Wong Kwan Kit. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 276-315). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.II / ABSTRACT --- p.III / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.VIII / APPENDICES (IN CD) --- p.XIII / LIST OF TABLES --- p.XV / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.XIX / Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- lNTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- Ecotourism Opportunity in Hong Kong and Ecotourism Planning --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Habitat Mapping and Conservation Areas Selection --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.3 --- Lantau Island and the Concept Plan --- p.4 / Chapter 1.2 --- OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY --- p.7 / Chapter 1.3 --- SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY --- p.8 / Chapter 1.4 --- SCOPE OF THE STUDY --- p.10 / Chapter 1.5 --- ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS --- p.11 / Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.14 / Chapter 2.1 --- WILDLIFE HABITAT MAPPING --- p.14 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Habitat Requirements and Factors Influencing Wildlife Distribution --- p.15 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Habitat Mapping: Past and Present --- p.17 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- "Remote Sensing, GIS and Habitat Mapping" --- p.20 / Chapter 2.1.4 --- Multivariate Statistical Habitat Modeling Approaches --- p.21 / Chapter 2.2 --- BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION --- p.30 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- "Biological Diversity, Species Richness and Conservation Planning" --- p.30 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Gap Analysis Program (GAP) and Conservation Planning --- p.34 / Chapter 2.3 --- ECOTOURISM PLANNING AND MULTIPLE CRITERIA ANALYSIS (MCA) --- p.37 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- ECOTOURISM AND PLANNING MODEL --- p.37 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- GIS and Multiple Criteria Analysis as decision support tools --- p.42 / Chapter 2.4 --- SUMMARY --- p.49 / Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- METHODOLOGY --- p.51 / Chapter 3.1 --- lNTRODUCTION --- p.51 / Chapter 3.2 --- STUDY SITE DESCRIPTION --- p.53 / Chapter 3.3 --- METHODOLOGY OVERVIEW --- p.56 / Chapter 3.4 --- GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS) DATABASE --- p.58 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Hong Kong Biodiversity Survey --- p.58 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Land Cover Classification of Hong Kong --- p.65 / Chapter 3.4.2.1 --- Acquisition and Pre-processing of Remotely-Sensed Data --- p.65 / Chapter 3.4.2.2 --- Land Cover Classification and Post Classification --- p.67 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- GIS Database --- p.69 / Chapter 3.4.3.1 --- Acquisition of GIS Data --- p.69 / Chapter 3.4.3.2 --- GIS Operations --- p.69 / Chapter 3.4.3.3 --- Criteria for Multiple Criteria Analysis (MCA) --- p.80 / Chapter 3.5 --- WILDLIFE HABITAT MAPPING --- p.81 / Chapter 3.5.1 --- Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA) --- p.83 / Chapter 3.5.1.1 --- Generation of Pseudo-absence Data-point --- p.87 / Chapter 3.5.2 --- Binary Logistic Regression Model (BLRM) --- p.88 / Chapter 3.5.3 --- Generalized Additive Model (GAM) --- p.95 / Chapter 3.5.4 --- Model Comparison and Selection --- p.100 / Chapter 3.5.5 --- Identification of Biodiversity Hotspots --- p.101 / Chapter 3.5.6 --- Overlap Analysis of Taxonomic Groups --- p.102 / Chapter 3.5.7 --- Gap Analysis --- p.102 / Chapter 3.6 --- SITE SELECTION FOR COMPATIBLE TOURISM ACTIVITIES THROUGH MCA --- p.103 / Chapter 3.6.1 --- Establishment of Evaluation Criteria: Constraints and Factors --- p.103 / Chapter 3.6.2 --- Standardization of Factors --- p.104 / Chapter 3.6.3 --- Weights Assignment and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) --- p.106 / Chapter 3.6.4 --- Decision Rule: The Simple Additive Weighting method (SAW) --- p.111 / Chapter 3.7 --- FORMULATION OF ZONING PLAN THROUGH MOLA --- p.112 / Chapter 3.8 --- EVALUATION OF THE CONCEPT PLAN FOR LANTAU --- p.119 / Chapter 3.9 --- SUMMARY --- p.121 / Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION (l) 一 MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL WILDLIFE HABITAT MAPPING AND BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS IDENTIFICATION --- p.125 / Chapter 4.1 --- lNTRODUCTION --- p.125 / Chapter 4.2 --- DATA EXPLORATION --- p.126 / Chapter 4.3 --- IDENTIFICATION OF HABITAT FOR AMPHIBIAN SPECIES --- p.126 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA) --- p.127 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Binary Logistic Regression Model (BLRM) --- p.131 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Generalized Additive Model (GAM) --- p.135 / Chapter 4.4 --- IDENTIFICATION OF HABITAT FOR BIRD SPECIES --- p.139 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA) --- p.141 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- Binary Logistic Regression Model (BLRM) --- p.144 / Chapter 4.4.3 --- Generalized Additive Model (GAM) --- p.149 / Chapter 4.5 --- IDENTIFICATION OF HABITAT FOR BUTTERFLY SPECIES --- p.153 / Chapter 4.5.1 --- Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA) --- p.154 / Chapter 4.5.2 --- Binary Logistic Regression Model (BLRM) --- p.158 / Chapter 4.5.3 --- Generalized Additive Model (GAM) --- p.163 / Chapter 4.6 --- IDENTIFICATION OF HABITAT FOR DRAGONFLY SPECIES --- p.168 / Chapter 4.6.1 --- Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA) --- p.169 / Chapter 4.6.2 --- Binary Logistic Regression Model (BLRM) --- p.173 / Chapter 4.6.3 --- Generalized Additive Model (GAM) --- p.178 / Chapter 4.7 --- IDENTIFICATION OF HABITAT FOR MAMMAL SPECIES --- p.183 / Chapter 4.7.1 --- Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA) --- p.183 / Chapter 4.7.2 --- Binary Logistic Regression Model (BLRM) --- p.186 / Chapter 4.7.3 --- Generalized Additive Model (GAM) --- p.189 / Chapter 4.8 --- MODEL SELECTION --- p.192 / Chapter 4.9 --- IDENTIFICATION OF BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS --- p.194 / Chapter 4.10 --- CORRELATIONS BETWEEN TAXONOMIC GROUPS --- p.196 / Chapter 4.11 --- GAP ANALYSIS --- p.197 / Chapter 4.12 --- SUMMARY --- p.203 / Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION (II) 一 TOURISM PLANNING AND ZONE ALLOCATION --- p.205 / Chapter 5.1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.205 / Chapter 5.2 --- SITE SELECTION FOR COMPATIBLE TOURISM ACTIVITIES lN LANTAU ISLAND --- p.206 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Potential Campsite selection --- p.206 / Chapter 5.2.1.1 --- Evaluation factors --- p.207 / Chapter 5.2.1.2 --- Factor weights from the AHP --- p.208 / Chapter 5.2.1.3 --- Results --- p.209 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Potential Hiking Route Selection --- p.213 / Chapter 5.2.2.1 --- Evaluation factors --- p.214 / Chapter 5.2.2.2 --- Factor weights from the AHP --- p.215 / Chapter 5.2.2.3 --- Results --- p.217 / Chapter 5.2.3 --- Potential Cycling and Picnic Site Selection --- p.225 / Chapter 5.2.3.1 --- Evaluation factors --- p.225 / Chapter 5.2.3.2 --- Factor weights from the AHP --- p.227 / Chapter 5.2.3.3 --- Results --- p.228 / Chapter 5.2.4 --- Potential Tourism Development Site Selection --- p.234 / Chapter 5.2.4.1 --- Evaluation factors --- p.234 / Chapter 5.2.4.2 --- Factor weights from the AHP --- p.235 / Chapter 5.2.4.3 --- Results --- p.236 / Chapter 5.3 --- ZONE ALLOCATION AND ZONING PLANS --- p.240 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Potential Conflicting Sites --- p.240 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Scenario 1: Conservation-oriented --- p.242 / Chapter 5.3.3 --- Scenario 2: Equal-preference --- p.246 / Chapter 5.3.4 --- Scenario 3: Recreation-and-tourism-development-oriented --- p.249 / Chapter 5.4 --- EVALUATION AND RECOMMENDATION FOR THE CONCEPT PLAN --- p.252 / Chapter 5.4.1 --- Exploring Additional Conservation Needs --- p.252 / Chapter 5.4.2 --- Maximizing Recreational Opportunities --- p.257 / Chapter 5.4.3 --- Tourism Development --- p.258 / Chapter 5.5 --- SUMMARY --- p.262 / Chapter CHAPTER 6 --- CONCLUSION --- p.264 / Chapter 6.1 --- SUMMARY OF THE STUDY --- p.264 / Chapter 6.2 --- LIMITATION OF THE STUDY --- p.267 / Chapter 6.3 --- RECOMMENDATIONS --- p.271 / REFERENCES --- p.276

Luo Bei. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-52). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 2. --- Backgrounds and Literature Review --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1 --- Backgrounds of China's environment problems --- p.5 / Chapter 2.2 --- Literature review --- p.7 / Chapter 3. --- Econometric Strategy --- p.10 / Chapter 4. --- Data and Variables --- p.11 / Chapter 5. --- Empirical Results --- p.14 / Chapter 5.1 --- City Part --- p.14 / Chapter 5.2 --- Province emission and complaints received --- p.15 / Chapter 5.3 --- Discussion about the results --- p.23 / Chapter 6. --- Conclusion --- p.23 / Tables --- p.25 / Reference --- p.48

Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) is a promising source of energy for the future. However, it is still under development and many challenges need to be overcome to develop competitive solutions. While the design of the station keeping system of traditional offshore oil and gas structures is driven mainly by their low frequency motions, MRE devices are installed at nearshore locations and move dynamically. Because of these criteria, MRE mooring systems require novel mooring systems and associated standards. MRE mooring standards need to take into account the highly dynamic behaviour of these systems, which can lead to large mooring loads. The nature of these loads needs to be investigated to improve the confidence in mooring design and to improve cost-effectiveness. The aim of this thesis is to develop the understanding of peak mooring loads on highly dynamic mooring systems, in particular, the environmental conditions associated with the loads. In addition, preliminary research into the response of the mooring systems to environmental conditions is presented. Both field tests and tank tests have been conducted. Field tests give insight into the behaviour of a dynamic mooring system in real sea conditions. Measuring the mooring loads and the environmental conditions - wave, and current if available – for several months, a methodology has been developed to detect peak mooring loads and identify the associated environmental conditions in order to compare them with the environmental conditions recorded throughout the field tests. The principal finding is that peak mooring loads occur for sea states with large but not always the highest significant wave height HS. The understanding of the effect of tidal conditions on peak mooring loads requires further work. A tank test of a dynamic mooring system in moderate sea states has been conducted to observe the dynamic behaviour of the mooring system. Tank tests enable detailed observations of the dynamic behaviour of a system in a well controlled environment and allow the calibration of a numerical model. The model can be used to investigate separate physical parameters. The results from this thesis will assist in the development of specific standards for MRE mooring systems. These standards are essential for the evolution of the MRE industry.

Tsang, Yu Man. / "November 2009." / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 268-277). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgements --- p.i / Abstract --- p.iii / Content --- p.vii / List of Tables --- p.ix / List of Figures --- p.xx / Chapter Chapter One --- General Introduction --- p.1 / Introduction --- p.1 / Coral Reefs --- p.1 / Coral-Algal Symbiosis --- p.2 / The Dinoflagellate Symbiodinium --- p.11 / Coral Communities in Hong Kong --- p.18 / Objectives --- p.21 / Study Sites - Tung Ping Chau Marine Park --- p.21 / Coral Species chosen for the Experiment --- p.23 / Platygyra acuta --- p.23 / Porites lutea --- p.23 / Thesis Outline --- p.24 / Chapter Chapter Two --- Temporal variation in photophysiological parameters of Hong Kong corals and their relationship with the environmental factors --- p.28 / Introduction --- p.28 / Methods and Materials --- p.33 / Study Sites --- p.33 / Coral Sampling for zooxanthellae density and chlorophyll concentration analysis --- p.34 / Measurement of changes in the photosynthtic activity of the corals --- p.38 / Environmental Factors --- p.38 / Data analysis --- p.39 / Results --- p.41 / Density of Zooxanthellae --- p.41 / Concentrations of Chlorophyll a and c2 (per zooxanthella) --- p.43 / Concentrations of Chlorophyll a and c2 (per surface area) --- p.46 / Chlorophyll ratio --- p.49 / Effective quantum yield --- p.51 / Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) --- p.54 / Intra-colony variation for Platygyra acuta --- p.56 / Comparison between Platygyra acuta and Porites lutea --- p.64 / Environmental factors and their correlations with photophysiological parameters in corals --- p.68 / Discussion --- p.73 / Density of zooxanthellae --- p.74 / Concentrations of Chlorophyll a and c2 --- p.80 / Chlorophyll ratio --- p.85 / Effective quantum yield --- p.88 / Intra-colony variation --- p.94 / Between species comparison --- p.98 / Summary --- p.107 / Chapter Chapter Three --- PCR-RFLP Analysis on Symbiodinium in Platygyra acuta --- p.241 / Introduction --- p.241 / Methods and Materials --- p.244 / Sample collection --- p.244 / Molecular phylotyping --- p.245 / Results --- p.247 / Discussion --- p.249 / Summary --- p.257 / Chapter Chapter Four --- Summary and Conclusion --- p.262 / References --- p.268

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This thesis examines how stakeholder values should be clarified in consensus-based processes in order to provide the framework for the generation of options, the collection of technical information and the assessment of options. The specific context is forest land use planning in British Columbia, particularly with respect to creating protected areas. A case study approach was used. The case study used was the Clayoquot Sound Sustainable Development Strategy Committee planning process (begun in January 1991). This particular case study was chosen because it was the first effort to use negotiations to provide advice to the provincial government on a regional sustainable development issue. It was also highly contentious and very public, therefore it is reasonably well-documented. One of the major flaws in how options were generated and assessed in this process was that insufficient time was spent clarifying stakeholders' values and underlying interests. This had repercussions throughout the negotiations. The problem was not well-defined and this meant it was difficult to generate options that met stakeholders' objectives. Option generation was hasty and was rooted in the status quo. In addition, technical information was collected at the beginning of the process, before objectives were clarified or options generated. This meant there was not a clear idea of how the information would be used to support the decision-making, and resulted in reports heavily loaded with descriptive information. Assessing the options generated was also subject to flaws: the first was that the analysis was based on values that were largely implicit and came primarily from technical experts. The second was that the status quo (the current state of conditions) was used to assess the impacts of proposed options. This led to the consistent overestimate of jobs losses caused by the reduction in harvest level associated with withdrawal of forest land from the commercial land base. Despite these difficulties, this process greatly increased stakeholders' understanding of both the technical issues involved and the difficulties of governing. The social learning aspect of the process is an important legacy and may make future decision-making processes in the area easier. However, improvements in the generation and assessment of options are needed to improve negotiations. Importantly, the problem needs to be well-defined and well-structured. To achieve this, the objectives hierarchy approach is promoted here. It is relatively simple to use in practice, and forces stakeholders' to examine their values and underlying interests. This means that they are more able to generate options that. meet these. interests (rather than their well-entrenched positions). To help move beyond the status quo to create imaginative options, it also useful to ask stakeholders to think about how to achieve their objectives. Once objectives have been clarified and imaginative options have been generated, then the technical information required to assess options can be identified and collected. This leads to the collection of more functional, and less descriptive, information which will be more useful to inform the decision-making. When assessing options, uncertainty in the data, and implicit judgments by technical experts should be made explicit and bounded with probabilities. This improves confidence in the data. Lastly, the base case, which incorporates current trends and is a more reliable predictor of future conditions than the status quo, should be used as a basis for comparing options. It is especially important to consider the effects of declining rates of employment due to mechanization and the fall-down effect in the base case scenario, in order to get a more realistic estimate of the true jobs losses due to reduced harvests, with and without land withdrawals.

This thesis examines the ecological consequences of sewage disposal in aquatic ecosystems. Sewage simultaneously represents a form of enrichment and a source of stress to a receiving system. Enrichment effects dominate when sewage loading does not exceed the capacity of the system to assimilate waste, as is presently the case in the St. Lawrence River. We developed a method to quantify the assimilation of sewage-derived organic matter by riverine biota, then used this method to examine the pathways by which sewage enhances secondary production in the St. Lawrence. We showed that the relative importance of dissolved nutrients and particulate organic matter to the river food web is to a large degree dictated by the physical and biological characteristics of the local environment. The effects of this enrichment on the receiving water community were also influenced by habitat characteristics. Analysis of body size distributions revealed that only the largest organisms had higher densities at enriched sites, and that the identity of these organisms depended on habitat structure. Densities of smaller organisms were controlled by a combination of habitat characteristics and feeding interactions. This pattern was consistent with food web models of top-down (consumer) control. At each trophic level, relatively invulnerable (large) prey achieved higher densities, whereas densities of more vulnerable (small) prey were controlled by their predators. Finally, we synthesized the ideas outlined above to predict how conditions in the St. Lawrence will change in the future as a result of lower water levels. More extensive macrophyte cover, slower current, and warmer temperatures in a shallower St. Lawrence will all enhance the ability of the system to physically retain and biologically process sewage nutrients, but will also increase the likelihood of negative effects such as anoxia.

Eucomis L’ Hér. is a genus of 10 species that fall within the Hyacinthaceae family. Eucomis zambesiaca Baker is a summer-blooming bulbous geophyte occurring from northern South Africa to Malawi. Eucomis species are used in southern African traditional medicine for the treatment of various ailments, in particular, pain and inflammation. As a result, the bulbs are heavily harvested for trade in South Africa’s traditional ‘muthi’ markets. Over-collection of Eucomis species has seriously depleted natural populations and now Eucomis plants are among the 15 scarcest medicinal species to be traded. Micropropagation is a useful technique for rapid clonal multiplication of plant material which could potentially yield useful secondary metabolites as well as alleviate the pressure on the wild plant populations. The in vitro induction of storage organs is especially beneficial as it can limit the loss of plants during acclimatization as bulblets are hardier than shoots or plantlets. The aim of this research was to determine optimal growth conditions for bulblet induction of Eucomis zambesiaca. The effect of environmental and physiological parameters on the initiation and growth of bulblets was investigated. These included the effect of temperature, photoperiod, various carbohydrates at different concentrations and combinations as well as various plant growth regulators. Maximum number of bulblets per explant was obtained at 20 °C, with an average of three bulbs p er leaf explant. The average bulblet mass was 57 mg, which was significantly higher than bulblets formed at other tested temperatures. An 8 h light regime was the optimum photoperiod. The highest mean number of bulblets (1.4 per leaf explant) developed under the 8 h photoperiod and the bulblets that formed were large in size. They had a mean bulb diameter of 3.4 mm and a mean bulb weight of 42 mg. Different carbohydrates such as fructose, sucrose and glucose were tested at concentrations of; 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12%. Fructose at a concentration of 3% was found to produce the best results. An average of 1.2 bulbs formed per explant. The mean bulb diameter was 3.4 mm and mean bulb weight was 56.6 mg. Plant growth regulators (GA3, IAA, IBA, NAA, BA, zeatin, iP and others) were tested at concentrations of 1, 2 and 5 mg/L. 1 mg/L IBA was found to be the optimum hormone treatment for bulblet induction. Bulblets were large, had good leaves and well established roots. Medium supplemented with 1 mg/L IBA produced bulblets that had an average bulb diameter of 4.36 mm and a mean bulblet weight of 79.1 mg. Bulblets grown in vitro were transferred to vermiculite and placed in a misthouse to acclimatize. After 2 months the plantlets were transferred to pots containing a sand:soil mixture of 1:1 and placed in a greenhouse. There was a 80 to 90% survival rate. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

Some of Australia’s most pressing conservation problems are found in the arid and semi-arid rangelands where the traditional major land-use is extensive pastoralism. Yet with the emergence of a change in resource values, the rangelands of Australia have started to move away from a strict production land-use towards a multifunctional land-use where pastoralism, tourism and the environment have an influence on one another. With the present mixture of consumption and protection values in the rangelands, ecotourism represents a model for achieving a symbiotic relationship between tourism activity and conservation in a pastoral setting. This study develops a theoretical framework for understanding the relationships between ecotourism, pastoralism and ecological recovery efforts in the Flinders Ranges through employing mixed qualitative and quantitative research techniques to examine the perceptions and practices of tourism operators, local landholders and visitors to the study site. The study finds that while pastoralism and its level of success often remain variable, the strength and stability of tourism is increasing. Because economics is a central component of the concept of sustainability, and because we must manage the environment while accommodating tourists, ecotourism is one way to help reach rangeland sustainability goals, provided that there are adequate levels of agreement amongst the local community and other land users. The results indicate that the vast majority of stakeholders are currently in a state of co-existence with each other rather than one of conflict, suggesting ecotourism has the potential to assist ecological recovery. However, many landholders are constrained in their ability to integrate ecotourism operations and conservation due to economic difficulties and market barriers. There are also conflicting results among visitors who claim to be interested in ecotourism but do not necessarily act accordingly, highlighting the need for a greater focus on environmental education. Ecotourism should be incorporated into a regional sustainability plan where the public are able to assist decision makers through collaborative planning. The thesis concludes that when well-managed, ecotourism can be a business supporting conservation in the Flinders Ranges. It contributes to knowledge of the role that ecotourism can play in encouraging ecological recovery in the rangelands and explores the complex interrelationships involved through consultation with the primary stakeholders of landholders, tourism operators and visitors. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1346333 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences, 2008