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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

A national assessment of wildlife information transfer to the public

Lindsey, Kieran Jane 15 November 2004 (has links)
A self-administered questionnaire was developed using the Tailored Design Method (Dillman 2000) to assess how information about wildlife, beyond traditional hunting and fishing issues, was transferred to the public by the five selected governmental agencies: state wildlife management agencies (DNRs), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), USDA Wildlife Services (WS), Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES), and U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The questionnaire addressed agency mission and record-keeping, as well as public demand for information and agency response concerning non-traditional wildlife issues, including: conflicts between humans and wildlife; human health and safety; attracting wildlife; viewing wildlife; general curiosity; and wildlife in distress (i.e., injured, diseased, orphaned). Respondents said that providing the public with information on wildlife and related issues is a significant part of their mission. Unfortunately, few kept permanent records of their interactions with constituents or had established formal protocols for handling queries about non-traditional wildlife issues. Several factors may prevent effective transfer of information about non-traditional wildlife issues to the public, including the historic emphasis on consumptive users. However, collaborative efforts between governmental and non-governmental organizations may prove to be an effective way to respond to public demand.
2

Utilising the human dimensions of wildlife management approach to initiate an understanding of the ways in which New Zealanders value wildlife in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Cowie, Sarah Joanna January 2006 (has links)
This study was instigated by the lack of human dimensions research undertaken in New Zealand, and seeks to investigate the knowledge and values New Zealanders hold about New Zealand wildlife within three distinct groups of the New Zealand public. These groups were the Royal Forest and Bird Society of New Zealand Inc, the New Zealand Ecological Society (Inc.), and the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association. A questionnaire administered via Association list-serv's was utilised and a total of 52 questionnaires were completed by members of the three stakeholder groups. These were then analysed to investigate the values and knowledge New Zealanders hold toward wildlife in New Zealand. The findings of this study suggest that New Zealander's hold strong utilitarian and negativistic values toward wildlife while the humanistic, moralistic, and naturalistic values were expressed by the majority of respondents. This result could be due to the high level of respondents who were from the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association. Conversely, whiled the data suggests that New Zealander's hold the ecologistic/scientific value only weakly, overall they have a high level of factual knowledge about wildlife. Because of this, it may be suggested that wildlife managers should generate education programmes that specifically address the negativistic value by making them imaginative and interesting. Demographic factors were found to be influential in the ways in which New Zealander's value wildlife and the knowledge they hold although these were not as significant as indicated by studies undertaken in other countries. The lowest levels of knowledge were shown by respondents who were over 60 years of age; and higher income levels corresponded with the negativistic value being held more highly. Several areas of this study showed transgressions from other studies undertaken overseas. Unlike other studies, which suggested that females hold the naturalistic value more strongly than males, this study showed that both males and females held the naturalistic value only weakly. This indicates that findings from studies conducted overseas may not be transferable to the New Zealand situation and therefore, for New Zealand managers to effectively incorporate human dimensions information in decision-making processes, human dimensions research must be undertaken in the New Zealand context. Furthermore, wildlife managers should not make assumptions based on other studies and communities as these can lead to ineffective communication and implementation of wildlife management policies and education programmes.
3

Characterizing a Hidden Fishery: Setline Fishing in the New River, Virginia

Dickinson, Benjamin David 19 December 2013 (has links)
Catfishes Ictaluridae are important food fish that are harvested from the New River, Virginia by multiple methods, yet standard creel survey approaches do not accurately sample setline effort, a popular fishing gear for catfish. I characterized the New River setline fishery by estimating setline effort and catch rates of catfish and by-catch in 2011, and by investigating the attitudes and opinions of setline users during 2012. Setline effort was highest during June-August, and declined significantly by mid-September. Several dedicated setline users accounted for a significant portion of total setline effort. Experimental setlines baited with live minnows Cyprinidae proved to be an effective method for catching catfish but caught few walleye Sander vitreus, smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu, and muskellunge Esox masquinongy. Estimated by-catch of these species by setline fishers is small compared to catch by hook-and-line anglers, though walleye experienced high setline hooking mortality, and catch rates increased in autumn months. Setlines appear to be part of a larger "way of life" for some rural individuals, who may also hunt, trap, and garden as part of activities to supplement their diet or income. New River setline fishers strongly believe that setline fishing has declined significantly in the New River Valley due to improving socioeconomic status of the region, changing recreational values (such as focus on catch-and-release fishing and paddle sports), increasing recreational traffic and law enforcement presence, and decreasing participation in setline fishing by younger generation. / Master of Science
4

Livelihood Strategies and Lifestyle Choices of Fishers along the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Harrison, Sarah A 17 May 2014 (has links)
This study was initiated to assess the biological, ecological and sociological aspects of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, fishery associated with the Pascagoula River Estuary in southern Mississippi. Household surveys were conducted in the cities of Moss Point and Pascagoula, Mississippi, September 2010 to September 2011, to identify, describe and classify subsistence fishing activities associated with the estuary. A stock assessment of blue crab was conducted to determine how biological and environmental variability affect the people engaged in this subsistence fishery. The study revealed two types of subsistence fishing occurring in the Moss Point/Pascagoula area. The first type involves fishing as a livelihood strategy based on economic dependence, and the second type involves fishing as a lifestyle choice based on economic independence. Both are based on customary and traditional patterns of local resource use and consumption and maintained by reciprocal kinship-based social networks. The blue crab fishery in the Pascagoula River Estuary was highly variable and exhibited strong seasonal and spatial patterns in distribution and abundance. Subsistence fishers in the region have developed strategies to cope with this biological and environmental variability. These region-specific strategies include but are not limited to: fishing using multiple gears simultaneously (rod and reel and crab nets), freezing fish, relying on other natural resources including agriculture and wildlife, and generalized reciprocity.
5

PLANNING THE REINTRODUCTION OF THE CLOUDED LEOPARD (NEOFELIS NEBULOSA) TO TAIWAN: AN ASSESSMENT OF ATTITUDES AND POTENTIAL SUPPORT

Greenspan, Evan 01 December 2018 (has links)
Large felid populations are in decline globally and wildlife managers have increasingly used reintroductions as a conservation tool, yet few studies have assessed public attitudes towards potential large felid reintroduction candidates prior to release. The clouded leopard was recently declared extinct in Taiwan; however, a reintroduction effort is ecologically feasible and success largely depends on resident attitudes towards clouded leopards and support for its reintroduction. In 2017, 263 semi-structured interviews with indigenous locals were conducted in southern Taiwan and an internet questionnaire was distributed to 500 urban residents for comparison. Rural and urban attitudes were 67% and 76% positive toward clouded leopards, respectively. Males, younger respondents, and residents with more clouded leopard knowledge exhibited more positive attitudes among rural respondents. In addition to these predictors, urbanites with more household children were more positive. Rural support for reintroduction to the Tawushan Nature Reserve was 48% positive, 31% neutral, and 21% opposed, while urban support was 71% positive, 22% neutral, and 7% opposed. Environmental group membership, increases in attitudinal positivity, and lower levels of risk perception and knowledge influenced support for reintroduction in both samples. Although support is substantial among urbanites, a knowledge-based education campaign that targets women and older residents living adjacent to the reintroduction site would benefit reintroduction efforts.
6

Assessment of Charter Boat and Head Boat Angler Perception of Fishery Regulations and Stock Health in the Recreational Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) Fishery in the Upper Texas Coast

Norman, Sarah A. 2011 August 1900 (has links)
In 1988, the red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico was declared severely overfished. Since then, the daily bag limit has been reduced from 7 to 2, the minimum size limit has increased from 13 to 16 inches, and the year-round recreational season has been reduced to one lasting 53 days. Despite NOAA's recommendations that the Gulf States match these regulations, Texas has enforced a 4 bag limit and no seasonal restrictions. In 2009 alone, the total recreational catch exceeded the allocated quota by 1.7 million pounds. The lack of consistency between state and federal regulations and the drastic changes in management schemes have affected anglers' confidence in management, and limited the ability of the fishery to successfully adapt. This study provides an innovative assessment that measures fishers' knowledge and determines their support for current fishery regulations and for the scientific rationale behind the regulatory system. Over 150 interviews of red snapper anglers at charter and head boat docks were conducted along the Texas coast. The majority of respondents were 20-50 year old (74.5%), male (89.3%), four-year college graduates (34.9%), who resided near the coast (65.3%), and were targeting red snapper (92.5%). Results showed that 72.5 percent of respondents agree with the science behind red snapper management, 63.4 percent believe that the stock has improved since 2008, 89.5 percent agree that a bag limit in general is an appropriate management tool, and 78.2 percent agree with the Texas state management of red snapper. However, 51.7 percent of respondents disagree with the federal management of red snapper, and 90.1 percent of all respondents did not know that red snapper live to be 41-60 years old. The lack of support for the federal management may be due to the lack of knowledge of red snapper life span. Applications of this research will be imperative for managers - who already address biological, ecological, and economic aspects of a fishery - to expand their multi-disciplinary approach to include social analysis for the successful evolution of recreational fisheries management. Future research should explore improved management approaches that involve greater communication between the stakeholders and managers.
7

ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIETAL IMPACTS OF SUBURBAN WHITE-TAILED DEER: A CASE STUDY IN THE CHICAGO METROPOLITAN AREA

Urbanek, Rachael Elizabeth 01 May 2012 (has links)
Many natural resource agencies are managing white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations in suburban areas and require information about deer populations, deer impacts on vegetation, and human preferences toward deer and deer management to support decision making. My study based in the Chicago Metropolitan Area during 2007-2011, utilized a multi-faceted approach to investigate common obstacles in suburban deer management. In my findings, I discuss the need for managers to examine suburban deer populations and management issues at a broader scale (i.e., countywide versus single community) and the promotion of proactive deer management in lieu of the conventional paradigm of beginning management only when deer populations have become overabundant. Discussion topics include practicality and costs of deer density estimation and herbivory monitoring techniques over multiple plant communities and numerous study sites. In addition, I illustrate how a comprehensive human dimensions survey can identify determinants that contribute to the public's perceptions of deer density and assess the acceptability, conflict, and beliefs regarding deer management methods. Lastly, I describe the relationship between landscape characteristics and deer density; this information can be utilized to determine suburban lands that may be prone to high deer densities and inform land management practices. My work provides suburban natural resource managers with techniques to identify management practices supported by their public constituents and information useful for managing deer populations.
8

Large carnivore recolonization of Eastern North America: habitat connectivity and human dimensions

Winkel, Brianna M 01 September 2021 (has links)
Cougars (Puma concolor) have been recolonizing Midwestern North America over the past 2 decades with >950 cougar confirmations east of established populations. Management and public interest in habitat suitability and connectivity east of current cougar range have grown as confirmations increase and models predicting habitat connectivity and population viability for the Midwest show potential for breeding populations. However, although long-range dispersal and recolonization continues, no studies have assessed potential habitat associated with cougars throughout their historical range in eastern North America. I used ArcGIS, the Analytical Hierarchy Process, and geospatial data to model cougar habitat and potential dispersal corridors in eastern North America. The total amount of potential habitat was >2,400,000 km2 and mean patch size was 257,500 km2. Patches of habitat ranged in size from 3,868 km2 (Ozark Mountains) to >2,490,850 km2 (central and eastern Canada) with ≤53,643 km of dispersal corridors connecting patches. With cougars potentially recolonizing areas previously devoid of large carnivores, public acceptance of management efforts is pivotal for the success of their recolonization. However, targeted surveys assessing public perceptions and knowledge of cougars and red wolves (Canis rufus), who have faced similar extirpation in the Southeastern United States are limited. I mailed 20,000 questionnaires and 2,000 follow-up postcards to residents near areas of potential red wolf and cougar habitat in the Southeastern United States in 2020. I used cumulative link models to gauge the associations between sociodemographic predictor with respondent’s knowledge and attitude towards large carnivores. Total response rate was 4.6% with the majority of respondents identifying as male (53.6%), having a 4-year degree or above (54.1%), and 57 ± 16 (SE) years of age. Respondents’ knowledge and attitudes towards large carnivores were largely positive (≥63% positive) with higher education, older age, and current livestock ownership being largest predictors for responses. Attitudes towards red wolves were largely driven by knowledge of red wolves while attitudes towards cougars were primarily driven by livestock ownership. Livestock owners (71.5%) were concerned about safety of livestock in large carnivore habitat, and most respondents (61%) did not trust their local agency to effectively manage large carnivore populations. My research provides a foundation for wildlife managers to develop informed plans, educational programs, and policy decisions for potentially recolonizing large carnivore populations.
9

Human Dimensions of Habitat Conservation on Western Agricultural Lands: Engaging Producers in the Conservation Conversation

Sketch, Mary Elizabeth 17 January 2019 (has links)
Achieving long-term conservation gains through conservation incentive programs on agricultural lands requires a deep understanding of landowner needs and interests. However, social science research related to private lands conservation programs authorized by the United State farm bill lags behind biological research, limiting our knowledge about how to best design these programs to ensure they are effective. Given this need to better understand the human dimensions of habitat conservation on agricultural lands, we used two research projects to investigate landowner considerations related to land management decisions as well as how to effectively engage landowners in the conservation process. First, using two landowner-led workshops, we looked at what factors ranchers in the Intermountain West consider in deciding to continue or discontinue flood irrigation, an irrigation practice that sustains historically flooded wet meadows across the region. We also evaluated these landowner-led workshops as a form of participatory research. Our second project included three focus groups of landowners currently enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, the largest private lands conservation program in the United States, and a survey of landowners with fields currently enrolled or no longer enrolled with expiration dates from 2011 to 2017. Our results highlight the role of agricultural landowners in habitat conservation and the complex social-ecological considerations that they face in making management decisions. Many landowners are interested in conservation programs that meet the context of their specific operation. Our findings suggest the need to better incorporate landowner needs into conservation program design and implementation that promote both operation and habitat sustainability. / MS / Agricultural lands across the American West play a critical role in conserving both agricultural operations and wildlife habitat. Conservation programs that provide incentives to landowners for various conservation efforts are available to aid in the protection of these lands and communities. Gaining a deeper understanding of the considerations of agricultural landowners for their land management decisions can help inform conservation programs and policy to more effectively meet the needs of landowners. We used two research projects to investigate landowner considerations related to land management decisions as well as how to effectively engage landowners in the conservation process. First, we looked at what factors ranchers in the Intermountain West consider in deciding to continue or discontinue flood irrigation, an irrigation practice that sustains historically flooded wet meadows across the region. We also evaluated these landowner-led workshops as a form of participatory research. Our second project included three focus groups of landowners currently enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, the largest private lands conservation program in the United States, and a survey of landowners with fields currently enrolled or no longer enrolled with expiration dates from 2011 to 2017. Our results highlight the role of agricultural landowners in habitat conservation and the complex environmental and social considerations that they face in making management decisions. Many landowners are interested in conservation programs that meet the needs of their specific operation. Our findings suggest the need to better incorporate landowner needs into conservation program design and implementation that promote both agricultural and environmental conservation.
10

A quantitative content analysis of attitude expressions toward wolves in the United States and Canadian print news media, 1999-2008

Houston, Melanie J. January 2009 (has links)
No description available.

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