Most of dengue transmission occurs in tropical and subtropical zones. As a result, studies on the dynamics of dengue transmission are principally focused in these areas. Less is known about the dynamics of dengue transmission and the interplay of social and climatic determinants in arid regions located at the fringe of transmission zones. This dissertation uses surveillance data from the state of Sonora, an arid region in northern Mexico, to examine three specific aims: 1) to assess relationships among social and climatic factors utilizing locality-level dengue incidence data across the state of Sonora, 2) to determine the correlation between the spatial pattern of dengue cases during an outbreak in Hermosillo, a large urban area, and neighborhood-level socio-economic and water supply factors using a novel case-control study design, and 3) to determine how dengue cases disseminated across two arid cities, Hermosillo and Navojoa, and to determine if changing socio-demographic patterns were similar between cities. Results from the first ecological study indicated that the distribution of dengue across the state was associated most strongly with the climatic gradient and, secondarily, by population size and lack of education. Underreporting in rural areas with lower access to transportation infrastructure was also detected. We demonstrated that a spatially-based case-control study design was useful in identifying associations between dengue transmission and neighborhood-level characteristics related to population density, lack of access to healthcare and water supply restrictions. Finally, the spatio-temporal study identified common patterns between the two cities/outbreaks. Dengue transmission arose and was maintained for 2-3 months in specific foci areas characterized by low access to healthcare and then the disease moved to contiguous areas. Recommendations for surveillance and control programs based on these results include: 1) in small localities at risk of transmission a combination of active and passive surveillance should be carried out for a period of time to determine if transmission is occurring, 2) monitoring water storage practices during water restrictions and ensuring appropriate messaging about covering storage containers should be made, and 3) spatial monitoring of dengue cases and agency reaction to initial disease occurrence could reduce spread to adjacent areas.

Landscape connectivity models aim to map the links or corridors that wildlife would or do use between patches of habitat. Migratory species such as elk traverse between such patches which serve as seasonal ranges. The goal of this study was to compare and contrast the suitability of several landscape connectivity models for describing and predicting migration in a long-distance migrant. We measured the suitability of connectivity models for covering and predicting the migratory movements of elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. GPS point data was converted to sequential networks for multiple populations of elk. GPS data was also used to delineate the summer and winter ranges of each population. The kernel density of routes in the networks was measured for comparison to connectivity models. The ranges served as the patches to be connected by such models. A resistance surface was produced using reclassified landcover data for mapping habitat suitability and linear road data for human presence or obstruction to movement. Landscape connectivity was measured for eleven migratory elk populations using three distinct models. The first measured connectivity using circuit theory; the second, agent based modeling; the third, least cost corridors. The model results were compared to the migratory network density by measuring correlation. This was followed by a new method of measuring the influence of autocorrelation between the models and networks. Some of the models were then altered to test for suspected influences. This study shows that least cost corridors and circuit theory can are limited in their ability to predict the migratory movements between summer and winter ranges but only so much. They lack the ability to predict exploratory movements that do not link conspicuous ranges to each other. They also lack the ability to account for all avoidance behaviors in the landscape. Our results suggest that connectivity models need improvement by accounting for exploration outside of prime habitat. It also suggests connectivity models are not adequate predictors of migratory movements and not suited to conservation planning of migratory networks. This supports Sawyer's (et al. 2009) ungulate conservation planning of considering connectivity but basing priority on migratory landscape usage. It is assumed that fragmentation or loss in connectivity impedes seasonal migration, cutting off wildlife from resources (Rudnick et al. 2012). This study shows that migratory elk are actually using less than prime and supposedly fragmented habitat in migration and that there is more than connectivity at play.

The American West, once characterized by open spaces, low population densities, and the dominance of primary sector activities, is experiencing high rates of population growth related to amenity migration. Those same natural amenities that attract migration are often degraded by housing growth and associated development; however the extent of impacts and the specific features of the environment that attract amenity migration are poorly understood. This change in land use was investigated by first examining the impacts of exurbanization on three ecosystem indicators (fire hazard, water availability, and distance effects of houses and roads) and secondly by considering the socio-cultural and aesthetic drivers of amenity migration in the Sonoita Plain, Arizona, USA. When the impacts of houses and roads on ecosystem function were considered, 98% of exurban areas were "highly" or "very highly" impacted, compared to 100% for suburban areas and 35% for rural areas. These results were striking because exurban areas have impacts on ecosystem function comparable to those of suburban areas, despite the fact that they support significantly lower population densities. The importance of privacy in the spatial distribution of exurban development was examined through GIS viewshed analysis. Desire for privacy was manifested in the home locations selected by exurbanites, with the large majority of homes located where the inhabitants see few, if any, neighbors. Scenic beauty is a common pull factor for amenity and this study examined three visual quality metrics (naturalness, visual scale and complexity) in relation to the location of exurban houses. Exurban households see significantly more vegetation, more rugged terrain, and a larger viewshed than would be expected if they were randomly distributed. There is evidence that visual complexity throughout the viewshed may be more important than seeing the very highest peaks. These results call into question the use of county-level scales of analysis for the study of landscape preferences, which may miss key landscape aesthetic drivers of preference. Amenity drivers have important implications for the distribution of development and can inform growth strategies designed to minimize negative ecological impacts and protect visual quality of the environment.

Droughts are a recurrent part of our climate, and are still considered to be one of the most complex and least understood of all natural hazards in terms of their impact on the environment. In recent years drought has become more common and more severe across the world. For more than a decade, the US southwest has faced extensive and persistent drought conditions that have impacted vegetation communities and local water resources. The focus of this work is achieving a better understanding of the impact of drought on the lands of the Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation, situated in the Northeastern corner of Arizona. This research explores the application of remote sensing data and geospatial tools in two studies to monitor drought impacts on vegetation productivity. In both studies we used land surface phenometrics as the data tool. In a third related study, I have compared satellite-derived land surface phenology (LSP) to field observations of crop stages at the Maricopa Agricultural Center to achieve a better understanding of the temporal sensitivity of satellite derived phenology of vegetation and understand their accuracy as a tool for monitoring change. The first study explores long-term vegetation productivity responses to drought. The paper develops a framework for drought monitoring and assessment by integrating land cover, climate, and topographical data with LSP. The objective of the framework is to detect long-term vegetation changes and trends in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) related productivity. The second study examines the major driving forces of vegetation dynamics in order to provide valuable spatial information related to inter-annual variability in vegetation productivity for mitigating drought impacts. The third study tests the accuracy of remote sensing-derived LSP by comparing them to the actual seasonal phases of crop growth. This provides a way to compare and validate the various LSP algorithms, and more crucially, helps to characterize the remote sensing-based metrics that contrast with the actual biological phenophases of the crops. These studies demonstrate how remote sensing data and simple statistical tools can be used to assess drought effects on vegetation productivity and to inform about land conditions, as well as to better understand the accuracy of satellite derived LSP.

Adequate water for ecosystems and humans is at a premium as the global population increases and the climate changes. Coping with these impacts requires tools to improve water governance and water management through legal or policy mechanisms. Water governance generates laws, policies, and rulings and water management implements those laws, policies, and rulings and rulings through management decisions. A key concern of water governance is balancing human and ecosystem water needs. Effective governance that promotes sustainable use of water resources to maintain ecosystem integrity is challenging. Many regions do not have sufficient resources for water management or water for ecosystems is not protected under traditional legal mechanisms. The challenge of improving water governance for ecosystems is, therefore, twofold. First, there is a need to provide resources that build the capacity of water managers to allocate water to ecosystems. Second, mechanisms to promote effective transformation of environmental flow needs into policy or practice are required. This research provides methods to advance water management by: 1) assessing environmental flow needs through creation of a geospatial database and 2) improving stakeholder engagement through lessons learned from three multi-year stakeholder engagement processes. Appendix A describes the current understanding of the link between hydrology and riparian and aquatic ecosystems in Arizona through synthesis of environmental flow needs. The synthesized information, stored in a geospatial database, can be used by water managers to determine the water needs to maintain riparian and aquatic habitats. Review of 121 studies reveals that there are very few analyses of surface water and groundwater requirements for intermittent or ephemeral river systems, and there are only limited generalizable data for aquatic species. This database can be used to identify critical geographic and topical knowledge gaps, as well as serve as a single place for water and land managers to assess and use the most current research to inform management decisions. Appendix B provides an empirical example of engagement to promote social learning as a way to preserve water for the environment when law does not protect environmental flows. Through 43 focus groups with 226 individuals representing a diversity of interests, we determined that there was common ground on concerns about water conservation, cooperation, financial incentives, and multiple benefits for water use. Through this engagement process, we found that identifying and then building common ground requires attention to details. These details include the process of analyzing qualitative data and methods for displaying complex information, which are not frequently discussed in the social learning or stakeholder engagement literature. Appendix C presents a framework for designing effective stakeholder engagement based on the experiences of the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center in three separate processes that engaged water experts. The proposed framework provides an iterative and flexible approach centered on a bridging organization that can bring people together and keep the engagement process moving forward. As illustrated through an evaluation of the three projects, the proposed framework provides for inclusivity, interactiveness, and flexibility in engagement through guidance by a steering committee and iteratively examining the water resource management problem. While further assessment is necessary, it appears that this framework is general enough to be applicable across projects at three different scales and with three separate sets of goals, yet detailed enough to provide a tangible approach that could aid other processes where the goal is implementing and evaluating expert engagement to solve complex problems and promote social learning. Previous studies on water governance have focused predominantly on the identification of the current problems with governance. However, because humans have an important role in shaping the global water cycle, the time has come to focus on solutions. In order to further water management solutions, a better understanding of the tools needed to manage water for ecosystems and effective methods for co-producing knowledge or encouraging social learning are needed. This research provides a regional example of approaches to advance water management using a tool to assess environmental flows needs and frameworks for promoting common ground and social learning in stakeholder engagement.

This dissertation is a qualitative investigation into Navajo citizen opinion on the need and form of a federal-tribal co-management model for sacred lands held in federal stewardship. The central question in this inquiry is, are co-management agreements appropriate for sacred landscapes management, and if so, how would they work? In other words, what are the issues, fundamental elements and core values of a "best-practices" sacred lands co-management model? This question is important because Native sacred lands protection and access are essential to reinforcing cultural identity and well-being, and revitalizing tribal communities. Across the United States, these places are being desecrated or destroyed at an alarming rate by commercial enterprise, public recreation, and political indifference. Native Peoples are also denied access to sacred sites for traditional subsistence or ceremonial purposes. This neglect of traditional Native cultural values in sacred lands management is referred to in this analysis as the "Indigenous values gap." Navajo response is focused on three Diné sacred landscapes, the Dinétah in northwest New Mexico, and the San Francisco Peaks and Canyon de Chelly, both located in northeast Arizona. These are large, multi-jurisdictional resources that are critical to Navajo culture and religion, and are currently under physical or legal threat. Navajo citizens in this inquiry generally agree that sacred lands co-management agreements between the Navajo Nation and federal agencies are desirable as instruments that can formalize the "practice" of genuine power-sharing relative to the management of cultural property. They also agree that co-management is not yet practical as a governance structure and philosophy until the Federal Government changes its perspective toward sharing management decisions with a Native nation. Navajo citizens also argue that comanagement is not practical until the Navajo Nation builds the capable institutions and sacred lands management vision on which to base co-management agreement development and implementation. The community development concepts of the Harvard Nation-Building model are central to building effective sacred lands management plans and co-management regimes. A "best-practices" model of sacred lands co-management blends the sacred principles of the Navajo doctrine of hozho with the secular principles of property rights, protected areas, and nation-building.

Mine reclamation is a long-term process but few long-term (> 15 years) assessment studies are carried out. Considerable effort has gone into test-plot experiments to design revegetation programs prior to termination of mine production but little is known from the results of this work of the long-term effect of competitive interactions between seeded species themselves and between seeded and immigrating native species during the progression to a natural vegetation for that site. The present study revisited and repeated benchmark scientific studies carried out at five mine-sites during the period 1973-1978. The mine-sites were Bull River mine, Coal Creek mine, Cumberland No. 4 mine, Pinchi Lake mine and Texada Iron mines. They were in different biogeoclimatic locations and at each mine, sample sites were located on different waste materials. On-site studies carried out during the 1993 field season included substrate observation and sampling, and visual observation of plant species and percent cover. Substrate samples were later analysed in the laboratory for soil nutrients. The graphical presentation of data honours the original data and is an effective way of assessing the development of substrate health and plant succession. Results show that if sufficient attention is paid to improving land-form then over a long period natural regenerative processes can accomplish remarkable results. Moisture deficiency will restrict growth to deep rooting, drought tolerant species and result in slow encroachment. This may require intensive management if erosion is likely. This type of study performed by staff with interdisciplinary training or experience can be used to make economical long-term assessments of site rehabilitation. They would not in any way replace the detailed quantitative monitoring conducted at critical phases early in the decommissioning process. However, as a complement, such studies could provide data for predicting long-term development on newer sites. In addition, they are an ecologically acceptable alternative to assessments of "productivity" on sites where rehabilitation is slow.

This thesis examines the possibility of retaining, redesigning, and integrating existing farm and forestlands within the proposed South Campus community development at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The central tenant of my thesis is, given the importance of agriculture in the development of human culture and the UBC Point Grey Campus, and the vital role it will play in the 21st Century, agricultural lands and facilities should be conserved and given a place of importance within the UBC landscape. An explanation is provided on how such an integrative proposal for these lands, collectively known as the UBC South Campus Farm, would support the economic, ecological, and social interests and expectations of the University, and the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), while providing an exciting learning and living environment for students, faculty staff and community members. An alternative proposal for the South Campus Farm and the South Campus community is provided that supports the stated interests of the University and the GVRD. This is accomplished through a careful assessment of the cultural and biophysical features of the South Campus lands and the subsequent development and application of a regenerative design process applied within a fourfold framework based on the concepts of ecology, economy, integrity and beauty. The final design proposal is compared and evaluated against the current situation and the University development plans.

Public involvement in decisions about mine reclamation presents challenges to government, industry and the public. Among them are inclusion of relevant interests, representation, dealing with ignorance and misconceptions, uncertain science and technology, conflicting values, and very long spans of time. Planning theory suggests there is no preferred method, "no ideal solution to the conflict among the legitimate demand for public participation, the need for technical and economic rationality, and the necessity of assuring accountability and responsibility of decision making bodies" (Renn et al., 1993). In the 1990s, public involvement was introduced into reclamation planning and decision making processes at three metal mines in British Columbia: Brenda, Sullivan and Island Copper. A review of them shows that different techniques have been used. At Brenda a public surveillance committee was formed to review and comment on reclamation options produced by the mine in co-operation with a technical committee comprised of regulatory officials. At Sullivan a single committee consisting of public representatives, mine staff and regulatory officials met to review a draft reclamation plan and recommend amendments. At Island Copper a round table was convened to examine the use of the site as a regional landfill. Based on unpublished primary documents (mainly minutes), supplemented by published material and informal interviews, the public involvement processes were first classified and then evaluated. Criteria for the classification and evaluation were drawn from planning literature. The classification focused on purpose and methods. Public involvement mainly functioned at a consultative or advisory level. Of the three processes reviewed, the single committee method developed at Sullivan comes closest to shared decision making (CORE, 1995). All three processes used consensus negotiations as the primary means for reaching decisions. Only at Island Copper was this formally defined and intentionally used. At the others, consensus was undefined and operated informally. The processes were also qualitatively evaluated in terms of whether they fulfilled their own goals, were equitable, efficient, effective, and representative, and whether they promoted good public participation and contributed to good decision making. The processes mostly, fulfilled their own goals (as defined by their terms of reference). The processes are rated about the same with respect to procedural and distributional equity, effectiveness of outcome, representation, and promoting good public involvement. The Sullivan and Island Copper processes are rated relatively better than the Brenda process with respect to administrative equity, efficiency and process effectiveness. The Sullivan process, with half the number of meetings and exchanging written answers to questions in advance of meetings, minimized demands on participants. All three processes were well structured with respect to promoting good public involvement. However, judged by the norms of decision literature, the processes were relatively weak with respect to decision making. Problems were not defined, nor were interests or objectives. Empirical measures for goals or objectives were not identified. Few alternatives were proposed; nor were they evaluated in a way that could lead to a clear understanding of the trade-offs involved. Although few decisions were actually reached in the processes, their quality may be inferior because of these shortcomings. Notwithstanding these theoretical and empirical shortcomings, public involvement in each case found general support among government, industry, and public participants. Consequently the processes received a high degree of approval. It remains uncertain, however, whether more public involvement processes will be undertaken. Although, the province's mines ministry is formally committed to greater public involvement in reclamation decision making (MEMPR, 1991b), the ministry seems stretched to support even the two processes now underway (Brenda and Sullivan). Additional processes would require more resources than are currently allotted. As well, staff training, participant funding, professional facilitation, and clerical services could be improved. Further research is suggested, in particular applying techniques of decision analysis to public involvement processes to facilitate the making of informed and insightful reclamation decisions.

This thesis presents estimates of marine gas hydrate distribution and concentration obtained from various geophysical methods. The study area is located in the accretionary prism of the Northern Cascadia subduction zone, offshore Vancouver Island. Canada. The primary objective of this study was to assess the applicability of a suite of geophysical methods in estimating marine gas hydrate distribution and concentration. The measurements tested are downhole log electrical resistivity and seismic velocity, multi-channel seismic (MCS) velocity, and seismic amplitude vs. offset (AVO) of a gas hydrate-related bottom-simulating reflection (BSR). The downhole log data are from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 311, along a transect of four wells, and the seismic data are from a conventional 2-D MCS line along the well transect. Gas hydrate distribution and concentration estimates along the well transect exhibit high spatial variability, both from site to site, and within any given site. On average. estimates from electrical resistivity measurements give 5-15% gas hydrate pore space saturation. whereas velocity-based estimates are 15-25%. Some intervals in both cases show concentrations over 40%. Nonlinear Bayesian inversion of seismic AVO data yields a gas hydrate concentration estimate of 0-23% of the pore space. These results lead to the conclusion that resistivity and velocity data are effective tools for estimating marine gas hydrate concentration. The main uncertainty in the resistivity analysis is the in situ pore fluid salinity, whereas the main uncertainty in the velocity study is the magnitude of the bulk sediment velocity increase associated with gas hydrate occurrence (related to how gas hydrate forms). It is shown here that AVO of a gas hydrate BSR is not a useful method to estimate marine gas hydrate concentration. The method lacks the shear-wave velocity resolution necessary to add useful constraints to what is already known from compressional-wave velocity information.