Le changement climatique est un phénomène d'actualité dont les effets se font et se feront ressentir. Nous utilisons un modèle d'équilibre général calculable afin d'analyser l'impact des changements climatiques dans l'industrie forestière du Québec et d'évaluer l'ampleur des programmes d'adaptation sur les effets de ce dernier. Le modèle utilisé est un modèle statique permettant de mieux mettre en exergue les spécificités de transmission des effets des changements climatiques dans l'industrie forestière. Trois simulations sont réalisées afin d'effectuer cette analyse : une hausse de la productivité forestière, une baisse de cette même productivité et un programme d'adaptation. Outre les effets négatifs sur les écosystèmes des changements climatiques, nous trouvons un impact négatif non négligeable sur la foresterie du Québec. Ces changements occasionneront la baisse de la productivité des forêts et par la même une diminution du volume de bois récolté. Les industries forestières utilisant le bois comme intrant vont être directement affectées par cette baisse de matière première. Par les mécanismes d'équilibre général, la chute de la production de ces industries se répercute sur l'ensemble de l'économie de la province. Les programmes d'adaptation mis en place par le gouvernement et les différents groupes forestiers pourraient contribuer à atténuer ces effets négatifs.

The emergence of the zoonotic disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Canada resulted in a severe agricultural crisis. However, little is known about the ways in which farmers and rural communities were affected. The overall objective of this study is to characterize and better understand the impacts on and responses of farmers and rural communities as they relate to this crisis. Research was undertaken in strata throughout the diverse three Canadian prairie provinces – Alberta, Saskatchewan and Alberta – by employing surveys and focus groups. Results indicated there were numerous direct and ‘spillover’ impacts on farmers and rural communities resulting from the BSE crisis. Declines in cattle prices, herd equity and cash flow, often resulting in the need for bank loans, farm credit or off farm employment, as well as emotional and psychological stress were all experienced by farmers as a result of BSE. Importantly, many additional factors such as adverse weather and market volatility compounded the impacts related to BSE, adding to what was already a crisis situation for many farmers. These impacts were not restricted to farms but, rather, extended into the surrounding community fabric in the form of financial and social stress. Results further indicated government policies contributed to the impacts and the effectiveness of farmer responses related to BSE. A longer-term policy shift that has embraced agro-industrialization and entrenchment into the global marketplace has resulted in clear disparities between the biggest and smallest players in the beef industry and agriculture as a whole. This was illustrated in the ways in which governments responded to the BSE crisis, favouring the needs of the largest farmers and agri-businesses over those of smaller-scale, cow-calf producers. This policy shift and response has left the Canadian beef industry, family farmers and rural communities more susceptible to the emergence of similar future risks. A more inclusive approach to risk research and policymaking that meaningfully involved farmers and their rich, longer-term local knowledge might help mitigate similar risks that will inevitably confront agriculture in the future.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Environmental sustainability through the successful management of the impacts of forestry related activities on native wildlife in New South Wales (NSW) is a core requirement for Forests NSW, the government authority overseeing timber harvesting in the state. Populations of all native species must be protected adequately to allow their survival into the foreseeable future. A major proportion of the timber harvesting in NSW occurs along the coast and adjacent ranges of central and northern NSW. Timber is extracted using selective logging (not clearfelling) and the impacts of this activity on wildlife ameliorated through the use of strategies such as the placement of buffers around riparian sites, and the retention of hollow bearing trees, downed woody debris and undisturbed corridors of vegetation. This region, encompassing Latitudes 30o to 34o South, is dominated by native temperate wet and dry sclerophyll forests distributed along a gradient from coastal lowlands to montane areas over 1000 m. There are two families of anurans present in this region, the hylidae (approximately 25 species) and myobatrachidae (approximately 20 species), and are considered to have evolved in the region over at least 60 million years. Understanding of the effectiveness of protective measures requires a confident understanding of the habitat requirements of the frogs present in the forests so that they are used in appropriate locations. Presenting scientifically based information on the response of frogs to disturbances with these measures in place is also of primary interest to provide indications as to the effectiveness of these measures. Studies of pond breeding frogs in this region were undertaken to provide information on their habitat requirements and so direct the appropriate placement of the required protective measures. Tests were also undertaken to assess if there is an evident negative relationship between forestry disturbances and the use of ponds by frogs, indicating if current protective measures are effective. Current monitoring data was also investigated to provide insights into successful monitoring strategies for frogs which will provide the opportunity to more effectively demonstrate ecologically sustainable management of frogs into the future. Finally, records available on the distributions of frogs were used to study relationships between frog records and the current protected area system to assess its value as a means of protecting the frog species in the study region and throughout Australia. The majority of the research work undertaken was based on surveys of anurans at 93 semi-permanent and permanent ponds found in four areas: The Watagan Mountains, Bulahdelah, Wauchope and Dorrigo. Each site was surveyed on multiple occasions between 2001 and 2008, using aural and visual nocturnal searches conducted over different seasons to provide long-term information on the species using the sites. The presence and abundance of each species at each pond on each occasion was recorded as was micrometeorological data during the surveys. Each site was also visited in the day-time to collect data on variables associated with both the breeding pond and with the habitat within an 80 m radius of the site. A basic understanding of the extent and types of habitats individual frogs use is an important first step in understanding the extent of area requiring management for ongoing conservation. Published studies of frog movements were collated and reviewed to provide data on the likely habitat requirements and patterns of habitat use of frogs. The data, obtained from a 68 studies covering 50 species world-wide, indicating that in most cases (39 of 57 studies) adults have both specific breeding and non-breeding habitats. Mean distances moved from breeding to non-breeding habitats ranged from 38-1810 m and means for different anuran families falling around 300 m. Individuals in non-breeding habitat tended to restrict their activity to core areas (means from 6.3 m2 to 5099m2). This review indicated the strong need to consider both the breeding ponds and the surrounding habitat in the management of frogs. The calling seasons assigned by field guides to anuran species present within the study region are both highly variable and often vague. Therefore an objective assessment of the calling seasons of the frogs in eastern mesic NSW was developed to more accurately determine the months during which each species is most likely to call – the core calling period – and so be best surveyed. This was defined for each species as the months that covered > 90% of calling records. The 17,461 records covering 67 species provided enough information to reasonably determine the core calling periods for 46 species. Of these, 43 had clearly definable core calling seasons centred on the spring-summer months, two called year-round and one had an uncertain calling season, but probably calls year-round. Increasing latitude usually, but not always, led to a small reduction in the core calling period. This information confirmed the appropriate timing of surveys used in this study and should improve the outcomes of future research, management, and conservation. Micrometeorlogical variables such as temperature and rainfall are well recognised for their potentially significant influence on the calling activity of anurans, but this effect has been little tested in Australia. The calling records of frogs obtained through the study were compared with the micrometeorological variables temperature, humidity and (previous) 24 and 72 hour rainfall to assess how these related to calling activity. Models obtained for nine species all found calling activity to relate to at least two of these four variables. Calling showed a positive relationship with 72 hour rainfall in eight species, but no relationship for one species. Calling showed a positive relationship with 24 hour rainfall for six species, a negative relationship for two species and no relationship for one species. Temperature and humidity were found to have a mixture of positive, negative or no relationships with calling being evident. Rainfall over the previous 72 hours appears to be the best predictor consider when planning surveys. Other factors such as social environment and circannual rhythms are likely to be interacting with micrometeorology; hence the complex results. Further work is required to understand them fully. The results do indicate that surveys undertaken for this study were suitably timed to provide good results. Understanding if there are specific features of available habitats that correlate strongly with the presence/absence of frogs is important for managing frogs. This information may identify which breeding sites specific frogs are likely to use (or use in greater numbers) and habitat elements that may be critical for their survival. It may also provide indications of how human induced modifications may be affecting the frogs in an area. The presence/absence and abundance of anurans was recorded at 45 ponds in the Watagan Mountains, 100 km north of Sydney, and compared with 24 habitat variables. Only nine species occupied > 33% of the ponds. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) indicated there was no strong community structure. Species richness at a site was related significantly to depth and % emergent vegetation, but neither provided great explanatory power, based on their parameter estimates. Total anuran abundance related significantly to 12 variables that accounted for substantial variation in the data, but all contributed small amounts. Models for the four commonest species found many variables with statistically significant relationships to the frog counts, but neither pond attributes nor surrounding habitat attributes explained large amounts of variance in the data. There was little commonality in the habitat variables significant for the four species. This study indicated that no single variable could be said to influence general anuran presence and abundance and that habitat may not play a large role in determining the presence or abundance of anurans in this system. The initial study was confined to a relatively small geographic area to minimise differences resulting from variations in altitude, climate and geology. This was followed with a generalised linear model analysis that covered the 93 sites in the four forest blocks. The comparison with the recorded anurans and habitat also considered variation in altitude, geology and habitat types and included GIS derived variables covering more landscape habitat features around the ponds (eg, moisture indices and solar radiation indices). Species richness increased significantly with increasing emergent vegetation and the presence of sandstone, and decreased as the Prescott Index (a measure of ground moisture), elevation and latitude increased. Total frog abundance increased with increasing emergent vegetation and pond area and decreased with elevation, pond density and the Prescott Index. No consistent patterns were evident between the anuran counts and the significant habitat variables. Pond shading was the variable most commonly related to the presence/abundance of individual species (appearing in models for eight species), followed by tree height (six species). Models explained up to 64% of the deviance for presence-absence and 48% for abundance, but usually explained < 35% deviance. Local scale variables account for 8/17 significantly related variables in presence models and 26/42 in abundance models. There was no pattern evident based on phylogeny and human disturbances showed little relationship with anuran counts, suggesting their influence was minimal. Managing forest frogs requires consideration of multiple scales and multiple features of the environment. No one pond fits all frogs. Not all breeding species that occur in the study area are considered common and widespread. Conservation of rare and threatened species is usually considered to be of most importance and relies on identifying their specific habitat requirements or specialisations. The heath frog, Litoria littlejohni, is a rarely observed threatened species confined to a limited area of the Watagan Mountains. It is protected by placing broad buffer zones around known breeding sites with little knowledge of how this might protect individuals. The distribution pattern of this anuran in the Watagan Mountains was assessed by comparing 12 habitat variables associated with 10 presence and 36 absence sites from the region. Logistic Regression Modelling indicated only that the species was more prevalent at ponds in forests with little grass cover (P = 0.0479, Beta = -0.1759). A logistic regression comparing GIS derived habitat features within 500 m of 61 presence and 20,000 randomly allocated absence sites located within the Sydney region indicated that the presence of the heath frog was positively associated with an increasing Prescott (Moisture) Index (Z = 4.22; P < 0.001) and negatively associated with increasing roughness of the surrounding terrain (Z = -3.62; P < 0.001). Using a regression tree to predict the presence of this species within an area, I classified presence sites (94%) based on a combination of the Prescott Index and Solar Radiation. However, these features provide only a very general ability to identify potential sites. The continued presence of the species at sites logged and burnt multiple times provides confidence that this species is able to cope with some degree of disturbance. The capacity to effectively monitor populations of anurans to detect early population changes is paramount in their ongoing management. A central requirement is to regularly assess the data being obtained to determine if the program has the statistical power to detect significant changes in population size. The power of the current monitoring program for the threatened northern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne pengilleyi) was assessed to determine its sensitivity to detect both increases and declines in the numbers of calling males being recorded at 14 sites. Based on the data collected over nine years, the power analysis indicated that only an annual decline of 7% or greater would be statistically detectable after 10 years (cumulative > 52% decline). Being able to successfully detect a 3% annual decline over ten years (25% total decline) in this population will require sixty sites to be monitored. This increase in sites could be achieved by combining data from other monitoring programs being undertaken in the region. The northern corroboree frog has consistent and easily monitored calling behaviour, yet detecting changes in numbers of calling males is difficult due to inter-year variance in counts at sites. Developing standard effective monitoring programs for “typical” species with inconsistent calling spread over long seasons will be difficult and likely require considerable resources. In addition to the application of wildlife management practices to maintain populations of amphibians in production forests, there is a need to ensure that species are adequately represented in protected areas (PAs) that can provide populations of animals that migrate into production forests to maintain metapopulations and/or genetic flows. The relative reservation status of anuran species in Australia was determined using the Australian Natural Heritage Tool Database (ANHAT), a very large database with multiple sources of anuran site records. The number of records for each species inside and outside protected areas was noted, as well the number of reserves from which each species was recorded. Given approximately 10.5% of Australia is covered by PAs, a random allocation of records would result in species having a mean 10% of records falling in PAs. The proportion of records coming from reserves was greater than expected with a mean 30% of sites per species occurring within PAs. Thirty six species had > 45% of record sites in PAs and 18 species < 10% within PAs. The majority of the latter group of species are found in < 10 reserves. Relatively poorly “reserved” species occur within northern Australia or highly productive and poorly protected agricultural belts in eastern and western Australia. All forest dwelling species from eastern NSW are relatively well recorded from the PAs. Species dependent on native vegetation prevalent in agricultural areas are the most pressing conservation issue. Forestry management practices include the use of controlled burns to reduce the incidence of high intensity and uncontrolled wildfires that threaten forest assets. The effect of these controlled burns on wildlife is widely debated. The impact of a controlled burn on anurans in the Dorrigo area was examined by comparing the trends in counts of anurans obtained at four burnt “experimental” ponds with those obtained at four unburnt “control” ponds. The analysis indicated that the trends in counts at burnt ponds and unburnt ponds did not differ. The fauna and flora of this region has evolved in an environment subjected to regular fires and the anurans present may have developed strategies to cope with low intensity fires. Current protection of anurans in forests in NSW are based around the retention of areas of undisturbed habitat, with an emphasis on protecting ponds and the adjacent 20-30 m band of vegetation. Linkage corridors of undisturbed vegetation are also required for migration. For threatened species, larger protection zones are usually set in place, often specifying the exclusion of fire as an important element in conserving species. Hydrology research indicates that 20-30 m buffer zones around breeding sites will protect water quality and such buffers will also protect individuals engaged in reproductive activities. Such a band will not provide significant protection to the surrounding forest that is used as non-breeding habitat and, where there is genuine cause for concern in regard to negative impacts of forestry activities on a species, this buffer should be expanded to a minimum 300 m. However, the studies on habitat relationships indicate that anurans in the region do not have specialised habitat requirements that may become unusable through disturbance and there were no obvious negative relationships between logging, fire or grazing and the presence/absence or abundance of anurans. In general, anurans appear to be relatively robust to the types of forest habitat modification resulting from selective logging and buffer zones greater than 20 m are not likely to be required to maintain populations in such an environment. Species with narrow habitat requirements, such as rainforest/wet forest specialists, may be the exception to this and require consideration in management plans.

No description available.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Environmental sustainability through the successful management of the impacts of forestry related activities on native wildlife in New South Wales (NSW) is a core requirement for Forests NSW, the government authority overseeing timber harvesting in the state. Populations of all native species must be protected adequately to allow their survival into the foreseeable future. A major proportion of the timber harvesting in NSW occurs along the coast and adjacent ranges of central and northern NSW. Timber is extracted using selective logging (not clearfelling) and the impacts of this activity on wildlife ameliorated through the use of strategies such as the placement of buffers around riparian sites, and the retention of hollow bearing trees, downed woody debris and undisturbed corridors of vegetation. This region, encompassing Latitudes 30o to 34o South, is dominated by native temperate wet and dry sclerophyll forests distributed along a gradient from coastal lowlands to montane areas over 1000 m. There are two families of anurans present in this region, the hylidae (approximately 25 species) and myobatrachidae (approximately 20 species), and are considered to have evolved in the region over at least 60 million years. Understanding of the effectiveness of protective measures requires a confident understanding of the habitat requirements of the frogs present in the forests so that they are used in appropriate locations. Presenting scientifically based information on the response of frogs to disturbances with these measures in place is also of primary interest to provide indications as to the effectiveness of these measures. Studies of pond breeding frogs in this region were undertaken to provide information on their habitat requirements and so direct the appropriate placement of the required protective measures. Tests were also undertaken to assess if there is an evident negative relationship between forestry disturbances and the use of ponds by frogs, indicating if current protective measures are effective. Current monitoring data was also investigated to provide insights into successful monitoring strategies for frogs which will provide the opportunity to more effectively demonstrate ecologically sustainable management of frogs into the future. Finally, records available on the distributions of frogs were used to study relationships between frog records and the current protected area system to assess its value as a means of protecting the frog species in the study region and throughout Australia. The majority of the research work undertaken was based on surveys of anurans at 93 semi-permanent and permanent ponds found in four areas: The Watagan Mountains, Bulahdelah, Wauchope and Dorrigo. Each site was surveyed on multiple occasions between 2001 and 2008, using aural and visual nocturnal searches conducted over different seasons to provide long-term information on the species using the sites. The presence and abundance of each species at each pond on each occasion was recorded as was micrometeorological data during the surveys. Each site was also visited in the day-time to collect data on variables associated with both the breeding pond and with the habitat within an 80 m radius of the site. A basic understanding of the extent and types of habitats individual frogs use is an important first step in understanding the extent of area requiring management for ongoing conservation. Published studies of frog movements were collated and reviewed to provide data on the likely habitat requirements and patterns of habitat use of frogs. The data, obtained from a 68 studies covering 50 species world-wide, indicating that in most cases (39 of 57 studies) adults have both specific breeding and non-breeding habitats. Mean distances moved from breeding to non-breeding habitats ranged from 38-1810 m and means for different anuran families falling around 300 m. Individuals in non-breeding habitat tended to restrict their activity to core areas (means from 6.3 m2 to 5099m2). This review indicated the strong need to consider both the breeding ponds and the surrounding habitat in the management of frogs. The calling seasons assigned by field guides to anuran species present within the study region are both highly variable and often vague. Therefore an objective assessment of the calling seasons of the frogs in eastern mesic NSW was developed to more accurately determine the months during which each species is most likely to call – the core calling period – and so be best surveyed. This was defined for each species as the months that covered > 90% of calling records. The 17,461 records covering 67 species provided enough information to reasonably determine the core calling periods for 46 species. Of these, 43 had clearly definable core calling seasons centred on the spring-summer months, two called year-round and one had an uncertain calling season, but probably calls year-round. Increasing latitude usually, but not always, led to a small reduction in the core calling period. This information confirmed the appropriate timing of surveys used in this study and should improve the outcomes of future research, management, and conservation. Micrometeorlogical variables such as temperature and rainfall are well recognised for their potentially significant influence on the calling activity of anurans, but this effect has been little tested in Australia. The calling records of frogs obtained through the study were compared with the micrometeorological variables temperature, humidity and (previous) 24 and 72 hour rainfall to assess how these related to calling activity. Models obtained for nine species all found calling activity to relate to at least two of these four variables. Calling showed a positive relationship with 72 hour rainfall in eight species, but no relationship for one species. Calling showed a positive relationship with 24 hour rainfall for six species, a negative relationship for two species and no relationship for one species. Temperature and humidity were found to have a mixture of positive, negative or no relationships with calling being evident. Rainfall over the previous 72 hours appears to be the best predictor consider when planning surveys. Other factors such as social environment and circannual rhythms are likely to be interacting with micrometeorology; hence the complex results. Further work is required to understand them fully. The results do indicate that surveys undertaken for this study were suitably timed to provide good results. Understanding if there are specific features of available habitats that correlate strongly with the presence/absence of frogs is important for managing frogs. This information may identify which breeding sites specific frogs are likely to use (or use in greater numbers) and habitat elements that may be critical for their survival. It may also provide indications of how human induced modifications may be affecting the frogs in an area. The presence/absence and abundance of anurans was recorded at 45 ponds in the Watagan Mountains, 100 km north of Sydney, and compared with 24 habitat variables. Only nine species occupied > 33% of the ponds. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) indicated there was no strong community structure. Species richness at a site was related significantly to depth and % emergent vegetation, but neither provided great explanatory power, based on their parameter estimates. Total anuran abundance related significantly to 12 variables that accounted for substantial variation in the data, but all contributed small amounts. Models for the four commonest species found many variables with statistically significant relationships to the frog counts, but neither pond attributes nor surrounding habitat attributes explained large amounts of variance in the data. There was little commonality in the habitat variables significant for the four species. This study indicated that no single variable could be said to influence general anuran presence and abundance and that habitat may not play a large role in determining the presence or abundance of anurans in this system. The initial study was confined to a relatively small geographic area to minimise differences resulting from variations in altitude, climate and geology. This was followed with a generalised linear model analysis that covered the 93 sites in the four forest blocks. The comparison with the recorded anurans and habitat also considered variation in altitude, geology and habitat types and included GIS derived variables covering more landscape habitat features around the ponds (eg, moisture indices and solar radiation indices). Species richness increased significantly with increasing emergent vegetation and the presence of sandstone, and decreased as the Prescott Index (a measure of ground moisture), elevation and latitude increased. Total frog abundance increased with increasing emergent vegetation and pond area and decreased with elevation, pond density and the Prescott Index. No consistent patterns were evident between the anuran counts and the significant habitat variables. Pond shading was the variable most commonly related to the presence/abundance of individual species (appearing in models for eight species), followed by tree height (six species). Models explained up to 64% of the deviance for presence-absence and 48% for abundance, but usually explained < 35% deviance. Local scale variables account for 8/17 significantly related variables in presence models and 26/42 in abundance models. There was no pattern evident based on phylogeny and human disturbances showed little relationship with anuran counts, suggesting their influence was minimal. Managing forest frogs requires consideration of multiple scales and multiple features of the environment. No one pond fits all frogs. Not all breeding species that occur in the study area are considered common and widespread. Conservation of rare and threatened species is usually considered to be of most importance and relies on identifying their specific habitat requirements or specialisations. The heath frog, Litoria littlejohni, is a rarely observed threatened species confined to a limited area of the Watagan Mountains. It is protected by placing broad buffer zones around known breeding sites with little knowledge of how this might protect individuals. The distribution pattern of this anuran in the Watagan Mountains was assessed by comparing 12 habitat variables associated with 10 presence and 36 absence sites from the region. Logistic Regression Modelling indicated only that the species was more prevalent at ponds in forests with little grass cover (P = 0.0479, Beta = -0.1759). A logistic regression comparing GIS derived habitat features within 500 m of 61 presence and 20,000 randomly allocated absence sites located within the Sydney region indicated that the presence of the heath frog was positively associated with an increasing Prescott (Moisture) Index (Z = 4.22; P < 0.001) and negatively associated with increasing roughness of the surrounding terrain (Z = -3.62; P < 0.001). Using a regression tree to predict the presence of this species within an area, I classified presence sites (94%) based on a combination of the Prescott Index and Solar Radiation. However, these features provide only a very general ability to identify potential sites. The continued presence of the species at sites logged and burnt multiple times provides confidence that this species is able to cope with some degree of disturbance. The capacity to effectively monitor populations of anurans to detect early population changes is paramount in their ongoing management. A central requirement is to regularly assess the data being obtained to determine if the program has the statistical power to detect significant changes in population size. The power of the current monitoring program for the threatened northern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne pengilleyi) was assessed to determine its sensitivity to detect both increases and declines in the numbers of calling males being recorded at 14 sites. Based on the data collected over nine years, the power analysis indicated that only an annual decline of 7% or greater would be statistically detectable after 10 years (cumulative > 52% decline). Being able to successfully detect a 3% annual decline over ten years (25% total decline) in this population will require sixty sites to be monitored. This increase in sites could be achieved by combining data from other monitoring programs being undertaken in the region. The northern corroboree frog has consistent and easily monitored calling behaviour, yet detecting changes in numbers of calling males is difficult due to inter-year variance in counts at sites. Developing standard effective monitoring programs for “typical” species with inconsistent calling spread over long seasons will be difficult and likely require considerable resources. In addition to the application of wildlife management practices to maintain populations of amphibians in production forests, there is a need to ensure that species are adequately represented in protected areas (PAs) that can provide populations of animals that migrate into production forests to maintain metapopulations and/or genetic flows. The relative reservation status of anuran species in Australia was determined using the Australian Natural Heritage Tool Database (ANHAT), a very large database with multiple sources of anuran site records. The number of records for each species inside and outside protected areas was noted, as well the number of reserves from which each species was recorded. Given approximately 10.5% of Australia is covered by PAs, a random allocation of records would result in species having a mean 10% of records falling in PAs. The proportion of records coming from reserves was greater than expected with a mean 30% of sites per species occurring within PAs. Thirty six species had > 45% of record sites in PAs and 18 species < 10% within PAs. The majority of the latter group of species are found in < 10 reserves. Relatively poorly “reserved” species occur within northern Australia or highly productive and poorly protected agricultural belts in eastern and western Australia. All forest dwelling species from eastern NSW are relatively well recorded from the PAs. Species dependent on native vegetation prevalent in agricultural areas are the most pressing conservation issue. Forestry management practices include the use of controlled burns to reduce the incidence of high intensity and uncontrolled wildfires that threaten forest assets. The effect of these controlled burns on wildlife is widely debated. The impact of a controlled burn on anurans in the Dorrigo area was examined by comparing the trends in counts of anurans obtained at four burnt “experimental” ponds with those obtained at four unburnt “control” ponds. The analysis indicated that the trends in counts at burnt ponds and unburnt ponds did not differ. The fauna and flora of this region has evolved in an environment subjected to regular fires and the anurans present may have developed strategies to cope with low intensity fires. Current protection of anurans in forests in NSW are based around the retention of areas of undisturbed habitat, with an emphasis on protecting ponds and the adjacent 20-30 m band of vegetation. Linkage corridors of undisturbed vegetation are also required for migration. For threatened species, larger protection zones are usually set in place, often specifying the exclusion of fire as an important element in conserving species. Hydrology research indicates that 20-30 m buffer zones around breeding sites will protect water quality and such buffers will also protect individuals engaged in reproductive activities. Such a band will not provide significant protection to the surrounding forest that is used as non-breeding habitat and, where there is genuine cause for concern in regard to negative impacts of forestry activities on a species, this buffer should be expanded to a minimum 300 m. However, the studies on habitat relationships indicate that anurans in the region do not have specialised habitat requirements that may become unusable through disturbance and there were no obvious negative relationships between logging, fire or grazing and the presence/absence or abundance of anurans. In general, anurans appear to be relatively robust to the types of forest habitat modification resulting from selective logging and buffer zones greater than 20 m are not likely to be required to maintain populations in such an environment. Species with narrow habitat requirements, such as rainforest/wet forest specialists, may be the exception to this and require consideration in management plans.

This study assessed the social and biophysical impacts of camping in the eucalypt forests of southwestern Western Australia. This was an integrated study examining both biophysical and social impacts in designated, developed and informal recreation areas used for camping. Four existing and proposed national parks and a Reserve, comprised of 110 designated and 12 informal campsites, provided the study sites. Previous research has focused on backcountry campsites and trails in wilderness areas in United States. A combined survey approach using multiple indicator ratings and measures was used to assess the biophysical impacts of camping. Adjustments to monitoring procedures used in backcountry areas were made so that the indicators were applicable to designated, developed campsites where a management footprint has been imposed. Visitors were surveyed at the designated campsites to establish how existing recreation opportunities were being used. Further, potential indicators and standards were identified to determine what kinds of social and resource conditions were acceptable to visitors and managers. A rating system was then developed combining biophysical and social indicators of importance to visitors and managers with their perceptions of acceptable change obtained from the surveys. Based on the indices derived from the rating system and results for a suite of associated indicators, designated campsites were significantly less impacted than informal ones. For both campsite types the amount of tree damage and litter exceeded the standards set by 50% of visitors and managers. Both visitors and managers were generally more concerned about biophysical impacts than they were about social ones, although site cleanliness was of concern. Both were generally satisfied with the size and number of groups encountered, in contrast to study findings from the United States. This study has developed and successfully applied an integrated approach to monitoring the impacts of recreational use on forested campsites in southwestern Australia. This system effectively and efficiently uses a combination of multiple indicator ratings and measures to produce an impact index, plus social surveys to provide information on conditions, indicators and standards of importance to managers and visitors. It also provides a means for the first time, of objectively monitoring designated, developed campsites where it is inappropriate to judge impacts against an undisturbed control.

?rea de concentra??o: Educa??o e Gest?o de Institui??es Educacionais. / Linha de pesquisa: Educa??o, Sujeitos, Sociedade, Hist?ria da Educa??o e Pol?ticas P?blicas Educacionais. / Submitted by Jos? Henrique Henrique (jose.neves@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2018-04-11T20:53:22Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) jardel_batista_soares.pdf: 2841210 bytes, checksum: 60e9d5e46be5194e9d42c76278bf8a06 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Martins Cruz (rodrigo.cruz@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2018-04-23T16:38:27Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) jardel_batista_soares.pdf: 2841210 bytes, checksum: 60e9d5e46be5194e9d42c76278bf8a06 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-23T16:38:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) jardel_batista_soares.pdf: 2841210 bytes, checksum: 60e9d5e46be5194e9d42c76278bf8a06 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017 / Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFMG) / O Programa de Apoio a Planos de Reestrutura??o e Expans?o das Universidades Federais (REUNI), implantado em 2007 pelo governo federal, objetivou criar condi??es para a amplia??o do acesso e perman?ncia na educa??o superior, em n?vel de gradua??o, atrav?s de melhor aproveitamento da estrutura f?sica e de recursos humanos existentes nas Universidades Federais. A presente pesquisa pretendeu analisar o REUNI na Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) e na Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM), expondo os impactos do programa no Campus Regional de Montes Claros e no Campus Regional de Diamantina, na percep??o da Comunidade Universit?ria. O estudo se torna relevante ao propor avaliar o Programa e seus impactos nas referidas institui??es, no incentivo ? expans?o (quantitativo) e ? reestrutura??o (qualitativo) da educa??o superior no Brasil, diante do diagn?stico que apresentava o ensino universit?rio federal antes de 2007. Portanto, o objeto deste trabalho ? o REUNI, delimitado ao Instituto de Ci?ncias Agr?rias, Campus da UFMG, localizado em Montes Claros ? MG, e o Campus Regional de Diamantina ? MG, da UFVJM, no per?odo de 2007 a 2017. A pesquisa ? de natureza b?sica e do tipo explorat?ria, descritiva e Survey. A amostra foi a Comunidade Universit?ria dos Campi em an?lise. A t?cnica de pesquisa foi documental, de levantamento e revis?o bibliogr?fica. As fontes foram Leis e Decretos do governo federal, Relat?rios de Gest?o Institucional, Resolu??es, Regimentos, Atas do Conselho Universit?rio, dados estat?sticos do Sistema Integrado de Gest?o Acad?mica (SIGA) e do Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais An?sio Teixeira (INEP) e as informa??es coletadas por meio de question?rios de opini?o p?blica. Em 2008 foi publicado o primeiro relat?rio do REUNI, que apontou forte ades?o pelas institui??es federais de ensino superior e, de certa forma, demonstrou que houve o cumprimento de algumas metas e supera??o de outras. Como Pol?tica P?blica em Educa??o, o REUNI levou a mudan?as significativas no ensino superior nas Universidades Federais do Pa?s. Com o investimento de R$ 9.000.000.000,00 (nove bilh?es de reais), o governo federal reestruturou e expandiu as Universidades Federais, proporcionando a perman?ncia de muitos discentes carentes, expans?o de vagas no per?odo diurno e principalmente no noturno e a contrata??o, por meio de concurso p?blico, de t?cnico-administrativos em educa??o e professores, al?m da reestrutura??o das instala??es j? existentes. / Disserta??o (Mestrado Profissional) ? Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Educa??o, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, 2017. / The Federal University Expansion and Restructuring Support Program (REUNI), implemented in 2007 by the federal government, aimed to create conditions for the expansion of access and permanence in higher education, at graduate level, through a better use of the physical structure and human resources existing in the Federal Universities. The present study aimed to analyze REUNI at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and the Federal University of the Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys (UFVJM), presenting the impacts of the program on the Regional Campus of Montes Claros and the Regional Campus of Diamantina, in the perception of the University Community. The study becomes relevant when it proposes to evaluate the program and its impacts on the above institutions, on the incentive to the (quantitative) expansion and the (qualitative) restructuring of higher education in Brazil, in view of the diagnosis presented by university education before 2007. Therefore, the objective of this work is REUNI Program, delimited to the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Campus of UFMG, located in Montes Claros - MG, and the Regional Campus of Diamantina - MG, UFVJM, from 2007 to 2017. The research is basic in nature and exploratory, descriptive and Survey type. The sample was the University Community of the Campi under analysis. The research technique was documentary, of survey and bibliographical revision. The sources were Federal Government Laws and Decrees, Institutional Management Reports, Resolutions, Regimes, University Council minutes, Statistical Data of the Integrated Academic Management System (SIGA) and the National Institute of Studies and Educational Research An?sio Teixeira (INEP) and the information collected through public opinion questionnaires. In 2008, the first REUNI report was published, which showed strong adherence by federal higher education institutions and, to some extent, demonstrated that some goals were met and others exceeded. As a Public Policy in Education, REUNI led to significant changes in higher education in the federal universities of the country. With the investment of nine billion reais (R$ 9.000.000.000,00), the federal government restructured and expanded Federal Universities, providing the permanence of many needy students, the expansion of daytime and mainly night time vacancies, and the hiring of technical-administrative staff in education and teachers, in addition to the restructuring of existing facilities.

This thesis presents findings realising two main objectives. The first aim is to investigate the electrochemical detection of nanomaterials with an emphasis on silver nanoparticles. The second goal is to employ silver nanoparticles in electroanalysis to aid in the detection of other analytes. First, the detection of silver nanoparticles was demostrated through two different electrochemical methods, stripping voltammetry and 'nano-impacts'. For stripping voltammetry, the potential of metallic nanoparticles oxidation was quantified by various new analytical expressions for peak potential. For the novel method of 'nano-impacts', individual silver nanoparticles were successfully detected in an optically opaque suspension. Then, a comparison between the two techniques was achieved via the oxidation of silver nanoparticles with different capping agents. Strong capping agent effects was found for stripping voltammetry and one may markedly underestimate the amount of silver nanoparticle present on the electrode surface. The electrochemical sizing of nanoparticles via 'nano-impacts' remained unaffected by the capping agent effect. Amidst the study on the various types of capping agent, it was discovered that cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) is electroactive due to the oxidation of its bromide content. This inspired the use of 'nano-impacts' to detect the presence of large CTAB micelles which self-assembled at concentrations above the critical micelle concentration. Next, various types of silver nanoparticles were applied to different electroanalytical systems to aid in the measurement of other analytes. (a) Small silver nuclei, remaining after the oxidative stripping of an electrode modified by silver nanoparticle suspension drop casting, allowed subsequent signal enhancement (at least a factor of three) in anodic stripping voltammetry of silver ions. (b) The thermodynamic favourable formation of silver halide complexes allowed the silver nanoparticle modified electrode to analyse the halide content of a solution. Hence, a proof-of-concept for an electrochemical sensor based on silver nanoparticle modified electrode for chloride ions was established. This might be applied to the pre-screening of cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease detrimental to many infants' lives. (c) Another key halide in human body, iodide ions, was also measured using a related concept. The level of iodide ions in synthetic human urine was determined. Last, the strong affinity of silver to thiol groups also warranted a study devoted to their interaction through electrochemical and spectroscopic measurements. It was found that there is no general mechanism for silver-thiol interaction and each thiol must be treated as a separate entity.

Land managers are facing increasing visitation rates on the resources under their care resulting in associated impacts and complex management challenges. As the Shawnee National Forest (SNF) management team updates and revises the 2006 SNF Land and Resource Management Plan, understanding influences on visitor attitudes and behaviors becomes essential. This dissertation presents findings and associated planning recommendations from three social science research efforts on the SNF. The first manuscript examined the effects of the knowledge of, and attitudes towards, Leave No Trace (LNT), as well as visitor perceptions of effectiveness and difficulty to perform minimum impact practices, on the intentions of visitors to perform future minimum impact behaviors. A survey instrument was deployed at ten different recreation sites on the forest to measure the variables of interest. Results indicated that visitor attitudes toward the appropriateness of practicing LNT, perceptions of effectiveness of LNT practices and beliefs pertaining to the ease of LNT practice do, to an extent, influence visitor behavioral intentions. The second manuscript examined the relationships within, and influences of, levels of recreation specialization, place bonding and origin of introduction to the sport of rock climbing on the environmental awareness of climbers. Results indicated that climbers are aware of ecological conditions at Jackson Falls, SNF. Origin of introduction was not a direct influence on impact awareness, as were the constructs of specialization and place, however it was correlated with both constructs suggesting a possible indirect influence. When combined, the constructs of specialization and place influenced climber awareness, albeit the influence was small. Moreover, as the combination of these constructs served as a better predictor than each alone, underlying drivers of influence within each construct is suspected. Recommendations for further research that deconstructs recreation specialization and place bonding are discussed. The third manuscript addressed relationships within, and influences of: past experience; economic investment; skill; centrality to lifestyle; commitment; place familiarity, belongingness, identity, dependence, and rootedness; origin of introduction and knowledge of LNT on rock climbers’ attitudes and self-reported onsite behaviors. Origin was not a direct influence on attitudes or behaviors. Knowledge was correlated with behaviors. While several relationships between variables were uncovered, predictive potential of variables on attitude and behavior was small. Exploratory Factor Analysis was conducted uncovering four underlying unobservable factors within the variables. A proposed model and associated implications are discussed. Management recommendations emerging from this dissertation, including strategies for indirect management opportunities such as persuasive messaging and minimum impact education efforts as well as opportunities for adaptive co-management opportunities with area recreation advocacy groups, were discussed in the concluding chapter.

LIMA, Daniel Cassiano.A bananicultura na área de proteção ambiental da Serra de Maranguape - CE e suas implicações no ambiente fisico,humano e na biodiversidade. 2005. 107 f. : Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Ceará, Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação, Programa Regional de Pós-Graduação em Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente (PRODEMA), Fortaleza-CE, 2005 / Submitted by demia Maia (demiamlm@gmail.com) on 2016-04-29T14:13:02Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2005_dis_dclima.pdf: 5906403 bytes, checksum: 6891e93e42d48a80b44b34efb136c1c8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by demia Maia (demiamlm@gmail.com) on 2016-04-29T14:38:10Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2005_dis_dclima.pdf: 5906403 bytes, checksum: 6891e93e42d48a80b44b34efb136c1c8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T14:38:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2005_dis_dclima.pdf: 5906403 bytes, checksum: 6891e93e42d48a80b44b34efb136c1c8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / The serra de Maranguape is a pre-litoral residual mountain, located 25 km from Fortaleza, with a maximum altitude of 920 m. The type of vegetation of this mountain range is called Floresta Tropical Subperenifólia Plúvio-Nebular and constitutes a remnant of the Atlantic Forest. The few studies on the biological diversity of the serra de Maranguape already carried through, indicate a biota distinct from the one presented in the surrounding caatinga, and the presence of species of the Atlantic and Amazonian Forests. The mild temperature and the high humidity favor the agricultural use of this mountain range, and currently, the banana culture is in evidence not only for supplying the Fortaleza market, but also for causing environment problems, as landslides, impoverishment of the soil, burial of rivers and reduction of the biodiversity. In order to investigate the effect of the banana culture on the local herpetofauna, it was compared the diversity and abundance of these animals in Areas of Permanent Preservation with forest and with banana plantations. The species were registered according to the visual survey method (specimens/time), and 18 species were registered for the banana plantations areas: Adelophryne maranguapensis, Anolis fuscoauratus, Bufo paracnemis, Coleodactylus meridionalis, Drymoluber dichrous, Eleutherodactylus gr. ramagii, Hyla aff. decipiens, H. gr. microcephala, H. minuta, H. raniceps, Leposoma baturitensis, Leptodactylus ocellatus, Phrynohyas venulosa, Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis, Physalaemus gr. cuvieri, Placosoma sp., Proceratophris boiei and Scinax x-signata, while the forest areas had only 12 of these species. Only Adelophryne maranguapensis, Eleutherodactylus gr.. ramagii and Hyla aff decipiens were found in every worked month. During the driest months, the relative densities of the species, with the exception of E. gr. ramagii, seemed to be bigger in the forest areas than in the banana plantations areas, indicating that the forest areas can represent a refuge, during the dry periods, for the populations that, in the rainy periods, occur in the banana plantations areas. Therefore, the maintenance of the native forest can be essential for the conservation of these herpetofauna populations. The herpetofauna diversity of the banana plantations areas and of the forest areas were compared with the use of the index of Shannon-Wiener, and no significant difference was found. It was also discussed alternatives to the traditional banana culture, aiming to contribute to the prevention and/or reversion of the environment problems caused by the irregular culture of banana plants in the hillsides and edges of rivers. On the alternatives, agroforest system seemed to be a good solution, as it has been implanted in banana plantations in mountain areas of South Brasil, and has contributed to the reduction of the landslides and to the increase of the soil fertility and of the local shadowing. The agroforest system has being used even in reforestation and it also promotes the diversification of the agricultural production, which is desirable when it is wanted to solve problems resulted from monoculture practices. It was also investigated the banana growers knowledge on the environment problems and their social-economic condition, having been registered that many of them do not have a formal education and were unaware of the gravity of the consequences of the banana culture in this mountain range, as well as the authority of the environmental agencies and the application of the environmental laws. The majority of the banana growers never worked in something else, although they have parallel activities, and many of them work in precarious conditions, without working guarantees. / A serra de Maranguape é um maciço residual pré-litorâneo, localizado a 25 km de Fortaleza, com altitude máxima de 920 m. O tipo de vegetação da serra é denominado Floresta Subperenifólia Tropical Plúvio-Nebular e constitui um remanescente de Mata Atlântica. Os poucos trabalhos sobre a diversidade biológica da serra, já realizados, indicam uma biota diferente da existente na caatinga circundante, abrigando inclusive espécies das matas atlântica e amazônica. A temperatura mais amena e a alta umidade favorecem o uso agrícola da serra, sendo que atualmente a bananicultura está em evidência não somente por suprir o mercado em Fortaleza, mas também pelos problemas ambientais causados, como deslizamentos de terra, empobrecimento dos solos, assoreamento de rios e diminuição da biodiversidade. A fim de investigar os efeitos da bananicultura sobre a herpetofauna local, comparou-se a diversidade e abundância destes animais em Áreas de Preservação Permanente com matas e também com bananais. As espécies foram catalogadas de acordo com o método de registro de encontros visuais (espécimes/tempo), tendo sido registradas 18 espécies para os bananais: Adelophryne maranguapensis, Anolis fuscoauratus, Bufo paracnemis, Coleodactylus meridionalis, Drymoluber dichrous, Eleutherodactylus gr. ramagii, Hyla aff. decipiens, H. gr. microcephala, H. minuta, H. raniceps, Leposoma baturitensis, Leptodactylus ocellatus, Phrynohyas venulosa, Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis, Physalaemus gr. cuvieri, Placosoma sp., Proceratophris boiei e Scinax x-signata, enquanto que as áreas com matas apresentaram somente 12 destas espécies. Apenas Adelophryne maranguapensis, Eleutherodactylus gr. ramagii e Hyla aff decipiens foram encontrados em todos os meses de trabalho. Nos meses mais secos, as densidades relativas das espécies, com exceção de E. gr ramagii, pareceram ser maiores nas áreas de matas que nas áreas de bananais, indicando que as áreas de mata podem representar um refúgio durante os períodos secos para as populações que, nos períodos chuvosos, também ocorrem nos bananais. Consequentemente, a manutenção da mata nativa pode ser essencial para a conservação destas populações da herpetofauna. A diversidade da herpetofauna das áreas com bananais e das áreas com mata foi comparada, com a utilização do índice de Shannon-Wiener, não tendo apresentado diferenças significativas. Também foram discutidas alternativas ao cultivo tradicional da banana, visando contribuir na prevenção e/ou reversão de problemas ambientais causados pelo cultivo irregular de bananeiras nas encostas e margens de rios. Dentre as alternativas o sistema agroflorestal parece ser uma boa solução, pois tem sido implantado em bananais no sul do país, em áreas serranas, tendo contribuído com a diminuição dos deslizamentos de solos e com o aumento de sua fertilidade, além de permitir o sombreamento local, sendo usado inclusive em reflorestamento. O sistema agroflorestal promove ainda, a diversificação da produção, desejável quando se quer resolver problemas oriundos de uma monocultura. Também foram investigadas a visão dos bananicultores sobre a questão ambiental e sua condição sócio-econômica, tendo sido registrado que boa parte deles não tinha instrução escolar e desconhecia a gravidade das conseqüências do cultivo da banana na serra, bem como a autoridade dos órgãos ambientais e a aplicação das leis. A maioria deles nunca trabalhou em algo diferente da agricultura, embora exerçam atividades paralelas, sendo que boa parte deles trabalha em condições precárias, sem garantias trabalhistas.