Parks and protected areas are crucial for the health of the biosphere and long-term sustainability of the planet. However challenges these areas face include: there are simply not enough of them, the existing ones are often too small and fragmented, and there is not always public support for them. Regional parks are specific types of protected areas that can help contribute to conservation and sustainability. The effectiveness of protected areas for conservation can be enhanced through a variety of strategies such as “biosphere reserves”. This research looks at stakeholder perceptions regarding potential benefits of the Mount Arrowsmith Massif Regional Park and the importance of the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Reserve Operating Framework. This study has contributed to the larger Protected Areas and Poverty Reduction (PAPR) research initiative as it discusses the flow of costs and benefits from protected areas and alternate forms of protected area governance.

Proponents and advocates of transfrontier conservation in southern Africa have postulated rural communities living adjacent to conservation areas as one of the main determinants of the success of such initiatives and thus they should be potential beneficiaries along with the state and the private sector. This assertion is reflected in the various memoranda of understanding (MOU), treaties, policies and agreements establishing transfrontier conservation initiatives. For community participation to be effective, the laws, policies and institutions establishing transfrontier conservation in southern Africa must lead to the empowerment of these rural communities who commonly subsist on local natural resources and perceive them as opportunities to earn a living. I derive a principle and set of criteria and indicators that are used to analyse the legal, policy and institutional framework and its implications for community participation and empowerment in transfrontier conservation in southern Africa. The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park provides a case study. I argue that while provisions for community participation are made in the laws, policies and institutions under which transfrontier conservation is being initiated and implemented in the region, they are not sufficiently prescriptive about empowering communities to secure commitment from conservation agencies to enable communities to effectively participate in transfrontier conservation. It is suggested that as presently defined, the laws, policies and institutions may lead to community disempowerment from transfrontier conservation, as they allow too much scope for interpretations that weaken options for censure where agencies are not demonstrating commitment to community participation and empowerment in conservation. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

Kraštovaizdinė paveldosauga – tai gamtinių ir antropogeninių veiksnių sąveikos dėka teritorijoje susiformavusio gamtos ir kultūros paveldo apsauga. Tokia paveldosauga laikoma perspektyvesne kitų atžvilgiu, nes tai bendra kompleksinė paveldo apsauga, kai saugomas ne atskiras paminklas, bet visa susiformavusi aplinka – kraštovaizdis. Tai veda link geresnio užtikrinimo, kad vertingas kultūros ir gamtos paveldas bus išsaugotas dabarties ir ateities kartoms. Šios temos pasirinkimą įtakojo siekis išnagrinėti ar tokia paveldosauga egzistuoja Lietuvoje ir kaip ji įgyvendinama praktikoje, taip pat kokią vietą moksliniu pagrindu suformuotoje saugomų teritorijų sistemoje užima kraštovaizdžio apsauga. Vienas esminių darbo aspektų – Amerikos (JAV ir Kanados), Australijos, Europos, Japonijos ir tarptautinės kraštovaizdinės paveldosaugos sampratų palyginamoji analizė su Lietuvoje išvystyta ir suformuota samprata. Pastarasis akcentas svarbus, nes Lietuvos bendros gamtos ir kultūros paveldo apsaugos idėjinis lygmuo dar nebuvo nuosekliai nagrinėtas. Taip pat svarbia detale galima įvardinti kraštovaizdinės paveldosaugos lokalizavimą bendrame paveldosaugos kontekste bei nagrinėtą gamtos ir kultūros dėmenų kaitą. Lietuvos kraštovaizdinę paveldosaugą galima vertinti kaip idėjiniu lygmeniu paremtą ir šios sampratos kūrėjų atstovaujamą šaką, kas ją išskiria iš kitų paveldosaugos sričių. Tokią išvadą leidžia kelti P. Kavaliausko ir J. Bučo sampratų analizė ir nuoseklus darbas vystant kraštovaizdžio... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Landscape heritage protection is nature‘s and culture‘s heritage protection which was settled because of interaction of natural and anthropogenic factors in the area. This heritage protection is better than others because it is common integrated, when not a separate monument is protected, but all landscape. This type of heritage protection leads to a better security that valuable culture and nature heritage will be saved for nowadays and future generations. The topic of this paper was chosen to see if this kind of heritage protection exists in Lithuania and how it is performed in practice. In addition to this, to see what place landscape heritage protection takes in system of protected areas formed on scientific bases. One of the aims of this paper is to compare Lithuanian landscape heritage protection concepts with concepts of USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, Europe and international landscape heritage protection concept. This is very important because this concept in Lithuania was not analyzed before. What is more, it is important to name the localization of landscape heritage protection in the context of common heritage protection and vicissitude of nature and culture factors. Lithuanian landscape heritage protection could be rated as a concept based on ideological level and represented by its creators. That is what separates it from other fields of heritage protection. This conclusion can be made because of analyses made by P. Kavaliauskas is J. Bučas and consistent work... [to full text]

The thesis deals with the legal regulation of territorial protection of water in terms of quantity, which is contained in the Water Act. I am only focusing on the Protected Areas of Natural Water Accumulation and Surface Water Accumulation Protected Areas as they have significant potential to reduce the effects of drought. Both areas are viewed through common problem, which is the point of view of the amount of water. The legal regulation of the territorial protection of waters in terms of quantity is discussed in connection with other laws. The aim of this work is to answer the question whether the legal regulation of territorial protection of waters in terms of quantity in the Water Act is sufficient to enable the Czech Republic to adapt adequately to the ongoing climate change, that ultimately causes the loss of water. The first part of the thesis deals with sources of legal regulation of territorial protection of water in terms of quantity, further includes the systematics of the Water Act and the Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change in the Czech Republic (Adaptation Strategy of the Czech Republic). The second part analyses the Protected Areas of Natural Water Accumulation, prohibitions therein contained prohibitions, exemption from prohibitions and damage compensation. The third part deals...

Magister Artium - MA / Recent years have seen an upsurge of interest from governments and development organisations in adopting the Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach when developing and operating ecotourism projects. A PPP is a contract between a public sector institution and a private party, in which the private party assumes substantial financial, technical and operational risk in the design, financing, building and operation of a project (South African National Treasury 2004). Countries such as India, China and Kenya have developed numerous projects through PPPs. Protected Areas have followed suit in adopting the PPP approach, to be able to focus on their core business, namely conservation. To date, relevant research on PPP ecotourism projects, specifically pro-poor tourism approach is fragmented, limited in scope, and lacks examples that can assist practitioners in embedding pro-poor tourism principles in the PPP methodology. Academically, studies are largely evaluations that compare progress against projects’ defined objectives or broad based sustainable tourism goals. However, this study is an assessment of a tourism development from a pro-poor tourism perspective. Thus, this study interrogated the extent to which ecotourism PPP at De Hoop is pro-poor. Furthermore, the study sought to establish if rural local communities living in and near De Hoop PPP benefit and how their benefits can be enhanced. Pro-poor tourism indicators are used in this study as a theoretical base to evaluate De Hoop PPP.

Communities sometimes hold private property rights in or adjacent to a protected area. Section 25 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996 (the Constitution) protects a person's private property in that the state may not unfairly deprive or expropriate such private property. The interest in the environment are protected by section 24 of the Constitution which entails that every person has the right to an environment that is not harmful to one's health or well-being and also that the environment has to be preserved for present and future generations. National parks are the most valuable natural resource in terms of nature conservation that South Africa has, as these parks harvest natural resources to be preserved for present and future generations. The question that arises is which restrictions are placed on owners in respect of nature conservation, and what the constitutionality of such restrictions is. The answer this question is somewhat difficult as both the right to property and the right to a safe and clean environment are both fundamental rights in the Constitution, and these rights deserve protection. That being said, it is important to understand that no right in the Bill of Rights is an absolute right and all rights are subject to limitations. Such limitations should adhere to the requirements set out in section 36 of the Constitution. A limitation of any constitutional right will be accepted if it is proportional. Section 36(1) of the Constitution amounts to a general proportionality test to ensure that any right contained in the Bill of Rights is only limited by a law of general application and if such limitation is reasonable and justifiable. The National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA) as well as the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act 57 of 2003 (NEMPA) can be seen as laws of general application. NEMPA especially implies that private property holders may be deprived of their property, if it is situated in or adjacent to a protected area in order to conserve the environment, and this will also not be arbitrary as the private property holders are still allowed to reside on the land in question. NEMA as well as NEMPA makes provision that property may be expropriated for environmental purposes subject to compensation and the provisions of the Expropriation Act 63 of 1975. Limitation of property rights in order to protect and conserve the environment can thus not be seen as unconstitutional or unfair. / LLM (Environmental Law and Governance), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Communities sometimes hold private property rights in or adjacent to a protected area. Section 25 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996 (the Constitution) protects a person's private property in that the state may not unfairly deprive or expropriate such private property. The interest in the environment are protected by section 24 of the Constitution which entails that every person has the right to an environment that is not harmful to one's health or well-being and also that the environment has to be preserved for present and future generations. National parks are the most valuable natural resource in terms of nature conservation that South Africa has, as these parks harvest natural resources to be preserved for present and future generations. The question that arises is which restrictions are placed on owners in respect of nature conservation, and what the constitutionality of such restrictions is. The answer this question is somewhat difficult as both the right to property and the right to a safe and clean environment are both fundamental rights in the Constitution, and these rights deserve protection. That being said, it is important to understand that no right in the Bill of Rights is an absolute right and all rights are subject to limitations. Such limitations should adhere to the requirements set out in section 36 of the Constitution. A limitation of any constitutional right will be accepted if it is proportional. Section 36(1) of the Constitution amounts to a general proportionality test to ensure that any right contained in the Bill of Rights is only limited by a law of general application and if such limitation is reasonable and justifiable. The National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA) as well as the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act 57 of 2003 (NEMPA) can be seen as laws of general application. NEMPA especially implies that private property holders may be deprived of their property, if it is situated in or adjacent to a protected area in order to conserve the environment, and this will also not be arbitrary as the private property holders are still allowed to reside on the land in question. NEMA as well as NEMPA makes provision that property may be expropriated for environmental purposes subject to compensation and the provisions of the Expropriation Act 63 of 1975. Limitation of property rights in order to protect and conserve the environment can thus not be seen as unconstitutional or unfair. / LLM (Environmental Law and Governance), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

One of the biggest questions surrounding common-pool natural resources (CPRs) lies in understanding the circumstances which increase the likelihood of sustainable use and those that lead to resource degradation. Small-scale fisheries are an example of a CPR that has proven difficult to manage sustainably. I use social network analysis methods to examine the social connectivity of small-scale fishing communities and the association of network structures with collaborative behavior of small-scale fisheries in the Northern Gulf of California, Mexico.I found considerable connectivity of communities via kinship ties of small-scale fishers, both within the region and to other areas in Mexico. Fisher kinship relationships are important mechanisms for information transfer. Identifying communities in the network that are most likely to share information with other communities allows managers to develop more effective and efficient education, outreach, and enforcement efforts.Communities are also connected by their use of the same fishing zones and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). My results provide suggestions for dividing communities based on common use of fishing areas and MPAs. This may help fishers and managers to develop, implement, and enforce boundary rules that will facilitate regional management of small-scale fisheries. My results provided mixed evidence for the role of social structure in impacting positive outcomes for fisher' ability to collaborate and organize. A wide range of factors affect the emergence of institutions for CPR management. Similarly, finding a common network structure that can accurately predict sustainable use of CPRs is unlikely. Knowing how people are connected and the ways in which information about CPR resources moves through (or is hindered from moving through) a network can improve manager's ability to develop more effective strategies and actions. Adding social networks into the CPR management toolbox provides a mechanism by which those working in management and conservation can incorporate social structure into management activities.An understanding of the social networks that connect communities and the potential pathways for information transfer, combined with a system of enforceable rules and policies and effective outreach methods and materials, may help managers and resource users more effectively and sustainably manage CPRs in the long term.

Darbe yra nagrinėjama kaimo turizmo sodybų plėtra trijuose regionuose – Klaipėdos apskrityje, Telšių apskrityje bei Tauragės apskrityje. Darbe yra analizuojama informacija iš Lietuvos statistikos departamento ir kitų šaltinių bei autorės surinktų duomenų, kaip vystėsi kaimo turizmo sodybų skaičius nuo 2008 metų iki 2013 metų. Tyrimams buvo panaudoti autorės surinkti duomenys apie 80 kaimo turizmo sodybų esančių Klaipėdos apskrityje, 44 sodybas Telšių apskrityje ir 27 kaimo turizmo sodybas Tauragės apskrityje. Darbo eigoje buvo pastebėti netikslumai tarp statistikos duomenų ir realių kaimo turizmo sodybų egzistavimo. Taip pat darbe yra pateikiama detalesnė informacija apie sodybas – kurioje vietoje įsikūrusios ir ar įeina į saugomų teritorijų plotus, kokios turizmo trasos veda per tris apskritis. Šiame darbe nustatyta pagrindiniai apskričių traukos centrai – Klaipėdos apskrityje traukos centras yra Baltijos jūra, Telšių apskrityje – Platelių ežeras, o Tauragės apskrityje daugiausiai susitelkusių sodybų yra prie Tauragės miesto ir šiaurinėje Nemuno pakrantėje. Taip pat nustatyta, kad daugiausia kaimo turizmo sodybų priklausančių saugomai teritorijai yra Telšių apskrityje, jų iš viso priklauso 64%, Klaipėdos apskrityje – 25%, o Tauragės apskrityje – 11%. Išnagrinėta turizmo sodybų teikiamų paslaugų struktūra, pateikiamas kaimo turizmo plėtros skirtingose apskrityse (rajonuose) įvertinimas ir perspektyvos. / Final work investigates the development of Countryside (Rural) Tourism in three Lithuanian regions - Klaipeda, Telsiai and Taurage. Final work analyses information collected by the author, information of Lithuanian Department of Statistics and other sources, and observes the evolution and numbers of Countryside Tourism Farmsteads (organizations) from 2008 to 2013. For investigation the author used information collected by herself about 80 Countryside Tourism Farmsteads in Klaipeda region, 44 farmsteads in region of Telsiai and 27 in region of Taurage. Final work presents a difference between the statistics and the actual dates of Countryside Tourism. Thesis provides detailed information about actual Countryside Farmsteads - locations, natural protected areas and tourism trails which cover these areas. Final work also provides information about main tourist attraction centers of each region. Attraction centre of Klaipeda county is the Baltic Sea, Telsiai - Lake of Plateliai, and the most popular location for Countryside Farmsteads in Taurage region is near city Taurage and northern riverside of Nemunas. Thesis shows that the most Countryside Farmsteads settled in natural protected areas are in region of Telsiai, Klaipeda region has 25%, and Taurage - 11%. Work examined structure of services, ratings and outlook of rural tourism development.