Nature reserves affect the local environment and communities. I use household data from the Chinese Household Income Project (CHIP) to estimate the impacts of nature reserves on several aspects of rural households: migration, local off-farm work, and off-farm income. This thesis also examines the heterogeneous impacts of nature reserves across administrative levels, lengths of existence time, and types. To reduce selection bias, propensity scores matching (PSM) is carried out to match counties with nature reserves to counties that have a similar possibility of establishing nature reserves, but that do not yet have any. Considering that counties with nature reserves might affect their neighboring counties without nature reserves, I construct two additional samples: one that excludes adjacent counties, and the other that generates new indicators for adjacent counties to check spillover effects directly. I use models with year fixed effects and county fixed effects to estimate the impacts across samples. The estimation results show that national nature reserves (NNRs) generally decrease the possibility of migration, while the impact depends on how long the NNRs have been in place. In the short run, NNRs increase migration. Forest NNRs significantly decrease migration but increase participation in local off-farm work and off-farm income. Nonforest NNRs have positive influences on migration and off-farm income. Although both forest and nonforest NNRs increase off-farm income, the sources might be different. The off-farm income increase in counties with forest NNRs might come from local off-farm work because forest NNRs encourage local off-farm work. The off-farm income increase in counties with nonforest NNRs might come from migration work because nonforest NNRs increase migration. Provincial nature reserves (PNRs) increase the likelihood of migration and the estimates also imply that PNRs only have short-run impacts on the local communities. Forest PNRs increase migration while nonforest ones decrease migration. PNRs generally decrease participation in local off-farm work and off-farm income, except for nonforest PNRs increase both of them. The results indicate that nature reserves of different administrative levels and lengths of existence time negatively affect local off-farm participation and off-farm income. These results imply that nature reserves in China during 2002-2013 had overall negative impacts on the local livelihood. / M.S. / Nature reserves are a crucial ecological policy in China for protecting endangered species and the environment. There is no doubt that nature reserves are beneficial to the environment. However, the multi-faceted social impacts of the establishment of nature reserves on the local households are unclear. This thesis studies the impacts of nature reserves on migration, participating in local off-farm work, and household off-farm income. I obtained household data from the Chinese Household Income Project (CHIP). The selection of nature reserves' locations is nonrandom: counties with nature reserves and those without are different in geographic characteristics, such as the distances to the nearest provincial capital and prefecture, average slope, and average elevation, which could be correlated with local economic development. Without eliminating those differences, the results will be misleading when comparing counties with nature reserves with those without nature reserves. This thesis considers the heterogeneous impacts of nature reserves across administrative levels, lengths of existence time, and types. Considering that counties with nature reserves might also affect their adjacent counties without nature reserves, I construct two additional samples: one that excludes adjacent counties and the other that generates new indicators for adjacent counties to measure the spillover effects directly. The results show that different designations of nature reserves have various impacts on migration. National nature reserves (NNRs) decrease migration, while provincial nature reserves (PNRs) generally increase migration. In the short run, NNRs increase migration and PNRs also increase migration. In general, nature reserves across different administrative levels and lengths of existence time all decrease local off-farm participation and off-farm income. This result implies that nature reserves in China during 2002-2013 had overall negative impacts on the local livelihood in the aspects of participation in local off-farm work and off-farm income.

This research presents the first coastal and marine protected areas specific quantitative management plan evaluation protocol. This critical research gap in the coastal and marine protected area (CMPA) research literature was addressed by creating a protocol for evaluating CMPA plan quality utilizing a combination of marine protected area (MPA) and land use planning techniques for the first time, then applying it to a sample of CMPAs providing both descriptive results of CMPA plan quality and analysis of factors that might influence plan quality. A sample of CMPAs (n=40) under the jurisdiction of Florida‟s Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas (CAMA) was evaluated for plan quality using 96 indicators scored as 0, 1, or 2 and then divided into five plan components: factual basis, goals and objectives, policies, tools and strategies, inter-governmental coordination and cooperation, and implementation and monitoring. Total CMPA plan quality averaged 29.40 out of a possible 50.00. CMPA plan quality ranged from 20.00 to 47.00 with a standard deviation of 7.07. Regression analysis examined the effects of CMPA context, participation, environmental threats and socioeconomic factors on CMPA plan quality. The age of CMPA plans was found to be a significant indicator of CMPA plan quality. Other significant indicators of plan quality included threatened biodiversity, participation, and percent of adjacent developed or agricultural land.

In what can be characterized as a period of rapid ecological change, the global community has now reached an agreement on the importance of protecting what remains of the world’s biological diversity. In 2011, world governments pledged to extend protected areas (PAs) to 17% of the earth’s surface. Although, accumulated research documents the role PAs areas play in coping with environmental change, much of conservation practice remains at odds with the actual purpose of conservation: to enable natural and human systems to adapt and sustain life. Challenges in PA planning and management, and their connections (or lack thereof) to wider socio-economic and institutional frameworks have made environmental governance a leading concern in the study of PAs. This research examined the nature and dimensions of environmental governance affecting adaptive capacity and the sustainability of protected landscapes, particularly for PAs deemed to have been established and/or operating through ‘participatory’ governance. These issues are explored through comparative research based on case studies of two coastal PAs: Pacific Rim National Park Reserve in Canada, and Saadani National Park in Tanzania. Methods utilized included gathering qualitative and spatial data through interactions with decision-making bodies and representatives of agencies at the village/First Nations and park levels, interviews with state authorities at district and higher levels and document research. The research findings on the two PAs and adjacent communities unravel the nature and dynamics of steering institutions, institutional interplay and spatial interconnectedness as they relate to cooperation, agency and adaptability within and around protected landscapes. An examination of spatial and institutional arrangements within national frameworks, and an examination of governance and management practice at the level of individual parks reveal significant mismatches between policy discourses on multi-level cooperation and actual practice in state-based conservation. This research also reveals ways in which sustainability can be conceived and addressed through institutions and institutional interplay among park and community actors. The research analyzed ways in which encompassing frameworks shaped institutions, relationships and activities on the ground, and spatial interconnectedness and interdependence shaped the actions and agency of grassroots actors. The findings also demonstrate that there are critical differences between participation and the exercising of agency. While it is important to achieve a fair distribution of burdens and benefits across levels, it is shared jurisdiction and fair institutional interplay, rather than economic benefits, which can better enable all levels of social organizations to contribute to sustainability. In this regard, enhancing agency is essential to enabling adaptability and goes beyond addressing disruptive power relations; it also entails redefining perceptions of human nature and of spatial interconnectedness among communities and natural landscapes in the design of environmental institutions. It is through institutionally-driven processes, such as giving full political and financial support to states fixed on gaining spatial control of culturally diverse landscapes through restrictive conservation approaches, that conservation has become an instrument of oppression, and it is only through institutionally-driven means that acknowledge the importance and role of indigenous approaches to preserve ecological diversity that PAs can be made to serve their purpose: to preserve nature and cultural heritage for present and future generations. / Graduate / 0534 / 0366 / aleja@uvic.ca

Despite the dramatic increase in ecotourism as a sustainable development strategy over the last two decades (Honey 2008; Yunis 2000), theoretical models to interpret and evaluate ecotourism—as well as the broader field of tourism—are lacking (Farrell and Twining-Ward 2003; Weaver and Lawton 2007). Farrell and Twining-Ward (2003) call for a reconceptualization of tourism study that incorporates social-ecological systems (SES) theory. This dissertation responds by assessing ecotourism as an SES in a dryland setting, addressing the question: "What key characteristics of ecotourism increase social-ecological resilience?" The study site is Santa Rosa National Park and surrounding communities in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Higham and Lück (2008) cite sustainability as the "ultimate goal of ecotourism" (Higham and Lück 2008, p 124); however sustainability itself proves to be a difficult concept to measure and evaluate (Cater and Lowman 1994; Dernbach 2002; Weaver 2001a). SES theory recognizes sustainability as a process rather than an end goal and identifies resilience as a key attribute (Berkes, Colding, and Folke 2003). With ecotourism as an economic strategy of nearly every developing country since the early 1990s and an increasing economic strategy in rural areas worldwide (Valaoras, Pistolas, and Sotiropoulou 2002; Honey 2008), this study investigates ecotourism through the lens of social-ecological resilience for increased sustainability. Based on a 12-month survey conducted in Santa Rosa National Park and the surrounding area, this study identifies characteristics of ecotourism that can cause different levels of resilience using indicators of increasing biodiversity, economic diversity and social capital. These relationships are represented by linked and continually changing social and ecological systems, diagramed by Holling‘s adaptive renewal cycle (Berkes, Colding, and Folke 2003; Gunderson and Holling 2002). Three research papers are included as part of this dissertation: 1) Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Parque Nacional Santa Rosa Ecotourism Study: Final Survey Results, Analysis and Recommendations; 2) Ecotourism‘s Contribution to Social-ecological Resilience: A Case Study Analysis of Rural, Dryland Ecotourism in Guanacaste, Costa Rica; and 3) Barrier-free Ecotourism? The Costa Rican Approach. Findings of this study include recommendations for ecotourism programs to increase social-ecological resilience and contribute to the sustainability of linked SESs.

This diploma thesis deals with the legal regime of protected areas and protective zones used to protect water. The diploma thesis is composed of four chapters. Chapter one defines basic terms, a protected area and protective zone, in general. This chapter also contains a comparison of both institutes and their application in environmental protection. The second chapter deals with the sources of relevant legislation protected areas and protective zones to protect water. Chapters three and four are central of the thesis as they contain an interpretation of legislation of each types of protected areas and protective zones to protect water. For individual institutes is analyzed their concept, function, form and method of their determination and especially their special legal regime based namely on bans and restrictions regarding certain activities in the given area. Attention is also paid to various limitations of property rights to real estate in the protected areas and protective zones and to possible compensations for such limitations.

No description available.

Legal regulation of nature protection in national parks Abstract The purpose of the thesis is to provide an overview of legal instruments used to protect nature in national parks after the amendment of the Act No. 114/1992 Coll., On Nature and Landscape Protection ("NLP") and evaluate their functionality. Although Act No. 123/2017 Coll., which amended the NPL, has been in effect since June 1, 2017, changes are being reflected in practice gradually. The thesis is elaborated by a descriptive method connected with the analysis of effective legislation and it is formally divided into six chapters. The first chapter deals with sources of legal regulation, the second one deals with the term of national park itself, including a short historical excursion and the international concept of IUCN. This chapter also includes the issue of the protection zone and the process of proclaiming national parks. The third chapter is devoted to the new concept of management zoning and also contains the current information on the zoning discussion in individual national parks. The fourth chapter contains an overview of the tools that lead to the limitation of various activities in the territory of the national park, whether they are basic or closer protective conditions, restrictions and prohibition of activities according to § 66...

Dentre as estratégias governamentais de salvaguardar o patrimônio natural e cultural está a criação de áreas protegidas (AP), que, no Brasil são denominadas Unidades de Conservação (UC). A categoria mais conhecida e difundida é a de parques, que também simboliza o início da criação dessas áreas no mundo. Esta pesquisa foi desenvolvida no Parque Estadual da Cantareira (PEC), localizado na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo (RMSP) e teve como foco o Programa de Uso Público (PUP) e o processo de concessão de serviços. O PEC é responsável pela prestação de diversos serviços ecossistêmicos, com destaque para produção de água e atividades de ecoturismo, lazer, recreação e educação ambiental. A pesquisa foi realizada por meio do método monográfico com pesquisas bibliográfica e documental, pesquisa de campo, observação e entrevistas. Para a realização da pesquisa empírica, foi utilizado um método funcional de investigação exploratória. O Parque desempenha papel fundamental para a prática de lazer e recreação, especialmente para a região do entorno. Seus quatro núcleos abertos à visitação, possuem características distintas e peculiares em relação a estrutura, contratos e frequentadores. O PUP, aprovado em 2009 pelo Conselho Estadual de Meio Ambiente (CONSEMA), foi parcialmente implantado e constatou-se, neste período de uma década, importantes avanços, mas também significativos retrocessos. A concessão de serviços, que foi retomada no Estado com a promulgação da Lei n° 16.260, de 2016, teve o PEC como uma das unidades-piloto. Realizou-se acompanhamento das diversas etapas que precederam a publicação do edital e constatou-se, dentro outros aspectos, a ausência de processos genuínos de diálogo e participação. / Among the governmental strategies to safeguard the natural and cultural heritage is the creation of protected areas (AP), which in Brazil are called conservation units (UC). The most well-known and widespread category is parks, which also symbolizes the beginning of the creation of these areas in the world. This research was developed in Cantareira State Park (PEC), located in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (RMSP) and focused on the Public Use Program (PUP) and the service concession process. The PEC is responsible for the provision of several Ecosystem Services, with emphasis on water production and ecotourism, leisure, recreation and environmental education activities. The research was carried out through the monographic method with bibliographical and documentary research, field research, observation and interviews. For the accomplishment of the empirical research, a functional method of exploratory investigation was used. The Park plays a fundamental role for the practice of leisure and recreation, especially for the surrounding region. Its four nuclei open to visitation, have distinct and peculiar characteristics in relation to structure, contracts and users. The PUP, approved in 2019 by the State Council for the Environment (CONSEMA), was partially implemented and a relevant progress was made in this period of a decade, but also significant setbacks. The concession of services, which was resumed in the State with the promulgation of Law No. 16,260, of 2016, had the PEC as one of the pilot units. Follow-up of the various stages that preceded the publication of the edict was made, and in other aspects the absence of genuine processes of dialogue and participation was observed.

A definição de ecoturismo adotada no Brasil é composta, basicamente, por três aspectos: a conservação do meio ambiente, a conscientização ambiental dos visitantes e o envolvimento da comunidade local. A partir desse enfoque, o presente trabalho analisa os resultados das políticas públicas para o desenvolvimento do uso público em Unidades de Conservação. A análise foi realizada por meio do estudo de casos de duas áreas protegidas, o Parque Estadual Turístico Alto do Ribeira (PETAR), localizado no Estado de São Paulo, no Brasil, e o Strathcona Provincial Park, situado na província de British Columbia, no Canadá. O estudo de casos múltiplos se utilizou de duas fontes de evidências, os documentos das políticas públicas identificadas e as entrevistas com os diversos atores envolvidos: poder público, comunidade local e visitantes. A análise dos documentos e das entrevistas foi realizada por meio da técnica de análise de conteúdo, com a utilização de procedimentos objetivos para o estudo dos textos. Inicialmente é apresentada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre políticas públicas, áreas protegidas e uso público, bem como uma descrição de todos os atos normativos identificados sobre uso público em Unidade de Conservação nos dois países e os resultados da análise de conteúdo. Entre os principais resultados, destaca-se que o foco das políticas públicas em atividades mais permissivas, no caso canadense, ou na restrição de atividades, no caso brasileiro, não é preponderante para a conservação do meio ambiente. A política de terceirizações, adotada em British Columbia e que começa a ser implantada em São Paulo, tem impactado de forma mais direta os três aspectos analisados. / The ecotourism definition adopted in Brazil is composed, basically, by three aspects: environmental conservation, environmental awareness of visitors and involvement of local community. From that approach, this study analyzes the results of public policies for public use development inside protected areas. The analysis was accomplished through the case study of two protected areas, Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park (PETAR), located in the State of Sao Paulo, in Brazil, and Strathcona Provincial Park, situated in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The multiple case study was based on two sources of evidence, the identified public policies documents, and interviews with the various stakeholders: government, local community and visitors. The analysis of documents and interviews was performed through the content analysis technique, which uses objective procedures for the text\'s study. Initially a literature review on public policies, protected areas and public use is presented, as well as a description of all identified legal acts on public use in protected areas in both countries, followed by the content analysis results. Among the key findings, it is highlighted that the focus of the policies in permissive activities, as in the Canadian case, or in its restriction, like in Brazil, is not the most significant aspect for the conservation of the environment. The outsourcing policy, already adopted in British Columbia and that starts to be deployed in Sao Paulo, has impacted more directly the three analyzed aspects.

As tartarugas na Amazônia são particularmente sensíveis à pressão humana, já que os impactos nas áreas de nidificação podem afetar negativamente a taxa de reprodução das populações. A seleção do local de nidificação é um componente fundamental para o sucesso de desova, no entanto, a associação entre a escolha do local e a aptidão do local escolhido ainda é pouco estudada. Neste trabalho testamos um conjunto de variáveis para explicar os padrões de nidificação em Tracajás (Podocnemis unifilis), com base em dados coletados em 73 locais de nidificação ao longo de 118 km de rio na Amazônia Oriental Brasileira. Modelos lineares generalizados (GLMs) foram usados para avaliar as influências antropogênicas e ambientais nos padrões de seleção do local de nidificação (número de ninhos, densidade de ninhos, distância do ninho à água e variação na distância à água) e adequabilidade do local de nidificação (remoção de ninhos por humanos). Como resultado, encontramos que o número e densidade de ninhos foram fortemente explicados por variáveis ambientais, e a distancia do ninho á água diminuiu com a proximidade as casas. A remoção humana foi o principal responsável pela perda de ninhos (47% dos ninhos foram removidos) principalmente nos trechos do rio com maior atividade humana. Nossos dados sugerem que mudanças antropogênicas estão levando a diferenças entre a escolha de local de nidificação e a sua adequabilidade, assim, nos rios onde humanos tem maior acesso, sinais usados pelas fêmeas para selecionar áreas de nidificação não estão permitindo desovas bem-sucedidas. Ao contrário das previsões nas hipóteses, os achados demonstram que as fêmeas não parecem evitar desovar em locais perigosos e inadequados. Portanto, ações diretas, como a proteção de áreas de nidificação, são vitais para a conservação das tartarugas na Amazônia. / Amazonian freshwater turtles are particurlarly sensitive to human pressure, since impacts on their nesting areas can negatively affect reproductive rate of populations. Nest-site selection is a fundamental component of freshwater turtle nesting success, however, linking oviposition choices to overall suitability of nest-site selection remains poorly tested. We tested a set of variables to explain nesting patterns in the yellow-spotted river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis), based on data collected from 73 nesting sites along 118 km of river in the eastern Brazilian Amazon. General Linear Models (GLMs) were used to evaluate anthropogenic and environmental influences on patterns in nest-site selection (four responses: number of nests, nest density, distance from nest to water and variation in distance to water) and nest-site suitability (removal of nests by humans). Number and density of nest were largely explained by environmental variables, and distance from nest to water decreased with the proximity to human habitations. Human removal of nests was the primary driver of nest failure (47% of the nests were removed) and removal was higher in sections of river with higher human activity. We show that anthropogenic changes are driving differences between nest-site selection and suitability, whereby the signals used by females to select nesting areas no longer enable successful nesting along rivers accessible to humans. Contrary to predictions from the hypotheses, our findings demonstrate that females do not appear to avoid nesting in dangerous and unfit sites. Therefore, direct actions including the protection of nesting areas are vital for the conservation of Amazonian freshwater turtles.