Braunschweig, Techn. Universiẗat, Diss., 1999.

Hannover, University, Diss., 1999.

München, Techn. University, Diss., 2002.

The recent establishment of an impressive network of national parks within first the Soviet Union and then post-Soviet Russia can be viewed as representative of ongoing shifts in relationships between valuations of nature and of societal organization and empowerment. With dissipation of the country's centralized administrative structures, the designation of national parks has repeatedly been used to support regional claims to territorial autonomy under the auspices of environmental protection. Site selection, however, has been motivated primarily by attachments to the specifics of place and attendant proclamations of self-identity rather than to normative ecological or recreational national park criteria. As a consequence, Russian national parks embrace complex matrices of historical, cultural and natural landscape characteristics reflective of their respective constituencies. Appearing first in the outlying Republics, the national park formation process diffused inwards to the Russian heartland and eastwards into Siberia. This sequential development, not by chance, has mirrored the devolution of Soviet sovereignty and the deconstruction of its empire. Two national parks, Pribaikalski and Zabaikalski in the Lake Baikal region of south-central Siberia, have served as primary research sites for examining the validity of the above concepts and for observing and analyzing the processes involved. To maximize informational and perceptual access and to study site/societal interactions, a variety of constituencies have been incorporated into the study through extensive multitiered participatory roles. At an operational level, these activities have emphasized international agency/NGO consultancies, the development of a park-directed, village-based ecotourism program and the founding of a wider-ranging “Friends of the National Parks Society.” Research results have supported the contention that Russian national parks are primarily a product of regional socio-political forces intent on preserving representative natural/cultural landscapes rather than the result of centralized decision-making processes prioritizing recreation, education, or biodiversity objectives. Given the persistence of societal flux, the sites will continue to be highly susceptible to the influences of stakeholder/constituency interests and empowered individuals. / Graduate

A description is given of a prevalence study of canine distemper virus antibodies in large carnivores in the Kruger National Park and Marakele National Park in South Africa. The serum-virus neutralization test was used to determine the prevalence of antibodies in different carnivore species in Kruger National Park and Marakele National Park. The species tested included 198 lions, 33 hyenas, 23 wild dogs and a leopard. The results demonstrated a total of 69 (34.8%) positive sera from lions. Moreover, CDV neutralizing antibodies were present in 25 (75.8%) hyena sera, 18 (78.3%) wild dog sera and the serum of one leopard. The results demonstrate that canine distemper virus is present in the Kruger National Park and that removal of the fences between the Kruger National Park and other conservation areas may pose a risk for spreading infectious diseases to susceptible species. Further work would be required to determine the prevalence of CDV in neighbouring regions. Only then risks can be estimated. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Veterinary Tropical Diseases / unrestricted

No description available.

Tourism is one of the largest industries in the world and it continues to grow at a rapid pace. Tourism is dependent upon weather and climate, particularly the length and quality of the outdoor recreation season for nature-based tourism, since it is directly affected by weather. Indirectly, the natural biophysical resources that outdoor tourism is based upon can also be altered by climate. Thus, climate change has the potential to affect nature-based tourism that takes place in national parks and other protected areas. Of the studies that analyse the impacts of climate change in national parks, the vast majority focus on conservation policy and planning rather than tourism. This study applies a single variable regression analysis technique to empirically evaluate the affects of climate change on the quantity and seasonal patterns of visitation to United States national parks under a range of climate change scenarios for the 2020s, 2050s, and 2080s (The Met Office Hadley Centre CM3 B21 (United Kingdom) and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation MK2B A11 (Australia) climate models were used for the Alaskan parks, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research PCM B21 (United States) and Centre for Climate Systems Research NIES A11 (Japan) models were used for the contiguous states). Fourteen parks are included in the study, representing 12 different climate regimes across the country and 58% of total visitation to all national parks in the United States in 2005. In general, the number of visits to parks in the northern regions of the country, excluding Alaska, is projected to increase annually, with the majority of increases occurring in the spring and fall shoulder seasons. In Alaska, there is no consistent pattern on an annual basis due to projections being calculated for only the low season (winter) for Denali, and for the high season (summer) for Glacier Bay. Based on these projections, visitation may increase during the low season and decrease during the high season for Alaskan parks. Parks in the south are projected to experience decreased annual visitation as temperatures become uncomfortably hot, particularly under high emissions scenarios. The largest changes in visitation are projected to occur in the 2080s, although some parks may experience noticeable changes as early as the 2020s in particular seasons. Small to moderate changes in visitation (up to 10% annually) are projected with the low emission climate change scenarios, even into the 2080s. Small to large visitation changes (up to 47% annually) are projected using the higher emission climate change scenarios. These visitation changes could lead to the need for substantial management changes in certain US national parks as revenue collected from user fees and operational costs are altered. Additional ecological and social impacts resulting from increased visitation will also need to be critically considered. Where fewer visits are projected, decreased revenue may lead to an inability to properly manage the park. The results of the study can be used by the National Park Service and regional and park managers to plan for visitation changes that might occur as climate change continues over the 21st century.

Dr K. Kuman initiated the Limpopo research programme that at present is based on excavations conducted at three sites, Hackthorne, Kudu Koppie and Keratic Koppie. They are situated atop a remnant of an ancient Miocene terrace, approximately 4km from the present day course of the Limpopo River in the Mapungubwe National Park. A broad range of stone tool types is represented in the area, with mostly Earlier and Middle Stone Age artefacts found on the higher ground and Later Stone Age pieces found primarily on the Limpopo’s floodplain. One of the obstacles to understanding the archaeology of the region is the widespread episodic deflation that occurred here during arid periods of the Pleistocene, which had an impact on stratified sequences in the Stone Age. While all three sites have been subject to deflation, Hackthorne and Keratic Koppie are single component sites. Kudu Koppie, however, preserves some stratigraphy and provides a means of comparing and assessing the single component assemblages which have undergone varying degrees of mixing. It was therefore vital to establish a pattern of change through time at Kudu Koppie, with a sequence of late Earlier, Middle and Later Stone Age deposits, using a combination of strategies including typology, technological analysis and a study of raw material exploitation. These data suggest that Hackthorne is primarily a late Earlier Stone Age (ESA) assemblage with some Middle Stone Age (MSA) mixing, while Keratic Koppie preserves an ESA assemblage with a more significant MSA component. The ESA component is further argued to be a final post-Acheulean industry with a major component of woodworking tools, suggesting it may be a local variant of the Sangoan Industrial Complex.

This thesis is a study of the cultural production of Exmoor National Park. It proceeds through analysis of both historical representations of the space called ‘National Park’ and contemporary social processes in which National Park users engage with the landscape. This project draws on a cross-disciplinary range of literature, from local histories of Exmoor, to tourism studies, critical human geography and cultural theory. Empirical material includes primary texts, transcripts from discussion groups and ethnographic experiences. The research unpacks the reproduction of the space called ‘Exmoor National Park’. It traces the composition of this space in historical and contemporary texts, charting the authorised visions of National Parks in metanarratives and official discourses. Through close reading and textual analysis, assumptions and prevailing wisdoms about the territory ‘Exmoor National Park’ are unsettled. The way that National Parks were represented as a space, or territory, is explored in three ways. First, by considering the boundary which defined the space ‘National Park’, second, by exploring the conceptualisation of National Park land and landscape, and third, by examining governance of engagements between National Park users and the terrain. Analysis highlights multiplicity and political striation in the idea of a territory called ‘National Park’. The thesis develops by exploring contemporary National Park users’ narratives of their engagement with Exmoor. . Findings from discussion groups and ethnographic experiences are used to advance an understanding of the ways users organise their enjoyment of Exmoor. These comprise three modes of engagement with the national landscape: processes of connecting, encountering conflict and working. As an ESRC CASE commissioned project, the findings of this research have been applied through the production of a toolkit called From Special Qualities to Special Experiences (ENPA, 2015), in collaboration with Exmoor National Park Authority. This title articulates the shift from a concern with features of the National Park as a territory, towards the social processes in which Exmoor is experienced.

The central objective of the investigation in this study is to determine a means of attaining an economically efficient combination of resources to maximize the level of services provided by a national park under the conditions of a limited budget, a constrained production possibilities set, and a limited availability of inputs. First, a theoretical model is built which elucidates the collective and private good natures of national park products. The theory identifies the optimality criteria for the provision of park products in a system of limited resources. It is noted, however, that the theoretically determined optimal solution cannot be expected to emerge automatically in a market situation due to the social good nature of some park products. Therefore, a second-best objective of maximizing the value of the park's output as evaluated by the park's superintendent is adopted for use in the study's applied analysis. The empirical model which is then constructed, combines concepts from economic theory and mathematical programming which lend themselves to solving the production economizing problems facing a park. It offers national park managers operational tools for aiding in their decision-making. While the paper points to important implications for current policy, it also indicates promising directions for future study .