No description available.

As preocupações com a integridade e o equilíbrio ambiental das regiões costeiras decorrem do fato de serem as mais ameaçadas do planeta, justamente por representarem para as sociedades humanas um elo de ligação e de intensa troca de mercadorias entre si, com a exploração desordenada e muitas vezes predatória de seus recursos naturais, tornado-se, já na era industrial o principal local de lazer, turismo ou moradia de grandes massas de populações urbanos. A vocação de uso de determinada paisagem esta relacionada às funções que a mesma desempenha. O que ocorre é que o padrão de desenvolvimento adotado e a atual configuração sócio-econômica determinam usos que nem sempre coincidem com a sua melhor utilização. A fim de subsidiar futuros planos de uso e ocupação racional do solo das áreas naturais adjacentes ao Balneário Cassino (Rio Grande, RS), de acordo com os preceitos do Gerenciamento Costeiro Integrado, desenvolveu-se um Dianóstico Sócio-Ambiental da área dentro de abordagem sistêmica. Foram considerados principais componentes e processos urbanos e ambientais, definidos a partir da interpretação de aerofotografias, levantamentos de campo quali-quantitativos e informações bibliográficas. Os resultados são apresentados na forma de tabelas, quadros, levantamentos fotográficos, modelos diagramáticos conceituais, e mapas temáticos, que permitiram entender a organização estrutural e funcional da paisagem, e fundamentar uma ordenação espacial dos usos desta área, de modo a adequá-los às suas especificidades ambientais, histórico-culturais, sócio-econômicas e legais. / The integrity and the environmental equilibrium of coastal zones are increasingly becoming a concern to environmental scientists. Coastal environments are one of the most threatened in the world. Besides, they represent, to the human societies, a link of connection and intense exchange of merchandise amongst each other, with disordered and, at many times, predatory exploration, becoming, already at the industrial age, a main site of leisure, tourism and habitation of large masses of urban population. The vocation of a determined landscape is related to the functions and roles it plays. What actually occurs is that the development pattern adopted and the actual socio-economics determine the uses, which not always coincide with its best utilization. In order to assist future plans of rational use and occupation of natural areas adjacent to Cassino's Bathing Resort (Rio Grande, RS), in agreement with the Integrated Coastal Zone Management, a social-environmental diagnosis of the study site was developed using the systemic approach. The main environmental and urban processes and components were considered. They were defined based on aerophotos interpretation, quail-quantitative field survey and bibliographic information. The results, presented in the form of tables, photographic surveys, conceptual diagrammatic models and thematic maps, allowed to understand the structural and functional organization of the landscape and to establish a spatial ordering of land use to adequate them to their environmental, historic-social, socioeconomics and legal specificities.

This study is an interdisciplinary ecological study addressing the fine-scale relationships between plants, invertebrates and the environment in an alpine ecosystem. Alpine environments are marked by steep environmental gradients and complex habitat mosaics at various spatial scales. Regular forming periglacial patterned ground landforms on the Old Man Range, Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand present an ideal medium for studying plant-invertebrate-environment relationships due to their partitioning of the landscape into discrete units of contrasting environmental conditions, and the existence of some baseline knowledge of the soil, microclimate, vegetation and flora. The study was conducted in three types of patterned ground (hummocks, stripes and solifluction terraces) on the Old Man Range. Each component of the study was sampled at the same spatial scale for comparison. Temperature was recorded in the soil and ground surface from April 2001 to March 2004 in microtopographic subunits (microsites) of each patterned ground landform. Plant species cover was sampled within each microsite; invertebrates were sampled from soil cores taken from the same locations as plant samples in April 2001 and September 2001. The two sampling occasions coincided with autumn before the soil freezes, and winter when maximum freezing was expected. Fine-scale changes in the topographic relief of the patterned ground led to notable differences in the timing and duration of snow. The steepest environmental gradients existed during periods of uneven snow distribution. The soil in exposed or south-facing microsites froze first, beginning in May, and typically froze to more than 40cm depth. Least exposed microsites rarely froze. Within the microtopography, patterns of freezing at specific locations were consistent between years with only minor differences in the timing or depths of freezing; however, notable variation in freezing existed between similar microsites. Within the microtopography, different assemblages of organisms were associated with different microsites. In total, 84 plant and lichen species were recorded, grouping into six community types. Species composition was best explained by growing degree-days, freeze-thaw cycles, time frozen and snow-free days; species diversity and richness increased with increasing environmental stress as indicated by freeze-thaw cycles, time frozen and exposure. In total 20,494 invertebrates, representing four Phyla, 12 Classes, 23 Orders and 295 morpho-taxa were collected from 0.17m� of soil. Acari, Collembola and Pseudococcidae were the most abundant invertebrates. Over 95% of the invertebrates were found in the plant material and first 10cm depth of soil. Few significant relationships were found between diversity, richness or abundance of invertebrate taxa and the microsites; however, multivariate analyses identified distinct invertebrate assemblages based on abundance. Invertebrate composition was best explained by recent low temperature and moisture, particularly in winter; however, plant composition also explained invertebrate composition, but more so in autumn. This research has shown that organisms in the alpine environment of the Old Man Range are sensitive to fine-scale changes in their environment. These results have implications as to how historical changes to the ecosystem may have had long-lasting influences on the biota, as well as how a currently changing climate may have further impacts on the composition and distribution of organisms.

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

This thesis provides an overview of the public open space policy for Durban and surroundings. The focus of the research is the sustainability of the open space policy with special emphasis on the integration of the natural environment, social aspects and economic factors within the open space system itself. Through this dissertation an attempt was made to ascertain to what extent the Open Space Policy of the Durban Metropolitan Area is sustainable. In order to achieve this it was necessary to specifically consider the status quo of the current open space policies internationally and locally with emphasis on the ecologically orientated Durban Metropolitan Open Space System. More appropriate public open space within the natural environment and urban context was considered, especially in respect of social needs and the aspirations and perceptions of communities with regards parks, sports fields, play areas, community areas, urban agriculture and natural areas. Social aspects, such as public participation and education, and economic implications were also investigated and considered. In order to locate this work theoretically and contextually, current planning theory and sustainable development was analysed. In addition existing policies, initiatives and strategies responsible for shaping development and consequently the local public open space policy in the Durban Metropolitan area were investigated. The dissertation argues that the success of a 'sustainable' policy is ultimately based in collaborative planning and implementation as well as appropriate management of the system. Current theory pertaining to sustainable management in the form of private / public partnerships was investigated and tested through selected case studies in Westville and Clermont. This dissertation concludes that sustainability is a process and that the public open space policy of the Durban Metropolitan Area, although attempting to achieve overall sustainability requires to address specifically, social needs and more appropriate collaborative planning and management strategies. Broad strategies to achieve this were considered and guidelines for a more sustainable public open space were proposed. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1998.

For over a century, wildlife in Southern Africa has come under the exclusive management of states, which tends to centre on the exclusion of local communities from wildlife areas. In many cases, this approach has led to the hostility of wildlife management policies by excluded communities. This widespread dissatisfaction has caused a paradigm shift in conservation thinking towards a more community-based conservation (CBC) approach. A major assumption of this new approach is that providing socio-economic benefits on a sustainable basis to formerly excluded communities will result in conservation. Indeed, some advocates of this management regime have stressed community incorporation and inclusion as the only path to conservation. As a result, numerous CBC initiatives have been implemented throughout the African sub-region over the past ten years with varied success. As there is no alternative to the CBC concept that attempts to enhance all three elements, namely the economic, social and biological components, of the sustainable development premise in conservation areas, it is imperative to ensure that CBC initiatives are monitored and evaluated in order to determine what the recurring problems and challenges are in implementing and running such initiatives so as to achieve the three sustainable development goals. By establishing what these recurring challenges are during the implementation process, a broad framework of necessary principles, criteria, pre-requisites and co-requisites can be established to guide future CBC initiatives. The purpose of this study is to identify the successes, challenges and problems that have either enhanced or detracted from the socio-economic and biological elements of CBC initiatives during the implementation processes of different projects. Previous documented project examples from around the sub-region, as well as two case study examples of CBC initiatives in KwaZulu-Natal, namely the Mabaso Community Game Reserve and the Usuthu Gorge Community Conservation Area, are used in this thesis to best determine how to enhance the social and economic elements of the sustainable development premIse III order to achieve, in theory, the biological components necessary for a successful conservation strategy. The findings within this study, from the case study examples and secondary research, show that there are several recurring challenges and problems shared by initiators of CBC initiatives throughout the sub-continent. Issues include long project implementation periods due to government bureaucracy, planning procedures and the necessity to gain community support; debates over devolution of authority to local municipalities or tribal authorities; the risks of elite capture and/or the free rider concept whereby individuals do not change their hunting practices despite communal benefits accruing from wildlife conservation; community participation and benefit distribution; as well as the need to have clear communication channels between the community and the project implementers. The main conclusions drawn from this study emphasise several needs necessary for making CBC initiatives sustainable for the long term. Firstly, CBC initiatives need to conserve as well as create a variety of different ways for communities to earn a living and to minimise any disruption by CBC projects of pre-existing livelihood strategies carried out by local residents. Secondly, there needs to be a provision of outside assistance to facilitate local projects and to ensure the development of the necessary skills for local communities to eventually take on the initiatives themselves. Thirdly, clearly defined property rights, as well as conflict resolution mechanisms and the enforcement of any rules and regulations are further crucial criteria. Fourthly, it is important for communities to avoid exploitation and to maximise any benefits accruing from private investors utilising local community resources by developing favourable legal contracts. Fifthly, it was found that the inclusion of tribal structures in both the case study examples increased the trust and feeling of ownership by the respective communities. Finally, it was found that CBC projects require specific locations and the right criteria to be in place for their successful implementation. Not all communities or communal areas meet these criteria, which is why CBC should be seen more as an important and necessary supplement to conservation strategies as opposed to a holistic conservation policy tool. / Thesis (M.Dev. Studies)-University of Natal, Durban, 2004.

The dissertation presents the results of a study of the role of decentralisation and community participation in natural resource management in Tanzania. It analyses whether the shift of central government power to decentralised government units and the participation of local communities at village level result in more effective and more sustainable management of natural resources, wildlife in particular. The study uses Songea District and the Selous Conservation Programme south of Tanzania as a case study. As the examination of the origins and meaning of community-based natural resource management and decentralisation and the analysis of international experiences show, both approaches have been adapted in a number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The government of Tanzania, with the support of a wide range of donors, is implementing an ambitious Local Government Reform Programme. The Selous Conservation Programme, jointly administered by the Tanzania Wildlife Division and GTZ, is promoting community-based conservation in villages bordering the Selous Game Reserve. The new Wildlife Policy, 1998, aims at the country-wide implementation of community-based conservation. Linkages between local government reform and improved environmental management are weak from insitutional, legal and technical points of view. On the other hand, the country has a policy environment that is highly supportive to decentralised environmental management and there is potential for improvement at both local and national levels. Songea District Council has defined the sustainable management of natural resources and the environment as one of its development priorities. Concerning the implementation of the Local Government Reform Programme, the district faces some problems and difficulties. Lack of human capacity and insufficient financial resources constrain the decentralisation process. Until now, up to about 50 villages bordering the game reserve have established their Wildlife Management Areas utilising their hunting quota. Due to insufficient and overdue legislation, the communities cannot fully make use and benefit from their wildlife resource. If remained uncorrected in the near future, the sustainability of community-based conservation programmes is threatened. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-Univeristy of Natal, Durban, 2001.

Colonial conservation emerged as colonial conservationists perceived the threat of deforestation, climatic change and famine. The sense that there were limits to nature's capacity to meet human demands, led to colonial conservationism which portrayed nature as separated from human life. Protected areas (PA's), both forest and game reserves, were created that excluded local people in terms of both access and management. In South Africa the National Forests Act 84 of 1998 has created new conditions in which there is a greater opportunity for communities to benefit from indigenous forests, which apart from their other uses are a valuable resource from the point of view of ecotourism. This study thus seeks to assess moves from exclusivist to community based forms of environmental decision-making (EDM) at Dlinza Forest Nature Reserve. This study provides an example of an ecotourism project started during the democratic period in South Africa and at the height of the global move to community conservation. First however it traces the management history of the forest in order to assess change in the management style over time. The study investigates rural people's attitudes towards the forest and it was found that although the forest was preserved for many years, the rural people still feel much attached to it as a result of the beliefs they have about it. The study contrasts different visions of the forest in terms of competing use and non-use values, and demonstrates that each group exercised its will and attempted to display "ownership" of the forest through a number of activities undertaken at the forest. An analysis of the public participation followed in terms of the ecotourism project was undertaken to determine the extent to which the rural community was involved. Theoretical models of environmental decision-making were applied in order to identify the mode of decisionmaking used historically and in the present. The results of the study show that poor rural people are still marginalized in EDM despite the new philosophies of PA management and the democratising shifts taking place in the country. Resistance to the policies and regulations of the reserve has been observed and this may lead to severe degradation of the resources that the reserve is meant to protect. The study thus recommends strengthening locally based EDM via partnerships as partnerships do not only provide relief for the consequences of conflict, they also strive for a win-win situation. The study concluded that greater involvement of the rural community requires a change in the mindset of conservation authorities, in particular with regard to the issue of representivity in EDM. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2004.

The movement to conserve natural resources in the United States began as a response to the perceived inefficiency which governed resource allocation. The subsequent environmental movement served to expand the definition of conservation to include not only the efficient use of resources, but also the preservation of land in its natural state. In Indiana, this supposed deficiency in conservation led some environmentalists to establish the Indiana Nature Preserves System which locates remnants of the Indiana wilderness and protects them from development. The Indiana Nature Preserves System is symbolic of the Land Ethic proposed by the early ecologist Aldo Leopold, who believed that man was but one component of the "land community." To alter all natural areas, Leopold and Indiana preservationists argued, was both an assault on ecological stability and on the right of nature to exist for its own sake. / Department of History

This study is an interdisciplinary ecological study addressing the fine-scale relationships between plants, invertebrates and the environment in an alpine ecosystem. Alpine environments are marked by steep environmental gradients and complex habitat mosaics at various spatial scales. Regular forming periglacial patterned ground landforms on the Old Man Range, Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand present an ideal medium for studying plant-invertebrate-environment relationships due to their partitioning of the landscape into discrete units of contrasting environmental conditions, and the existence of some baseline knowledge of the soil, microclimate, vegetation and flora. The study was conducted in three types of patterned ground (hummocks, stripes and solifluction terraces) on the Old Man Range. Each component of the study was sampled at the same spatial scale for comparison. Temperature was recorded in the soil and ground surface from April 2001 to March 2004 in microtopographic subunits (microsites) of each patterned ground landform. Plant species cover was sampled within each microsite; invertebrates were sampled from soil cores taken from the same locations as plant samples in April 2001 and September 2001. The two sampling occasions coincided with autumn before the soil freezes, and winter when maximum freezing was expected. Fine-scale changes in the topographic relief of the patterned ground led to notable differences in the timing and duration of snow. The steepest environmental gradients existed during periods of uneven snow distribution. The soil in exposed or south-facing microsites froze first, beginning in May, and typically froze to more than 40cm depth. Least exposed microsites rarely froze. Within the microtopography, patterns of freezing at specific locations were consistent between years with only minor differences in the timing or depths of freezing; however, notable variation in freezing existed between similar microsites. Within the microtopography, different assemblages of organisms were associated with different microsites. In total, 84 plant and lichen species were recorded, grouping into six community types. Species composition was best explained by growing degree-days, freeze-thaw cycles, time frozen and snow-free days; species diversity and richness increased with increasing environmental stress as indicated by freeze-thaw cycles, time frozen and exposure. In total 20,494 invertebrates, representing four Phyla, 12 Classes, 23 Orders and 295 morpho-taxa were collected from 0.17m� of soil. Acari, Collembola and Pseudococcidae were the most abundant invertebrates. Over 95% of the invertebrates were found in the plant material and first 10cm depth of soil. Few significant relationships were found between diversity, richness or abundance of invertebrate taxa and the microsites; however, multivariate analyses identified distinct invertebrate assemblages based on abundance. Invertebrate composition was best explained by recent low temperature and moisture, particularly in winter; however, plant composition also explained invertebrate composition, but more so in autumn. This research has shown that organisms in the alpine environment of the Old Man Range are sensitive to fine-scale changes in their environment. These results have implications as to how historical changes to the ecosystem may have had long-lasting influences on the biota, as well as how a currently changing climate may have further impacts on the composition and distribution of organisms.