This dissertation presents a new approach to addressing environmental degradation based on transdisciplinary ecological art. Transdisciplinarity is defined here as merging art and science to discover new insights. Ecological art is defined as an aesthetic practice that promotes environmental resilience. This writing will describe why those approaches are essential to restoring resilient bioregionalism. It introduces the author’s own heuristic perspectives and methodologies and demonstrates how they may be integrated with technology and science. The problems of accelerated loss of coastal (littoral) zone biodiversity, degraded water quality, and habitat fragmentation need critical attention. The author’s research goal was to present a replicable set of guidelines for identifying small points of restoration for wetland littoral zones (the coastal region between terrestrial and marine life) based on a case study called Ghost Nets, scaled to a second case study, Fish Story. Her novel approach included establishing relevant parallels from quantum physics and acupuncture to energetic systems. Additional specific analogies were explored from visual arts, theatre, music, dance, and performance art, to discover a holistic and integrated point of view. Parallels and analogies were drawn by interrogating the two case studies. An important aim of the study was to examine how certain restoration practices could be scaled up to the bioregional level and integrated with a special theory, Trigger Point Theory, to reinforce healthy ecosystems. This included an analysis of how restored upland ecotones and a different relationship to other species could contribute to restoration in the littoral zone. The analysis critiqued how anthropocentric considerations often fail to protect vulnerable water systems. The role of environmental justice for vulnerable human populations and ethical concerns for other animal species was included in that analysis. The author also claims that when artists work with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping, that may propel a new transdiscourse and eventually make heuristic information scientifically useful. Insight from the Ghost Nets case study informed data collections and GIS mapping for the Southern Gulf of Maine. Those insights and the mapping were used to analyze relationships between finfish abundance, eelgrass, and invasive, predatory green crabs. Conclusions were drawn that are relevant to coastal and fisheries management practices. The author used performative approaches to contribute expert witnessing to her conclusions. Questionnaires were used to determine how much community awareness was accomplished with the case studies, and assess effects on future behavior. By combining art and science methodologies, the author revealed insights that could help small restored sites act as trigger points towards restoration of healthy bioregional systems more efficiently than would be possible through restoration science alone. In scaling up (applying small models to larger systems) and applying these practices for landscape ecology, the author assembled a set of recommendations for other researchers to implement these ideas in the future. Those recommendations included the formal engagement of ecological artists as equal partners on environmental restoration teams.

Submitted by ALCINÉA GUIMARÃES DE CASTRO (neia.gcastro@ig.com.br) on 2017-07-06T14:47:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Alcinéa Final 1.pdf: 4587551 bytes, checksum: a7dc82329f88aa34f25ffc873a918ab7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by LUIZA DE MENEZES ROMANETTO (luizamenezes@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2017-07-07T16:20:03Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 castro_ag_dr_guara.pdf: 4587551 bytes, checksum: a7dc82329f88aa34f25ffc873a918ab7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-07T16:20:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 castro_ag_dr_guara.pdf: 4587551 bytes, checksum: a7dc82329f88aa34f25ffc873a918ab7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-26 / São inúmeros os serviços econômicos, sociais e ambientais atribuídos às florestas, sendo a fixação do carbono atmosférico o mais recente, pois contribui para a redução de gases do efeito estufa (GEE) e do aquecimento global, através do processo de fotossíntese na absorção do dióxido de carbono (CO2) pelas árvores. Buscando a redução dos GEE e a absorção do CO2, as centrais geradoras hidrelétricas (CGHs) e as pequenas centrais hidrelétricas (PCHs) são consideradas, por muitos estudiosos, como uma forma mais limpa de obtenção de energia, ainda que existam algumas discussões sobre os impactos ambientais gerados pelas mesmas. Assim, este estudo visa propor a mitigação da emissão do CO2, por meio da restauração ecológica, devido à instalação de uma central geradora hidrelétrica, com base na análise do potencial dos remanescentes florestais como sumidouros de carbono. Desta forma, utilizou-se mapas georreferenciados com dados físicos ambientais (hidrologia, classe de solo, uso da terra, drenagem, área de preservação permanente e maciços florestais nativos) que possibilitaram delimitar os remanescentes florestais existentes na bacia hidrográfica do Rio do Chapéu, localizada no município de São Luís do Paraitinga, SP, Brasil. Paralelamente, levantou-se os dados dendrométricos (altura da árvore e diâmetro à altura do peito) de 658 indivíduos arbóreos, distribuídos em 119 espécies de um fragmento florestal de 10.000 m2, que foram aplicados em equações alométricas, resultando uma estimativa de 62,25 t C ha-1 fixados pelas árvores e uma emissão de 9.232,92 t CO2 ha-1 devido à área de floresta inundada (reservatório) com a implantação de uma CGH hipotética na bacia hidrográfica. Esses dados evidenciaram que os componentes arbóreos contribuem para a fixação do carbono e que há necessidade da compensação ambiental, por meio da restauração ecológica, em 323,8 hectares de áreas de preservação permanente localizadas na bacia hidrográfica de contribuição. Considerando que atualmente não existem modelos para se estimar as GEE antes da construção do reservatório e que no Brasil a maior parte da energia elétrica gerada advém de usinas hidrelétricas, esta pesquisa poderá contribuir com o processo de licenciamento ambiental e na tomada de decisão quanto à implantação de centrais hidrelétricas, obtendo parâmetros e formas seguras de compensação ambiental, aos efeitos negativos gerados pelas emissões de GEE, em especial o CO2. / There are numerous economic, social and environmental services to forests, among which atmospheric carbon sequestration is the most recent, which contributes to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global warming through photosynthesis, i.e. carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption by trees. With the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and absorbing CO2, small hydropower stations (SHS) and small hydropower plants (SHPs) are considered as a cleaner way to generate energy in literature, although there is some discussion regarding their environmental impacts. Thus, the present study aims to mitigate CO2 emissions from building a hydropower station through ecological restoration based on analyzing the potential of utilizing remnant forests as carbon sinks. Therefore, georeferenced maps have been used with environmental physical data (hydrology, soil type, land use, drainage, permanent preservation areas and native forest) that allowed defining the existing remnant forests along the Chapéu River watershed, which is located in São Luís do Paraitinga, SP, Brazil. In addition, dendrometric data (height and diameter at breast height) has been collected on 658 individual trees classified into 119 species in a forest area of 10,000 m2. Data used in an allometric equation resulted in an estimate of 62.25 C ha-1 t sequestrated by trees and CO2 emission of 9232.92 t ha-1 due to the flooded forest area (dam) if a SHS were constructed in the watershed. These data evidenced that trees contribute to carbon sequestration, and that there must be an environmental compensation through ecological restoration of 323.8 hectares of permanent environmental reserve areas located in the contributing watersheds. This research is going to assist in environmental licensing and decision-making processes regarding the implementation of hydropower stations due to obtaining parameters and safe forms of environmental compensation for the negative impacts generated by greenhouse gas emissions, especially CO2, given that there are currently no GHG estimation models before the dam implementation and most of the electricity supply is generated by hydropower plants in Brazil.