abstract / toc / Geography and Geology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Geography and Geology / Master / Master of Philosophy

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Kadangi neigiami šalies mokėjimų balanso rodikliai gali būti būsimo šalies ekonominio nuosmukio ar krizės priežastis, todėl būtina suvokti, kokia šių rodiklių įtaka šalies daromiems sprendimams bei nustatyti, ar šių rodiklių pagalba galima prognozuoti būsimas šalies valiutų krizes, kitaip dar vadinamas mokėjimų balanso krizėmis. Atsižvelgiant į tai, magistro baigiamajame darbe analizuojama mokėjimų balanso krizės situacija bei jos pasireiškimo tikimybė Lietuvoje. Atliktas tyrimas aktualus, nes mokslinėje literatūroje Lietuvos mokėjimų balanso krizės susidarymo rizikos analizės per pastaruosius metus nepasitaikė. Ypač Lietuvai tai aktualu dėl pastarųjų metų pasaulinių įvykių, nulėmusių Lietuvos ekonomikos smarkų smukimą. Taip pat pažymėtina, kad užsienio šalyse vis daugėja atvejų, kai šalis dėl išeikvotų užsienio valiutos rezervų patiria mokėjimų balanso krizę, priverčiančią šalį imtis drastiškų veiksmų siekiant išgelbėti šalies ekonomiką. Atsižvelgiant į aukščiau minėtą, iškeliama mokslinė darbo problema klausimu „Ar galima prognozuoti apie Lietuvos mokėjimų balanso krizės reiškinį remiantis mokėjimų balanso sąskaitų pokyčiais bei pagrindiniais makroekonominiai rodikliais, įtakojančiais mokėjimų balanso sąskaitas?“ Darbo tikslas – atlikti Lietuvos mokėjimų balanso krizės rizikos analizę ir ištirti, pagal kuriuos šalies ekonominius ir statistinius rodiklius galima prognozuoti šį reiškinį. Tyrimo objektas – Lietuvos, Latvijos ir Estijos detalūs statistiniai mokėjimų balanso... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / As the country's negative balance of payments indicators may signal the country's future economic downturn or causes of the crisis, it is necessary to understand how these variables influence country’s decisions and determine whether these characteristics can help predict future currency crises in the country, also known as the balance of payments crisis. The paper of master degree analyzes the balance of payments crisis situation and its likelihood of occurring in Lithuania. A study carried out is relevant because the scientific literature does not provide any analysis regarding the Lithuanian balance of payments crisis over the past few years. It is especially relevant in Lithuania as the worldwide events in the recent years have led to a rapid decline of the Lithuanian economy. It should also be noted that there is a growing number of cases of foreign countries experiencing balance of payments crisis, subjecting the country to take drastic action to save the country's economy. According to the above mentioned, the problem is formulated: "Is it possible to predict the Lithuanian balance of payments crisis phenomenon on the basis of balance of payments accounts, and key developments in macroeconomic indicators, influencing the balance of payments accounts?" The main goal is to analyze the Lithuanian balance of payments crisis risk and determine which country's economic and statistical indicators can predict this phenomenon. The object of the research - the detailed... [to full text]

This M.A. thesis makes use of the concept and methodology of vulnerability, ‘state capacity’ theory, and Robert Wade’s ‘Wheels Within Wheels’ argument to assess the role of China within the modern global economy. The thesis draws upon the repeated identification of China as a possible global systemic risk by the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Network as a starting point, with the goal of determining why and how China would be identified in such a way, what elements support such an identification, and to what extent China’s economy might indeed represent a source of vulnerability in the global economic system. The thesis analyzes two key Chinese economic sectors: currency and reserve policy, and the domestic banking sector. Six broad vulnerability vectors are ultimately identified. The thesis concludes that, while China may represent a source of vulnerability in the global economy, it also represents a potentially strong source of resilience due to its unique economic system that emphasizes the role of the state.

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In upcoming decades, the conservation and sustainable use of coastal and marine resources will become a major political and environmental challenge, as two-thirds of the world's population lives in coastal zones. The issue will likely become more problematic in developing countries, where an important number of coastal inhabitants still rely on marginal extractive activities such as fishing, farming and cattle ranching for subsistence, and where the rural poor's demand for development often lead to unsustainable extractive practices. Thus, innovative solutions need to be developed to ensure the long-term conservation and sound management of marine and coastal resources. This Masters thesis addresses the case of Coiba National Park, a marine protected area located in the Gulf of Chiriqui, Panama, and its relationship with coastal fishing and farming communities located at its outskirt. Particularly, this thesis aims to discover the drivers that pushed an important number of coastal agro-pastoralists of Coiba National Park's buffer zone to switch to artisanal fishing over the past three decades, and to determine the social, economic, and environmental impacts that resulted from that switch. In addition, this thesis analyses the relationship between Coiba National Park's authorities and buffer zone communities, and how this relationship has evolved over the years as more and more resource-users exploit the marine resources of the park. Finally, this work analyses Coiba National Park's current management strategy, how park authorities have been able to adapt their planning and management activities over the years, and explores alternatives to improve Coiba National Park's management strategy so that it can better adapt to the ever changing social, economic, and environmental conditions in which Coiba National Park's buffer zone operates.

For over a century, wildlife in Southern Africa has come under the exclusive management of states, which tends to centre on the exclusion of local communities from wildlife areas. In many cases, this approach has led to the hostility of wildlife management policies by excluded communities. This widespread dissatisfaction has caused a paradigm shift in conservation thinking towards a more community-based conservation (CBC) approach. A major assumption of this new approach is that providing socio-economic benefits on a sustainable basis to formerly excluded communities will result in conservation. Indeed, some advocates of this management regime have stressed community incorporation and inclusion as the only path to conservation. As a result, numerous CBC initiatives have been implemented throughout the African sub-region over the past ten years with varied success. As there is no alternative to the CBC concept that attempts to enhance all three elements, namely the economic, social and biological components, of the sustainable development premise in conservation areas, it is imperative to ensure that CBC initiatives are monitored and evaluated in order to determine what the recurring problems and challenges are in implementing and running such initiatives so as to achieve the three sustainable development goals. By establishing what these recurring challenges are during the implementation process, a broad framework of necessary principles, criteria, pre-requisites and co-requisites can be established to guide future CBC initiatives. The purpose of this study is to identify the successes, challenges and problems that have either enhanced or detracted from the socio-economic and biological elements of CBC initiatives during the implementation processes of different projects. Previous documented project examples from around the sub-region, as well as two case study examples of CBC initiatives in KwaZulu-Natal, namely the Mabaso Community Game Reserve and the Usuthu Gorge Community Conservation Area, are used in this thesis to best determine how to enhance the social and economic elements of the sustainable development premIse III order to achieve, in theory, the biological components necessary for a successful conservation strategy. The findings within this study, from the case study examples and secondary research, show that there are several recurring challenges and problems shared by initiators of CBC initiatives throughout the sub-continent. Issues include long project implementation periods due to government bureaucracy, planning procedures and the necessity to gain community support; debates over devolution of authority to local municipalities or tribal authorities; the risks of elite capture and/or the free rider concept whereby individuals do not change their hunting practices despite communal benefits accruing from wildlife conservation; community participation and benefit distribution; as well as the need to have clear communication channels between the community and the project implementers. The main conclusions drawn from this study emphasise several needs necessary for making CBC initiatives sustainable for the long term. Firstly, CBC initiatives need to conserve as well as create a variety of different ways for communities to earn a living and to minimise any disruption by CBC projects of pre-existing livelihood strategies carried out by local residents. Secondly, there needs to be a provision of outside assistance to facilitate local projects and to ensure the development of the necessary skills for local communities to eventually take on the initiatives themselves. Thirdly, clearly defined property rights, as well as conflict resolution mechanisms and the enforcement of any rules and regulations are further crucial criteria. Fourthly, it is important for communities to avoid exploitation and to maximise any benefits accruing from private investors utilising local community resources by developing favourable legal contracts. Fifthly, it was found that the inclusion of tribal structures in both the case study examples increased the trust and feeling of ownership by the respective communities. Finally, it was found that CBC projects require specific locations and the right criteria to be in place for their successful implementation. Not all communities or communal areas meet these criteria, which is why CBC should be seen more as an important and necessary supplement to conservation strategies as opposed to a holistic conservation policy tool. / Thesis (M.Dev. Studies)-University of Natal, Durban, 2004.

The aim of the thesis was to document patterns in breeding and migration in Swedish Canada geese Branta canadensis, to explain these against the genetic and historical background of the population, and to test predictions of hypotheses pertaining to parental investment. The Canada goose population in Sweden was founded by the introduction of a few individuals in the 1930's. DNA fingerprint similarity between geese breeding in Sweden was on average at the same level as between inbred close relatives in other wild bird species. The genetic variability of the population appeared to be considerably reduced in comparison to that of Canada geese breeding in North America. Dispersal and migration patterns were studied using plastic neck-bands that could be identified at long distance. Most Canada goose females nested at the lake where they grew up. Males were more prone to disperse than females, although most of them still returned to breed close to their area of origin. Geese from three breeding areas in Sweden had different winter distributions, although wintering areas overlapped considerably. Individual geese tended to return to the same wintering area as they had used in previous years. The females' investment in the egg clutch was related to the migration distance from spring foraging areas to the nesting area, suggesting an energetic cost of migration for egg production. Within breeding seasons, clutch size decreased with later initiation of nesting, but only in years with early breeding. A probable reason for this decrease was that body reserves available for egg production were larger in early layers. In years with late breeding, clutch size did not decrease, most likely because late-nesting females could supplement their body reserves by foraging on fresh vegetation. Nest defence intensity was studied by recording the behaviour of the female geese when a human approached the nest. The results largely confirmed predictions for nest defence intensity extracted from parental investment theory. / <p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 1993, härtill 6 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu

This creative project examined design and management alternatives for the Hardin Ridge Recreation Area located in the Hoosier National Forest. The design intent of the project was to develop Hardin Ridge into a wildland recreation facility which offered visitors a variety of experiential opportunity and choice, and provided experiences which could effectively accommodate a demographically diversified population. This project would also provide environmental educational opportunities and attempt to retain the integrity of the sites natural systems. An examination of the importance and benefits of outdoor recreation, National Forest Service recreational planning, outdoor recreation demographic diversity and outdoor recreation design issues was conducted in formulating the projects design criteria and theory. This design criteria and theory was then utilized to create the design concepts directly applicable to the Hardin Ridge project site and develop a design ideology applicable to most U.S. wilderness recreation areas. The final product of the study was a design and management plan which effectively addressed the design objectives at Hardin Ridge and created a design model capable of meeting similar design objectives at the national level. / Department of Landscape Architecture