commitment, place identity, behavior/behavioral intention to manifest place identity, and perception of landscape change; and 4) drawing implications for open space conservation. Identity theory and identity control theory were applied to conceptualize place identity and develope structural models for hypothesis testing. Place identity was defined as comprising meanings that individuals ascribe to a place through their interaction with that place and become defining elements of their self-identity. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this research. Results from semi-structured interviews with a convenience sample of landowners in the Texas Hill Country were used to develop the place-identity scale. Survey data from randomly selected Hill Country landowners were used in confirmatory factor analysis, mean and covariance structure analysis, and invariance testing based on the covariance structure to test and refine measures, to compare differences between landowner groups, and to test hypotheses. Findings suggested that identity theory and identity control theory provided valuable insight to place identity in the face of change. Results also supported a model of place identity comprised of cognitive and affective dimensions, and identified variations among individuals in their affective place-identity. Moreover, findings indicated that both dimensions exhibited different effects on identity-related behavior/behavioral intention under the influence of landscape change. Implications were provided for engaging landowners in open space conservation. This dissertation addresses several research gaps, and also raises questions important in understanding and applying place identity to promoting conservation.

In this dissertation, I examine the relationship between environmental conditions and human activity in the landscape of the Argive Plain of Greece after the collapse of the Bronze Age palatial system (1200–750 B.C.). I use evidence from four locales: the Petsas House and the Lower Town at Mycenae, to the immediate northwest and southwest of the citadel respectively; the settlement at Chania, three kilometers downstream; and the Northwest Town of Tiryns, in the lower reaches of the plain. I apply micromorphological analysis (the microscopic analysis of soils and sediments) integrated with analysis of grain-size and soil chemistry (assessed by X-Ray Fluorescence and Fourier Transform Infrared) in order to place depositional events within the context of settlement change at the end of the Bronze Age. The climate had been drying during the Late Bronze. An earthquake ca. 1200 B.C. is concurrent with the beginning of the final period of occupation on the edge of the plain around Mycenae. Some accumulation of sandy muds, destabilized sediments from the largely abandoned citadel, is observed at Petsas House as well as in the Lower Town where, additionally, remains were buried by two deposits of red muddy gravels from uncultivated mountain slopes. The gravels are separated by a brief period of stability (less than a century) marked by a weak soil formation, and reached final equilibrium in the Early to Middle Geometric period (900–760 B.C.). At the same time, three kilometers downstream, similar red muddy gravels resulted in the interruption of activity at the settlement of Chania. Meanwhile, at Tiryns, 30 cm of sandy muds, also destabilized by drier conditions, were deposited over decaying mudbrick, implying that the site was already abandoned before sedimentation occurred. The burial of both Mycenae and Tiryns demonstrates the instability in the Argive landscape and the complications of relating these changes to settlement. In the environs of Mycenae, the sudden deposition of muddy gravels certainly brought about the abandonment at Chania, and possibly also in the Lower Town; while at Tiryns abandonment preceded accumulation. This study demonstrates how intensive geoarchaeological study must be a component in properly situating sites in their particular landscapes.

We examine the role of forest blowdown in lake acidification. Our approach combines geographic information systems (GIS) and digital remote sensing with traditional field methods. The methods of analysis consist of direct observation, interpretation of satellite imagery and aerial photographs, and statistical comparison of two geographical distributions-one representing forest blowdown and another representing lake chemistry. Spatial and temporal associations between surface water pH and landscape disturbance are strong and consistent in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. In 43 Adirondack Mountain watersheds, lake pH is associated with the percentage of the watershed area blown down and with hydrogen ion deposition (Spearman rank correlation coefficients of -0.67 and -0.73, respectively). Evidence of a temporal association is found at Big Moose Lake and Jerseyfield Lake in New York and the Lygners Vider Plateau of Sweden. We conclude that forest blowdown facilitates the acidification of some lakes by altering hydrologic pathways so that waters (previously acidified by acid deposition and/or other sources) do not experience the neutralization normally available through contact with subsurface soils and bedrock. Increased pipeflow is suggested as a mechanism that may link the biogeochemical impacts of forest blowdown to lake chemistry.

Tangible and intangible heritage values of cultural landscapes are becoming lost or transforming under the threat of rapidly changing landscapes. Researcher-oriented documenting methods are missing significant meanings of landscapes for local communities. Community-based methods can reveal both tangible and intangible heritage of landscapes without missing important values for local communities. This dissertation study proposed a community-based mixed method research to reveal and document cultural heritage or other values from the perspective of local community members in the case study area of Findikli in Rize/Turkey. Findikli's cultural landscape is under the threat of rapidly changing landscape due to newly introduced agriculture practice - tea production. To reveal lost or transformed tangible and intangible heritage meanings of the Findikli's cultural landscape, multiple community-based research methods were used for collecting data from local residents as well as those with family or community connections to the area. Community workshops, individual and group interviews, and surveys gathered information on the social and cultural relationships, as well as locations of past and present agricultural activities, land uses and built structures. Analysis of family and community photographs and aerial imagery, as well as community produced land use and cognitive maps helped place these in spatial relationship to the landscape. Results of this dissertation study made contributions to case study area with a rich archive of Findikli's traditional tangible and intangible landscape elements, and to cultural landscape studies with a method of discovering traditional cultural heritage and landscape values under the threat of change and a guidance to document them with the community-based methods to increase quality and quantity of information. / Ph. D. / Physical and social values of cultural landscapes are becoming lost or transforming under the threat of rapidly changing landscapes. Documenting physical and social values of landscapes via researchers’ point of view is missing some significant meanings of landscapes for local communities. Engaging community in the revealing landscape meanings process provides more information compared to researchers’ perspective studies. This dissertation study proposed a community-based mixed method research to reveal and document cultural heritage or other values from the perspective of local community members in the case study area of Findikli in Rize/Turkey. Findikli’s cultural landscape is under the threat of rapidly changing landscape due to newly introduced agriculture practice –tea production. To reveal lost or transformed socially and culturally important meanings of the Findikli’s cultural landscape, multiple community-based research methods were used for collecting data from local residents as well as those with family or community connections to the area. Community workshops, individual and group interviews, and surveys gathered information on the social and cultural relationships, as well as locations of past and present agricultural activities, land uses and built structures. Analysis of family and community photographs and aerial imagery, as well as community produced land use helped place these in spatial relationship to the landscape. Results of this dissertation study made contributions to case study area with a rich archive of Findikli’s traditional physical and social landscape elements, and to cultural landscape studies with a method of discovering traditional cultural heritage and landscape values under the threat of change and a guidance to document them with the community-based methods to increase quality and quantity of information.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Geography / Kevin Blake / The American West is a land of great diversity and stark contrast. It is also a landscape marked by rapid change as a result of such forces as globalization, population growth, and heightened interest in natural resources (either for recreation or extraction). This dissertation investigates these changes to the region through a repeat photography analysis. Between 1982 and 1984, Thomas and Geraldine Vale traveled along U.S. Highway 89 from Glacier National Park, Montana to Nogales, Arizona. Their subsequent work, Western Images, Western Landscapes: Travels Along U.S. 89 (University of Arizona Press, 1989), contained fifty-three photographs from this journey, representing a cross section of the West from border to border. Nearly every facet of the region was represented, from the remote prairie landscapes of Montana to the bustling Phoenix downtown, and from the largest open pit mine in the world to seldom visited corners of Yellowstone National Park. Between March 2009 and August 2010, I retraced the steps taken by the Vales and successfully rephotographed all of the locations contained within their book. The observed continuity or change is examined thematically in order to address the landscapes and cultures of the West in greater detail. Specifically, chapters within this dissertation visually and textually describe changes that have occurred along national borders, within Native American reservations, throughout the rural landscapes and national parks of the region, within the many resource extraction industries, and within towns and cities of every size. Significant findings, which are well depicted in the photographic pairings, include heightened national security along the borders, problems of overuse in many parks and protected areas, the transition of traditional small towns into communities increasingly dependent upon tourism for survival, and both beautification and revitalization efforts taking place in the urban cores of Phoenix and Salt Lake City. By painting a vivid picture of recent Western geography, this research provides for greater ability for residents and scholars of the region to understand the forces at work within their communities and surroundings.

Rural people in the Sahel derive multiple benefits from local ecosystem services on a daily basis. At the same time, a large proportion of the population lives in multidimensional poverty. The global sustainability challenge is thus manifested in its one extreme here, with a strong need to improve human well-being without degrading the landscapes that people depend on. To address this challenge, knowledge on how local people interact with their landscapes, and how this changes over time, must be improved. An ecosystem services approach, focusing on benefits to people from ecosystem processes, is useful in this context. However, methods for assessing ecosystem services that include local knowledge while addressing a scale relevant for development interventions are lacking. In this thesis, such methods are developed to study Sahelian landscapes through an ecosystem services lens. The thesis is focused on village landscapes and is based on in-depth fieldwork in six villages in northern Burkina Faso. In these villages, participatory methods were used to identify social-ecological patches (landscape units that correspond with local descriptions of landscapes, characterized by a combination of land use, land cover and topography), the provisioning ecosystem services generated in each social-ecological patch, and the benefits from ecosystem services to livelihoods (Paper I). In Paper II, change in cover of social-ecological patches mapped on aerial photographs and satellite images from the period 1952-2016 was combined with population data and focus group discussions to evaluate change in generation of ecosystem services over time. In Paper III, up-scaling of the village scale assessment to provincial scale was done through the development of a classification method to identify social-ecological patches on medium-resolution satellite images. Paper IV addresses the whole Sudano-Sahelian climate zone of West Africa, to analyze woody vegetation as a key component for ecosystem services generation in the landscape. It is based on a systematic review of which provisioning and regulating ecosystem services are documented from trees and shrubs on agricultural lands in the region. Social-ecological patches and associated sets of ecosystem services are very similar in all studied villages across the two regions. Most social-ecological patches generate multiple ecosystem services with multiple benefits, illustrating a multifunctional landscape (Paper I). The social-ecological patches and ecosystem services are confirmed at province level in both regions, and the dominant social-ecological patches can be mapped with high accuracy on medium-resolution satellite images (Paper III). The potential generation of cultivated crops has more or less kept up with population growth in the villages, while the potential for other ecosystem services, particularly firewood, has decreased per capita (Paper II). Trees and shrubs contribute with multiple ecosystem services, but their landscape effects, especially on regulating ecosystem services, must be better studied (Paper IV). The thesis provides new insights about the complex and multi-functional landscapes of rural Sahel, nuancing dominating narratives on environmental change in the region. It also provides new methods that include local knowledge in ecosystem services assessments, which can be up-scaled to scales relevant for development interventions, and used to analyze changes in ecosystem services over time. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript.</p><p> </p>