Water provision is an important tool in the management of savanna ecosystems. Artificial water sources are a potential focus for degradation (biodiversity and loss of ecosystem resilience at a range of spatio-temporal scales), because they alter plant-animal interactions and soil function and stability, through the creation of piospheres. This study was undertaken as part of a drive by the Kruger National Park (KNP) to enable managers to integrate artificial waterhole management (e.g. waterhole closure or rotation) when setting goals for heterogeneity and biodiversity conservation in the park. The over-arching goal was to quantify the relationship between water provision and different attributes of heterogeneity, as part of a broader initiative to place water provision and piospheres within an ecosystem threshold framework. Herbivore utilisation gradients (piospheres) around artificial waterholes in the KNP, described in 1990, were resurveyed in 2006-2007, against a backdrop of waterhole closure in the KNP, to contribute to an understanding of the factors governing recovery and resilience in grazing systems. The responses of the plant community and soil parameters to a relaxation of herbivore utilisation pressure around closed waterholes (recovering piospheres) were examined, as were changes in the same parameters at sites that have remained open (active piospheres). These ecosystem properties were considered in relation to structural and functional ecosystem thresholds, and the piospheres surveyed incorporated a range of rainfall and edaphic gradients in the KNP. Herbaceous basal cover and soil infiltration capacity both increased significantly between 1990 and 2006/7, regardless of waterhole status. This was linked to higher rainfall in 2006/7, compared to 1990. The only vegetation variables to respond consistently to distance from water were the remote-sensed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and herbaceous species composition. NDVI increased with distance from water, and annual grasses and forbs were most abundant close to water. Perennial, disturbance-sensitive climax species increased in abundance further from water. Soil analyses (N, P, pH, organic matter, and texture) and field measurements (infiltration, compaction) revealed no systematic piosphere patterns. Waterhole closure did not result in soil or vegetation recovery, but piosphere intermittency and the increases of basal cover and infiltration rate indicated that ecosystem resilience has not been compromised vii by long-term artificial water provision in the KNP. This study has shown that the traditional piosphere model is of limited use in sub-humid savanna ecosystems like the KNP during above-average rainfall periods. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

The tourism industry is becoming increasingly more competitive, making it essential for tourism destinations to understand why tourists travel to specific destinations. Travel motives are seen as important factors affecting tourist behaviour. Understanding the travel motives of tourists is essential information for the development of a tourism product and its marketing strategy. Tourists to different destinations have different internal reasons for doing so, and wish to fulfil certain needs. These needs motivate tourists to choose a certain destination and, therefore, identifying the travel motives of tourists to tourism destinations will help the destination to better target their marketing strategies to tourists with common motives. The aim of this study is to determine the travel motives of tourists to selected national parks in South Africa as well as to determine whether there are differences and/or similarities between these motives. The parks concerned are the Addo Elephant-, Augrabies Falls- and Golden Gate Highlands National Parks. This will assist SANParks in their future marketing efforts and help to better understand why the tourists choose to visit the respective parks. A literature review regarding tourist behaviour was carried out to achieve Objective 1, which was to conduct a theoretical analysis of tourist behaviour. The primary reasons for understanding tourist behaviour are to be able to retain your customer for life, to fulfil the tourists’ needs and to develop better target marketing strategies. To understand tourists’ travel motives better, studying tourist behaviour becomes important. The tourist’s decision-making process (that forms part of the tourism behaviour model) is divided into six stages. These are, awareness of a need; seeking information; evaluation of information; decision making; action or buying and postpurchase evaluation. The tourist behaviour model consists of a number of factors that influence this decision-making process, including internal (for example perception, learning and motivation) and external (for example culture, social class and family) influences as well as personal (race, gender and age) and market-related (climate, economy and government) influencers. The most important influence relevant to this study is motivation. To achieve Objective 2, which was to conduct a theoretical analysis of travel motives of tourists to nature based products, a literature review concerning the travel motives of tourists was carried out. This revealed that a number of different travel motives to tourism destinations have been identified. Internal needs motivate tourists to travel to specific destinations, in the hope of fulfilling these needs. Research on travel motives is based on a number of theories, and some of the important motives that arose were: nature, wildlife, escape, relaxation, education, novelty, socialisation, family recreation and destination attractions. In conclusion, there are similarities as well as differences in the travel motives of tourists to different natural areas. Objectives 3 and 4 included determining the profiles as well as the travel motives of tourists to the selected national parks. Secondary data was used to determine the profiles and travel motives of the tourists. The first section focused on the profiles of the tourists, which proved to be quite similar in all three parks, with minor differences regarding province of residence and the languages spoken. The second section focused on the travel motives of these tourists, and a factor analysis was used to extract six factors from the data. These factors were: relax and socialise, park attractions, nature and wildlife, knowledge-seeking, photography and park activities. The factors of tourists to each park were compared by means of a practical significance test (ANOVA) to determine the differences in travel motives to each park. The results revealed that certain travel motives were more important to certain of the three selected national parks, for example: knowledge-seeking is more important to tourists visiting the Addo Elephant National Park, relax and socialise is more important to tourists visiting the Augrabies Falls National Park, and park activities are more important to tourists visiting the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. By determining the differences and similarities in travel motives to the three selected national parks, the aim of this study was achieved. The results are in agreement with other researchers’ findings that there are a number of travel motives motivating tourists to visit certain destinations, and this study determined that these motives differ from destination to destination. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The tourism industry is becoming increasingly more competitive, making it essential for tourism destinations to understand why tourists travel to specific destinations. Travel motives are seen as important factors affecting tourist behaviour. Understanding the travel motives of tourists is essential information for the development of a tourism product and its marketing strategy. Tourists to different destinations have different internal reasons for doing so, and wish to fulfil certain needs. These needs motivate tourists to choose a certain destination and, therefore, identifying the travel motives of tourists to tourism destinations will help the destination to better target their marketing strategies to tourists with common motives. The aim of this study is to determine the travel motives of tourists to selected national parks in South Africa as well as to determine whether there are differences and/or similarities between these motives. The parks concerned are the Addo Elephant-, Augrabies Falls- and Golden Gate Highlands National Parks. This will assist SANParks in their future marketing efforts and help to better understand why the tourists choose to visit the respective parks. A literature review regarding tourist behaviour was carried out to achieve Objective 1, which was to conduct a theoretical analysis of tourist behaviour. The primary reasons for understanding tourist behaviour are to be able to retain your customer for life, to fulfil the tourists’ needs and to develop better target marketing strategies. To understand tourists’ travel motives better, studying tourist behaviour becomes important. The tourist’s decision-making process (that forms part of the tourism behaviour model) is divided into six stages. These are, awareness of a need; seeking information; evaluation of information; decision making; action or buying and postpurchase evaluation. The tourist behaviour model consists of a number of factors that influence this decision-making process, including internal (for example perception, learning and motivation) and external (for example culture, social class and family) influences as well as personal (race, gender and age) and market-related (climate, economy and government) influencers. The most important influence relevant to this study is motivation. To achieve Objective 2, which was to conduct a theoretical analysis of travel motives of tourists to nature based products, a literature review concerning the travel motives of tourists was carried out. This revealed that a number of different travel motives to tourism destinations have been identified. Internal needs motivate tourists to travel to specific destinations, in the hope of fulfilling these needs. Research on travel motives is based on a number of theories, and some of the important motives that arose were: nature, wildlife, escape, relaxation, education, novelty, socialisation, family recreation and destination attractions. In conclusion, there are similarities as well as differences in the travel motives of tourists to different natural areas. Objectives 3 and 4 included determining the profiles as well as the travel motives of tourists to the selected national parks. Secondary data was used to determine the profiles and travel motives of the tourists. The first section focused on the profiles of the tourists, which proved to be quite similar in all three parks, with minor differences regarding province of residence and the languages spoken. The second section focused on the travel motives of these tourists, and a factor analysis was used to extract six factors from the data. These factors were: relax and socialise, park attractions, nature and wildlife, knowledge-seeking, photography and park activities. The factors of tourists to each park were compared by means of a practical significance test (ANOVA) to determine the differences in travel motives to each park. The results revealed that certain travel motives were more important to certain of the three selected national parks, for example: knowledge-seeking is more important to tourists visiting the Addo Elephant National Park, relax and socialise is more important to tourists visiting the Augrabies Falls National Park, and park activities are more important to tourists visiting the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. By determining the differences and similarities in travel motives to the three selected national parks, the aim of this study was achieved. The results are in agreement with other researchers’ findings that there are a number of travel motives motivating tourists to visit certain destinations, and this study determined that these motives differ from destination to destination. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Human-wildlife conflict continues to grow as a concern across the world. The conflict is experienced in many different forms and it has become persistent on the pastoral lands that are situated closer to the boundaries of protected areas with livestock predation being the most prevalent form of conflict. The type and severity of the conflict is largely dependent on the predator involved and the efficiency of the mitigation techniques employed. In an attempt to minimise human-wildlife interactions, many countries have set aside pieces of land for biodiversity conservation and management of wildlife species. However, the majority of these protected areas are too small to meet the ecological requirements of resident medium-large predator species. This results in some species dispersing into the neighbouring unprotected land where they come into contact with domestic animals, killing them and sometimes causing injuries. These livestock attacks ultimately trigger indiscriminate killing of predators that is fuelled by economic losses that are accrued through livestock predation and communities‟ I ABSTRACT Human-wildlife conflict continues to grow as a concern across the world. The conflict is experienced in many different forms and it has become persistent on the pastoral lands that are situated closer to the boundaries of protected areas with livestock predation being the most prevalent form of conflict. The type and severity of the conflict is largely dependent on the predator involved and the efficiency of the mitigation techniques employed. In an attempt to minimise human-wildlife interactions, many countries have set aside pieces of land for biodiversity conservation and management of wildlife species. However, the majority of these protected areas are too small to meet the ecological requirements of resident medium-large predator species. This results in some species dispersing into the neighbouring unprotected land where they come into contact with domestic animals, killing them and sometimes causing injuries. These livestock attacks ultimately trigger indiscriminate killing of predators that is fuelled by economic losses that are accrued through livestock predation and communities‟ negative perceptions towards predators. Camera trapping and spoor count techniques were used to study the occupancy of medium-large predator species and their movement in and out of Jwana Game Park through the holes that occur under the park‟s perimeter fence. In addition, a questionnaire survey was conducted in the cattle posts that are situated adjacent to Jwana Game Park. Seven medium-large predator species were detected within the boundaries of the park. Occupancy estimates varied among the predator species within the different sections of the game park. Predators also exhibited movement between the park and adjacent pastoral land using holes that occurred under the park‟s boundary fence. A total of 128 active holes were recorded under the park‟s perimeter fence with the majority (62%) of the intensively used holes occurring in the south-west section of the park. A total of 185 predator images were recorded at the various holes under the boundary fence with black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) constituting the majority (45%) of capture events. Human wildlife conflict is common on the neighbouring farmlands and jackal was perceived to be responsible for the majority of the livestock depredation incidents of small stock (mainly goats), whereas leopard was perceived as the most problematic predator species on the commercial cattle ranches where it accounted for 63% of livestock losses. There was no association between the occupancy of predators inside the park and the use of holes that occur under the park‟s the boundary fence. Conflict mitigation techniques were not efficiently practiced by communities farming in the vicinity of the game park, which potentially contributed to increased livestock attacks. The incapability of the boundary fence to restrict animal movement could also contribute to increased unwanted predator-livestock interactions. / College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Science)

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Timothy D. Keane / Papago Park is an extraordinary urban space that has a rich history in the development of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The park was settled by pre-historic civilizations and has since been a significant recreation space for more recent generations. Although the park has been treasured among locals for ages, the development of large tourist attractions and other program elements have not been part of a cohesive park design. The park lacks a sense of unity and a strong local identity. Papago is unique in the fact that it is the only major urban park that showcases the native Sonoran Desert ecosystem. Conservation of these limited areas of native landscape is important. There is great potential for Papago to better respond to the environmental, educational, and recreational needs of the public. With this master plan, development of Papago Park is guided in order to unify park elements and strengthen its identity. It is intended that a cohesive park design which focuses on conservation of native landscape with an integrated social program will help Papago Park gain proper recognition on a regional and national scale.

In the southwestern United States there is a delicate balance between the existing grasslands and the rodent fauna. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the influence of secondary succession of native grasslands upon the ecology and distribution of small rodents. Two methods of determining the rodent species were plot quadrates and trap lines using Sherman live traps.

MSc. (Geology) / The Mesoproterozoic Pilanesberg Alkaline Complex is located in the north central region of the Kaapvaal Craton of South Africa and is one of the largest alkaline intrusive bodies in the world. It is also one of the least studied due to the fact that the dominant exposure of the complex forms part of the Pilanesberg National Park. The Pilanesberg Complex intruded into the western limb of the Paleoproterozoic Bushveld Complex, the complex is a circular structure of 530km2 appearing on the map as a set of concentric rings of different varieties of syenites, capped by extrusive pyroclastic units and lavas. The present study is focused on the petrography and mineral chemistry of the rocks and minerals in an outcrop of mainly lujavrite, which is located in the Ledig nepheline syenite previously referred to as Ledig foyaite, named after an informal settlement by the name of Ledig which is situated approximately a kilometer south of the outcrop. This unit is emplaced in the southern region of the Pilanesberg complex and is believed to be a hybrid of the white nepheline syenite and the green nepheline syenite. A number of different rock types were examined from this outcrop, however, detailed work was only carried out on the lujavrites, in particular the eudialyte bearing lujavrites. The lujavrites consist of porphyroblasts of heterogeneously-sized feldspars, feldspathoids and mafic minerals set within a finer grained material. The bulk rock geochemical data on the Ledig lujavrites indicate considerable variation, but no obvious trends. A selected number of samples collected from the ledig lujavrite outcrop were geochemically analysed, these samples sit within the nepheline syenite field and have a shoshonitic affinity. The samples analysed have a relatively wide range of SiO2 content (20.39% to 52.67%), however the majority of the samples fall between 47.07 and 52.67%, the fluorite rich sample analysed has the lowest SiO2 as well as the lowest alkali content. The lujavrites and tinguaites are silica undersaturated and rich in alkalis. All the samples analysed are alkaline in nature and fall in the ferroan field. There is some variation in the SiO2 content and a large variation in Mg# in the sample population, this appears to be due to different proportions of minerals occurring as phenocrysts. No clear trends emerge, which is in part due to the very large differences in element concentrations within rock types with similar SiO2 content and Mg#. A lack of geochemical variation stemming from Abstract differentiation was expected as the samples were collected from a single outcrop essentially within a single lithology. There are a number of different phases of eudialyte that have been identified and studied from the Pilanesberg, at both the outcrop and in the northern area of the green lujavrites. At the Ledig lujavrite outcrop, there are euhedral magmatic eudialytes, which contain nepheline inclusions as well as post-magmatic eudialytes present in the samples studied. The two textural types have distinctly different chemical compositions. The majority of the feldspars present within the Ledig lujavrites appear, from their texture, to be primary magmatic minerals, however there are also feldspars present within the lujavrites which appear to be a product of secondary unmixing of feldspars as documented by the perthitic textures. Sodalite is present as a magmatic mineral; however, it is most commonly observed in the interstitial spaces and is thought to be an alteration product of nepheline. Analcime occurs in the groundmass, forming in the intergranular reaction rim between mineral phases. The analcime is typically controlled by the shape of the interstices...

Wetlands provide many functions, which includes offering surface water, supplying groundwater, breeding and producing natural resources, offering natural landscape and touristic spot, providing area for ecology education or research and regulating regional ecosystem etc.. Their function in the environment can't be ignored, and thus they deserve to be protected. One research was focused on Niaosung Wetland Park(NWP). The Niaosung wetland park was developed from the sinking pool of the Cheng Chin Lake Branch, Taiwan Water Supply Company. The site was originally designed to precipitate sediments from wastewater exhausting from Cheng Chin Lake Water Treatment Plant. The sinking pool gradually became a small-scale artificial wetland by sufficient water and nutrients. NWP was launching in September, 2000, which have seen working more than four years. Although the construction methods of NWP were disputable and destroyed existing ecosystem, NWP was still tended slowly to nature after recovering naturally for four years. Actually, It is difficult to manage NWP for the reason of that it is located in Grant Kaohsiung municipal area. The other part of this research was focused on The Neiweipi Cultural Park in Kaohsiung¡]NCP¡^Museum of Fine Arts. NCP was established in 2000, and was divided into three areas: hill area, river area and wetland. It is combined with the Art Museum and ecological park, which can offer citizens many life styles, such as art, culture, recreation and ecology, etc.. In this study, we monitored the water quality and assessed the habitat of both wetland parks to get some strategies which would be used to manage and maintain these two wetland parks in order to let them become more sustenance, stability and variety. After monitoring for one year, the result shows that both of the artificial wetland parks, whose purposes were not used for wastewater treatment (purification of water quality), could reduce some non-point source pollution. If we want to maintain both of the wetland parks sustenance, we must use regularly artificial controls and monitoring data, involving plants, birds, insects and water quality etc., to stop their changing and improve the quality of habitat. Habitat recovery is one of these artificial controls, which could maintain the habitats under the best state to attract diverse creatures for their looking for food and perch.

Holocene patterns of sediment yield reconstructed from sediments in four lakes are used to assess the geomorphic sensitivity of four alpine-subalpine basins in Cathedral Provincial Park, British Columbia. A three stage process was used to assess basin sensitivity. Stage one involved appraisal of the potential generalisability over the landscape of the results to be derived from the lake basins. The four lakes, Quiniscoe , Glacier, Pyramid and Lake of the Woods lie at or just below treeline. Glacier, Pyramid and Quiniscoe lakes lie in cirque basins. Slope frequency analyses show that whilst slopes in these basins are representative of those in the cirques of Cathedral park they differ significantly from the wider landscape. Stage two of the process involved identification of Holocene variability in the sediment yield record. Cores from each of the lakes were correlated using magnetic susceptibility measurements and lithostratigraphy to define chronostratigraphic units. The mass of allochthonous mineral sediment deposited in each of these units was estimated using measured sediment density, carbonate content, loss on ignition, and biogenic silica. Sediment yield to the lake for each unit was calculated based on dating of zone boundaries, estimates of trap efficiency, and the mineral mass estimate. In order to identify significant variations in the record, a new method was developed for estimating error associated sediment yield estimates derived from lake sediments. Sediment yield estimates were compared with the published Holocene climate record to make an initial assessment of sensitivity. Stage three involved discriminating between true sensitivity to climate change in the record and coincidental correlation. The approach was to identify process linkages between the observed changes in sediment yield and the climate change record. Two methods of inferring process were used. Firstly process change was inferred directly from the sedimentology of the lake sediments. Secondly magnetic and mineralogical characterisations of lake and catchment sediments were used to identify changing sediment sources. The results show considerable variability in the patterns of Holocene sediment yield amongst the study basins. In particular, Glacier and Quiniscoe Lakes show a marked increase in sediment yield under cooler conditions ca. 3390 BP, which is not apparent at Pyramid and Lake of the Woods. The increase is driven by increased surface erosion in the two higher basins under cooler conditions, and with retreating treeline. The results suggest that the sensitivity of alpine and subalpine basins is both temporally and spatially contingent. The links between climate change, process change and variation in sediment yield are not simple, rather they is mediated by a series of 'resistances'. The variability in sediment yield was compared with the variable nature of the catchments and four important controls were identified: Sediment production, vegetation, relief, and the extent of fluvial development in the catchment. Maximum sensitivity was observed in steep ecotonal sites with a well developed fluvial system.

Downed woody material (fallen logs) offers spiders (Araneae) and ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) ideal nesting and foraging sites. In a maple forest of Forillon National Park, I compared spider and ant assemblages on, adjacent to, and away from fallen logs, and on these I tested the effects of log type and decay stage. In a second study, spider and ant assemblages were compared on, adjacent to, and away from fallen logs in different forest types. / In the first experiment spiders were highly affected by trap placement, and diversity was highest on the wood surface compared to the forest floor. In contrast, wood type and decomposition stage of logs had few significant effects on spiders. Log type did not affect the estimated number of spider species nor the spider catch rates. Decomposition stage did not affect spider collections, but less decayed logs were more diverse in spider than heavily decayed logs. / The second experiment showed that use of dead wood by spiders depends on forest type. Ant diversity and abundance was generally low, making it difficult to offer concrete conclusions related to log use by ant assemblages. This work brings additional support for the important role of dead wood to forest arthropod biodiversity.