The diploma thesis "Legal regime of free-time activities in wild nature" deals with the legal regulation of individual behavior in the wild nature with respect to the protection of nature. It is based on legislation in force in the territory of the Czech Republic, mainly on the laws and implementing regulations relating to environmental protection. The diploma reflects the creation of new forms of recreation or entertainment in nature, which results in a higher burden on the environment; therefore there is a need for consistent application of legal rules. A fundamental aspect of this thesis is a summary of legal regulations of the execution of leisure activities in the wild nature followed by the review of the legislation including other possible future solutions.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. 24 March in Johannesburg, South Africa, 2014. / The Biosphere Reserve (BR) model of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) reflects a shift towards more socially accountable conservation, setting a basis for improving the relationships between people and their environment. The BR approach of dual ‘conservation’ and ‘sustainable development’ objectives is a long-term perspective that increases people’s ability to sustainably manage environmental resources into the future. By 2013 the MAB Programme had resulted in 621 sites designated globally since first inception in 1976, with 11 of these new listings since 2012. Yet regardless of this global spatial expansion, there are few examples of BRs successfully conforming to the MAB’s full criteria, as the reality of aligning conservation and development goals in this model has typically favoured one over the other, with examples of development objectives fuelling broad-scale landscape transformation and conservation objectives that have ignored socio-economic opportunities. However there are a number of case studies presented herein that have shown considerable success, and this thesis suggests that the potential opportunities inherent in the model may outweigh implementation challenges. This thesis critically reviews the history and evolution of the Programme internationally, and makes recommendations for the future of the MAB Programme. In the South African context, the BR model has been applied to a regional conservation landscape in the north-eastern part of the country. The Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve (K2C) is a long-established land-use mosaic of socio-economic juxtapositions, where nationally important economic sectors and world-renowned protected areas (e.g. the Kruger National Park) neighbour extensive, mostly rural, human populations engaged in informal livelihood practices. These vast settlement expanses are artefacts of the former political system in South Africa, and have been prioritised by the South African National Government for urgent socio-economic upliftment. Given that understanding the underlying land-use mosaic is essential for successful implementation of the BR model in any landscape, this thesis assessed land-cover change across the BR (1993 – 2006 – 2012), through the creation of land-cover classification maps, analysing spatial changes in cover relative to the MAB theoretical aspirations. It focuses on three consolidated land-cover cover classes: Intact Vegetation, Impacted Vegetation and Settlement, that present a graduated scale of land-use intensities across the BR, acting as surrogates for the ‘environmental’ and ‘human utilisation’ aspects of the BR approach. Results indicate that the spatial distribution of land-cover change in K2C bears little regard for the theoretical BR zonation and the relative limitations on ‘use’ that typifies successful BR implementation. The spatial expansion of Settlement cover replaced adjacent Impacted Vegetation, which in turn encroached in original areas of Intact Vegetation cover, increasingly fragmenting Intact Vegetation across K2C. The expansion of Impacted Vegetation has resulted in the spatial consolidation of communal use areas, which has likely serious implications for the long-term sustainability of current harvesting levels. Anecdotal field observations have indicated community responses to these concerns with the formal fencing of rangelands to secure ownership and control access. Losses of Intact vegetation translate spatially into an area >400km2, with observed land-cover changes occurring beyond the transition zone, encroaching into the (fully-protected) core and (partially–protected) buffer zones. The increased rate of landscape change in the recent observation period (2.3%1993-2006 versus 5.7%2006-2012) poses challenges for landscape management, with future predictions of escalating transformation likely to undermine BR sustainability, as well as options for a regionally connected protected area network. Historical landscape trends predict a further 5.1% loss of intact vegetation in the next 6 years (2012 – 2018), yet this may over-estimate the potential for transformation in this landscape. However the possibility of a similar loss over a longer temporal period, i.e. 12 years, is not improbable, with the unprotected matrix landscape of the transition zone having experienced comparable losses since 1993, i.e. 4.17%. K2C has had substantial success with pilot socio-economic projects, and has received formal international recognition for the stakeholder engagement / alignment occurring in the subregion as a result of the BR’s listing here. Given these successes, and the considerable investment in its establishment, it is likely that the BR model here will endure. The results of this thesis contribute to improving implementation success long-term, informing policy and management priorities across the BR. These include contributions to i) a marketing approach for the BR, specifically the importance of a K2C ‘brand’ for enhancing co-operation and strengthening the BR’s regional identity, as well as ii) providing support for land-use planning and decisions related to land-use practices and BR sustainability.

Orientador: Solange T. de Lima Guimarães / Coorientador: Maria de Jesus Robim / Banca: Julio Cesar Suzuki / Banca: Sidnei Raimundo / Banca: Humberto Gallo Jr. / Banca: Manuel B. Rolando Berríos Godoy / Resumo: O Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar (PESM) Núcleo Santa Virgínia (NSV) abrange a porção Norte da Floresta Atlântica do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil, considerado detentor de uma valiosa riqueza biológica e cultural, vem sofrendo ameaças e pressões antrópicas, causadoras de degradação e perda, quer da biodiversidade quer das tradições e identidades culturais. Da perspectiva da gestão participativa, instituiu-se, como espaço de diálogo entre Comunidade-Parque, o Conselho Consultivo. A percepção e interpretação ambiental dos Conselheiros do Núcleo Santa Virgínia é o tema central deste trabalho, visando a uma gestão ambiental participativa. A pesquisa propõe-se a refletir sobre a relação dos conselheiros e suas experiências ambientais na paisagem natural e cultural, e a criar junto com o grupo, indicadores para avaliar suas ações no Conselho Consultivo do Núcleo Santa Virgínia. As bases conceituais utilizadas na pesquisa foram a Ecologia da Paisagem e a perspectiva fenomenológica da Geografia Humanística, fundamentando as análises do espaço vivido e mundo vivido dos conselheiros. A investigação utilizou-se de metodologias da pesquisa experimental, dos dados obtidos nas fontes bibliográficas e documentais, através de visitas de campo; observação participante de reuniões; aplicação de questionário; entrevistas e oficina de planejamento com os conselheiros. Analisou a dinâmica da participação dos conselheiros no Conselho Consultivo do Núcleo Santa Virgínia, PESM e de sua interpretação em relação ao seu desenvolvimento. A discussão explorou as visões de mundo, os processos de subjetivação e de identificação presentes a partir de representações sociais, buscando compreender a percepção e a valoração da paisagem pelos conselheiros. Procedeu-se à construção de matriz de planejamento... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The Serra do Mar State Park, specifically in the area that encompasses the Santa Virgínia Nucleus, includes the northern portion of the Atlantic Forest in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The park is considered a very important area in biological and cultural terms and has been subjected to human threats and pressures, causing degeneration and loss in both biodiversity and in cultural traditions and identities. An advisory board was set up to operate on the principle of participated management, as a space for dialogue between the local community living in the park, and the park itself. The perception and environmental interpretation by the nucleus's board members is the central topic of this thesis, based on research aimed at fostering participated environmental management. The research is aimed at discussing the relationship of the board members and their environmental experiences with the natural and cultural environment. The project also calls for joint work with the members to draw up indicators for evaluating their performance on the board. The conceptual bases used in the research were the ecology of the landscape and the human geography, which served as the bases for the analyses of the space and environment where the board members live. To study the data obtained from bibliographic and documentary sources, the investigation used experimental research methods, including field visits, participated observation of meetings, the application of a questionnaire, interviews and a planning workshop with the board members. The dynamics of their participation and their interpretation of the work they themselves carried out on the board is also analyzed here. The discussion explores the cosmovision and the board members' processes of subjectivation and identification, on the basis of social representations, in the... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Zhang Zongyu. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-108). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH --- p.i-ii / ABSTRACT IN CHINESE --- p.iii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.iv-v / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.vi-viii / LIST OF TABLES --- p.ix / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.x-xi / Chapter CHAPTER ONE --- INTRODUCTION / Chapter 1.1 --- Landscape and landscape Assessment --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- The descriptive inventory approach --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Public preference models --- p.4 / Chapter 1.2 --- Urban Landscape --- p.5 / Chapter 1.3 --- Relationship between professional and public --- p.8 / Chapter 1.3.1 . --- Inherent conflicts --- p.9 / Chapter 1.3.2. --- Roles of both sides --- p.9 / Chapter 1.3.3 --- Collaboration between professionals and the public --- p.10 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO --- VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT / Chapter 2.1 --- The needs for visual impact assessment --- p.13 / Chapter 2.2 --- The visual impact assessment process --- p.16 / Chapter 2.3 --- The information inventory in the visual impact assessment --- p.19 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Landscape simulation --- p.20 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Visual impacts identification --- p.22 / Chapter 2.4 --- Public participation --- p.23 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Public preference in the urban landscape --- p.24 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- Public accessibility to the urban landscape planning process --- p.28 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE --- CAPTURING THE SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS / Chapter 3.1 --- General considerations --- p.30 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Function requirements --- p.30 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- Project management --- p.32 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- User interface --- p.33 / Chapter 3.1.4 --- Web access --- p.34 / Chapter 3.1.5 --- Qualification of public participation in urban planning --- p.35 / Chapter 3.2 --- Envisioning the proposed web based system --- p.37 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Proposed virtual collaboration --- p.38 / Chapter 3.2.1.1 --- Improving participants' access to the web based visual impact assessment --- p.39 / Chapter 3.2.1.2 --- Capturing the public appreciation --- p.41 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Collaboration between planners and public --- p.43 / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR --- SYSTEM DESIGN / Chapter 4.1 --- Main software or tools for developing the proposed web based system --- p.45 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Arcview 3.1 or Arc/Info with 3D analyst and Internet mapping server extensions --- p.46 / Chapter 4:1.2 --- VRML 2.0 and Java --- p.49 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- Java3D API --- p.52 / Chapter 4.2 --- System configuration --- p.55 / Chapter 4.2.1. --- System architecture --- p.55 / Chapter 4.2.2. --- Data management --- p.57 / Chapter 4.2.2.1 --- Urban landscape information management --- p.57 / Chapter 4.2.2.2 --- Public participation --- p.64 / Chapter 4.2.3. --- User interface design --- p.69 / Chapter CHAPTER FIVE --- PROTOTYPE SYSTME AND PILOT STUDY / Chapter 5.1 --- General description --- p.74 / Chapter 5.2 --- Implementation --- p.75 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Connecting the two-dimensional world with a three-dimensional virtual urban environment --- p.75 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Data flow of the system for interactions between the GIS and the VRML browser --- p.77 / Chapter 5.3 --- Data preparation --- p.81 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Constructing the terrain model --- p.81 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Retrieving the landscape themes --- p.87 / Chapter 5.4 --- Public oriented user interface design --- p.88 / Chapter 5.5 --- Participation log --- p.96 / Chapter CHAPTER SIX --- CONCLUSION / APPENDIX

Periphyton biomass on artificial strips was observed monthly to see the impacts of nutrient differences on periphyton and periphyton-macroinvertebrates interaction. The experiment was conducted for four months in a mesocosm which were runned at six countries at the same time and with the same steps. Eight enclosures at two meters depth were used that four of them had high nutrient level and the other four had low nutrient level. Sediment, macrophyte, fish, plankton, benthic invertebrates and water were added at the same time and with the same way in all of the countries. Periphyton growth which formed on artificial 32 cm2 strips for June, July, August and September were brushed to filtered mesocosm water and dry mass, ash free dry mass, phosphorus content and chlorophyl-a concentrations were measured. Grazer pressure on the periphyton was observed with a laboratory experiment for July, August and September months. At the end of the mesocosm experiment macrophytes and fish were harvested. Macrophytes&rsquo / dry mass and fish&rsquo / abundance were measured. Moreover at the end of the experiment epiphyton was also measured. Three kajak cores were taken from sediment for macroinvertebrates at the end of the experiment and identified. All physical features of mesocosm enclosures and PVI data were recorded for every 2 weeks. Periphyton biomass was higher concentrations in HN enclosures than LN tanks. Only dry mass of periphyton biomass showed the opposite because of the marl deposition in LN tanks. This finding was also reinforced by epiphyton samples which was taken at the end of the experiment. LN enclosures had the more abundance of macroinvertebrate. The groups we found in sediment which had big grazer effect on periphyton such as gastropods and Chironomidae. Grazer experiment showed that grazer effect on periphyton increased in time. Although this raise, periphyton growth also increased in LN enclosures with nutrient increasing. This may be indicate that nutrient effect has a stronger effect than grazer pressure on periphyton. As it is explained before in the beginning of the experiment all of the conditions were the same except nutrient level. Thus, bottom-up effect changed the top-down control and at the end of the experiment we saw the more periphyton less macroinvertebrate and more fish in HN tanks while the opposite was seen in LN tanks.

Vegetation management techniques have only recently been applied to the preservation of historic designed landscapes mainly because vegetation was not previously recognized as an important component of the historic sites. An example of a lack of vegetation management planning is seen as Hills and Dales Park in Dayton, Ohio. This Olmsted Brothers site design reveals several strong levels of historic significance. Resource managers predominately deal with budget constraints and maintenance priorities which emphasize public health and safety before preservation concerns. The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology to capture the historic character of the Hills and Dales Park and subsequently translate it into a preservation vegetation management plan (PVM). This strategy may be adapted by other researchers for use on additional sites.The primary data sources used in this study originated with historic photographs and digitally captured topographical and early 1900 survey maps. The data were appraised using previous verbal site descriptions documented by (Vernon 1987, 1988), and on site field reconnaissance. Analytical models were developed based on topography, soil, slope/aspect, disturbance, and boundary edge data. Random samples were taken using a variable plot method and a ten factor basal area prism. Field data were collected and used to determine plant species composition, forest types, tree basal area, tree diameter breast height, vegetation physical condition and aesthetic composition of plant groupings. Data were synthesized into recommendations for the Hills and Dales Park vegetation management strategy. Analysis and the proposed PVM scheme were undertaken using Intergraph's Geographic Information Systems spatial modeling software.The PVM strategy for Hills and Dales Park was developed from the above methodology for evaluating vegetation on historic landscapes. Once the site was inventoried and assessed, a sustainable vegetation management strategy was proposed based on proven ecological and silvicultural techniques. This scheme's main objective was to protect the park's historic integrity, sense of place, and historic vegetation composition. / Department of Landscape Architecture

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 184-190).

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 184-190) Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--Oregon State University, 2007. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-82). Also available via the World Wide Web.

The diploma thesis deals with the assessment of landscape at two locations. Each one has a different protection of nature and landscape. The first area is part of the natural park called Písecké hory. Second area consists of a cadastral area of Horní Ostrovec, in which part there is declared a natural monument called V Obouch. The practical part contains the characteristics of the landscape, determining of the indicators of natural values presence, cultural and historical characteristics and determination of expression, important and valuable landscape characteristics. Based on these characteristics the differences in monitored areas were evaluated and concrete proposals how to increase the value of the landscape were set out.