Coarse woody debris (CWD), an essential component of healthy forests, has typically been defined as dead and down, large woody material. Quantification of this resource provides a useful metric for assessing wildlife habitat, fuel loading, and more recently, carbon sequestration. Although many CWD sampling methods exist, accurate estimation is difficult and expensive. Double sampling incorporates auxiliary data that is positively correlated with the attribute of interest as a means of reducing sampling costs and/or increasing estimation precision. The present study investigated double sampling applications to the common CWD sampling technique, line intersect sampling (LIS). We identified aggregate length as a potential auxiliary variable for estimating aggregate volume and abundance of CWD. However, further analysis indicated that the cost difference of the sampling phases, coupled with the correlation of the variables was not sufficient to warrant double sampling in the study area. Further investigation is needed to develop accurate and efficient CWD sampling methods with widespread applicability.

Bailey, Daniel, M.S., December 2012 Resource Conservation COLLABORATIVE CONSERVATION OF TAIMEN THROUGH EDUCATION AND AWARENESS KHOVSGOL AIMAG MONGOLIA Chair: Dr. Keith Bosak ABSTRACT: Siberian taimen (Hucho taimen) populations in northern Mongolia (the state of Khovsgol aimag) are threatened by illegal poaching, habitat loss, mining and recreational fishing. Taimen are the worlds largest salmonid, historically reaching lengths of 6.5 ft. and weighing as much as 200 lbs This unique species of fish is incredibly slow-growing, long-lived (up to 40 years) and late to reach sexual maturity (5-7 years). These characteristics -- coupled with overuse and habitat loss -- have resulted in a drastic species decline throughout its native range. In Mongolia alone, the taimens historical range has been reduced by nearly twenty per cent (Hogan, Z; Jensen, O; Rand, P; Weiss, S; IUCN Red Listing 2012). Taimen have been listed as endangered under the Mongolian, Russian and Chinese Red Lists. The intent of this project is to address taimen conservation through an educational campaign targeted at foreign and domestic anglers. The Spirit of the River (SOR) project addresses long-term protection of this rare and threatened fish. An education and awareness campaign was implemented in Murun (the provincial capital of Khovsgol aimag), the Murun regional airport and the Chinggis Khan International airport in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. The SOR campaign targets foreign and domestic anglers who come to Khovsgol aimag to fish for taimen.

Animal response to anthropogenic features may be fine scale (e.g. changes in movement behavior) or large scale (e.g. landscape fragmentation). I collected locational data on 24 radio-instrumented grizzly bears in Northwest Montana. I used first order vector-based methods to examine grizzly bear movement and resting patterns around open forest roads and rural structures. I attribute grizzly bear locations with environmental and developmental variables and used logistic regression to model grizzly bear habitat selection. To evaluate local attitudes toward living with wildlife, I developed a mail-based survey to assess baseline resident attitude toward living with wildlife with emphasis to grizzly bears. Movement analysis suggested bears moved at higher velocities and rested less frequently in habitat adjacent to roads and structures. However, bears moved with greater sinuosity in habitats surrounding roads and we detected little difference in resting intervals proximate to roads and structures. Our top habitat selection models indicated good predictive performance. Human development features such as roads and structures had little influence over female or male habitat selection at the study area scale. Where grizzly habitat and human activity overlap, we recommend managers carefully consider access management and development to minimize mortality risk for grizzly bears. Survey respondents reported that their information on wildlife was mainly drawn from personal experience and respondent attitudes were generally favorable toward living with bears. Survey responses were most divided on tolerance of dangerous animals near places where people lived. Based on attitudes toward wildlife in the Seeley-Swan the most productive approach would be small scale projects that incorporate person to person collaboration to create local solutions for decreasing human-bear conflicts.

Current discourse regarding the use and management of natural resources in the drylands of sub-Saharan Africa is inspired by three issues: 1) the growing emphasis on strengthening 'community-based' management of natural resources as a means of combining resource conservation with improvements in livelihoods; 2) continuing debate concerning the replacement of communal forms of land management with systems of private tenure; 3) and the widespread assumption of environmental 'degradation' and 'desertification' caused by the land-use practices of African livestock farmers. The way these areas of debate are interpreted affects policy and development intervention relating to the management and conservation of dryland natural resources. In relation to these issues, this thesis has two primary aims: 1) to analyse patterns and determinants of natural resource-use and management by Khoe-speaking Damara farmers in and north-west Namibia; 2) to assess the ecological implications of this resource-use in the context of the unpredictable variations in primary productivity characteristic of dryland environments. A combination of quantitative and qualitative anthropological and ecological techniques are employed to meet these objectives. The use of gathered non-timber products for food and medicine was monitored in 7 repeat-surveys over an 18 month period for a sample of 45 households comprising 2017 individual 'diet-days'. Statistical analysis suggests that food resources are consumed when abundant rather than as dry season supplements, that wealth is a poor predictor of gathered resource-use and that the use of natural resources is remarkably resilient given the disruptive effects of land alienation during this century. The utilisation of timber for fuel and building-poles was quantified at the household level and compansons with equivalent data from rural societies in more humid environments suggests conservative use of these resources. Qualitative data emphasise the continuing relevance of culturally-informed management practice relating to the use of natural resources. With regard to the second research objective, woody and herbaceous vegetation datasets were compiled, the former comprising 2760 plant individuals in a stratified sample of 75 transects and the latter consisting of 48 qradrats, half fenced to exclude livestock, in which herbaceous vegetation was monitored over two growing seasons. A number of standard ecological variables, including patterns in community floristics, diversity, cover and population structure, were used to explore the prediction that concentrations of people and livestock cause measurable impacts on vegetation around settlements. Statistical analysis suggests that effects of settlement are extremely localised and are within the range of variability shown by these measures over larger spatial scales, and that between-year variability in herbaceous vegetation dominates that measured both between- and within-sites. The research results indicate that current understanding of local resource-use practices in northwest Namibia is constrained by two conceptual influences: 1) a misleading colonial ethnography which continues to inform debate and interventions regarding the use and management of natural resources, operating to deny the present-day validity of local ecological knowledge and practice; 2) a temperate-zone ecology which focuses on density-dependent interactions between the biotic components of ecosystems, and plays-down the role of unpredictable abiotic factors, particularly rainfall, in driving a continuing dynamic of non-equilibrium variability in arid environments.

The process industries are characterized by the enormous use of natural resources such as raw materials, solvents, water, and utilities. Additionally, significant amounts of wastes are discharged from industrial facilities. As the world moves toward sustainable progress, that is, meeting the demand of the current generation without affecting or compromising the new generation, future process facilities must focus on resource conservation and pollution prevention. The purpose of this work is to introduce a new process integration methodology for the conservation and optimization of resources in the process industries. The work is also geared towards reducing waste discharge from the processing facilities. The optimal management of fresh resources and waste disposal requires the appropriate allocation, generation, and separation of streams and species. Material recycle/reuse/substitution, reaction alteration, and process modification are some of the main strategies employed to conserve resources in the process industries. The overall problem addressed in this dissertation can be stated as follows: Given is a process with a number of streams (sources) that are characterized by certain criteria (e.g., compositions of certain compounds, targeted properties) where these streams can be utilized in a number of process units (sinks) if they satisfy given constraints on flow rate, compositions, and/or properties. Additionally, interception devices may be used to adjust stream criteria. The objective is to develop targeting procedures and synthesis tools for the identification of minimum usage of fresh resources, minimum discharge of waste, and maximum integration of process resources. The devised methodology addresses four classes of problems: • Targeting techniques using direct recycle strategies • Recycle and interception procedures for single-component systems • Recycle and interception procedures for multi-component systems • Property integration for direct recycle strategies The framework provided by this dissertation couples traditional mass integration with groundbreaking property integration techniques to target, synthesize and optimize a plant for maximal conservation of resources. In particular, this work introduces new techniques such as material recycle pinch analysis, simultaneous recycle and interception networks, and property-based allocation. Additionally, graphical, algebraic, and optimization approaches are developed and validated with case studies in order to illustrate the applicability of the devised procedures.

Continued growth of the aquaculture industry is needed in the 21st century in response to increasing demand from inflated populations and declining wild fisheries capture. Meeting this demand will require bridging the gap between industrialized countries including the United States, and developing and least developed countries (e.g. Mexico, Uruguay, and Uganda). As the aquaculture industry becomes more globally interconnected, industrialized nations will likely be pressured to develop more sustainable practices which are natural resource conservative while developing countries will be pressured to increase production capacity and develop more intensive operations. Albeit with many inherent challenges, a globalized strategic plan is needed to bridge this gap. This dissertation identifies and discusses several of these inherent challenges. Firstly, potential business models are explored with the concept of how information technology can be utilized to integrate small-scale farms in multi-national agribusiness and also coordinate multi-national supply with global demand. Next, the economic impact of aquaculture development is explored. Economic multiplying models may be utilized to predict where aquaculture development will have the most significant and rapid economic impact on rural communities. Lastly, new systems of aquaculture technology are developed which are resource conservative and also have the potential to be scaled to meet industry needs. Re-circulating integrated agriculture-aquaculture (RIAA) systems combine fish and plant production whereby the nutrient rich aquaculture effluent is utilized to irrigate plants. The advantages and disadvantages of these experiments were discussed. While further research is needed to maximize the benefits of RIAA technology, the results demonstrate that these systems provide both economic and environmental benefits over traditional farming methods. Ultimately, this dissertation explores how novel technology can be implemented in strategic locations to provide a sustainable food supply capable of promoting economic growth through the distribution of seafood products to satisfy domestic and global demand.

Orientador: Marcos Franke Pinto / Coorientador: Danielle de Bem Luiz / Coorientador: Elisa Helena Giglio Ponsano / Resumo: O crescimento sustentável da indústria de processamento de tilápia está diretamente relacionado com o uso eficiente de água e com a gestão da qualidade da água devolvida ao meio ambiente. Foi avaliado o uso global de água um uma planta de produção de filé de tilápia, bem como o uso de água em diferentes etapas do processamento. Para isso, foram instalados hidrômetros em 13 pontos do estabelecimento. Em seguida, foram sugeridas ações de minimização visando diminuir o uso de água. O uso global de água foi de 432 m³.dia-1, sendo a etapa de depuração responsável por 40,7% desse volume, seguida das atividades relacionadas com a limpeza (32,3%). As ações de minimização implantadas reduziram 29% do uso de água referente à área limpa do processamento da empresa. Em seguida, foi realizada a caracterização físico-química e microbiológica dos efluentes gerados na indústria para a determinação das suas cargas de poluentes. A indústria, como um todo, gerou um efluente com alta carga de matéria orgânica, sendo as etapas onde há maior contato da água com o pescado e seus resíduos (cabeça, carcaça, carne, pele, sangue e vísceras) as maiores fontes poluidoras. Os parâmetros de DBO, DQO e óleos e graxas apresentaram os valores acima dos limites estabelecidos pela legislação para lançamento em sistemas de esgotamento sanitário ou em corpos hídricos receptores. Isso evidenciou a necessidade de um tratamento prévio do efluente antes do seu descarte. Além disso, foi avaliado o potencial do efluent... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The sustainable growing of the tilapia processing industry is directly related to the efficient use of water and to the management of the quality of water returned to the environment. The global use of water in a tilapia fillet processing plant and the use of water in different processing stages were evaluated. For this, hydrometers were installed at 13 points within the premisses. Additionally, minimization actions were suggested aiming at reducing the water use. It was used 432 m3 .d-1 of water, being the depuration stage responsible for 40.7% of this volume, followed by the general cleaning process of the plant (32.3%). The applied minimization actions reduced in 29% the use of water in the clean area of the processing flow. After this, the physical-chemical and microbiological characterization of the effluents generated by the industry was performed in order to evaluate the pollutant load. The industry, as a whole, produced an effluent with high organic matter load, being the stages in which the water contacts the fish and the solid residues (head, carcass, meat trimmings, skin, blood and viscera) the main pollutant sources. The parameters BOD, COD, oils and greases presented values above the legal limits to dispose in the effluent treatment systems or in the hydric spring. This demonstrated the necessity of a previous treatment of the effluent before it is discarded. Besides that, the potential of the effluent from the depuration stage to be reused for urban purposes and... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (M Inst Agrar (Sustainable Ecological Development))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

Previous research shows that socio-cultural factors play an important role in determining the outcomes of natural resource conservation. Conservationists have discovered that when such factors are not properly incorporated from the earliest planning stages, projects are often less successful than hoped and at times outright failures. Thus, several core values that vary among cultures were studied to examine their relationships to natural resources and conservation. This study investigated the relationships between natural resources and conservation and the 3 value orientations individualism, collectivism, and locus of control and socio-demographics in the North Rupununi, Guyana. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected in 5 villages (Annai Central, Apoteri, Rewa, Aranaputa, and Wowetta) via participant observation and mostly structured interviews of 167 local residents. Field research took place from January to November 2008, and interviews occurred from July to October of the same year. Analysis indicates the following results for this sample. Neither the individualism measurement used in this study not the locus of control scale showed many statistically significant associations, but some interesting patterns and trends appear in the case of locus of control. In contrast, the collectivism scale showed associations to several of the natural resource items. The main conclusions from the study are that to promote more successful conservation, professionals need to focus on several factors that promote more effective communication and negotiation. Developing equity among participants; empowering people through their own knowledge, influence, and options; establishing respect by and for all parties; co-creating a common mental model among the parties; and fostering the competence and confidence of all parties to actively participate in the negotiations are key to success. This can be especially tricky in cases in which the various parties come from different socio-cultural backgrounds, such as in the case of Western scientists working with remote indigenous peoples. Coming to a shared mental model and feelings of true equity among the parties is even harder then because the disparate backgrounds make common understanding difficult at best. However, it is that much more necessary when common backgrounds are absent. In such cases, a well-trained, culturally sensitive, and neutral facilitator can be the most useful tool to help co-create the right circumstances for authoring solutions which foster natural resource conservation that can succeed.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Alnarp : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2005. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.