Poverty reduction and conservation can seem contradictory as integrated goals. Despite mixed results over the past several decades, both goals are increasingly being sought out together in practice. Using a case study of an integrated conservation and development project in the Azua province of the Dominican Republic, this thesis examines the definitions and measurement of poverty and wellbeing within integrated conservation and development initiatives. It asks whether the inclusion of subjective ideas and participatory approaches may present new opportunities to better integrate poverty measurements within natural resource initiatives. Four focus groups and 250 questionnaires formed the core methods for data collection. The study reveals wellbeing as a concept was better able to capture the multi-faceted nature of capabilities poverty. Wellbeing often engages with the themes of vulnerability and inequity and includes politically-sensitive considerations instead of concepts that are about assets or consumption, ideas based in the outdated income-poverty perspective. Locally developed indicators were best able to reveal nuances related to context that universal poverty indicators would miss or misrepresent. The results also found that the way poverty, wellbeing, problems and solutions are conceptually framed and defined can be highly relevant. Using asset-based concepts and metrics would lead to economic development goals whereas rights-based ideas would promote very different objectives and methods. The comprehensive identification and targeting of stakeholders was found to be a necessary focus in determining the priorities. Participatory processes, especially with a commitment to power devolution, can help ensure that an array of local ideas are accounted for, and contribute to, a nuanced understanding of complex phenomena. Overall, subscribing to a rights-based approach that targets the means (opportunities) of development and not the ends (assets) can facilitate the needed shift towards the new poverty paradigm, in both concept and practice. A more successful integration between poverty reduction and conservation will require such a shift.

Poverty reduction and conservation can seem contradictory as integrated goals. Despite mixed results over the past several decades, both goals are increasingly being sought out together in practice. Using a case study of an integrated conservation and development project in the Azua province of the Dominican Republic, this thesis examines the definitions and measurement of poverty and wellbeing within integrated conservation and development initiatives. It asks whether the inclusion of subjective ideas and participatory approaches may present new opportunities to better integrate poverty measurements within natural resource initiatives. Four focus groups and 250 questionnaires formed the core methods for data collection. The study reveals wellbeing as a concept was better able to capture the multi-faceted nature of capabilities poverty. Wellbeing often engages with the themes of vulnerability and inequity and includes politically-sensitive considerations instead of concepts that are about assets or consumption, ideas based in the outdated income-poverty perspective. Locally developed indicators were best able to reveal nuances related to context that universal poverty indicators would miss or misrepresent. The results also found that the way poverty, wellbeing, problems and solutions are conceptually framed and defined can be highly relevant. Using asset-based concepts and metrics would lead to economic development goals whereas rights-based ideas would promote very different objectives and methods. The comprehensive identification and targeting of stakeholders was found to be a necessary focus in determining the priorities. Participatory processes, especially with a commitment to power devolution, can help ensure that an array of local ideas are accounted for, and contribute to, a nuanced understanding of complex phenomena. Overall, subscribing to a rights-based approach that targets the means (opportunities) of development and not the ends (assets) can facilitate the needed shift towards the new poverty paradigm, in both concept and practice. A more successful integration between poverty reduction and conservation will require such a shift.

The return to the customary or integration of customary and statutory tenure systems to continue gain currency in both contemporary policy and academic discourses on land tenure as an alternative pathway towards enhancing security of access and tenure in the sub-Saharan African context. Central to the debates are issues concerning the relevance of customary land tenure arrangements and appropriate pathways to successfully engineer the process of harmonization toward improved tenure security whilst preserving of the communitarian principles of local tenure systems. Using two case studies in rural Ghana, this study investigated the prevailing land tenure arrangements, practices and socio-political dynamics that underpin them, highlighting the challenges and opportunities that need to be addressed for the successful adaptation of customary tenure rules and institutions into the statutory system towards improved tenure security and sustainable land management. The research employed a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods including interviews, focus group discussions and questionnaires to collate and analyse data from sampled respondents in Kakum and Ankasa in southern Ghana. The results of the investigation revealed that contrary to the mainstream view that customary tenure arrangements are incapable of providing tenure security in the face on ongoing transformations, the perceived tenure security of respondents was generally high in the study areas. This notwithstanding, it was observed that the emerging patterns of access and control (occasioned by increasing land scarcity and commodification) have resulted in social differentiation and inequalities in land access and distribution amongst the poor and vulnerable members of the landholding groups including women and the youth. The research also showed that aside from tenure security, other important contextual factors including access to credit, modernised agricultural inputs and targeted extension service support significantly influence households' investment decisions regarding adoption of sustainable land management practices. These findings have far-reaching implications for current land tenure interventions aimed at harmonising customary and statutory tenure structures for improved tenure security and sustainable land management. Results of the investigation were used to develop a three-phase incremental framework on formalisation of customary land rights which could serve as bespoke framework to guide the design of land tenure intervention strategies and implementation towards addressing local tenure insecurity in the specific context of the study areas and sub-Saharan Africa generally. The major conclusion of the research is that balancing the market efficiency and social equity considerations is necessary and should be pursued under the ongoing land tenure reforms for inclusive and equitable outcomes at the local level. This derives from the fact that the existing tenurial challenges are complex and context-specific, equally requiring well-balanced and nuanced solutions to effectively address them.

abstract: Drawn from a trio of manuscripts, this dissertation evaluates the sustainability contributions and implications of deploying underutilized spaces for alternative uses at multiple scales: urban, regional and continental. The first paper considers the use of underutilized spaces at the urban scale for urban agriculture (UA) to meet local sustainability goals in Phoenix, Arizona. Through a data-driven analysis, it demonstrates UA can meet 90% of annual demand for fresh produce, supply local produce in all food deserts, reduce areas underserved by public parks by 60%, and displace >50,000 tons of carbon-dioxide emissions from buildings. The second paper considers marginal agricultural land use for bioenergy crop cultivation to meet future liquid fuels demand from cellulosic biofuels sustainably and profitably. At a wholesale fuel price of $4 gallons-of-gasoline-equivalent, 30 to 90.7 billion gallons of cellulosic biofuels can be supplied by converting 22 to 79.3 million hectares of marginal lands in the Eastern United States (U.S.). Displacing marginal croplands (9.4-13.7 million hectares) reduces stress on water resources by preserving soil moisture. This displacement is comparable to existing land use for first-generation biofuels, limiting food supply impacts. Coupled modeling reveals positive hydroclimate feedback on bioenergy crop yields that moderates the land footprint. The third paper examines the sustainability implications of expanding use of marginal lands for corn cultivation in the Western Corn Belt, a commercially important and environmentally sensitive U.S. region. Corn cultivation on lower quality lands, which tend to overlap with marginal agricultural lands, is shown to be nearly three times more sensitive to changes in crop prices. Therefore, corn cultivation disproportionately expanded into these lands following price spikes. Underutilized spaces can contribute towards sustainability at small and large scales in a complementary fashion. While supplying fresh produce locally and delivering other benefits in terms of energy use and public health, UA can also reduce pressures on croplands and complement non-urban food production. This complementarity can help diversify agricultural land use for meeting other goals, like supplying biofuels. However, understanding the role of market forces and economic linkages is critical to anticipate any unintended consequences due to such re-organization of land use. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Geography 2020

To assess sustainability of privately owned rangeland, a questionnaire was used to gathered data from ranches in Cooke, Montague, Clay, Wise, Parker, and Jack counties in North Central Texas. Information evaluated included: management philosophy, economics, grazing practices, environmental condition, quality of life, and demographics. Sustainability indices were created based on economic and land health indicator variables meeting a minimum Cronbach‘s alpha coefficient (α = 0.7). Hierarchical regression analysis was used to create models explaining variance in respondents’ indices scores. Five predictors explained 36% of the variance in rangeland economic sustainability index when respondents: 1) recognized management inaction has opportunity costs affecting economic viability; 2) considered forbs a valuable source of forage for wildlife or livestock; 3) believed governmental assistance with brush control was beneficial; 4) were not absentee landowners and did not live in an urban area in Texas, and; 5) valued profit, productivity, tax issues, family issues, neighbor issues or weather issues above that of land health. Additionally, a model identified 5 predictors which explained 30% of the variance for respondents with index scores aligning with greater land health sustainability. Predictors indicated: 1) fencing cost was not an obstacle for increasing livestock distribution; 2) land rest was a component of grazing plans; 3) the Natural Resource Conservation Service was used for management information; 4) fewer acres were covered by dense brush or woodlands, and; 5) management decisions were not influenced by friends. Finally, attempts to create an index and regression analysis explaining social sustainability was abandoned, due to the likely-hood of type one errors. These findings provide a new line of evidence in assessing rangeland sustainability, supporting scientific literature concerning rangeland sustainability based on ranch level indicators. Compared to measuring parameters on small plots, the use of indices allows for studying replicated whole- ranch units using rancher insight. Use of sustainability indices may prove useful in future rangeland research activities.

Submitted by Hermes Dias Brito null (hermesdiasbrito@gmail.com) on 2017-01-31T19:13:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação de Mestrado - Com Ficha Catalográfica Com Resultado APROVADO.pdf: 22594453 bytes, checksum: 22369cef94e96dfba0f49e3648bd4d46 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Juliano Benedito Ferreira (julianoferreira@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2017-02-03T15:39:23Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 brito_hd_me_rcla.pdf: 22594453 bytes, checksum: 22369cef94e96dfba0f49e3648bd4d46 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-03T15:39:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 brito_hd_me_rcla.pdf: 22594453 bytes, checksum: 22369cef94e96dfba0f49e3648bd4d46 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-07 / O desenvolvimento tecnológico e a implantação de Centrais de Tratamento de Resíduos Sólidos (CTRSs), incluindo aterros sanitários, podem conduzir a soluções favoráveis ao processo de tratamento e recuperação de resíduos sólidos urbanos e disposição final de rejeitos. Estas instalações podem agrupar diversas tecnologias em um único sistema, cujo funcionamento leva à economia de energia e redução de gastos com transporte, o que pode redundar em um balanço energético positivo. Todavia, se mal planejada, a implantação e funcionamento das CTRSs podem causar impactos ambientais negativos aos recursos hídricos, ar atmosférico e à saúde dos seres vivos, em particular da população humana. Por isso, as fases de planejamento e implantação devem estar em consonância com o processo de Avaliação de Impacto Ambiental, sendo indispensável a realização de estudos para a seleção de áreas ambientalmente compatíveis com o seu funcionamento. Este trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar e discutir o desenvolvimento de um mapeamento geoambiental voltado à seleção adequada de áreas para a implantação de CTRSs, tendo como foco de aplicação o pequeno município paulista de Santa Cruz da Conceição, que apresenta expressiva inconformidade ambiental em relação à gestão dos resíduos sólidos e destinação final dos rejeitos; em torno dele, num raio de 100 km, vive uma população de cerca de 7,4 milhões de pessoas. A integração de informações obtidas com o levantamento bibliográfico efetuado, a geração de banco de dados (incluindo fatores físicos, biológicos e sócio-econômicos) e a análise multicriterial em ambiente SIG conduziram à elaboração do referido mapeamento. Este teve como base fundamental estudo prévio de compartimentação fisiográfica da região do município, levando-se em conta principalmente os aspectos de permeabilidade, resistência a erosão e estabilidade a movimentos gravitacionais, que foram integrados com dados de fragmentos de vegetação, declividade, áreas de gerenciamento de risco aviário de aeródromos regionais, informações do plano diretor municipal e normas técnicas e legais. Entre os resultados obtidos com o trabalho, destaca-se, centralmente, a definição de áreas propícias à implantação de CTRSs, incluindo incineradores, e de aterros sanitários em valas e em camadas. Áreas incompatíveis para estas ações também foram reconhecidas. Este estudo oferece elementos para discussões e tomadas de decisão ligadas ao processo de implantação de Centrais de Tratamento de Resíduos e empreendimentos a elas associados, sendo aplicável a outros municípios brasileiros. É, portanto, contribuição para a estruturação de um ordenamento territorial sustentável. / Technological development and Solid Waste Treatment Plants (SWTPs), including landfills, may lead to good solutions to the process of treatment and recovery of urban solid waste. These facilities can group various technologies into a single system, whose operation leads to energy savings and reduction of transportation costs, which may result in a positive energy balance. However, if not properly planned, the setting up and operation of SWTPs can cause negative environmental impacts to water resources, atmospheric air and the health of living beings, in particular the human population. Therefore, the phases of planning and setting up of a SWTP should be in line with the process of Environmental Impact Assessment, and it is essential to carry out studies for the selection of environmentally compatible areas of functioning. This study presents and discusses the development of a geo-environmental mapping focused on the proper selection of areas for the implementation of SWTPs, with the application focus on the municipality of Santa Cruz da Conceição, a small town in the state of São Paulo, which presents significant environmental nonconformity in relation to management solid waste and disposal of waste; around it, within a radius of 100 km, lives a population of about 7.4 million people. The integration of information obtained from the literature performed, the generation of database (including physical, biological and socio-economic elements) and multi-criteria analysis in GIS environment led to the preparation of this mapping. This work had as fundamental element a previously established physiographic subdivision of the area, and took into account mainly the aspects of permeability, erosion resistance and stability to gravitational movements; these parameters have been integrated with information on fragments of vegetation, declivity, poultry risk management areas in regional aerodromes, information on director municipal plan, and legal and technical standards. Among the results obtained from this work, there is, centrally, the definition of areas for setting up a SWTP, including incinerators and landfills (in ditches and in layers). Incompatible areas for these actions were also recognized. This study provides elements for discussion and decision-making related to the implementation process of waste treatment plants and projects associated with them, being applicable to other municipalities. It is therefore contributing to the structuring of a sustainable land use.

The growing global population and the ongoing loss of arable soils increase the pressure on agricultural production. In conjunction with climate change, this causes new challenges for agricultural production systems worldwide and requires a more sustainable approach for the future. The concept of ‘sustainable land management’ (SLM) is known as a concretisation of the sustainable development goals in the field of agriculture. The Western Siberian grain belt covers 1 million km² in Asiatic Russia and is of global importance for agricultural production as well as an important carbon sink and of international interest for biodiversity preservation. The work was conducted as part of the interdisciplinary German-Russian SASCHA project, which focused on SLM strategies at the intersection of climate change and land-use change in Tyumen region of Western Siberia. The objective of this work was to identify strategies for sustainable agricultural land management in Western Siberia with a focus on arable farming issues. Therefore, specifically the following research questions were addressed: (i) What does the history of agricultural land use across the Western Siberian grain belt tell us for developing future strategies? (ii) How can the eco-efficiency of Western Siberian cereal cropping systems be increased under the strain of changing climatic conditions? (iii) Is soybean cultivation capable of diversifying crop rotations in the southern part of Western Siberia? Triggered by the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the state farm system, massive land-use changes took place in the region. A normalised input-oriented intensity index was developed to quantify these changes and patterns in land-use intensity (LUI). Based on subnational, annual statistical data, two separate indices for cropland and grassland were calculated and applied on two spatial scales (provinces and districts). The spatio-temporal analysis showed significant opposite trends: decreasing intensity on grassland by -0.015 LUI units per year and intensification on cropland by +0.014 LUI units per year. The land-use changes that accompanied the post-Soviet transition from a planned to a market-driven economy also implied substantial socio-economic consequences for agricultural production. Based on the LUI analysis, locally adapted SLM scenarios were developed for Tyumen province and priority areas for implementation were identified. The findings clearly showed the need for having a different SLM strategy for grassland (predominantly used by livestock of households) and cropland (predominantly managed by large agricultural enterprises), which have to be addressed specifically by the different land users. Two major strategies were derived for the Western Siberian grain belt: low-intensity grazing for grassland conservation and sustainable intensification (SI) on cropland instead of cropland expansion. The system of conservation agriculture is a known possibility for SI in dryland cropping systems. Particularly under climate change predictions of drier and warmer growing conditions, no-till farming could be a promising way to increase eco-efficiency in Western Siberian cereal production systems. Therefore, a full-factorial split-split-plot field trial was conducted on a farmer’s field to test adaptations of tillage (usual conventional tillage ‘CT’ vs. no-till ‘NT’), seeding depth (usual deep 6.5 vs. shallow 4.5 cm) and seeding rate (usual high 600 vs. reduced 450 grains m-2) for the potential to increase water use efficiency and grain yield. Results from two above-average wet and cold growing seasons showed significantly better soil water storage of NT (+40 %) and no adverse effect on spring wheat grain yield and grain quality. Impacts of variations in seeding rate and seed placement were less pronounced. The highest yields of 3.19 and 3.82 t ha-1 were observed with NT treatment in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Other alternatives implemented to increase eco-efficiency of dryland cropping systems are enhanced fertilizer strategies. In Western Siberia, nitrogen (N) fertilizers (urea or ammonium-nitrate ‘Selitra’) in cereal production are commonly banded during sowing directly into the seed furrow. The performance of a new kind of slow-release fertilizer was tested in a field trial under on-farm conditions. A modified urea with silicate coating and urease inhibitor was compared in four N-levels (25/50/75/100 %) to 100 % of conventional urea, 100 % of Selitra and an unfertilized control in RCBD. Results showed significant differences in soil nitrate availability but no differences in ammonium release and no significant impact on grain yield or quality. From the results of this field trial there seemed to be no beneficial advantage of the tested novel slow-release fertilizer so far. More field site years and further improvements of the laboratory-scale fertilizer production are needed for scientifically founded results. Climate change is likely to considerably affect future growing conditions in regions around the current high-latitude boundaries of agricultural production. Specifically for soybeans, this leads to a northwards shift of the northernmost limit for cultivation. Therefore, the effect of soybean seed inoculation with Bradyrhizobium japonicum was investigated in comparison to an untreated control in a small-scale split-plot field trial under high latitude conditions. Leaf chlorophyll content by SPAD-meter readings was used as proxy for biological nitrogen fixation. Inoculation was always successful, since nodulation took only place in plots with seed treatment. Effect sizes of SPAD-values were significantly positive at beginning of seed filling but did not differ earlier. Except for the warmest site year, inoculation had no impact on seed yield and protein yield. Under cold growing conditions of high latitude regions, temperature sums seemed to limit soybean yield and the effectiveness of inoculation with B. japonicum. To implement soybeans as legumes in crop rotations, nevertheless, inoculation is mandatory, since soils in high latitudes lack soy-specific rhizobia bacteria. The trials and studies compiled in this thesis are examples of contributions to SLM strategies on varying spatial and temporal scales. Besides all the promising benefits of the described SI applications, some drawbacks must be considered: NT and CA often result in increased herbicide applications, genetically modified varieties (GMO) and herbicide resistances. Diverse crop rotations including legumes, however, would be a base for resilient cropping systems with a reduced reliance on a single herbicide. Moreover, Western Siberia has a great potential to become a key contributor to non-GMO dryland cropping. Even though the focus of this thesis was on agronomic strategies, the integration of livestock and arable farming is crucial for sustainable agriculture. The agricultural system of the Western Siberian grain belt could considerably benefit from crop-livestock integration by better soil fertility and enhanced nutrient management. The current observed trend of cropland intensification, however, will require increased attention paid to the sustainability of Siberian arable farming. Considering the forest steppes’ peculiarities and the unique land-use history, SI implemented on cropland and a moderate grazing regime on grassland seems to be the best combination for SLM across the Western Siberian grain belt.

This report aims to answer the question “What is the relationship between adopting a landscape conservation approach and human well-being?” through a case study of the Santa Cruz Mountains Stewardship Network. The Network is a collective that involves a variety of stakeholders that belong to a multidimensional scale and focuses on achieving a wide spectrum of goals. This research looks at the landscape conservation approach, which the Network uses, through the lens of strategic sustainable development by taking a systems perspective. The eight sustainability principles, which are used for the analysis, function as system boundaries for sustainability to aim towards human well-being. The environmental sphere is connected with the social sphere and make up the socio-ecological system and should not be considered separately. This research aims to make this connection clearer to compliment the lack of knowledge on this topic. The main conclusion is that by operating within the 8SPs and using a landscape conservation approach, organizations can contribute directly or indirectly to human well-being and the health of ecosystems. Some of the benefits for humans are an increase in physical and mental health and having the opportunity to find meaning by being out in nature.