published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

Le nourrissage artificiel de requins présente d'importants enjeux écologiques et sociétaux en raison de son impact environnemental mal connu et de la forte controverse publique qui complique sa gestion. Cette thèse propose une réflexion au carrefour des sciences naturelles et sociales, en étudiant la réponse comportementale des requins en termes d'organisation sociale et de déplacements spatiaux, ainsi que le rôle des perceptions sociales dans une meilleure caractérisation du conflit social sous-jacent. Nous décrivons la place centrale des sites de nourrissage dans les réseaux de déplacement des requins tigre et requins citron, et montrons les capacités des requins citron adultes à développer des stratégies comportementales adaptées au contexte de compétition inhérent aux activités de nourrissage. Nous effectuons une interprétation fonctionnelle de tous les effets du nourrissage décrits à ce jour et mettons en évidence une cascade d'effets majoritairement délétères se répercutant de l'échelle individuelle à l'échelle de l'écosystème. En caractérisant la dimension humaine de cette relation particulière entre Homme et Requin, nous identifions les principaux facteurs du comportement des usagers de la mer vis-à-vis du nourrissage et discutons le développement de l'activité selon les lois de l'offre et de la demande comme le principal facteur de risque à l'apparition de mauvaises pratiques et les effets pernicieux qui leurs sont associés. Les approches entreprises au cours de cette thèse illustrent la complémentarité des sciences naturelles et sociales dans la caractérisation et la gestion des relations entre société et ressources naturelles. / Artificial shark provisioning bears critical ecological and societal stakes because of its underinvestigated environmental effects and the strong public controversy that undermines management plans. This thesis aims at combining natural and social science approaches to characterise both (1) the behavioral response of tiger and sicklefin lemon sharks that are targeted by provisioning operations and the (2) role of public perceptions in better apprehending the latent social conflict. We describe the central place of provisioning sites in the movement networks of tiger and sicklefin lemon sharks and describe the capacity of lemon sharks to develop behavioral strategies that are adapted to the competitive context that is inherent to provisioning operations. We provide a functional interpretation of all effects of provisioning reported so far in the literature and highlight cascading and predominantly deleterious effects through the individual to the ecosystem-scale. By investigating the human dimension of this case of human-shark interactions, we identify the main drivers of both operator and ocean user behavior and discuss the unregulated expansion of shark provisioning activities as the main factor of risk to the emergence of bad practices and the associated pernicious effects. The approaches presented in this thesis highlight the advantages of combining natural and social sciences for a better characterization and management of the interaction between society and natural resources.

Ecotourism is very burning issue and one of the fastest growing sectors in current worldtourism industry. Especially in many developing countries like Nepal are trying to useecotourism as a tool to achieve sustainable development. The paper mainly considers currentopportunities of ecotourism in Nepal where tourism is one of the fastest expanding industrieswhich has been leaving various negative impacts in different areas. It is aiming to study aboutthe current state of ecotourism in Nepal. The paper also attempt to give critical analysis ofecotourism impacts and challenges in the case of Nepal and point out some recommendationsfor better practice of ecotourism. The paper tries to answer the following question: Isecotourism opportunity or challenge in Nepal? How is ecotourism practised in the country?Can ecotourism be a beneficial tool for sustainable development of the country? How canecotourism be very effective means of development and conservation?Nepal has abundance of opportunities of ecotourism industry. But its effective practice andimplementation is not promising due to lack of commitment of governmental policy andplanning strategy with combination of integrated conservation and development. Thus to runecotourism project properly, principles and theories of ecotourism must be considered a majorbase while make its policy and planning. Policy must be integrative, collaborative andcomprehensive to achieve real outcome of ecotourism by realizing importance ofenvironmental, social and economic imperatives.

Thesis--PlanA (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Florida, 2003. / Title from title page of source document. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.

published_or_final_version / Geography / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Transportation is an integral par t of the tourism industry. It is largely due to the improvement of transportation that tourism has expanded. The impacts on the ecology, degradation of destination sites, tourist experience, and economy has called for a better management of this resource. Transportation can be divided into two parts. One is the mobility infrastructure such as railway and highway, connecting and sometimes dividing the tourism destination. And another is site infrastructure which is in the tourism destination and guides the tourists to explore the place. Few places are as globally significant as the Tibetan Plateau, writes Daniel J Miller. Understanding this means looking at the region from a holistic, ecological standpoint. It has huge biodiversity resource and stores a lot of ice on the mountain. Religious affect this area so that it can remain in the harmony of the people and the nature. The Qinghai-Tibet railway is built for the policy or economic reason after is construction finished in 1st of July, 2006. This transportation greatly changed this area. The tourists’ trend increases 30% in Qinghai and 40% in Tibet in 2007. The income of the tourism also increased. Then the conflict occurred, on the ecological aspect: the wildlife, the One is the stepping destroy by the tourist which may cause soil erosion or vegetation destroy. And the social aspect, tourism reform the local people’s life, increases their income but also challenges the line of their religious faith. The stations along the railway became my focus point. They were like the start point, we can see the government intention, and the economic opportunity. In the meanwhile, it could also be the pollution resource and damage beginning. We can’t just simply stop people from going there. Since the railway is just like a window, advertising the beautiful landscape. If the station can’t access, people will find another way to access, in an uncontrolled way. So it is also an opportunity for expressing a new definition of tourism. Education, love, ecotourism. To make the place love for the people, so that they will have the ownership, they want this landscape keeps forever, so that it be an eternity. My thesis is trying to reach a more sustainable way to develop tourism in this very sensitive area, to create a couple of well-designed station stops which does strict (no access) protection for these areas. My intention is to create a system that combines education and the exploration in tourism. / published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

According to the “Tourism 2020 Vision” research on world tourism development forecast and assessment, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) foreseen that the total international tourists arrival will probably hit 1.6 billion by 2020. Tourism plays a vital role as being one of the key pillars in supporting Hong Kong’s economic growth. Ever since the launch of “Individual Visit Scheme” (IVC) ten years ago, Hong Kong has been drifting from an international tourist attractions destination to a mainland focused shopping paradise. However, this is not a sustainable and healthy situation in the long run. Firstly, the inbound city is now very crowed and being flooded with tourists, which is quite centralised. In order to meet the continuous growth of the tourists around the world, Hong Kong Government must continue to develop a wide range of diverse tourist attractions in Hong Kong to enhance the competiveness and further expand the tourism market segments. In this connection, Hong Kong Government should make use of the advantages from this spectacular geo-heritage, Hong Kong Global Geopark of China, to largely promote a new niche of eco-tourism in Hong Kong. The purpose of this study is to explore the different motivations behind tourists engaging in a geo-tourism experience and to investigate the behavioral intentions, preferences on geo-park. Also, this study aims to evaluate the willingness-to-pay regarding geo-touism products/services. All theses findings and recommendations are expected to provide a fundamental conceptual framework for government, geo-park managers and tour operators to make use of this information to setup some strategic market and management plan in respond to the needs and wants of the geo-tourists. All in all, they should make joint efforts to push geo-park forward to become another tourist’s hotspot. / published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

This study examines ecotourism as a form of sustainable development in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Tourism is one of the world’s largest industries, with ecotourism being one of the fastest growing sectors. Ecotourism can provide a superior and sustainable alternative to traditional, resource dependent industries that are prevalent in developing countries. This research offers a multi-disciplinary perspective incorporating economic, environmental and social issues surrounding the implementation of an ecotourism industry. A framework for sustainable ecotourism development is created using indicators developed by the World Tourism Organization. This framework is applied to three case studies within the Eastern Cape. The case studies demonstrate both common and uniqe opportunities and challeges for ecotourism development throughout the Eastern Cape. The end result of this project is to create a better understanding of the tourism-environment relationship, and to explore how ecotourism, and more specifically backpacking, can contribute to sustainable development. This study contributes to the literature on the use of indicators in ecotourism. A framework of indicators for sustainable ecotourism represents the final product of this research. This framework can be used by local governments and organizations to aid in the planning and management of ecotourism both in South Africa and other developing nations, and lead to improvements in both the physical and social environments. / Thesis (Master, Environmental Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-22 15:44:02.927