The Big Thicket National Preserve (BTNP) is a unit of the National Park Service whose mission prioritizes conservation of its wildlands in the United States. One threat to natural resources of the BTNP has been impacts associated with feral hog (Sus scrofa) activities. Population numbers of this non-native game species have increased throughout Texas, including areas within the preserve. Recreational hunting permitted by the BTNP has served as a means of controlling hog numbers, although the reported amounts of hog damage to park resources appear to have increased in recent years. Population reduction of feral hogs and mitigation of their impacts require research that documents and validates feral hog impacts on park resources. Here, I evaluated (1) population trends of feral hogs for the past 20 years via data from hunter-card surveys and track-counts, and (2) feral hog impacts on native vegetation for 3 management units of the BTNP. Results from my analysis suggest a nearly 3-fold increase in hog numbers throughout the preserve since 1981. The overall damage to vegetation from hog rooting or wallowing averaged to 28% among the 3 units of the BTNP. Landscape features such as topography, soil moisture, soil type, and dominant vegetative cover types were used to predict hog damage. Floodplains had the most damage in the Big Sandy unit (45%), while flatlands were mostly impacted in the Turkey Creek unit (46%), and uplands in the Lance Rosier unit (32%). Vegetative cover was an important variable in explaining variation in hog damage throughout the 3 units of the preserve. Impacts were more widespread across different vegetative strata than previously believed. Study results also support the premise that hog damage in the BTNP parallels the increase in hog abundance over the past 20 years. A more aggressive program for population reduction of feral hogs and mitigation of their impacts is recommended for the BTNP to continue to meet its legal mandates for conservation.

Since the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) took place in Rio De Janeiro in 1992, the concept of ¡§sustainable development¡¨ has gone deep into human minds. The countries all over the world make the efforts to consider the problem to the ¡§sustainable development¡¨ in their countries. Therefore, the concept of ¡§sustainable development¡¨ becomes the contemporary academic model. The concept of ¡§sustainable development¡¨ is not only limited to using in the ecological environmental protection, but also used in the harmonious development of economic society, ecological system, and living standard. The development of tourism pursues the increase of the quantity in economic growth; however, the ¡§sustainable development¡¨ emphasizes the promotion of the quality in all aspects. Although the increase of income is important, the human being¡¦s true happiness, people expect, is the promotion of the welfare in all aspects. All economic and environmental policies have to be considered the future generations¡¦ welfare in order to help them preserve the possibility and flexibility in the most extensive choices. These policies can¡¦t be violated because of the excessive development. This research is aimed at discussing the tourism development of Kenting National Park and acceptation or rejection of the ecological conservation; in addition, in the opinion of the national park¡¦s ¡§sustainable development¡¨, try to think abut this problem to seek the balance between the tourism development and the ecological conservation. This paper adopts the research in the qualitative by gathering and reading about the documents, observing the site in person, collecting the problems. Moreover, by interviewing the government officials, the present proprietors, the local residents, the scholars, the experts, and so on, I organize into five issues: the usage of natural resources, economic development, beneficial conflict, the usage of nuclear energy and reprocessed energy, and the education about the ecology. These five issues, surrounding the concept of tourism resources, ecological conservation, and sustainable development, go on the analysis and the discussion in order to explain and clear the reason why the tourism and conservation do not conflict with each other. The result of this research is that the resource of the ecological tourism is the assets human beings possess, but it will exhaust as the economic activity causes the damage to the environment. The abundant natural ecology of Kenting provides us the development of tourism to flourish the local economy. Nevertheless, we can¡¦t destroy the natural ecological resources owing to the excessive development and the usage of the society. In order to achieve the goal of ¡§sustainable development¡¨ in tourism, we should carry out the education about the ecology so as to arouse the nationals to love their country and the nature. These are the most basic and solid methods of ¡§sustainable development¡¨ ¡iKey words¡j: the National Park, the resource(s) of tourism, ¡§sustainable development¡¨ , the ecological conservation.

Abstract Council For Economic And Development Executive Yuan established a new land-use scheme in National Comprehensive Development Plan on the purpose of preventing the resource depletion and environmental disasters resulting from improper land-use activities. In the land-use scheme the land resources are identified as ¡¥developable areas¡¦ and ¡¥restricted areas¡¦ according to their importance and fragility. The restricted areas are imposed strict land-use regulations for the purposes of resources conservation and preservation. Thus, this research worked on the bases of the regulated¡¦s opinions. This research starts with discussing the regulation policy theory, the literature on the theory of property rights and a conceptual framework for determining whether the invaded land property rights should be compensated, and for suggesting how to compensate if the compensation is required. Finally, this research applied the framework to the Shoushen National Park to discuss whether the land property rights invaded by the regulations should be compensated and what kind of compensation would be appropriated.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2003. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 171-174). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (B.A.)-Oregon State University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical referenes (leaves 20-22). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 185 p. : ill. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 156-167).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2003. / Title from title page screen (viewed Sept. 17, 2003). Thesis advisor: Wayne T. Davis. Document formatted into pages (x, 102 p. : ill., maps, charts). Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 39-40).

Thesis (M.S.) in Forestry--University of Maine, 2001. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-101).

The overall objective for this report is to examine the Tohono O'odham people's traditional gathering and use of saguaro fruit in the Tucson Mountain District (TMD) of Saguaro National Park (SAGU). It is intended to aid park planning and environmental assessment work, as well as other related management decisions. Potential use of this report includes updating and informing the park's cultural and natural resource programs, and public education programs. Based on tribal concerns, the focus of the study shifted to the existing harvest camps in TMD, an ethnohistory of harvest in TMD, and an ethnobotany of the saguaro. The 2004 harvest season provided our only access to field interactions with harvesters, however, it was a year of poor production and only a handful of people came to the camp in TMD. The ethnography, consequently, was limited to two individuals, one of whom wrote her account privately. Both women came from families with an unbroken saguaro harvest tradition and have continued the practice with their immediate families. The report includes an ecological overview of the saguaro, an ethnohistory of the saguaro harvest and harvest camp in the TMD, and an ethnobotany of the saguaro. A final management discussion includes impacts, traditional knowledge, and suggestions from the study participants.

The Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology (BARA)-University of Arizona ethnographic team (UofA team) contracted with the National Park Service (NPS) Midwest Regional Office in 1998 to conduct an ethnographic and ethnohistoric study of commercial fishing activities at Isle Royale National Park (IRNP). The UofA team, having no connection with Isle Royale National Park, the commercial fishermen or their families who are the focus of this study, provides this report as an independent study of the ethnography and ethnohistory of commercial fishing at Isle Royale. The purpose of this study is to document and analyze historic and contemporary commercial fishing in the immediate vicinity of ISLE ROYALE including the identification of specific ethnic or social groups who have both traditional and contemporary ties to this fishery. By identifying resource use areas and concerns that may affect NPS management responsibilities, the results of this study will aid managers to anticipate resource protection issues that may affect Isle Royale National Park. The ability to anticipate such issues will place managers in a better position to understand and deal with such issues specifically as these pertain to the development of further cultural and natural resource studies, interpretative programs, and management decisions.