Land use/cover change (LUCC) is a major force affecting ecosystems and the services theyprovide at local, regional and global levels. Traditionally, LUCC has been approached as aseries of linear and unidirectional single cause–effect processes, but it is now increasinglyincorporating notions from complex systems to enrich this view. This study explores thepotential benefits of using the concept of regime shifts to understand LUCC. A globalcropland cover dataset was analyzed to empirically identify patterns that suggest theexistence of alternate regimes. Results indicate that in some countries cropland-dominatedand (semi)wild landscapes likely represent alternate social-ecological regimes.Furthermore, results suggest that a theoretical feedback relating market access andagglomeration of economic activates plays a strong role in maintaining these alternate regimes in some contexts. These results highlight the need for LUCC studies to go beyondthe focus on external drivers and environmental template conditions, to incorporate feedback mechanisms and the potential for regime shifts to better understand the nature of LUCC.

This research analyzed declining resource-based communities in the Rainy River District, Ontario, that is typical of the Canadian middle north, and explored their central features using several qualitative and participatory techniques. This work disengages from traditional demographic-economic analysis of decline and offers an alternative multidimensional interpretation. The analysis centers on the role of networks, diverse forms of capitals and conflicts. Literature on regional development, New Regionalism, social networks, capital, conflict, and complex evolving social systems informed the conceptual framework to guiding this research. Among other findings this research demonstrated that: First, economic-demographic “size type” indicators are insufficient to explain the complex, multidimensional, network-based, conflictive and highly politicized nature of decline. Policies based on these type of indicators are misleading and can reinforce the path dependence process of single-industry rural communities. Second, networks, capital and conflicts can be significant in the process of decline. They can speed or slow the process of change. Potentially, they can be transformed and used when planning for decline so as to steer the process toward sustainable rural planning and development. Additional factors identified and proposed for this framework included: learning, interaction, cooperation, connectivity, and psychological and institutional factors restricting rural communities from reacting to decline, and escaping from path dependence. Third, decline should be recognized in order to start a process of planning for decline and rural development. Top-down planning and policy initiatives in the Rainy River District and across North Western Ontario have not recognized a general planning gap and have glossed over the need to approach decline, and rural development generally, using a local perspective and grassroots initiatives of people and communities. Basic elements to plan for decline in rural regions were described. Fourth, rural regions, ethnicity, and power, are insufficiently recognized by New Regionalism theory. Including these elements can benefit the theory and practice of rural planning and development. Analysis of networks and planning is a mutually reinforcing approach, useful for the study and planning of rural areas. Finally, rural decline studies in Canada should pay attention to factors of ethnicity. Significant structural violence against First Nations remains in rural regions.

This study examined the effects of social-ecological intervention on physical activity (PA) knowledge level and behaviors of rural middle school students. A pre-test post-test control group design was constructed. In addition, qualitative data was collected by focus group discussions after the post-test in experimental group. Two schools from similar rural settings were identified as experimental and control schools. In total 62 students from 6, 7, 8 grades of these schools participated in this study. Experimental school PA environment was changed based on the social-ecological model (SEM) with a focus on intrapersonal, interpersonal, community level, organizational factors, and public policies related with PA. Turkish version of health related fitness (HRF) knowledge test, v pedometer, exercise stages of change, PA self-efficacy, social support, and PA enjoyment questionnaires were used to gather information for the dependent variables for the present study. A focus group discussion was implemented in experimental school. Repeated Measures ANOVA was used for the numerical data analysis. Focus group transcriptions were analyzed by content analysis method. According to HRF knowledge and PA analysis, experimental school students significantly improved their HRF knowledge scores, PA levels, social support compared to the control group students (p&lt / 0.05). Focus groups results supported the quantitative findings. In conclusion, this study indicated the value of SEM in improving the health related fitness knowledge, PA level and social support of students in rural context. Improving the rural school context for PA promotion by SEM is strongly recommended.

Sacred sites in Ysyk-Köl area of Kyrgyzstan represent areas of land and bodies of water which are spiritually and culturally meaningful for local people. The present study mapped about 130 sacred sites, which are conserved-through-use by local communities and represent traditional model of conservation. The entire territory of Ysyk-Köl region is a formal protected area as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Thus, sacred sites, as traditional model of community conserved area, are embedded in the formal government-run Biosphere Reserve. The study scrutinizes how these two models of conservation (sacred sites and the Biosphere Reserve) co-exist in the same territory and interact with each other. Results indicate that these two models are parallel. However, recognition of sacred sites can improve formal conservation by: a) providing a complementary culture-based set of incentives for conservation, b) fostering a biocultural approach, and c) serving as a communication hub for YKBR managers and local communities. / February 2016

The adaptive cycle metaphor provides insight into how and why social-ecological systems change. Literature on 'resilience thinking' has built upon this foundation and further developed the concepts of resilience, adaptation, and transformation to describe social-ecological system behavior. The resilience-thinking literature also describes systems that do not change, even when such change is desirable, as being in a trapped state. However, relatively little research has explored why such systems are trapped and how to free them. This thesis is the product of doctoral research which resolves how to identify, evaluate, and free a system caught in a maladaptive system trap. The study setting is water management in Grenada, a small island developing state in the southeastern Caribbean. Four research questions guide this study: (1) To what extent is Grenadian water management in a trap?, (2) To what extent is Grenadian water management transformable?, (3) Do current and recent interventions effectively foster or utilize transformability?, and (4) Which interventions should be pursued to facilitate transformation of water management in Grenada?. The study is informed by literature on social-ecological systems and integrated water resources management. Methodologically, the study is an explanatory single-case study of water management in Grenada, conducted from 2012 to 2013. The study utilizes data from semi-structured interviews (n=19), a questionnaire (n=180), a document review (n>200), and observation. The general strategy was to evaluate attempts to transform Grenadian water management within the 3-phase transformation framework described in the resilience-thinking literature. 'Points of failure' in transformation are defined as the cause(s) of a trap, and interventions to relieve the points of failure are proposed. Results indicate Grenadian water management is in a rigidity trap, although it exhibits some capacity to transform. A key point of failure of attempts to transform the Grenadian water sector into an integrated and holistic management system has been an inability to seize windows of opportunity to pass key legislation. I conclude the primary cause for this failure is poor fit among the problem, as perceived by various stakeholders, the proposed solution prescribed by water sector reform proponents, and political reality. In addition, reform proponents focus on advocating for reform to water sector professionals and do little to broker passage of legislation politically. Finally, reform proponents also assume legislation will be effectively implemented, which is not certain. Contributions specific to the Grenadian setting include a post-mortem on why efforts to reform the water sector have failed, described above. Five recommendations are made for future interventions to foster transformation of Grenadian water management: (1) engage residents as part of a vision to create political pressure for proposed solutions, (2) frame the problem with substantial resident input and focus, (3) craft solutions which take advantage of political realities such as funding restrictions, (4) anticipate and prepare for crises, and (5) enlist one or more people or organizations to serve as brokers. Empirical contributions include support for the three-streams framework of seizing windows of opportunity as fundamental to explain transformation of social-ecological systems. The primary conceptual contribution is the development of resilience thinking to illuminate ways to free trapped systems. I begin by providing a nomenclature to quantify and describe traps, which includes the type of trap, the degree of persistence and undesirability of the trap, and recent changes in these properties. Then, I develop a framework to assess transformability of a given system based on the existing 3-phase framework of transformation. When applied empirically, this framework illuminates points of failure of transformation, which I define as the cause of a given trap. Once identified, specific strategies can be devised to foster transformation and to break free of a trap.

In landscape ecology, it is widely acknowledged that landscape is as much a social and cultural entity as it is biophysical, and that people and place must be jointly considered to fully understand the evolution of spatial pattern. This thesis explores the overlapping biophysical and human dimensions of landscape in the context of an (i) ecological and (ii) ethnoecological classification on the local landscape of the Tayal Mrqwang indigenous people in north central Taiwan. The goal of the ecological classification was to identify ecosystem types for a ~3000 acre landscape by relating vegetation patterns to gradients of physiography, soil, humidity, light, pixel brightness, and human modification across 76 transect sample plots. Using multivariate analyses, seven ecosystem types were identified, ranging from xeric through submesic pine, bamboo, alder, and laurel forests to mesic evergreen broadleaved and mixed coniferous forests. At the broad scale, ecosystems were distributed along gradients of elevation, soil, humidity and human modification, while factors related to local variability in physiography and soil development were more important at the fine scale (i.e., within elevational ecoregions). Within lower elevation sites in particular, patterns of forest variation and soil development were resonant of ancestral practices, including shifting cultivation, terrace farming, arboriculture, and selective extraction. The objective of the ethnoecological classification was to explore whether the Mrqwang people categorize landscape variation according to systematic or multidimensional knowledge structures. Results of interviews and free-listing exercises revealed an unsystematized classification that recognizes a continuum of forest variation through the intersection of three overlapping categories: history of disturbance, topography and substrate, vegetation. These categories are modified through land tenure and toponyms. The classification appears accommodating of personal experience, and it is theorized that this flexibility results in dynamic knowledge that evolves with time, generating variable characterizations of forest variation rather than formalized categories. The thesis concludes that despite the lack of formalization, the Tayal are nonetheless highly cognizant of how current forest variation coincides with the environment and the activities of their ancestors. This knowledge represents immense local expertise and must not be excluded from conservation and co-management projects in the local area. / NSERC CGS-D

The Health Promoting School (HPS) is s a model that advances both the health and learning needs of students. Yet there is a lack of consensus on student indicators that reflect a HPS or a coherent understanding of what a HPS represents amongst various stakeholders. The goal of this research was to establish indicators of student health and wellbeing associated with policies and practices in schools, and to further our understanding of health promoting schools. The research proceeded in three phases. The first phase established a relationship between student health and academic achievement. The second phase examined the associations amongst student health and wellbeing and student and school-level factors. The third phase involved case studies of two schools in Ontario to examine the organisational and structural elements associated with achieving a HPS, and the mechanisms by which these elements support student health and wellbeing. The association between students’ self-rated health and their academic achievement found in the first phase provides a platform for advancing the health promoting school agenda in Canada at the research and policy levels. Subsequent findings established an association between the environment and disciplinary climate in schools, and the school’s academic and socioeconomic standing to student health and wellbeing outcomes. These findings also suggest overlapping effects of schools and neighbourhoods on students’ health and wellbeing, implying that school health promoting efforts will be more successful when partnered with efforts within neighbourhoods and communities. Finally, the case studies suggest that embracing a HPS philosophy that addresses students’ emotional and physical wellbeing may help support students’ overall learning. Findings, presented in an implementation model of a HPS, emphasise key action areas that need to be addressed when implementing HPS initiatives and enhancing the capability of the education system to improve the health and learning of students. / Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-05 13:45:06.342

Meeting observations, literature review, document analysis, and Delphi surveying are used within a “mixed methodology” to tease out emerging patterns of thought in an effort to provide an urban forestry coalition, “Trees for Life” with critical information that could be used to help shape future projects. The purpose of this research is to identify key themes to help direct future Trees for Life (TFL) projects, and to also recognize stakeholders and possible new players to establish more productive partnerships within the coalition. Specific barriers that impede the success of TFL are also outlined. Ecological degradation of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) watershed continues, despite the many initiatives carried out by the Toronto Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) to protect and conserve ecosystem health. Social change is critical in addressing this issue. The TFL coalition is an umbrella group beneath Green Infrastructure Ontario (GIO), another coalition working towards establishing green infrastructure technologies and practices as required components of urban planning and development to address ecological degradation. This coalition is overseen by a steering committee that includes TRCA. The overarching goal of TFL is to increase tree canopy cover in the GTA to 40%. The TFL is comprised of several urban forestry groups, each with unique roles and perspectives, but all striving to achieve the 40% goal. This research will help TFL to build adaptive capacity and may lead to the adoption of adaptive environmental management techniques. Ultimately, this study will provide some valuable insight into TFL and other programs involved with enhancing social-ecological resilience of the TRCA and the GTA. / Thesis (Master, Environmental Studies) -- Queen's University, 2014-01-22 11:53:22.196

Cyberbullying, defined as any behavior performed through electronic or digital media by individuals or groups that repeatedly communicates hostile or aggressive messages intended to inflict harm or discomfort on others, is a widespread problem. Bystanders play an integral role in the initiation, maintenance, and prolonged presence of such aggressive behaviors, but have thus far been overlooked in cyberbullying literature. Cyberbullying bystanders are defined in this study as those who witness cyberbullying, either within or outside their personal social network(s) and whose available responses range from inaction to intervention. Operating from a social-ecological perspective and guided by multiple goals theories, this study used focus group methodology and found that cyberbullying bystanders have an impact on perpetration and victimization by way of multiple, distinct goals, which impact their choice of behavioral response. Bystanders’ goals and behaviors served to inform the creation of a cyberbullying bystander typology inclusive of five types: the oblivious/distant bystander, the entertained bystander, the conspiring bystander, the unintentional instigating bystander, and the active/empowered bystander. By allowing a thorough, nuanced understanding of bystanders’ role in cyberbullying, the study has significant implications for communication theory and practical application in the development of prevention and intervention efforts.

Craftsmanship is recognised as a source of practical wisdom that can inform sustainable management and use of natural resources. However, there are many outstanding questions about how the skills and tacit knowledge embedded in craftsmanship can facilitate social-ecological resilience for sustainability. It has also proved difficult to access and articulate the knowledge embedded in craftsmanship. With this study I explore the skill and tacit knowledge components of craftsmanship as a repository of cultural-ecological memory through two case studies: the duodji, or handicrafts, produced by a Sámi craftswoman living in Jokkmokk, Sweden, and the fishing style of a fisherman in the Stockholm archipelago. As such, the research has two main aims: 1) to understand how the skills and tacit knowledge embedded in craftsmanship function as carriers of cultural-ecological memory; 2) to explore ways of mobilising and capturing these knowledge types by making them visible through the use of visual methodologies like photography. The research highlights the value of the accumulated knowledge and the portfolio of skills that are components of craft practices. Visual methods, in particular photo elicitation, invite participants to link their craftsmanship to their culture and identity. In doing so, visual methods contribute a new perspective on the role of craftsmanship as a carrier of cultural-ecological memory because the craft practices themselves become reservoirs of tacit knowledge and embodied skills that can be drawn upon in responding and adapting to changes or disturbances in the social-ecological system.