Student Number : 0215337D - MSc research report - School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Science - Faculty of Science / The impact of charcoal production on populations of selected savanna tree species was investigated on clay soils in Catuane, southern Mozambique. The study focused on answering questions related to the contribution of charcoal production to the local economy, the way populations of selected species were changed by the activity and the way in which they recover. Acacia nigrescens, Acacia nilotica and Ziziphus mucronata were identified as being amongst the most utilised species for charcoal production due to their hard wood quality. The charcoal production is being done by individuals from outside the local community. They are able to generate relatively high revenues from their product, which they sell to external markets, notably Maputo. The local community do not share in the benefits of the production. Interviews with members of the local community, indicated that they would prefer the activity to be stopped or more rigourously controlled. A comparison was made between adjacent harvested and un-harvested areas to assess the effects of charcoal production on the tree populations. Population structure by stem circumference classes were broadly similar in all three study species being characterised by a high frequency in the smallest circumference class. All other classes had considerably lower frequencies. With regards density, Acacia nigrescens and Acacia nilotica showed significantly lower densities in the harvested area. Ziziphus mucronata showed no significant difference. The frequency of stump circumference classes of Acacia nigrescens and Acacia nilotica were normally distributed with the class 81-90 cm being the most common. Ziziphus mucronata data were skewed to the left, with most stumps in the class 52-60 cm. Stump heights were mostly in the region of 20 cm. Circumferences of stumps were similar across the study species, being in the region of 90 cm. Coppicing in stumps was relatively poorly developed, with the majority of stumps having no successful coppice shoots. Kilns had an average density of two kilns per hectare. There was an inverse relationship between species abundance and mean harvesting radius. The results of the study indicate that harvesting has had an effect on species abundance and population structures. With decreases in density and a shift in age distribution towards a predominance of juvenile trees. However, the results are not unequivocal, since the area is not pristine and may have been subjected to other activities before harvesting for charcoal. The charcoal producers appear to harvest all sizes of tree. Their production data, approximately 1300 kg of charcoal produced per hectare, indicate the potential for over utilisation of the woodland resource. Futhermore their practice of cutting at low height subjects the stumps to growth retarding elements such as herbivory and fire, possibly contributing towards relatively unsuccessful coppicing and exacerbating the sustainability issue. To address these issues, along with the socio-economics issues, appropriate structures need to be implemented by government, in consultation with communities.

One area that has received attention in the literature is sustainable production. This research has focused upon modifying production processes to improve sustainability. Semiconductor manufacturing has evolved into one of the most important industries in the world. However, as a new industry, semiconductor manufacturing has had far less attention in the sustainability literature as compared to more mature industries. Amongst the sustainability frameworks and methodologies that have been developed to measure the sustainability of an entity, waste is treated as an afterthought, not as the focus of the research. The literature rarely considers waste management as a component of sustainable manufacturing and those works that consider waste management as a component of sustainable production do not put forth a framework for others to follow in developing sustainable waste management. The semiconductor industry is important, but semiconductor waste management is very sparse in the literature. On those rare occasions when semiconductor waste is evaluated, the work is very specific to a single product or process. To the best of this author’s knowledge, reported research focused upon sustainable waste management in this industry is nonexistent. Similarly, the literature does not include systemic approaches to waste management for the semiconductor industry. This research is about sustainable management of semiconductor industrial waste. A sustainable industrial waste management framework is introduced in Chapter III: Sustainable Industrial Waste Management (SIWM). This framework has six modules. Chapter IV provides detailed descriptions of these six modules and their elements. Chapter V uses two case studies from the semiconductor industry to illustrate the analysis part of the framework. This kind of explicit demonstration of analysis is seldom provided in the sustainability research literature. The proposed SIWM framework has limitations and was targeted at the semiconductor industry. Relaxing these limitations and consideration of other industries offer extensions for further research. The SIWM framework is not proposed to replace current sustainability frameworks/methodologies. This framework is not about measuring the static sustainable performance of an entity; it is about encouraging and helping users to actively seek, prioritize, and select opportunities and options for a more sustainable management of waste.

No description available.

Student Number : 0318769R - PhD thesis - School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies - Faculty of Science / This thesis is about the relationship between planned resettlement, livelihoods and environmental resources in Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwean resettlement areas, assets such as human and physical capital, social networks and financial resources are often clearly insufficient to adequately provide inputs for the sustainable productive and extractive systems that are required to drive the rural economy. Due to uncertainties related to agricultural production doubts have been expressed about the benefits of state sponsored resettlement. Currently, debate is raging on whether land resettlement in Zimbabwe has yielded the intended benefits among land reform beneficiaries, with some scholars even questioning whether state sponsored resettlement is not merely an expensive way of reproducing the livelihoods of communal lands. This thesis contributes to the ongoing debate about the link between rural livelihoods and land resettlement, using the case of Mufurudzi resettlement scheme in Zimbabwe. Based on a livelihood framework, the thesis argues that in order to fully understand the relationship between land reform and livelihoods, livelihood trajectories have to be examined. In line with this thinking the thesis presents a number of arguments. First, the thesis argues that there are many theoretical frameworks for analyzing the relationship between people, resettlement and environmental resources such as forests and woodlands and the sustainable livelihood framework is just one of them. Second, resettlement does not necessarily always lead to environmental destruction. Instead resettlement provides the mechanism for unlocking the natural capital that local communities require for survival. Forest and woodland resources are one such form of natural capital. Under these circumstances access to natural capital, particularly in the form of forest and woodland resources, becomes the cornerstone of survival, notwithstanding the role that these resources play in supplying daily livelihood requirements such as food, shelter, fuel, medicines and other needs, in a harsh macro-economic environment. Apart from providing important products, forest and woodland resources also provide a mechanism through which land reform beneficiary communities can diversify their livelihoods. The key finding of this research is that despite their continual use during the past 25 years no wholesale degradation has occurred to the forest and woodland resources in Mufurudzi. Informal CBNRM is responsible for this situation.

Problem: Sustainability and sustainable development has gained more attention in recent years. As a result, companies are more committed to taking responsibility and demonstrating that it contributes to a sustainable society by publishing a sustainability report. An industry that has proved to be a major problem, and which has become increasingly demanding in the sustainability issue, is the construction industry. However, previous research has shown that sustainability reports have shortcomings in its quality. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe and enhance understanding of the concept of quality and quality in sustainability reports. The study aims at investigating and determining the quality of Swedish companies' sustainability reports between 2014 and 2016 and investigating whether there has been a development regarding the quality of the reports. Methodology: Based on the purpose of the study, a comparative cross-sectional design is used and a combination of quantitative and qualitative research strategy. A content analysis is done by companies' sustainability reports and its quality is assessed based on a predetermined coding scheme. Results and conclusions: The results show that the quality of corporate sustainability reports has increased between 2014 and 2016, but there is still room for improvement. The relevance of sustainability reporting exceeded its credibility. / Problem: Ämnet hållbarhet och hållbar utveckling har under de senaste åren fått allt större uppmärksamhet. I takt med det har företagen får större krav på sig att ta ansvar och visa på att det bidrar till ett hållbart samhälle genom att upprätta en hållbarhetsrapport. En bransch som visat sig vara ett stort problem och som fått allt större krav på sig i hållbarhetsfrågan är byggbranschen. Tidigare forskning har dock visat att hållbarhetsrapporter har haft stora brister i kvaliteten. Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att beskriva och öka förståelsen för begreppet kvalitet och kvalitet i hållbarhetsredovisningar. Studien syftar till att undersöka och fastställa kvaliteten i svenska företags hållbarhetsredovisningar mellan år 2014 och 2016 och undersöka om en utveckling har skett avseende rapporternas kvalitet. Metod: Utifrån studiens syfte används en komparativ tvärsnittsdesign och en kombination av kvantitativ och kvalitativ forskningsstrategi används. En innehållsanalys görs av företagens hållbarhetsredovisningar och dess kvalitet bedöms utifrån ett förutbestämt kodningsschema. Resultat och slutsats: Resultatet visar att kvaliteten i företagens hållbarhetsrapporter har ökat mellan åren 2014 och 2016 men att det fortfarande finns utrymme för förbättring. Hållbarhetsredovisningens relevans översteg dess trovärdighet.

This research examined whether microfinance-assisted developmental mechanisms can integrate ecological objectives alongside social and economic ones—thus promoting sustainability. The specific focus was to test the ability of microenterprises operated by community-entrepreneurs in supporting local ecosystem services. To this end, the research: elucidated the nature and dynamics of linkages between communities and the local ecosystems with the lens of coupled social-ecological systems, i.e. illustrated ecological modernization of microenterprises in a developing country context; tested how community-based enterprises transform upon application of green microfinance strategy; and then recognized how social learning is promoted through such community-based intervention mechanisms, e.g. microfinance. The research used case study and participatory approaches. The case study comprised two components: i) a green microfinance program, and ii) communities in a riparian, and a wetland ecosystem in Bangladesh engaged in entrepreneurship. The major tools that the study employed for data collections were: household surveys, participatory land -use surveys, semi-structured interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, multi-stakeholder workshops, field observations, and document reviews. The research findings reveal that the green microfinance strategy, in the short and medium terms, catalyzes entrepreneurial and social innovations, and combine the embedded economic and social objectives of the classic microfinance with the new ecological objectives towards sustainability. The strategy applied by Microfinance Institution (MFI) and adopted by community enterprises transformed the ventures—helping them to go green and reducing greenhouse gas emission. Besides, the partnerships that occur between non-governmental organization (NGO) and community-based organization (CBO) in the process of implementing developmental programs—result social learning and innovations in the communities. The research review found grassroots developmental initiatives as an evolving phenomenon over time. With this view, and with its observation through this cross-sectional study, the research proposes a framework entitled ‘community-based developmental enterprise (CBDE)’. The framework proposes community level entrepreneurial ventures, associated NGO-MFIs, CBOs and other development partners to consider ecosystem services and wellbeing components in entrepreneurial design and actions. / October 2016

Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka och redovisa hur ett antal företag inom olika branscher i Sverige arbetar med frågor som rör social, miljömässig och ekonomisk hållbarhet: vanligtvis kallat corporate sustainability och CSR. Begreppen sammanfattar företagens strävan att uppnå långsiktig hållbarhet i sin verksamhet, till exempel genom att hushålla med naturresurser. Uppsatsen bygger på casestudier, med tillhörande djupintervjuer, av sex olika företag. Den grundläggande frågeställningen är hur företagens arbetat med sin organisationsutveckling för att implementera CSR i verksamheten och till exempel bli ett ”grönare” företag. Slutsatserna i studien är att företagen i studien tar ett tydligt samhällsansvar i någon form och samtidigt avfärdar den klassiska ekonomiska teoribildningen kring vinstmaximering som förlegad.  Uppsatsen skulle även kunna utgöra ett instrumentellt dokument för företag som vill lära sig mer om eller utveckla sitt CSR-arbete. Den berör även de negativa konsekvenser som riskerar följa av ett CSR-arbete som inte är tillräckligt dedikerat, används i egen-syfte (greenwashing) eller inte får något utrymme alls.

Sustainability education is a contested field in Aotearoa New Zealand, as it is in other countries. A variety of philosophical and theoretical interpretations and possibilities for practice therefore co-exist within this emerging field. This thesis develops a ‘complex perspective’ of sustainability education by exploring the way it is conceptualised in literature and the New Zealand curriculum, and interpreted in practice in the context of a New Zealand secondary school. Guided by the key contributing theories and a qualitative methodology, the thesis maps the complexity of the field from the macro- or global and international level to the micro- or local level using the reference points of theory, practice, and possibility. Developed during and in response to an intense period of social and environmental change that shows no signs of abating, the thesis comprises two interrelated components. The first and more substantial component is the literature review. This takes account of situational factors that are giving rise to different conceptions and approaches to sustainability education and to contrasting views presented in literature and curriculum. Used as an umbrella term for all forms of education with environmental and sustainability foci, ‘sustainability education’ (in whatever form it takes) stands as an admission of broad social failure and the need for substantial change. Conceptions of sustainability education range from ‘education for sustainable development’ (ESD), which is advanced by the United Nations and other influential international organisations, to ‘education for sustainability’ (EfS), which has taken precedence over ‘environmental education’ (EE) in the New Zealand curriculum. The literature shows that this complex, contested, contextualised and emerging field is as much hopeful as it is critical. The qualitative case study comprises the second interrelated component of the thesis. Grounded in the real-life context of a secondary school with a distinctive approach to teaching and learning, it involves an empirical investigation of the ways in which two teachers and a diverse group of Year 9 to Year 14 students understand and practice sustainability education. This component draws on the interpretive methods of interviewing and observation to afford an empathetic and multi-perspectival view of sustainability education in practice. The case does not strive to establish ‘truth’ but rather to be open to multiple truths, realities and meanings - in a manner that is consistent with the theories of social constructionism and interpretivism in particular. It is suggested, through this study, that sustainability education cannot be confined to a stable conception or consistent framework, or approached through a programme of standardised levels and assessments. Representing a complex, multi-dimensional, dynamic and emergent concept, sustainability education may best be approached and sustained in a corresponding fashion, through multiple, critically-informed, and dialogically-linked points of entry.

Problem - Ponava is an area with relatively large areas of brownfield sites. Ponava should be territory with clearly defined texture blocks, mixed functions , high proportion of total housing and urban character. The area solved in this work was selected as most suitable for the creation of the initiation core, ie core starting as development of the whole territory. Uncertainty about the future, including needs to be in 5, 10, 20 years doing the classic urban planning dysfunctional method of working with the territory. Solution - My urban concept seeks to provide sufficient flexibility in terms of use of buildings and open spaces. It is particularly advantageous because it can hold more small investors, who can work independently. Each part of the territory may work alone, just under the current situation and needs of society. The concept is simple division of the area in a regular rectangular network by the same part of the individual and their subsequent filling. Placing buildings is chessboard, thus ensuring their adequate sun and at the same time easy permeability of territory in all directions. The spaces between buildings have in the outer parts character of living square with a strong influence of the adjacent street. Inside these areas is the interspace quiet and mainly serves the local population.

O estudo objetiva mapear e analisar a integração da sustentabilidade às práticas de controle gerencial (CG) das empresas no Brasil. A sustentabilidade foi considerada sob as dimensões econômica, ambiental e social da abordagem triple bottom line - TBL (ELKINGTON, 1997). A abordagem de controle gerencial, por sua vez, usou o modelo de alavancas de controle (SIMONS, 1995), acrescido de controles especializados, apropriados ao controle da sustentabilidade nas dimensões do TBL. A amostra deste estudo foi formada por 59 empresas que divulgaram os chamados relatórios de sustentabilidade no Brasil, ao menos uma vez entre os anos 2007 e 2009. Estas companhias foram submetidas a um levantamento do tipo survey, de forma a obter dados sobre a possível integração da sustentabilidade às suas práticas de controle gerencial, ou seja, testar a presença de tópicos sociais e ambientais e foco mais amplo em stakeholders em seus instrumentos de CG. Os dados foram submetidos a técnicas de estatística univariada descritiva e multivariada de modelagem de equações estruturais. Uma escala para classificar o estágio de divulgação dos relatórios de sustentabilidade foi proposta e os relatórios das empresas classificados de acordo com a mesma. As hipóteses foram construídas sob as suposições de que a divulgação dos relatórios de sustentabilidade se dá como resposta estratégica às demandas da sociedade, de forma a assegurar legitimidade (OLIVER, 1991; SUCHMAN, 1995) e visa demonstrar a conformidade da empresa com o tema da sustentabilidade (MEYER; ROWAN, 1977; DIMAGGIO; POWELL, 1983), que as empresas lidam com a sustentabilidade de maneira ceremonial, estando suas práticas de controle gerencial desvinculadas ou frouxamente vinculadas à sustentabilidade (MEYER; ROWAN, 1977). Além disso, a legitimidade adquirida pela divulgação do relatório de sustentabilidade permitiria às empresas levar adiante suas práticas de negócios com foco convencional, sem encarar o desafio da sustentabilidade de maneira mais engajada. Como conclusão geral, comprovou-se que a divulgação do relatório de sustentabilidade impacta as práticas de controle gerencial, principalmente no que se refere à presença da sustentabilidade nos artefatos, mas não necessariamente à intensidade do uso dos mesmos. Esse achado é relevante dado o estágio inicial do tema sustentabilidade nas empresas, que requer o desenvolvimento de novos artefatos que possam capturar mais adequadamente as componentes da sustentabilidade e, mais importante do que isso, sua integração aos modelos de gestão. / The study aims to map and analyse the integration of sustainability into the management control (MC) practices of companies in Brazil. Sustainability was represented by the economic, envinronmental and social dimensions of the triple bottom line approach (ELKINGTON, 1997), and management control was addressed by the \'levers of control\' management control model (SIMONS,1995), as well as specialized controls for sustainability. The sample is formed by 59 companies that issued the so-called sustainability reports at least once over the years 2007-2009. A survey was carried out to collect data on the possible embededness of the sustainability subject into the companies management control practices, that is, to test the presence of social and environmental topics as well as a broad focus on stakeholders in their MC artefacts. The data was analysed using univariated descriptive and multivariate structural equation modeling statistical techniques. A scale to measure the sustainability reports disclosure stage was proposed and the sustainability reports of the sample were classified accordingly. The hypotheses lie in assumptions that: the sustainability reports disclosure represents companies\' strategic responses to society\'s demands in order to ensure legitimacy (OLIVER, 1991; SUCHMAN, 1995) and aims to show conformity with sustainability (MEYER; ROWAN, 1977; DIMAGGIO; POWELL, 1983); companies deal with sustainability in a ceremonial way and their management control practices are decoupled or loosely coupled to sustainability (MEYER; ROWAN, 1977). Moreover, the legitimacy acquired by disclosing sustainability reports would permit companies to progress their \'business as usual\' practices without facing the sustainability challenge in a more engaged way. The findings show that the disclosure of sustainability reports impact the management control practices, specially regarding the presence of sustainability on the artefacts, but not necessarily the extent of their use. This is relevant due to the initial stage of sustainability in companies which requires both the development of new artefacts that can capture sustainability components more adequately and, more importantly, the embeddedness of sustainability into management models.