Included in this thesis are two papers describing companion studies which employed complementary methodologies to study the issue of how Acadia National Park might balance resource protection efforts and maintain quality visitor experiences on the summit of Cadillac Mountain. In the first study, stated choice analysis was used to assess visitors' preferences for alternative combinations of public access, resource protection, visitor regulation, and site hardening to manage the Cadillac Mountain summit. Results suggest that visitors consider resource protection to be a priority and are willing to accept regulation of their behavior onsite, reinforced with the use of moderately to highly intensive management structures, but generally don't support limiting public access to the summit to achieve resource protection objectives. In the second study, qualitative interviews were conducted to provide an in-depth understanding of visitor experiences on the summit of Cadillac Mountain and how site management actions designed to achieve resource protection objectives might affect visitors' experiences. Respondents indicated that the summit of Cadillac Mountain is a centerpiece of Acadia National Park, and their experiences of the mountain summit are centered around the aesthetics and naturalness of Cadillac Mountain. Several factors emerged as influencing whether site management actions are deemed appropriate by visitors and perceived to affect visitors' experiences. In particular, site management structures that were perceived to blend in with the surroundings, be constructed of natural materials and protect vegetation were considered appropriate and of little consequence to visitors' experiences. Some study participants also suggested that site management structures that provide visitors with the opportunity to freely demonstrate their choice to help protect vegetation and soils can enhance visitors' experiences. In contrast, site management structures and actions perceived as being regulatory, confining, or limiting opportunities for visitors to choose to help protect vegetation resources were considered less appropriate and more likely to negatively affect visitors' experiences. / Master of Science

This study explores the factors that influence the management of a protected area situated on private land as well as the implications of these factors in the interaction between the NGO and the communities associated with this area. The protected area, Marine National Monument Cayos Cochinos, is an archipelago surrounded by reefs in the Honduran Caribbean. This area is home to a highly heterogeneous population of fisherfolk communities –most are members of the Garifuna ethnic group– and wealthy Honduran and foreign landowners. This case study also comprises three fisherfolk communities outside the protected area who fish in Cayos Cochinos. Local fishermen in Cayos Cochinos are settled in community-owned areas; however, these settlements started by the occupation of private lands. Wealthy landowners have either individual land titles or shares of a firm owning four of the islands. The protected area was established through the initiative of this firm to protect the natural resources. This area is nominally co-managed by a local nongovernmental organisation (NGO) and two government agencies; however in practice it is managed solely by the NGO. This study discusses the influence of the nature of the Honduran legislation regarding protected areas and of the co-management agreement on the management of Cayos Cochinos. This research also shows that the management priorities of this protected area are only partially based on the Honduran government’s laws and regulations and the guidelines specific for this area. Lack of government participation in the co-management of the area, financial constraints, influences on the NGO of stakeholders in higher positions of power with respect to it, personal preferences of the NGO managers and issues regarding the communities’ leadership, have all had an influence on the management priorities of the protected area since its constitution. The combined effect of these factors has influenced the management of the NGO towards prioritising the natural resource conservation. This area is managed under a ‘people-out’ conservation paradigm. The adoption of this paradigm has disadvantaged the fisherfolk communities inside and outside the protected area by restricting their access to the natural resources on which their livelihoods are highly dependent. However, the same situation has favoured the private landowners by limiting the access of the fisherfolk communities to the land owned by the former. The privileging of one community sector over another has created conflicts between the NGO and the fisherfolk communities. However, these conflicts have been fuelled by other factors such as the steady contesting of the land titles over the territories occupied by the latter, and by the support that external organisations have given to the latter at the expense of the original owners of the land. This research suggests that local NGOs in charge of the management of natural protected areas might have limited capacity to abide by national conservation and sustainable development priorities due to the likelihood to be influenced by external forces with different priorities.

This study explores the factors that influence the management of a protected area situated on private land as well as the implications of these factors in the interaction between the NGO and the communities associated with this area. The protected area, Marine National Monument Cayos Cochinos, is an archipelago surrounded by reefs in the Honduran Caribbean. This area is home to a highly heterogeneous population of fisherfolk communities –most are members of the Garifuna ethnic group– and wealthy Honduran and foreign landowners. This case study also comprises three fisherfolk communities outside the protected area who fish in Cayos Cochinos. Local fishermen in Cayos Cochinos are settled in community-owned areas; however, these settlements started by the occupation of private lands. Wealthy landowners have either individual land titles or shares of a firm owning four of the islands. The protected area was established through the initiative of this firm to protect the natural resources. This area is nominally co-managed by a local nongovernmental organisation (NGO) and two government agencies; however in practice it is managed solely by the NGO. This study discusses the influence of the nature of the Honduran legislation regarding protected areas and of the co-management agreement on the management of Cayos Cochinos. This research also shows that the management priorities of this protected area are only partially based on the Honduran government’s laws and regulations and the guidelines specific for this area. Lack of government participation in the co-management of the area, financial constraints, influences on the NGO of stakeholders in higher positions of power with respect to it, personal preferences of the NGO managers and issues regarding the communities’ leadership, have all had an influence on the management priorities of the protected area since its constitution. The combined effect of these factors has influenced the management of the NGO towards prioritising the natural resource conservation. This area is managed under a ‘people-out’ conservation paradigm. The adoption of this paradigm has disadvantaged the fisherfolk communities inside and outside the protected area by restricting their access to the natural resources on which their livelihoods are highly dependent. However, the same situation has favoured the private landowners by limiting the access of the fisherfolk communities to the land owned by the former. The privileging of one community sector over another has created conflicts between the NGO and the fisherfolk communities. However, these conflicts have been fuelled by other factors such as the steady contesting of the land titles over the territories occupied by the latter, and by the support that external organisations have given to the latter at the expense of the original owners of the land. This research suggests that local NGOs in charge of the management of natural protected areas might have limited capacity to abide by national conservation and sustainable development priorities due to the likelihood to be influenced by external forces with different priorities.

Given the ongoing biodiversity decline during a time of Indigenous resurgence, Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) are garnering interest from the academic community, Indigenous and state governments, and protected area practitioners. Though Indigenous forms of land and sea protection have existed for millennia, these actors are exploring how IPCA development and support can meet needs to protect biodiversity and respect Indigenous rights and roles in conservation. My main research objective was to advance academic and practical applications of IPCAs by drawing from global IPCA research while assisting the Kitasoo/Xai’xais Nation’s IPCA planning process. I investigated two research questions: 1. What are the key successes, challenges, and lessons from IPCA research globally? 2. What can we learn from the Kitasoo/Xai’xais Nation’s rationale and process for developing an IPCA? To answer my first question, I reviewed 58 papers, describing 86 specific IPCA initiatives involving at least 68 Indigenous Peoples across 25 countries. Indigenous Peoples established IPCAs independently and through local- and broad-scale partnerships. Where state IPCA support existed, it was through formal legislation, agreements, and policies, and informally through local relationships and shared values. IPCAs created socio-cultural, political, and ecological benefits. Challenges limited benefits while demanding additional resources for mitigation. I recommend that states and other external actors create/improve IPCA policies, legislations, and resources as defined by Indigenous Peoples; facilitate Indigenous leadership to shape external IPCA establishment and development mechanisms; and create internal Indigenous engagement/partnerships mechanisms. I suggest that Indigenous Peoples would benefit from building partnerships to support and manage their IPCAs. Finally, I recommend that IPCA managers commit more resources, particularly in monitoring and management that integrates management priorities with local and larger scale social-environmental issues. To answer my second question, in collaboration with the Kitasoo/Xai’xais Nation, we used participatory action research to assist efforts to plan a land-and-sea IPCA in Kitasoo/Xai’xais Territory. Together, we used mixed methods to summarize the Nation’s rationale and process. IPCA development is an iteration of ongoing efforts to address limitations of state protected areas to better reflect Kitasoo/Xai’xais rights and responsibilities while preserving culture, biodiversity, and economic opportunity. The Kitasoo/Xai’xais process is rooted in long-term Territory planning and contemporary stewardship capacity building, has benefitted from global IPCA research, and has ongoing multi-generational engagement. The Nation faces challenges similar to other protected areas and is additionally burdened by ongoing colonization impacts. To address these challenges, the Nation is seeking state legislative IPCA recognition, applying Indigenous and complementary western stewardship approaches, and pursuing responsibility-based partnerships. This research makes both practical and academic contributions. It assisted the Kitasoo/Xai’xais IPCA process by contributing to planning and documentation, to be used and modified by the Nation to implement current and future IPCAs. Other Indigenous organizations can adapt the lessons and processes described for their IPCA interests. Additionally, this work provides recommendations for states and other actors at various scales to improve IPCA support and recognition. This work also contributes to literature which highlight Indigenous-led conservation initiatives, including IPCAs, as potential pathways towards supporting biodiversity conservation and Indigenous resurgence. / Graduate

Le suivi des populations animales et végétales nous a amené à constater une perte importante de la diversité biologique. Les objectifs de la Convention sur la diversité biologique à atteindre pour 2010 sous-tendent la poursuite détaillée de ce suivi à l’échelle mondiale (CBD 2000). Cependant, il est difficile d’avoir une perception d’ensemble de la biodiversité d’un territoire, car les écosystèmes sont des entités dynamiques et évolutives, dans l’espace et dans le temps. Le choix d’un indicateur relevant de l’ensemble des ces caractéristiques devient donc primordial, bien qu’il s’agisse d’une tâche laborieuse. Ce projet propose d’utiliser la bioacoustique comme indicateur environnemental pour faire le suivi des espèces animales en milieu tropical. Afin de faire un suivi à une échelle régionale de la biodiversité, et ce, dans l’un des biomes les plus menacés de la planète, soit celui de la Mata Atlântica brésilienne, ce projet de recherche a comme objectif général de démontrer qu’il est possible d’associer la biophonie (événements sonores), à des événements biologiques (la richesse spécifique animale) en quantifiant des événements sonores (à l’aide des chants produits par les oiseaux, les insectes chanteurs de même que par les anoures) et en tentant de les associer aux fluctuations de la biodiversité. En plus de répondre à cet objectif général, trois objectifs spécifiques ont été définis : 1) comparer la biophonie et l’anthropophonie de milieux soumis à différents niveaux d’anthropisation ou de conservation afin d’évaluer l’impact anthropique sur le milieu, 2) évaluer la variabilité spatiale de la biodiversité, de même que 3) sa variabilité temporelle. Les résultats ont démontré que la biophonie est représentative de la biodiversité d’un milieu, et ce, même dans des conditions de biodiversité maximale puisqu’il existe une très forte relation entre les deux variables. De plus, les résultats révèlent une différence significative dans le ratio anthropophonie/biophonie de milieux soumis à différents niveaux de protection du territoire. La différenciation d’indices de puissance relative (dB/kHz) nous indique également l’importance de la variabilité spatiale et temporelle de la biodiversité, et par conséquent, l’importance de faire le suivi des espèces dans divers milieux et à diverses périodes afin d’obtenir une vision adéquate de la biodiversité régionale. / Recent monitoring of plant and animal populations has led us to observe a significant loss of global biodiversity. The objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity for 2010 are to encourage environmental monitoring worldwide (CBD 2000). However, it is difficult to have an adequate portrait of the overall biodiversity of an area, because ecosystems are dynamic and evolving in both space and time. The choice of an indicator is therefore essential. This project proposes to use bioacoustics as an environmental indicator to monitor the animal biodiversity in tropical areas, in one of the most threatened biomes on the planet, the Mata Atlantica in Brazil. Our aim is to demonstrate that it is possible to relate biophony (sound events) to biological events (punctual animal species richness), i.e. to quantify songs produced by birds, insects and anurans singers and associate them to changes in biodiversity. In addressing this overall goal, three specific objectives were put forward: 1) compare the biophony and anthropophony of different landscapes, subjected to different levels of human occupation and conservation, in order to assess the human impact on the environment, 2) assess the spatial variability of biodiversity, as well as 3) its temporal variability. Results showed that biophony is representative of the biodiversity of an area, even under conditions of maximum biodiversity such as found in Brazil because there is a very strong positive relationship between these two variables. In addition, the results show a significant difference in the ratio anthropophony/biophony in environments subject to different human impacts. Disparate indices of relative power (dB / kHz) also reveal the importance of spatial and temporal variability of biodiversity, and therefore the importance of monitoring biophony in different environments and at different times to obtain an adequate portrait of a region’s biodiversity.

Environmental modelling is lately becoming to be one of the most important decision support systems. Hydrological models present significant potential for use especially in area of surface and groundwater protection. In the diploma thesis, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to evaluate nitrate surface water pollution in nine catchments situated in Křivoklátsko protected area during the period of 2003 - 2010. Modelling process consist of assorted consequent steps. First the hydrological model of each catchment was created. Afterwards the sensitivity analysis was conducted to select most sensitive model parameters. Calibration process was carried out after the parameters selection using SWAT-CUP automatic calibration tool. Model results were visualized and evaluated. The results of the model suggested, that the area of interest was not widely endangered by nitrate pollution. Within each catchment the critical source areas of nitrate pollution were identified. It was observed that these areas are related with intensive agricultural areas. Nitrate leaching ranged from 6 kg.ha-1 to 10 kg.ha-1 per year in agriculture areas. Some areas exceed this amount. Nitrate loss from most of the area of interest ranged from 0 kg.ha-1 to 4 kg.ha-1 per year. Concentrations of nitrates in modeled...

Aujourd'hui la perte et la transformation des habitats sont les principales menaces qui causent la diminution de la diversité biologique. A Madagascar, 90% des espèces végétales sont endémiques de l’île et la plupart des formations végétales sont actuellement fortement dégradées ou remplacées par des formations secondaires résultant des activités humaines. Le bois de tapia, dominé par l’espèce endémique de Madagascar Uapaca bojeri, est une formation végétale sclérophylle limitée aux Hautes Terres de l’île. Cette formation, adaptée et résistante au régime de feu naturel de la région, est aujourd'hui fragmentée, couvrant une surface équivalente à 132 255 ha au total. Afin d’augmenter la protection du bois de tapia, une nouvelle aire protégée (NAP) a été établie sur le Massif d’Ibity. L’état actuel de la végétation de bois de tapia est le résultat de l’interaction de facteurs comme le type de sol, le climat, les pratiques humaines traditionnelles et le feu. Bien que le feu soit un des phénomènes qui fasse partie de la dynamique de cette végétation, le régime de feu actuel est également une des causes de sa dégradation. L’objectif de cette thèse est donc d’étudier le rôle du feu sur le cycle démographique et certains processus importants pour l’installation et le recrutement. Ainsi, la germination, la phénologie et la résistance des plantules au feu ont été étudiées. Cette recherche montre que le problème actuel du bois de tapia est 1) la réduction de la floraison et de la fructification par les fréquences de feu élevées ; 2) la réduction du pourcentage de germination après l’exposition des graines à de hautes températures, et 3) la mortalité élevée des plantules après le passage d’un feu, en particulier quand la quantité de combustible est élevée. Ainsi l’installation et le recrutement des espèces ligneuses sont limités par le feu, qui a un effet négatif sur la régénération naturelle. La gestion du feu autour de l’aire protégée est ainsi nécessaire pour sa conservation / Currently loss and transformation of habitats are the main threats which cause the decrease of biological diversity. In Madagascar, 90% of plants species are endemic of the island and most of the plant formations types are at present strongly degraded or replaced by secondary formations resulting from human activities. Tapia woodland, dominated by the endemic tree Uapaca bojeri, is a sclerophyllous vegetation type limited in the Malagasy highlands. This vegetation type, adapted and resistant to the natural fire regime, is very fragmented today, covering a surface equivalent to 132 255ha on the island. In order to increase the protection of tapia woodland, a new protected area was established on Ibity massif. The current state of the woody vegetation is the result of the interaction of some factors as soil type, climate, human traditional practices and fire. Although fire is one of the phenomena that determine the dynamics of this vegetation, the current fire regime is also one of the main causes of degradation. The objective of this thesis is to study the role of fire on the demographic cycle and on some main processes for installation and recruitment. Thus, germination, plant phenology and seedlings resistance after burnt were studied. This research shows that the current problem of tapia woodland are 1) the reduction of flowering and fruiting by high fire frequencies; 2) the reduction of germination percent after seed exposure with high temperatures, and 3) high seedlings mortality after burnt, in particular when the quantity of fuel is raised. Installation and recruitment of woody species are limited by fire, which has a negative effect on natural regeneration. Fire management around the protected area is thus necessary for its conservation

Les politiques de conservation de la nature ont largement évolué ces quarante dernières années. Si les premières aires protégées ont été créées selon un modèle ségrégatif, elles s’inscrivent aujourd’hui dans des modèles intégratifs. De fait, les aires protégées et leurs gestionnaires ne jouent plus les mêmes rôles au sein des socioécosystèmes. Leurs objectifs, leurs pratiques de conservation, les modes de régulation et de prise de décision, l’articulation avec les territoires environnants ont évolué. Nous nous concentrons ici sur les réserves naturelles françaises (RN), l’un des principaux outils réglementaires de protection de la nature en France. Nous caractérisons les interactions entre RN et territoires et les enjeux qui y sont liés, dans la perspective de cette transition ségrégatif – intégratif. Cette étude porte sur deux échelles distinctes : l’échelle nationale et l’ensemble des 277 RN, et l’échelle locale avec 10 études de cas. À l’échelle nationale, l’analyse de l’émergence des thématiques liées au développement durable des territoires dans le réseau des RN met en évidence les enjeux institutionnels, organisationnels, culturels et stratégiques de ce réseau, et permet de discuter la thèse d’une institutionnalisation inachevée. Nous montrons ensuite qu’il existe différents types de RN selon les pratiques mises en œuvre par les gestionnaires. Nous analysons ces investissements variés sur la base de trois types de facteurs : (i) les caractéristiques géographiques des RN ; (ii) le gestionnaire : son système de valeur et son profil socioculturel et (iii) les caractéristiques du territoire environnant. Avec nos 10 cas d’étude, nous caractérisons les socioécosystèmes constitués par les RN et les territoires environnants. Nous analysons dans le détail l’articulation identifiée à l’échelle nationale entre perceptions des acteurs, pratiques, caractéristiques des sites, des territoires et des gestionnaires, à l’intérieur des RN, mais également au-delà de leurs limites spatiales et fonctionnelles. À l’aide des cadres d’analyse des socioécosystèmes complexes, de la solidarité écologique, de la political ecology et de l’analyse institutionnelle, nous identifions les interactions entre RN et territoire, et mettons en lumière les limites des arrangements institutionnels mis en œuvre. Nous concluons sur la notion de trajectoire des sites, et dans une perspective de recherche appliquée, sur les implications de nos résultats pour le réseau des RN. / During the last four decades, nature conservation in protected areas (PAs) has been characterized by major changes. Early PAs have often been perceived as human-exclusion areas, whereas modern PAs have been designated more as integrated conservation and development projects. This evolution has involved major changes in objectives, management practices, governance systems, and relationship of PA’s to their surrounding environments. Nowadays, PA managers take into account processes that go beyond PA boundaries, investigate economic and social issues of development, and pay a special attention to local involvement. Here, we focus on French Nature Reserves (NRs), one of the main regulatory tools of the French nature protection policy. We characterize the interactions between NRs and the socioecosystems in which they interact. This study focus on two scales: the national scale and all of the 277 nature reserves, and the local scale with 10 case studies. At the national scale, we show how the emergence of sustainable development discourses in the nature reserve network have led us to analyze institutional, organizational, cultural and political issues. We describe the distribution of NR practices along a gradient going from a traditional model to an integrative model. We explain the observed practices as a combination of three types of variables : (i) general geographical characteristics of the NRs; (ii) value systems and perceptions of managers and (iii) characteristics of surrounding environments. On the basis of 10 case studies, we characterize the socioecosystems constituted by NRs and their surroundings territories. We analyze the articulation identified at the national scale between conservation practices, characteristics of NRs, territories and managers, both inside the reserves and beyond their spatial and functional boundaries. On the basis of frameworks for analyzing sustainability of complex socioecosystems, ecological solidarity, political ecology and institutional approaches, we identify the key variables in the implementation of collective action and adaptive management of both NRs and socioecosystems. Our analysis illustrates the limits of the implemented institutional arrangements. We conclude on the idea of NR trajectories, and on the practical implications of this work for the French NR system.

The purpose of my thesis is to analyze the legal regulation systems in the Czech Republic and Poland, compare them, show the attitudes of the two countries on this issue and propose potential changes in Czech legislation. The comparative method of research was chosen because of its suitability for the geographical, historical and social proximity between the Czech Republic and Poland. The thesis is composed of five chapters. Chapter One illustrates the historical development of legal regulation and is divided into three subchapters, the first dealing with Czech history, the second with Polish history and the last with the history of the Krkonoše/Karkonosze National Park, now a transboundary park (from the very beginning, the Czech and the Polish parts cooperated with each other). The second chapter consists of four parts and concerns international law. Subchapter One is about historical development, Subchapter Two focuses on IUCN, Subchapter Three contains two parts - examples of international and regional treaties. Subchapter Four describes transboundary cooperation and transnational forms of nature preservation in the Krkonoše/Karkonosze National Park. Chapter Three characterises EU legislation. Subchapter One is devoted to historical development, Subchapter Two is divided into four parts: Birds...

Esse trabalho apresenta uma proposta de Infraestrutura de Dados Espaciais de nível organizacional para o Parque Estadual de Intervales-SP, que visa compartilhar suas informações geográficas com a sociedade em geral. Nos processos de elaboração da IDE são discutidas questões como interoperabilidade, padronização, metadados, especificação de serviços geográficos e o relacionamento dos nós das Infraestrutura de Dados Espaciais que vão permitir a disseminação da informação geográfica de fácil acesso a usuários externos. Os procedimentos, benefícios e limitações são listados e problematizados de forma que demonstrem as etapas necessárias na elaboração da Infraestrutura de Dados Espaciais de nível organizacional para uma Unidade de Conservação. Conclui-se que uma Infraestrutura de Dados Espaciais depende de variáveis administrativas, culturais, técnicas e financeiras, o que leva a uma proposta de implementação por estágios. Também são elaboradas críticas aos recursos existentes e sugestões para melhorias e estudos futuros. / This paper presents a proposal about Spatial Data Infrastructure in organizational level to the Parque Estadual de Intervales-SP, in order to promote the sharing of geographic information with the society. In the elaboration process of the SDI are discussed issues such as interoperability, standardization, metadata, specifying geographic services and relationship of the Spatial Data Infrastructure nodes that will enable the dissemination of geographic information easily and accessible to external users. The process steps, benefits and limitations are listed and discussed in order to demonstrate the necessary steps to prepare the Spatial Data Infrastructure in organizational level to a protected area. As results we observe a spatial data infrastructure that depends of others variables like management, culture, technical and financial company aspects, which leads to a proposal of implementation in stages, as well as discussions about the capabilities and suggestions for improvements and future studies.