<p>The aim of this study is to find out if the former students think that they have made use of the courses they have taken at the Natural Resource Use Programme specialised in Animal Husbandry at Lillerudsgymnasiet or if the courses should be exchanged. In the study it is assumed that a course can be useful professionally, for further studies and in private life.</p><p>The main questions are: Have the former students made use of the courses they took at the Natural Resource Use Programme specialised in Animal Husbandry at Lillerudsgymnasiet? Was it the right decision to replace the course Horses?</p><p>I have sent a questionnaire to all the students who graduated between 2003 and 2007. Out of 107 questionnaires I received 66 replies (62 %). All students have studied the same mandatory courses but different eligible courses. Therefore the frequency of replies shows great variation.</p><p>The course Horses was recently replaced by the courses Small Enterprises A, Dogs and Species at risk. 52 % (34 persons) answered that they found the course Horses useful. 46 % (16 persons) answered that they found the course Small Enterprises A useful. 78 % (32 persons) answered that they found the course Dogs useful. 37 % (10 persons) answered that they found the course Species at risk useful.</p><p>It is hard to say if it was right to replace Horses if you look only at the answers to how useful the course was. My conclusion is that the teachers should look at Species at risk and try to make it suit the specialisation Animal Husbandry better. English B is the course that the highest share of former students found useful, 82 % (18 persons). Nevertheless I think it should stay with the eligible courses. The former students think that they have made use of the mandatory courses.</p> / <p>Syftet med det här arbetet är att få reda på om de tidigare eleverna tycker att det varit nyttiga kurser som de läst på naturbruksprogrammets djurvårdsinriktning på Lillerudsgymnasiet och om det är någon eller några kurser som skulle kunna bytas ut. Jag tänker mig att en kurs kan vara nyttig både i kommande arbete, i fortsatta studier och i privatlivet.</p><p>De huvudsakliga frågeställningarna är: Har de före detta eleverna haft nytta av kurserna som de läste på Lillerudsgymnasiets naturbruksprogram med djurvårdsinriktning? Var det riktigt att ta bort hästkunskapskursen som inriktningskurs?</p><p>Jag har skickat ut en enkät till alla elever som gick ut naturbruksprogrammet med djurvårdsinriktning på Lillerudsgymnasiet mellan 2003 och 2007 och det blev 107 stycken. Svarsfrekvensen blev 62 % (66 st.). Alla elever har läst samma inriktningskurser men de har läst olika kurser av de individuellt valbara. Svarsfrekvensen är därför mycket olika för olika kurser.</p><p>Kursen Hästkunskap blev nyligen utbytt mot Småföretagande A, Hundar och Utrotningshotade arter. 52 % (34 st.) svarade att de har haft nytta av kursen Hästkunskap. 46 % (16 st.) svarade att de har haft nytta av kursen Småföretagande A. 78 % (32 st.) svarade att de har haft nytta av kursen Hundar. 37 % (10 st.) svarade att de har haft nytta av kursen Utrotningshotade arter.</p><p>Det är svårt att säga om det var rätt att ta bort Hästkunskapskursen som inriktningskurs enbart utifrån nyttan. Jag anser att man bör se över om Utrotningshotade arter kan göras om för att passa djurvårdsinriktningen bättre. Engelska B är den kurs som störst andel i den här studien tycker att de har haft nytta av, 82 %, (18 st.). Jag tycker ändå att den ska vara kvar bland de valbara kurserna. De tidigare eleverna tycker att de har haft nytta av sina inriktningskurser.</p>

<p>This thesis is concerned with the efforts to bring about a greater degree of local community participation in the use and management of Sri Lanka's coastal land and natural resources. Through the application of the Special Area Management (SAM) strategy in geographically distinct areas along the coast, the aim is to create collaborative arrangements - partnerships - that will enable coastal communities and local governments to work together with the Sri Lankan state and share responsibility and authority over the management of coastal land and natural resources. </p><p>Using a political-geographical perspective that highlights the political and spatial dimensions of this shift in forms for governing the coast, the thesis seeks to identify and discuss factors that can have a bearing on the participatory dimension of collaborative coastal management in Sri Lanka. The thesis focuses particularly on factors influencing the role played by the local communities and the degree to which they actually come to share authority with respect to the use and management of coastal natural resources as envisioned in the SAM strategy. </p><p>The thesis illustrates that, despite an ambition to bring about a sharing of authority and control in costal management, this has not quite worked out in practice. Due to circumstances relating both to the SAM strategy itself and to the context in which it is implemented, the degree to which coastal communities have gained any degree of influence with respect to the management of coastal land and resources remains questionable. </p><p>The study is carried out prior to the tsunami that hit the Sri Lankan shores in December 2004. However, given the major reconstruction of Sri Lanka's coast that currently is ongoing and the controversy that surrounds it, the issues raised in this thesis are highly relevant.</p>

The Atlantic Forest of south-eastern Brazil is a hot-spot for biodiversity and should be conserved. It is also at the center of the largest municipalities in Brazil and therefore has a severely fragmented landscape. Iracambi, a working farm near the Serra do Brigadeiro state park in Minas Gerais, is working for conservation in an area of intense agricultural production and expanding forestry industry. Most households in this rural area have some amount of eucalyptus on their property and consequently the director of Iracambi is developing the preliminary foundation for a forest corridor program comprised of primarily eucalyptus with the goal of integrating native species whenever possible. In this research, an exploratory case study was conducted with the purpose of determining if an integrated forest corridor should be considered as a viable option for Iracambi in the greater Serra do Brigadeiro region (near the communities of Araponga, Ervália, Fervadouro, Miradouro, Pedra Bonita, and Sericita). The majority of the survey participants revealed interest in the proposed forest corridor program and many expressed further interest if this would help them achieve compliance with the environmental law requiring a Legal Reserve Area (ARL) on private property. There is a need and a desire for programs that would subsidize ARL adherence in this area, since many studies recognize that adherence levels are at approximately ten percent nationally. Barriers to implementation, however, include cultural barriers that would primarily require acceptance with influential community members, knowledge and cost barriers associated with proper stand management, and current economic circumstances which lack a market for sustainably produced, higher quality eucalyptus timber. Additionally, policy barriers, which do not provide sufficient incentives to comply with environmental laws, further impede implementation of an integrated forest corridor program in this area. If these key barriers to implementation could be addressed, an integrated forest corridor program could prove as a viable option for Iracambi and this area and therefore, this thesis offers some recommendations for the successful implementation of this proposed program.

This thesis employs a network perspective in studying ecosystems and natural resource management. It explores the structural characteristics of social and/or ecological networks and their implications on societies’ and ecosystems’ ability to adapt to change and to cope with disturbances while still maintaining essential functions and structures (i.e. resilience). Paper I introduces terminology from the network sciences and puts these into the context of ecology and natural resource management. Paper II and III focus on habitat fragmentation and how it affects an agricultural landscape in southern Madagascar. Two ecosystem services were addressed: (1) crop pollination by bees, and (2) seed dispersal by ring-tailed lemurs. It is shown that the fraction of the studied landscape presently covered by both crop pollination and seed dispersal is surprisingly high, but that further removal of the smallest habitat patches in the study area could have a severe negative impact on the landscape’s capacity to support these ecosystem services. In Papers IV and V, the network approach is used to study social networks and the impact they may have on the management of natural resources. In Paper IV it is found that social networks of low- to moderate link densities (among managers) significantly increase the probability for relatively high and stable utility returns whereas high link densities cause occasional large-scale ecological crises between periods of stable and excessively high utility returns. In Paper V, social networks of a rural fishing community in eastern Africa were analyzed. The results indicate that patterns of communication partly explain the distribution of ecological knowledge among villagers, and that gear type used by small-scale coastal fishermen strongly correlates with their patterns of communication. The results also show that groups most central in the network, and hence potentially most influential, are dominated by one type of fishermen.

The present study is one of the first attempts to analyze the societal importance of seagrasses (marine flowering plants) from a Natural Resource Management perspective, using a social-ecological systems (SES) approach. The interdisciplinary study takes place in East Africa (Western Indian Ocean, WIO) and includes in-depth studies in Chwaka Bay, Zanzibar, Tanzania. Natural and social sciences methods were used. The results are presented in six articles, showing that seagrass ecosystems are rich in seagrass species (13) and form an important part of the SES within the tropical seascape of the WIO. Seagrasses provide livelihoods opportunities and basic animal protein, in from of seagrass associated fish e.g. Siganidae and Scaridae. Research, management and education initiatives are, however, nearly non-existent. In Chwaka Bay, the goods and ecosystem services associated with the meadows and also appreciated by locals were fishing and collection grounds as well as substrate for seaweed cultivation. Seagrasses are used as medicines and fertilizers and associated with different beliefs and values. Dema (basket trap) fishery showed clear links to seagrass beds and provided the highest gross income per capita of all economic activities. All showing that the meadows provide social-ecological resilience. Drag-net fishery seems to damage the meadows. Two ecological studies show that artisanal seaweed farming of red algae, mainly done by women and pictured as sustainable in the WIO, has a thinning effect on seagrass beds, reduces associated macrofauna, affects sediments, changes fish catch composition and reduces diversity. Furthermore, it has a negative effect on i.a. women’s health. The two last papers are institutional analyses of the human-seagrass relationship. A broad approach was used to analyze regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive institutions. Cooperation and conflict take place between different institutions, interacting with their slow or fast moving characteristics, and are thus fundamental in directing the system into sustainable/unsustainable paths. Ecological knowledge was heterogeneous and situated. Due to the abundance of resources and high internal control, the SES seems to be entangled in a rigidity trap with the risk of falling into a poverty trap. Regulations were found insufficient to understand SES dynamics. “Well” designed organizational structures for management were found insufficient for “good” institutional performance. The dynamics between individuals embedded in different social and cultural structures showed to be crucial. Bwana Dikos, monitoring officials, placed in villages or landing sites in Zanzibar experienced four dilemmas – kinship, loyalty, poverty and control – which decrease efficiency and affect resilience. Mismatches between institutions themselves, and between institutions and cognitive capacities were identified. Some important practical implications are the need to include seagrass meadows in management and educational plans, addressing a seascape perspective, livelihood diversification, subsistence value, impacts, social-ecological resilience, and a broad institutional approach.

This thesis is concerned with the efforts to bring about a greater degree of local community participation in the use and management of Sri Lanka's coastal land and natural resources. Through the application of the Special Area Management (SAM) strategy in geographically distinct areas along the coast, the aim is to create collaborative arrangements - partnerships - that will enable coastal communities and local governments to work together with the Sri Lankan state and share responsibility and authority over the management of coastal land and natural resources. Using a political-geographical perspective that highlights the political and spatial dimensions of this shift in forms for governing the coast, the thesis seeks to identify and discuss factors that can have a bearing on the participatory dimension of collaborative coastal management in Sri Lanka. The thesis focuses particularly on factors influencing the role played by the local communities and the degree to which they actually come to share authority with respect to the use and management of coastal natural resources as envisioned in the SAM strategy. The thesis illustrates that, despite an ambition to bring about a sharing of authority and control in costal management, this has not quite worked out in practice. Due to circumstances relating both to the SAM strategy itself and to the context in which it is implemented, the degree to which coastal communities have gained any degree of influence with respect to the management of coastal land and resources remains questionable. The study is carried out prior to the tsunami that hit the Sri Lankan shores in December 2004. However, given the major reconstruction of Sri Lanka's coast that currently is ongoing and the controversy that surrounds it, the issues raised in this thesis are highly relevant.

The aim of this study is to find out if the former students think that they have made use of the courses they have taken at the Natural Resource Use Programme specialised in Animal Husbandry at Lillerudsgymnasiet or if the courses should be exchanged. In the study it is assumed that a course can be useful professionally, for further studies and in private life. The main questions are: Have the former students made use of the courses they took at the Natural Resource Use Programme specialised in Animal Husbandry at Lillerudsgymnasiet? Was it the right decision to replace the course Horses? I have sent a questionnaire to all the students who graduated between 2003 and 2007. Out of 107 questionnaires I received 66 replies (62 %). All students have studied the same mandatory courses but different eligible courses. Therefore the frequency of replies shows great variation. The course Horses was recently replaced by the courses Small Enterprises A, Dogs and Species at risk. 52 % (34 persons) answered that they found the course Horses useful. 46 % (16 persons) answered that they found the course Small Enterprises A useful. 78 % (32 persons) answered that they found the course Dogs useful. 37 % (10 persons) answered that they found the course Species at risk useful. It is hard to say if it was right to replace Horses if you look only at the answers to how useful the course was. My conclusion is that the teachers should look at Species at risk and try to make it suit the specialisation Animal Husbandry better. English B is the course that the highest share of former students found useful, 82 % (18 persons). Nevertheless I think it should stay with the eligible courses. The former students think that they have made use of the mandatory courses. / Syftet med det här arbetet är att få reda på om de tidigare eleverna tycker att det varit nyttiga kurser som de läst på naturbruksprogrammets djurvårdsinriktning på Lillerudsgymnasiet och om det är någon eller några kurser som skulle kunna bytas ut. Jag tänker mig att en kurs kan vara nyttig både i kommande arbete, i fortsatta studier och i privatlivet. De huvudsakliga frågeställningarna är: Har de före detta eleverna haft nytta av kurserna som de läste på Lillerudsgymnasiets naturbruksprogram med djurvårdsinriktning? Var det riktigt att ta bort hästkunskapskursen som inriktningskurs? Jag har skickat ut en enkät till alla elever som gick ut naturbruksprogrammet med djurvårdsinriktning på Lillerudsgymnasiet mellan 2003 och 2007 och det blev 107 stycken. Svarsfrekvensen blev 62 % (66 st.). Alla elever har läst samma inriktningskurser men de har läst olika kurser av de individuellt valbara. Svarsfrekvensen är därför mycket olika för olika kurser. Kursen Hästkunskap blev nyligen utbytt mot Småföretagande A, Hundar och Utrotningshotade arter. 52 % (34 st.) svarade att de har haft nytta av kursen Hästkunskap. 46 % (16 st.) svarade att de har haft nytta av kursen Småföretagande A. 78 % (32 st.) svarade att de har haft nytta av kursen Hundar. 37 % (10 st.) svarade att de har haft nytta av kursen Utrotningshotade arter. Det är svårt att säga om det var rätt att ta bort Hästkunskapskursen som inriktningskurs enbart utifrån nyttan. Jag anser att man bör se över om Utrotningshotade arter kan göras om för att passa djurvårdsinriktningen bättre. Engelska B är den kurs som störst andel i den här studien tycker att de har haft nytta av, 82 %, (18 st.). Jag tycker ändå att den ska vara kvar bland de valbara kurserna. De tidigare eleverna tycker att de har haft nytta av sina inriktningskurser.

The topic of protected area management serves as the focal point of my thesis. The fundamental question I seek to answer is; what constitutes effective environmental management and how is it exemplified in the National Park Service (NPS)? How exactly does the NPS continually earn the trust and confidence of the American people when so many other government agencies are viewed in a negative light? How does the Channel Islands National Park, in particular, shape the economic and political framework in which it operates to achieve its goals? How does this agency effectively manage such a complex ecosystem spanning across five unique islands and the surrounding waters? More specifically, I examine how the NPS designs and implements strategies to simultaneously monitor a variety of endemic species, some of which are on the endangered species list, into feasible tasks and fundable projects. A wealth of information exists providing salient recommendations for improving endangered species recovery efforts, but this paper provides a detailed comparison of two contemporary recovery programs dealing with independent declines of the same species: the island fox. Finally, there is an overlapping mix of jurisdiction responsible for protecting the Channel Islands and I will also be examining the collaborative processes that take place among the multiple stakeholders such as the U.S. Navy, Catalina Island Conservancy, and The Nature Conservancy. The primary purpose of this thesis is to assess the relationships the NPS develops with other agencies in order to fulfill its mission within the context of the Channel Islands.

Wind power will be an important component of California's aggressive strategies to meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets by the year 2020. However, the costs of integrating wind power's variable and uncertain output are often ignored. I argue that California must take prudent action to understand, minimize, and allocate wind integration costs. A review of numerous studies suggests that for wind penetration levels below 20%, integration costs should remain modest. However, costs are heavily dependent on market structure, and I suggest numerous ways that California can optimize its market design to manage wind integration costs.

The feed-in tariff is a flexible, yet effective mechanism in promoting the proliferation of renewable electricity in California. The tariff creates a stable investment environment that protects both the utilities and the renewable electricity generators. Not only does the system foster capacity growth, but also technological advancement to the point where renewable electricity can compete in the market without assistance. From an environmental standpoint, the feed-in tariff contributes significantly towards achieving the emissions reduction goals set forth by AB32 without causing harmful increases to electricity prices. The feed-in tariff model has been used in countries all over the world and in countless variations. The California model is certainly unique, using a dynamic combination of eligibility requirements, pricing mechanisms, and degression rates. Flaws can already be spotted in the system, but it is too early to tell what type of market effects will truly prevail. The key will be to analyze the market effects as they happen and adjust the tariff accordingly. In the meantime, it would be advantageous to pursue more aggressive green marketing campaigns in order to establish meaningful social norms in favor of environmentally responsible goods and practices. These strong social norms will help to ensure quicker and more effective transitions to green products in the future, including the complete transition to renewable electricity over the coming generations.