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Fire occurrences in the Everglades have increased since hydrologic alterations began, yet the vulnerability of Everglades peat to combustion during wildfires has yet to be determined. Natural fire regimes help maintain ecosystem functions and services and disruptions of natural disturbance regimes can have detrimental impacts, jeopardizing ecosystem health. Severe peat combustion can destroy native vegetation, alter microtopography, and release large amounts of stored carbon into the atmosphere. To create a better understanding of the mechanistic controls on Everglades ground fires, the soil's physical properties within several sites of Water Conservation Area 3 and how changes in water table affect these physical characteristics were determined. Areas disturbed by hydrologic alterations contain higher mineral content and therefore require lower water content to combust when compared to preserved regions. Changes in water tables have a significant effect on soil moisture and lower water tables drastically increase the vulnerability of a region. / by James Johnson. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Past sightings of red-tailed (Cercopithecus ascanius) x blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) hybrids in Uganda indicates the potential for hybridization between C. Ascanius and C. mitis individuals. Apart from Gombe Stream National Park, there is no of evidence suggestive of C. ascanius x C. mitis monkey hybridization at investigated East African locations. Phylogenetic analysis was examined using Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data of twelve C. mitis stuhlmanni samples (from two populations) in Kibale National Park (KNP), Uganda to test for any evidence of hybridization. Strict mono- phylogeny among two new C. mitis haplotypes were detected. Genetic diversity measurements support neither interspecific or intraspecific hybridization among C. mitis individuals from populations within Kibale National Park. To intensify the implications of this study further examination should include an increase in sample size(s), mtDNA comparison of C. mitis subspecies from additional populations at East African locations, and assessment of nuclear and genomic DNA. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Thesis (MTech (Nature Conservation))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / A survey in 2010 suggested that the lion (Panthera leo) population of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (KGNP) was exhibiting a skewed sex ratio in favour of males, which can ultimately lead to a decline in lion population numbers. In the KGNP artificial water provision has influenced the abundance of resident prey and potentially, lion diet and body condition. Changes in mammalian diet, and consequently body condition, have been found to influence the sex ratio of offspring. In response to a concern that diet may be influencing lion sex ratios in the KGNP, aspects of the spatial and temporal variation in lion diet were investigated between May 2013 and June 2015. The lion diet profile in the KGNP was described using evidence of prey remains identified through GPS cluster analysis (n = 278) from seven collared lionesses, lion scat analysis (n = 189) and opportunistic observations of lion feeding events (n = 52). Spatial variation in diet was investigated between three regional landscape types (north, south and west), based on the different vegetation types represented within each area, and two habitat types (riverbeds and dunes). Seasonal variations were assessed according to the hot-wet season (November to April), and the cold-dry season (May to October). Findings were also used to assess whether lion diet in KGNP has changed over the last 45 years through evaluating results from historical lion diet studies.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-21T14:42:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SULIMAR KELLIE.pdf: 636211 bytes, checksum: 1506d68a29d8f84de10a19999f543daa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02-18 / With the environmental degeneration the society needs to think its concepts over. Considering that the scarceness of the natural resources come from the modern system for wealth production, the nature degeneration reversion involves a much deeper changing in the social structure than it can look in a first moment. In order to have a consistent ecological equilibrated environment is necessary to have the institutes, already insert in the society, changed. The profit taking, the wealth distribution, the value for the use of things, besides the property, need to be faced under a new outlook. Only with the guarantee of a minimum income, able to guarantee conditions so that all humans with no exceptions have conditions of a decent life, then the environmental preservation will be established. The conscience about the preservation need is something that will be only possible when the most part of the population have no worries with basics needs. For this, the antropocentric model needs to be replaced by a conception that respects the human dignity. Among the new models that are coming up, the one that has stand out the most is the biocentric, for according to its focus, the human being is inserted in the life web, owning respect to all other nature creatures including other human beings. For this, the property relativity is inevitable. Nevertheless, the property is inserted in the social structure and the Brazilian population is not mature enough to promote the necessary standardized change. That’s why, is a due to the state to conduct this change. In the current study, the state attitude toward the consolidations of the biocentric model was observed. It was analyzed the installation of the National Park of Campos Gerais, laid in the city of Ponta Grossa, and in Castro and Carambeí counties. The research is concentrated in Ponta Grossa, where more than the half of the Unit of Conservation is located, besides being a local that contains several private properties, whose owners belong to the local elite. Toward this, its evident the dispute for power and the found for the property institute. This way, there’s an urge of the state intervention, so that the collectivity is not damaged with the influence of some groups toward the local leaderships. Facing this barrier between the right to the property and the right to a ecological equilibrated environment, the second one must prevail, under the argument that the public interests must overcome private interests. The Federal constitution provides ways to the state to accomplish the environmental preservation, toward a reasonably proportion between anthropocentrism and biocentrism in its texts. The environmental preservation doe not imply, only, in the defense of the natural resources, but also of the humanity, that needs to be rescued from the ignorance caused by the system of wealth production, coming from the industrialization. / Com a degradação ambiental, a sociedade precisa rever seus conceitos. Levando-se em conta que a escassez dos recursos naturais provém do sistema contemporâneo de produção de riquezas, a reversão da degradação da natureza envolve uma alteração muito mais profunda na estrutura social do que possa parecer em um primeiro momento. Para que seja consolidado um meio ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado é indispensável que institutos, até então enraizados na sociedade, sejam modificados. O sistema de obtenção de lucro, a distribuição de riquezas, o valor de uso das coisas, além da propriedade, necessitam ser encarados sob um novo prisma. Somente mediante a garantia de um patrimônio mínimo, apto a garantir condições para que todos os seres humanos, sem distinção, tenham condições de ter uma vida digna, é que a conservação ambiental terá eficácia. A consciência acerca da necessidade da preservação ambiental é algo possível a partir do momento em que a maioria da população não tenha mais a preocupação com as necessidades básicas. Para isso, é indispensável que o paradigma antropocêntrico seja substituído por uma concepção que respeite a dignidade humana. Entre os novos paradigmas que estão surgindo, o que mais tem se destacado é o biocêntrico, haja vista que segundo esse enfoque, o ser humano está inserido na rede da vida, devendo respeito a todos os outros seres da natureza, inclusive os outros seres humanos. Para isso, a relativização da propriedade é inevitável. Entretanto, a propriedade está enraizada na estrutura social e a população brasileira ainda não tem maturidade suficiente para promover a mudança aradigmática necessária. Por isso, cabe ao Estado conduzir essa mudança. No presente estudo, observa-se a atitude estatal rumo à consolidação do paradigma biocêntrico. Analisa-se a instalação do Parque Nacional dos Campos Gerais, localizado nos municípios de Ponta Grossa, Castro e Carambeí. A pesquisa se concentra no município de Ponta Grossa, onde mais da metade da Unidade de Conservação está localizada, além de ser uma área que contém várias propriedades privadas. Diante disso, ficam evidentes disputas pelo poder e o apego ao instituto da propriedade. Destaca-se, assim, a necessidade da intervenção estatal para que a coletividade não seja prejudicada em função da influência de determinados grupos perante as lideranças locais. Mediante o impasse entre o direito à propriedade e o direito por um meio ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado, este deve permanecer, sob o argumento de que os interesses difusos devem prevalecer aos interesses particulares. Em seu texto, a Constituição Federal propicia meios para o Estado oncretizar a preservação ambiental, perante a proporcionalidade entre o antropocentrismo e o biocentrismo. A preservação ambiental não implica, somente, na defesa dos recursos naturais, mas também da humanidade, visto que a mesma necessita ser socorrida da ignorância causada pelo sistema de produção de riquezas decorrente da industrialização.

O presente trabalho refere-se ao estudo taxonômico de Leguminosae - \"Caesalpinioideae\" do Parque Nacional do Caparaó. O parque está localizado na divisa dos Estados de Minas Gerais e Espírito Santo entre as coordenadas 20º19\'- 20º37\' S e 41º43\' - 41º53\' W, a 300km de Vitória, e a 340km de Belo Horizonte. O Parque Nacional do Caparaó situa-se numa região montanhosa, que compreende parte da Serra do Mar e da Serra da Mantiqueira. Seu ponto culminante é o Pico da Bandeira com 2890m de altitude e as áreas mais baixas variam entre 1000 e 1500 m. Quanto à vegetação, é bastante variada, formada por florestas e campos de altitude. Leguminosae possui distribuição cosmopolita, incluindo cerca de 727 gêneros e 19327 espécies. No Brasil, ocorrem aproximadamente 212 gêneros e 2729 espécies, amplamente distribuídas em todo o território nacional. As mais significativas utilizações comerciais de espécies de Leguminosae estão no fato de serem fonte de alimento, elementos florísticos em ecossistemas naturais e ornamentais. O presente estudo baseou-se no levantamento bibliográfico, consulta a herbários nacionais e observações de campo. Constam também descrições, chaves de identificação, ilustrações, e comentários. De acordo com o levantamento, o Parque Nacional do Caparaó está representado por 20 espécies e duas variedades de Leguminosae-\"Caesalpinioideae\", distribuídos em 8 gêneros. / The present study refers to the taxonomic study of the Leguminosae - \"Caesalpinioideae\" of the Caparaó National Park. The park is located on the border of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo States, between the geographic coordinates 20º19\'- 20º37\' S and 41º43\' - 41º53\' W, 300 km from Vitória and 340 km from Belo Horizonte. The Caparaó National Park is located in a mountainous region, which comprises part of the Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira. Its highest point is the Pico da Bandeira with 2,890 meters of altitude and the lower areas ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 meters. The vegetation is diverse and consists of forests and altitude fields. Leguminosae has a cosmopolitan distribution, including about 727 genera and 19,327 species. In Brazil there are 212 genera and 2,729 species (estimated figure), widely distributed throughout the national territory. The most significant commercial uses of Leguminosae species are the fact this family providing a food source for mankind, floristic elements in natural ecosystems and also ornamental. The present study was based on bibliographic review, consults to national herbaria, and fields observation. Descriptions, identification keys, illustrations, and comments are also presented about each species. According to the survey, the Caparaó National Park is represented by 20 species and two varieties of Leguminosae-\"Caesalpinioideae\", distributed in 8 genera.

African savannas have experienced considerable woody encroachment over the last century, presenting an increasing problem from both ecological and socioeconomic viewpoints. Despite decades of work by savanna ecologists, the reasons for woody encroachment remain unclear. A major barrier to understanding the causes is the difficulty of disentangling the effects of broader-scale environmental changes, such as climate change and associated increases in atmospheric CO2, from localised effects such as fire. In this thesis I examine the effects of sixty years of experimental burning on the characteristics of woody vegetation in two climatically distinct African savannas, a wet and a dry savanna, to examine how long-term burning interacts with other potential drivers of woody encroachment. I examine tree abundance, woody cover, tree structure, diversity and community composition under four different fire regimes: annual, biennial, triennial and fire exclusion. Differences between sites and plots subject to different burning regimes are compared along with changes in these differences through time. Additionally, variation in the densities of Acacia, Combretum, Terminalia and Dichrostachys species were examined to establish how dominant species, particularly those responsible for encroachment, are affected by fire. Overall, I found that the effects of fire depend on savanna type. Fire lowered tree abundance and woody cover much more in the wet savanna than in the dry savanna. However, the maximal height of trees was much more constrained by increased fire frequency in the dry savanna than in the wet savanna. Woody encroachment occurred across both savanna types during the sixty year time period, but was much more rapid at the wet savanna. Additionally, encroaching species of Dichrostachys cinerea and Terminalia sericea in the wet savanna were shown to be more difficult to manage using fire. Overall as fire regimes were kept constant over the last sixty years, yet woody encroachment occurred across all fire treatments, it is most likely that an external driver is responsible. Rainfall change in both areas was minimal over the duration of the study, thus increased atmospheric CO2 would appear to be the most likely cause of woody encroachment. However, the magnitude and characteristics of woody encroachment are strongly mediated by fire and rainfall. Wet savannas would appear to be much more vulnerable to woody encroachment and existing management strategies are likely to become increasingly ineffective at keeping woody cover below potential maximum levels. Overall this thesis demonstrates that the effects of fire on woody vegetation in savannas vary depending on regional differences in rainfall and that processes of woody encroachment differ depending on savanna type.

abstract: Utilizing both 16S and 18S rRNA sequencing alongside energetic calculations from geochemical measurements offers a bridged perspective of prokaryotic and eukaryotic community diversities and their relationships to geochemical diversity. Yellowstone National Park hot spring outflows from varied geochemical compositions, ranging in pH from < 2 to > 9 and in temperature from < 30°C to > 90°C, were sampled across the photosynthetic fringe, a transition in these outflows from exclusively chemosynthetic microbial communities to those that include photosynthesis. Illumina sequencing was performed to document the diversity of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes above, at, and below the photosynthetic fringe of twelve hot spring systems. Additionally, field measurements of dissolved oxygen, ferrous iron, and total sulfide were combined with laboratory analyses of sulfate, nitrate, total ammonium, dissolved inorganic carbon, dissolved methane, dissolved hydrogen, and dissolved carbon monoxide were used to calculate the available energy from 58 potential metabolisms. Results were ranked to identify those that yield the most energy according to the geochemical conditions of each system. Of the 46 samples taken across twelve systems, all showed the greatest energy yields using oxygen as the main electron acceptor, followed by nitrate. On the other hand, ammonium or ammonia, depending on pH, showed the greatest energy yields as an electron donor, followed by H2S or HS-. While some sequenced taxa reflect potential biotic participants in the sulfur cycle of these hot spring systems, many sample locations that yield the most energy from ammonium/ammonia oxidation have low relative abundances of known ammonium/ammonia oxidizers, indicating potentially untapped sources of chemotrophic energy or perhaps poorly understood metabolic capabilities of cultured chemotrophs. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Geological Sciences 2018

Student Number : 0311004X - MA dissertation - School of Geography, Archeology and Environmental Studies - Faculty of Humanities / This research focuses on the accommodation development in the Kruger National Park of South Africa. It makes a comparison of the accommodation that was there from 1980 to 1994 and the period after. The main objective is to analyze changes in accommodation and other activities in the context of the changing tourism policies and tourist tastes, a question which tourism literature to date has not paid much attention to. This was done using the concept of a tourism product with accommodation being the product that changes on the basis of supply and demand. Major sources that were used are policy documents, parks annual reports and archival resources and tourism and travel magazines and brochures.

O Parque Nacional (PARNA) Serra do Cipó, localizado no estado de Minas Gerais, pertence à categoria Unidade de Conservação (UC) de Proteção Integral, mas seus objetivos permitem um uso público amplo que deve ser compatível com os demais objetivos de conservação. Atividades turísticas na UC podem, por um lado, representar uma ameaça à preservação do meio ambiente, se não forem bem planejadas e conduzidas; por outro lado, podem ser uma grande oportunidade para sua sustentabilidade econômica. Desta forma, programas educativos que conciliem conservação e turismo e considerem tanto as características naturais do local quanto o perfil do visitante, seus interesses e expectativas, preferências e nível de satisfação, devem fazer parte do plano de uso público do parque. A educação ambiental no PARNA Serra do Cipó não possui uma estruturação organizada formalmente, onde as escolas locais são o principal meio de comunicação entre a UC e a comunidade. Nesse contexto, o principal objetivo do projeto foi o de estabelecer no PARNA Serra do Cipó, áreas de interesse paisagístico ainda pouco ou não exploradas ao longo da Trilha da Cachoeira da Farofa que apresenta variação de ambientes e paisagens, proporcionando, assim, grande diversidade de informações, considerando sua vegetação. Para tanto, levantamos e analisamos o fluxo de visitantes, caracterizamos o perfil e as expectativas dos visitantes acerca do parque por meio de questionário e da observação de suas atividades, realizamos uma reunião com os guias que trabalham neste parque e uma entrevista aberta com a analista ambiental do IBAMA. Percorremos a trilha visando levantar áreas e coletar espécimes vegetais, ambos com potencial paisagístico e educativo. Verificamos que os períodos em que o parque recebe mais visitantes são outono/inverno, sendo julho o mês com maior número de visitantes e fim-de-semana. Predominam os visitantes jovens, com nível de escolaridade alto, provenientes de Belo Horizonte, que vão ao parque acompanhados por amigos. A maioria dos visitantes tomou conhecimento da existência do parque por meio de divulgação pessoal, e foi motivada pela natureza preservada, cachoeira ou contato com água e/ou beleza cênica; e pratica caminhada na trilha. Ao chegar à portaria do parque, a maioria dos visitantes recebeu informações sobre regras e conduta e declarou que não gostaria de receber informações adicionais. Alguns dos problemas identificados no parque são os pontos alagados na trilha, a impossibilidade de atravessar o ribeirão dos Mascates no período de alta precipitação e a falta de atividades voltadas aos “ecoturistas". Constatamos a necessidade da criação de oportunidades de acesso ao parque e às informações oferecidas pelos guias para pessoas que possuem renda inferior e são menos instruídas; de um trabalho de divulgação e informação para que os visitantes tomem conhecimento sobre a existência da portaria que dá acesso ao parque; e de uma melhor formação e informação dos guias. Notamos um paradoxo no desejo dos visitantes: querem estar em contato com a natureza e, ao mesmo tempo, ter o conforto da vida urbana. Além disso, não estão atentos aos diversos elementos da paisagem pelos quais passam ao longo do caminho, estando interessados apenas em chegar à cachoeira. Neste contexto, atividades de interpretação ambiental mostram-se bastante adequadas, uma vez que envolvem os visitantes de forma prazerosa, criando, assim, uma nova consciência, compreensão e compromisso. Para despertar a atenção para a paisagem e a vegetação, com base na expectativa dos visitantes, da entidade gerenciadora (IBAMA) e dos guias que trabalham no parque, propusemos o estabelecimento de áreas paisagísticas pouco exploradas nesta trilha, voltadas para educação ambiental, sobretudo educação em Botânica: um trecho de cerrado, um de mata ciliar e um de campo, representando diferentes formações do bioma cerrado, duas encostas avistadas ao longo da trilha e um bambuzal que pode ser utilizado como um instrumento para abordagem da ação antrópica em áreas naturais. Ao longo da trilha coletamos 45 espécies de angiospermas, pertencentes a 25 famílias, que ocorrem nas diferentes áreas, cujas informações podem servir de subsídio para um guia de campo para os guias condutores de visitantes e podem ser utilizadas como elementos para a educação dos visitantes com relação à Botânica. / The Serra do Cipó National Park, in the state of Minas Gerais (Brazil) is classed as na integral protection unit according to Brazil’s National System of Conservation Units (SNUC). This category allows for substantial public use, although this activity must be compatible with the overall conservation objectives of the park. The activities of tourists within conservation units can conflict with the general goal of environmental preservation especially if their presence is not well planned and managed; on the other hand, tourists can be an important element in the economic sustainability of the conservation unit. Educational programs that communicate the general importance of conservation but also reflect the specific attributes of the park and the profile of the visitors (e.g., their interests, expectations, preferences, and levels of satisfaction level) are an important means of monitoring and managing tourist activities; ideally they should be integrated within the public use plan for the park. Currently environmental education within the Serra do Cipó National Park does not have a formally organized structure and the local schools provide the main means of communication between the park and the community. In this context, the main objective of this work was to identify areas along the Cachoeira da Farofa Trail in the Serra do Cipó National Park for use in an environmental education program focusing on vegetation types in the area. The profile, expectations, and movement of visitors within the park were assessed using a questionnaire-based survey as well as direct observation of visitor activities. Interviews were also held with the guides who work with visitors to the park and an environmental analyst from IBAMA (Brazilian environmental protection agency). The survey suggests the park receives more visitors during the autumn and winter, with July having the highest visitor numbers; there are also more visits to the park during the weekends than on weekdays. The majority of visitors who responded to the survey were well-educated, young people from Belo Horizonte and visited the park with friends. Most of the visitors indicated that they had learned about the park through personal contacts rather than any formal communication and that the main reasons for visiting were the preserved natural environment, the waterfall or general contact with water, and the scenic beauty of the area. Most visitors walk along the trail rather than riding bicycles or horses. Visitors also indicated that they had received information concerning acceptable behavior at the park entrance and that they would not like additional information. Problems identified within the park are areas of flooding along the Cachoeira da Farofa Trail after heavy rain, difficulties crossing the Mascates River during the rainy season, and a lack of activities for ecotourists. The survey suggests that if the park needs to improve communication with the public. In particular, there needs to be more effort to make the park assessable to visitors with lower education levels or lower economic status, and generally there needs to be improved publicity, especially directions to the park entrance, and improved training for the guides. In general it appears that the visitors have conflicting interests: they want contact with the natural environment but at the same time having the comfort of urban life. Furthermore, visitors pay little attention to the landscapes they pass along the trail, being interested only in getting the waterfall quickly. In this context educational activities involving environmental interpretation would seem to be appropriate since they would engage visitors as they pass along the trail; allowing visitors to develop their understanding of and commitment to conservation within an informal setting. We surveyed the Cachoeira da Farofa Trail for areas with both visual and educational potential. Five areas of little disturbed natural vegetation were identified. Three sites along the trail represent different types of cerrado woodland (i) a seasonally dry forest, (ii) a savannah, and (iii) a riverine forest. Two additional sites are slopes viewed from the trail. A bamboo thicket was also included to allow for a discussion of human impacts. A total of 45 angiosperm species belonging to 25 families were collected and identified from these sites; this collection provides the basis for a field guide and can be used as an element in a visitor education program focusing on botanical diversity and local vegetation.