This study is to assess natural resource management practices in Xilingol Biosphere Reserve (XBR) located in northern China in their institutional contexts. Institutions including legislation, regulations and administrative structures, responsibilities associated with land and resource rights, decision making powers and processes, and community participation, and the interactions between these institutions have exerted great impacts on how natural resources are used and managed in XBR. Local people have experienced great socioeconomic losses accompanied with the establishment of XBR. However, they have not been provided with adequate compensation for their lost benefits. This gave rise to the conflict between local people and XBR. The findings indicate that partnerships prove to be an inevitable trend for improving the reserve management and facilitating the resolution of a series of issues facing XBR.

This study is to assess natural resource management practices in Xilingol Biosphere Reserve (XBR) located in northern China in their institutional contexts. Institutions including legislation, regulations and administrative structures, responsibilities associated with land and resource rights, decision making powers and processes, and community participation, and the interactions between these institutions have exerted great impacts on how natural resources are used and managed in XBR. Local people have experienced great socioeconomic losses accompanied with the establishment of XBR. However, they have not been provided with adequate compensation for their lost benefits. This gave rise to the conflict between local people and XBR. The findings indicate that partnerships prove to be an inevitable trend for improving the reserve management and facilitating the resolution of a series of issues facing XBR.

South Africa became part of the international world in 1994, an event that led to its involvement in UNESCO's Man and Biosphere (MaB) in 1995. The Waterberg Biosphere Reserve in the Limpopo Province in turn received international recognition in March 2001. With its diverse natural and cultural features, low development impact and clear land use zonation pattern, the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve forms an ideal eco-destination as defined by the IUCN. The Limpopo Province is one of the poorest provinces in the country. As such one of its main objectives is economic growth aim at combating poverty. Tourism has been identified as one of the economic pillars in the Province. To achieve economic growth in the tourism field it must thus be ensured that the tourist destinations are well planned and protected. The Waterberg Biosphere Reserve strategically and physically links the poorer rural communities of Bakenberg in the west to the existing wildlife/game industry on private land, an aspect that provides excellent opportunities to enhance community tourism development initiatives supported by private industry and government. With its large representation of stakeholders on the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve Management Committee, it serves as an ideal forum for discussing the integrated development plan of the Waterberg and devise means to meet the challenges posed by the unique features of the area. One of the identified challenges is to ensure that the land use zonation pattern in the Waterberg (on which the eco-destination depends) be protected by means of appropriate legislation and land use management practices. Despite the fact that biosphere reserves have not yet been described as a protected area category within the South African legislative framework, a number of prescriptions have been promulgated which directly influence the protection of land uses occurring in a biosphere reserve. These are: the Municipal System Act (South Africa, 2000), the proposed Land Use Management Bill (South Africa, Department of Land Affairs, 2001) and portions of the new National Environmental Management: Protected Area Bill (South Africa, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, 2002) which provide for the protection of "buffer zones". The Waterberg Biosphere Reserve links the economic strategy of the Limpopo Province with the conservation of its unique conservation features. It further endorses the current zonation pattern in the Waterberg District where the major developments e.g. mining and large industries, take place on the periphery of the district with the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve forming a natural wilderness zone in the centre. The Waterberg Biosphere Reserve, therefore, serves as an ideal land use model for ecotourism development in the Waterberg. / Thesis (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Plant Science / unrestricted

In Norrland, forests make up the biggest area of land, where different activities and actors exist in the same locations. Conflicts arise when different actors and agendas clash, making it hard to have a sustainable co-existence in the forest. Through forest research and other initiatives, new methods and strategies are being explored to make co-existence possible. Currently there is a gap between the research and its end user, as well as a dislocation of research facilities where most are located along the coast instead of the inland and the forest. Can architecture be a tool to raise awareness about nature and forests, making it a common concern? The proposal is to create a forest research center in the forest in the inland, where actors work and activities take place. The building combines the different users, creating a space where researchers and forest owners can share knowledge and experiences, and work towards a sustainable management without conflicts. Through the program of the building, the public get access to knowledge and become involved in the politics and management of the forest. The design explores and exposes the possibilities of wood, where incremental design showcases the impact of nature. / I Norrland utgörs den största andelen land av skog, där olika aktiviteter och aktörer verkar i samma områden. När aktörer med olika agendor ska samsas på samma plats uppstår ofta konflikter som leder till en ohållbar miljö. Genom att ha en överblick över alla aktiviteter utforskar svensk skogsforskning och andra initiativ nya metoder och strategier som kan möjliggöra en hållbar samexistens i skogen. Än finns dock ett glapp mellan forskare, skogsägare och andra aktörer, som inte förbättras av att forskningsanläggningarna är belägna längs kusten istället för inlandet och skogen. Kan arkitektur vara ett verktyg för att öka allmänhetens medvetenheten och intresse för naturen och skogen? Mitt förslag är ett center för skogsforskning i Västerbottens inland, där aktörerna arbetar och bedriver sina verksamheter. Byggnaden kombinerar de olika användarna och skapar en plats där forskare och skogsägare kan utbyta kunskap och erfarenheter, och samarbeta för en hållbar skogshållning som minimerar konflikter. Genom byggnadens program får allmänheten tillgång till kunskap om skogspolitik och skötsel, vilket kan leda till starkare engagemang och medvetenhet. Designen utforskar och visar trä som byggnadsmaterial, där uppbyggnaden över tid förstärker naturens påverkan.

Habitat loss and fragmentation caused by tourist development along the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico represents a big threat to the survival of Nearctic-Neotropical migratory songbirds. This habitat plays a crucial role for successful migration for many migratory birds. However, the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on these birds have not been well documented in the region. From September- December, 2006-2008, we mist-netted and conducted transect surveys to assess the variation in the avian community among three different levels of development (high, medium and low). The study area included two small reserves (10-20 ha) in the hotel zone associated with the Riviera Maya (high development), two sites with limited development within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve associated with small fishing camps (medium development), and two undeveloped sites located on a private ranch within Sian Ka’an (low development). I assessed species richness and abundance of four avian groups: the entire community, year-round residents, winter residents, and transients. Species richness and abundance decreased significantly with the greatest levels of disturbance. The high development level had the least species richness and abundance, whereas the medium development level had the greatest richness for all bird classes. However, my results suggest that small reserves in the hotel zone can be important compliments to the large, undisturbed reserves (Sian Ka’an) for both resident and migrant birds. Forty-six percent of all birds species captured in mist nets were Nearctic-Neotropical migrants; thus this group composed a significant component of the avian community. The dominance in the year-round resident community by the endemic Black Catbird (Dumetella glabrirostris) at medium and low development sites showed that coastal dune vegetation is also important in maintaining populations of endemic species, which are sensitive to levels of disturbance. The use of two different survey methods (mist-netting and transect surveys) produced complimentary descriptions of community composition. Because many year-round resident species and migrants depend on this scarce and discontinuous coastal habitat, and because of the intense development pressure on this coastal zone, better conservation strategies are needed to successfully sustain the avian community of this region.

Biosphere reserves have evolved out of a responsibility to resolve conflict by reconciling the needs of humans with the need to maintain ecological integrity and biodiversity. Participatory approaches to planning and management are seen as key to linking conservation and sustainable development. The purpose of this research was to investigate participation in planning and management activities in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR) located in Uttaranchal, India. Eco-development and microplanning have emerged in India as two government-initiated mechanisms allowing greater opportunity for other sectors to have a role in conservation-related planning and management activities. Although there has been progress in the application of participatory processes, the two case studies in this research illustrate the need to bolster civic and private sector participation in planning and management of the NDBR. One important and positive outcome of the participatory processes that were applied was that relationships had improved between the sectors. / February 2007

Habitat loss and fragmentation caused by tourist development along the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico represents a big threat to the survival of Nearctic-Neotropical migratory songbirds. This habitat plays a crucial role for successful migration for many migratory birds. However, the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on these birds have not been well documented in the region. From September- December, 2006-2008, we mist-netted and conducted transect surveys to assess the variation in the avian community among three different levels of development (high, medium and low). The study area included two small reserves (10-20 ha) in the hotel zone associated with the Riviera Maya (high development), two sites with limited development within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve associated with small fishing camps (medium development), and two undeveloped sites located on a private ranch within Sian Ka’an (low development). I assessed species richness and abundance of four avian groups: the entire community, year-round residents, winter residents, and transients. Species richness and abundance decreased significantly with the greatest levels of disturbance. The high development level had the least species richness and abundance, whereas the medium development level had the greatest richness for all bird classes. However, my results suggest that small reserves in the hotel zone can be important compliments to the large, undisturbed reserves (Sian Ka’an) for both resident and migrant birds. Forty-six percent of all birds species captured in mist nets were Nearctic-Neotropical migrants; thus this group composed a significant component of the avian community. The dominance in the year-round resident community by the endemic Black Catbird (Dumetella glabrirostris) at medium and low development sites showed that coastal dune vegetation is also important in maintaining populations of endemic species, which are sensitive to levels of disturbance. The use of two different survey methods (mist-netting and transect surveys) produced complimentary descriptions of community composition. Because many year-round resident species and migrants depend on this scarce and discontinuous coastal habitat, and because of the intense development pressure on this coastal zone, better conservation strategies are needed to successfully sustain the avian community of this region.

Invasive species are considered an agent of ecological change with more significant effects than global warming. Exotic plant invasions threaten biodiversity and ecosystem viability worldwide. Their effects in the Sonoran Desert ecosystems are a growing concern among ecologists and land managers. We hypothesized that highly dynamic desert environments are unstable, therefore more vulnerable to invasion by exotic plant species. To test this hypothesis we used a multidimensional approach to assess the spatial distribution of two exotic species: Brassica tournefortii (Saharan mustard) and Schismus arabicus (Arabian grass), in a portion of 'El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar' Biosphere Reserve (PBR) in northwestern Sonora, Mexico. This approach combined genetic algorithms, geographic information systems, field methods, statistical analysis, and remote sensing modeling at multiple spatial and temporal scales to predict and test the current and potential distribution of the invasives over dynamic landscapes.Predicted probability of invasion was influenced strongly by human factors: Road networks were the strongest predictors of presence, revealing the potential importance of humans as vectors of invasiveness. Dynamic landscapes, associated mostly with vegetation losses, were detected spectrally in the eastern portion of the study area, very likely associated with past agricultural and current grazing activity. Combined models of high probability for invasion by B. tournefortii and S. arabicus over dynamic landscapes were tested against confirmed locations of the invasives and land cover types associated with invasion. Results confirmed the hypothesis of the study and suggest that more dynamic landscapes are more prone to invasion by these two exotic plants in the PBR. B. tournefortii was found associated mostly with landscapes occupied by microphyllous desert scrub and grassland, as well as sarcocaulescent desert scrub. S. arabicus was found more abundantly in the flat low lands occupied by microphyllous and crassicaulescent desert scrub. These relationships cannot, however, be conclusive and require further investigation due to the complex ecology of these invasives.

No description available.

No description available.