Since its inception, ecotourism has been promoted as a solution to some of the problems of biodiversity conservation. It has been touted as having the potential to balance the diverse interests of various publics by ensuring the protection of landscapes from development and extraction, offering unique tourism experiences, contributing economically to local communities, and fostering support for conservation efforts. Inconsistent success in achieving these goals, however, suggests that the effectiveness of ecotourism ought to be assessed on a case-specific rather than an industry-wide basis. Further, different stakeholders are likely to perceive the impacts of ecotourism in very different manners. The research on ecotourism and conservation rarely considers multiple perspectives, instead reflecting a one-sided understanding of the issues. As a step towards addressing these shortcomings, this thesis brings to light differing perspectives of ecotourism at the site of Algonquin Provincial Park. Through interviews and surveys, I uncover differences in conceptualisations of key ideas of conservation, knowledge of Algonquin Park, and perspectives of ecotourism between two primary groups of participants: tourists visiting the park and residents living in surrounding areas. Their responses reveal that, to residents, the park is a representation of livelihood; for tourists, the park represents ???pristine nature.??? The park is staged for its various publics, strategically representing only those aspects that will be looked upon favourably to a given group. These multiple constructions may be beneficial, however, as diverse viewpoints of these participants prompted attitudes and behaviours that were advantageous to the varied objectives of the park???s mandate, ultimately contributing to the success of the park as a site of landscape and biodiversity conservation.

The purpose of this study was to develop management guidelines to ensure the long term ecological sustainability of the beach and sand dune area of Grand Beach Provincial Park. A qualitative approach was taken including interviews of individuals who use Grand Beach. A literature review was completed describing the history of use at Grand Beach Provincial Park, ecological processes specific to the park, and management guidelines in other jurisdictions in Canada with similar natural features. Aerial imagery provided a temporal look at intensely used areas in the park. Recommendations include: 1) completion of a biophysical study of the park including an inventory of flora and fauna species 2) development of a monitoring plan incorporating the natural environment with the human dimension of the park 3) engagement of park visitors through signage, education and awareness, and 4) engage the scientific community to form partnerships for further research studies in the park.

No description available.

China is moving towards a market economy. The greater use of market forces has made China richer, accelerated modernisation and increased productive efficiency but has created new problems, including, in the health sector, problems of inequity and allocative inefficiency. From 1997, the Chinese government committed to a national policy of regional health planning (RHP), as part of a broader commitment to harmonising social and economic development. However, RHP has been slow to impact on the equity and efficiency problems in health care. Planning requires information; better health decision-making requires better health information. Information systems constitute a resource that is vital for the health planning and the management of the health system. Properly developed, managed and used, health information systems are a highly cost-effective resource for the nation and its regions. Bureaucratic resistance, one of critical reasons is that regional health planners gained insufficient support from information system. Health information needs to adopt into the new way of government health management. The objective of the study is to contribute to the development of China�s health information system (HIS) over the next 5-10 years, in particular to suggest how provincial health information systems could be made more useful as a basis for RHP. The existing HIS is examined in relation to its support for and relevance to RHP, including policy framework, institutional structures and resources, networks and relationships, data collection, analysis, quality and accessibility of information as well as the use of information in support of health planning. Data sources include key informant interviews, a questionnaire survey and various policy documents. Qualitative (questionnaire survey on provincial HIS) and quantitative (key informant interviews) approaches are used in this study. Document analysis is also conducted. The research examines information for planning within the macro and historical context of health planning in China, in particular having regard to the impacts and implications of the transition to a market economy. It is evident that the implementation of RHP has been retarded by poor performance of information system, particularly at the provincial level. However, the implementation of RHP has also been complicated by fragmented administrative hierarchies, weak implementation mechanisms and contradictions between different policies, for example, between improved planning and the encouragement of market forces in health care. To support RHP which is needs based, has a focus on improving allocative efficiency and is adapted to the new market development will require new information products and supports including infrastructure reform and capacity development. Provincial HIS needs to move from being data generators and transmitters to becoming information producers and providers. Health planning has moved to greater use of population-based benchmark and demand-side control. Therefore, information products should be widened from supply side data collection (in particular assets and resources) to include demand-side collection and analysis (including utilisation patterns and community surveys of opinion and experience). The interaction between users (the planners) and producers (the HIS) should be strengthened and regional networks of information producers and planners should be established.

The suburban shopping centre has become part of the urban landscape of Australia over the past 40 years. From their initial point of innovation in the capital cities, suburban centres diffused rapidly through the urban system. The majority of the 26 regional cities identified in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania have at least one centre, and in some the extent of suburbanisation has eclipsed the traditional central business area as the prime focus of retail activity. The advent of suburbanised shopping systems also highlights the partial demise of a locally-owned competitive capitalist sub-mode of activity and its replacement by a competitive oligopolistic capitalist sub-mode involving nationally-based firms. As with any change, the shifts in location, ownership and method of operation associated with the growth of suburbanised retailing systems have the capacity to bring about changes in the efficiency and equity of regional cities. Although it is not possible to prove conclusively that the efficiency of retail operations is improved by the growth of suburban centres, the advent of a system which encourages competition between retail firms appears to result in lower prices. Access to retail facilities is also potentially improved for a significant proportion of the populations of regional cities, although comparison shopping between centres might also generate increased cross-city flows of traffic. However, equity is not necessarily increased by these changes. Although the accessibility of lower income, elderly and less mobile households is improved, changes in the location of retailing favour younger, more affluent and mobile shoppers to a greater extent. And although the developers and owners of suburban shopping centres meet many of their own costs, there is evidence that they do not contribute to local government rate revenues to a level commensurate with their turnover and profits. On the other hand, the local authority is often faced with the demands of central business area property owners and retailers to revitalise their section of the city, bringing about an effective transfer of funds from the public to the private sector. The result may well be a net decrease in equity. Under pressure from local business interests, some city councils have chosen to restrict the pace of retail suburbanisation, whilst others have chosen to allow market forces to take their course.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Carleton University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 285-299). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2006. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 147-169). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR29547

Thesis (doctoral)--Philipps-Universität Marburg, 2003. / "Kurzbiografien: Frauen in den Landtagen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland 1946 bis 1960"--P. 302-340. Includes bibliographical references (p. 282-296).

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-131). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2006. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-222).