Thesis (Ph. D.) -- Lincoln University, 2009. / Includes case study of Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere. Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2001. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-145). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Colorado State University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

There are increasing concerns that monetary valuation of ecosystem services using conventional individualistic methods is not fully able to express the value that people attach to the natural environment. For example, people have values in relation to nature that are not instrumental, but relate to rights, duties and virtues, which are difficult to translate into preferences and willingness-to-pay. Also, the notions of ‘services' and ‘benefits' do not fully reflect the intricate relationships between people and nature. Values and meanings are not necessarily individualistic and given, but are often implicit, shared and shaped through social processes of information sharing, moralisation and democratic debate. This thesis develops a theoretical framework for assessing plural, shared and cultural values of ecosystems and provides a range of case studies to operationalize them for decision-making. The theoretical framework conceptualises values across the dimensions of value concept, provider, process, scale and intention, and identifies seven non-mutually exclusive types of shared values: transcendental, cultural/societal, communal, group, deliberated and other-regarding values, and value to society. A novel model is developed to describe how different values interrelate in deliberative processes: the Deliberative Value Formation model (DVF). This framework underpins two local and two UK-wide case studies, which employ, develop and evaluate a wide range of economic and non-economic, deliberative, interpretive and psychometric methods. Findings indicate that deliberated group values were more considered, more strongly anchored onto the value of benefits and less an expression of ‘gesturing', while at the same time more reflective of transcendental values of participants such as responsibility and social justice. Thus, group-based, deliberative assessments may provide a more robust approach to assessing values than conventional individual valuation. Disciplinary integration provides a richer and more comprehensive evidence base for environmental decision-making and management than the use of single discipline approaches, which is of particular importance for complex and contested contexts.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2002. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-98). Also available on the World Wide Web.

The thesis addresses the question of how to establish an appropriate methodology for monitoring sustainable tourism development (STD) in Samoa, an independent small island state in the South Pacific. The theoretical starting point and common thread throughout this study is that sustainable development can and must form the paramount context for STD. The author adopts an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on innovative research in the field of ecology and ecosystem management in order to gain understanding of new and emerging interpretations of sustainability and their implications for STD. Three guiding principles are identified and consequently form the conceptual foundation for the work. That understanding and implementing STD requires: i) a comprehensive systemic approach; ii) a stakeholder-driven focus; and iii) the adaptive capacity to accommodate the non-linear behaviour of complex systems. These principles are tested in the context of the development of a place-based STD monitoring programme in Samoa. In collaboration with the Samoa Visitors Bureau (SVB) and a multidisciplinary stakeholder committee, a set of STD objectives for Samoa were formulated, 20 indicators were identified to monitor progress towards their achievement, and a monitoring programme was established to utilise the results. The objectives and corresponding indicators are broad in their coverage of tourism and sustainable development issues, have stakeholder resonance, and are feasible considering the technical and human capacity currently available in SVB. The monitoring programme also has the flexibility to adapt to change as it inevitably occurs. The work undertaken in Samoa demonstrates that as well as generating timely information on the current state of STD, if a stakeholder approach is adopted, monitoring can also provide the opportunity for considerable social learning, and help bridge the gap between indicator development and indicator use, ensuring indicator results are actually used to change the way tourism is planned, developed and managed.

No description available.

Thesis (PhD) -- Auckland University of Technology, 2004. / Also held in print (261 leaves, col. ill., 30 cm.) in Wellesley Theses Collection. (T 333.7140993 SHA)

Thesis (Ph.D.) in Ecology and Environmental Science--University of Maine, 2008. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 90-99).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2000. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 231-241). Also available online.