Thesis (M.S.)--North Carolina State University, 2003. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Mar. 26, 2005). Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Die Jahrestagung 2013 der deutschen Sektion der International Assiciation for Landscape Ecology (IALE) fand vom 10.-12.Oktober 2013 in Dresden statt. Motto der Tagung mit circa 70 Teilnehmern war "Vielfältige Landschaften: Biodiversität, Ökosystemdienstleistungen und Lebensqualität". Der Tagungsband entält die Kurzfassung der ca. 30 Tagungsbeiträge und 20 Poster.

Much of the sustainable community planning and design discourse has been about prescribing and defining ends. A large gap exists between goals for sustainability and the ways and means to achieve them. Multiple barriers are encountered when implementation attempts are made. The research addresses the question: In what ways can demonstration projects increase social learning of effective planning, design and policy alternatives that assist in developing sustainable urban communities? Demonstration here is an area based, site specific planning and design process and built project showing potential adopters the benefits of employing various innovations. Five fields of scholarship and research (land-use and sustainable development; planning and design participation; urban experimentation and demonstration; innovation, diffusion and social learning; action for innovation and implementation) are drawn upon to inform the objectives. An analytical-evaluative framework for sustainable planning and design is developed, then applied in a detailed case study. The case study of Egebjerggard, a 928 dwelling, mixed use neighbourhood in Ballerup, Denmark provides an analysis of how leading practice can contribute to a better understanding of the potentials and challenges for advancing community policy, design and implementation at the neighbourhood and city-wide level. The analysis enables the interpretation of the Ballerup experience and the transfer of principles to the Canadian context. Two initiatives in sustainable community development in Calgary and Vancouver indicate the issues, opportunities and the state of practice. A proposed demonstration strategy outlines possible new institutional and organizational capacities and relationships in the Canadian residential planning and delivery system. The main contributions include: i) an empirical and descriptive-analytical case study providing a detailed account of integrated planning implementation and policy development in Denmark, ii) a strategy, its structure, organization and functions to carry out demonstration / exhibition in Canadian municipalities, iii) a normative proposition for and the evidence to support an expanded notion of demonstration directing attention to their value and potential. The benefits and returns outlined serve as a general argument for proceeding with a neighbourhood scale fully featured demonstration in any city in Canada.

In recent years the composition of urban vegetation has become far more complex than that of the surrounding natural vegetation. This is mainly due to the influence that humans have on the creation of new plant communities and the management of urban green spaces. Green spaces are fundamental to the restoration and maintenance of biodiversity in areas that have been severely impacted by urban development. Green spaces provide various ecosystem services and benefits for the health and well-being of urban residents, and can help to reduce the effects of global climate change. The most understudied green space in the entire urban green infrastructure is homegardens. Homegardens contribute greatly to the species composition of urban and rural settlements and are important in situ conservation sites that help to protect rare and endemic species. They are essential agricultural systems, especially in rural settlements, that provide both sources of additional income generation and food supply. In developing countries such as South Africa, very few studies have been done on homegardens and the benefits they provide to homeowners and to urban ecosystems in general. However, since South Africa become committed to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals in 2000, more research has been done on the potential of homegardens for poverty alleviation. The aim of this study was to determine the patterns of plant diversity in a rural settlement and to determine to what extent the socioeconomic status of the inhabitants influences the plant species composition of the settlement. The settlement of Ganyesa, situated in the Bophirima district in the North-West Province, was chosen for the study. Using GIS techniques, a grid was placed over the settlement and plant surveys were done every 500 m. Different land-use types were identified during the completion of the survey, namely natural areas, fragmented natural areas, fallow fields, road verges, wetlands, home gardens and institutional gardens. The national South African census data from 2001 proved to be too unreliable to accurately determine the SES of the residents in Ganyesa. Consequently, a social survey was completed by means of a questionnaire to determine the socioeconomic status of the owners of the homegardens under study. Clear differences could be observed between the land-use types and the indigenous and alien species composition, which were indicated in kriging maps. In comparison with the natural areas, homegardens contained more alien species than the surrounding natural areas. The vegetation composition for all the homegardens were correlated with the residents socioeconomic status along a socioeconomic gradient, ranging from low, to medium to high. ANCOVA, multiple regressions and basic statistical analyses were performed using all the vegetation and socioeconomic data. Meaningful correlations occur between the socioeconomic status of the homeowners and the plant diversity of their gardens. / Thesis (M. Environmental Science)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

In recent years the composition of urban vegetation has become far more complex than that of the surrounding natural vegetation. This is mainly due to the influence that humans have on the creation of new plant communities and the management of urban green spaces. Green spaces are fundamental to the restoration and maintenance of biodiversity in areas that have been severely impacted by urban development. Green spaces provide various ecosystem services and benefits for the health and well-being of urban residents, and can help to reduce the effects of global climate change. The most understudied green space in the entire urban green infrastructure is homegardens. Homegardens contribute greatly to the species composition of urban and rural settlements and are important in situ conservation sites that help to protect rare and endemic species. They are essential agricultural systems, especially in rural settlements, that provide both sources of additional income generation and food supply. In developing countries such as South Africa, very few studies have been done on homegardens and the benefits they provide to homeowners and to urban ecosystems in general. However, since South Africa become committed to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals in 2000, more research has been done on the potential of homegardens for poverty alleviation. The aim of this study was to determine the patterns of plant diversity in a rural settlement and to determine to what extent the socioeconomic status of the inhabitants influences the plant species composition of the settlement. The settlement of Ganyesa, situated in the Bophirima district in the North-West Province, was chosen for the study. Using GIS techniques, a grid was placed over the settlement and plant surveys were done every 500 m. Different land-use types were identified during the completion of the survey, namely natural areas, fragmented natural areas, fallow fields, road verges, wetlands, home gardens and institutional gardens. The national South African census data from 2001 proved to be too unreliable to accurately determine the SES of the residents in Ganyesa. Consequently, a social survey was completed by means of a questionnaire to determine the socioeconomic status of the owners of the homegardens under study. Clear differences could be observed between the land-use types and the indigenous and alien species composition, which were indicated in kriging maps. In comparison with the natural areas, homegardens contained more alien species than the surrounding natural areas. The vegetation composition for all the homegardens were correlated with the residents socioeconomic status along a socioeconomic gradient, ranging from low, to medium to high. ANCOVA, multiple regressions and basic statistical analyses were performed using all the vegetation and socioeconomic data. Meaningful correlations occur between the socioeconomic status of the homeowners and the plant diversity of their gardens. / Thesis (M. Environmental Science)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Die stadtökologische Qualität ist Teil der Umweltqualität. Sie gilt als Maß der Abweichung des städtischen Umweltzustandes von gesellschaftlichen Zielvorgaben für den Umwelt- und Naturschutz. Der Umweltzustand wird mithilfe der Indikatoren Bodenversiegelung und Grünvolumen gemessen. In Fortsetzung der Forschungslinie "Flächenleistungen und ökologische Qualität" sind methodische Ansätze zur Sicherung und Entwicklung der stadtökologischen Qualität untersucht worden. Die empirischen Untersuchungen erfolgten in den 116 kreisfreien Städten auf der Grundlage eines Objektmodells "Stadt", das sowohl zweidimensionale (versiegelte, offene Fläche, Grün- und Wasserfläche) als auch dreidimensionale Elemente (Vegetation und Gebäude) einbezieht. Den Schwerpunkt bilden Wirkungsbeziehungen zwischen Flächennutzungsstrukturen, Grünflächenanteilen und flächenspezifischen Grünvolumen. Des Weiteren interessieren das stadttypische ökologische Leistungsvermögen, die nutzungsstrukturellen Lagewerte der Städte und daraus abgeleitete strategische Orientierungswerte im Handlungsfeld der Flächennutzung. Die Ergebnisse sind stochastische Modelle des flächenspezifischen Grünvolumens für die Raumebenen Kernstadt und Stadtregion sowie 5 qualitätsspezifische Städte-Cluster.

[Truncated abstract] Native vegetation (bushland) in urban areas remains in small, isolated patches embedded within a matrix of human-dominated land uses. Bushlands in urban areas have high biodiversity conservation and social values, and there has been a local-level movement towards protecting and managing urban bushlands in Australia. This thesis aims to test principles, theories and concepts relating to the ecology and management of bushland fragments in Australian cities ... A commonly used qualitative scale was compared with an ecologically based, quantitative technique developed in the research. The qualitative scale was found to be a reliable proxy for assessing vegetation condition, while also being more user-friendly for community groups and other bushland managers. The human-caused disturbances and weed cover in urban bushlands indicate a need for management intervention. Local government has an important role in local biodiversity management, yet there has been little research on this topic ... Positive partnerships developed where local governments have taken a ‘contract model’ approach to volunteer coordination, have a number of expectations of volunteer groups, and provide the groups with relatively high level of assistance. Also important is a local government that supports, respects, trusts and communicates with the community group, and recognises volunteers’ skills, knowledge and contributions. With increased resources allocated to local government bushland management and conservation, and coordination with community groups, the full potential of local bushland management would be realised.

The Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) is endowed with natural resources which are drivers for sustainable development at local, national and regional levels. However, these resources are adversely affected by dynamic social, economic, environmental and political factors. Poor coordination and ineffective knowledge management programmes among various players within the LVB has led to duplication of efforts as substantial information and knowledge generated is unavailable to users. As a result, over-exploitation of natural resources has resulted in unsustainable development of the LVB. This study sought to establish the role of knowledge management in promoting sustainable development of the LVB. Specific objectives were to: determine the role of knowledge management in sustainable development of LVB; determine challenges and barriers hindering effective knowledge management; establish tools and technology that can be used to enhance knowledge management; and establish the strategies used by organisations in LVB to manage knowledge generated for sustainable development. A descriptive survey design was used in this study targeting 98 (with 76.5% response rate) officers of various ranks working in 26 organisations involved in development programmes/projects and located in the five partner states within the LVB. Data was collected using self administered questionnaires and a desk review. Findings showed most respondents agreeing that knowledge management is a systematic utilisation of policies, processes, activities and tools which empower organisations to apply knowledge to improve effectiveness, innovation and quality. Up to 93.9% of the organisations facilitated discovery, capture, storage and retrieval of knowledge. Most organisations encouraged documentation of lessons learnt, with some making it mandatory to deposit key documents in the library. Paper-based media was the most preferred knowledge storage format. Lack of an open-minded sharing environment, bureaucratic procedures and poor information systems were the common barriers to knowledge management, while lack of time (68.4%) was an obstacle to proper xvi documentation. The internet was the most popular knowledge management tool/technology; though technical issues were the most critical problems affecting ICT use (71.4%). Based on these findings, this study recommends a holistic and coordinated approach to knowledge management among all institutions working in the LVB to address the challenges of sustainable development in the basin. / Information Science / M. Inf. (Information Science)

Orientadora: Profa. Dra. Simone Rodrigues de Freitas / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do ABC, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Planejamento e Gestão do Território, 2015. / Mudanças nos processos de ocupação e uso das terras insustentáveis, políticas de desenvolvimento inadequadas e crescimento urbano, têm gerado níveis altos de degradação e aumento da pressão sobre os ecossistemas que ameaçam a resiliência do sistema natural. Na atualidade a compreensão dos parques urbanos como elementos importantes para a qualidade ambiental e o convívio social em grandes cidades é relevante, pelo fato dos diferentes serviços que eles fornecem para a sociedade tais como: conforto térmico, absorção de dióxido de carbono, controle da poluição sonora e do ar, proteção dos recursos hídricos e bem estar da população. Dessa forma, é importante identificar e avaliar os serviços ecossistêmicos prestados pelas áreas urbanas, especialmente nas unidades de conservação urbanas, a fim de gerar estratégias de gestão e apropriação da comunidade na conservação e manutenção ambiental; neste sentido, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar potenciais serviços ecossistêmicos prestados pela cobertura florestal no Parque Guaraciaba, em Santo André (SP), orientando a tomada de decisões na conservação e restauração dos fragmentos florestais, direcionando o território a cenários de sustentabilidade urbana. Por conseguinte, foi feito o mapeamento do uso e cobertura da terra em dois períodos (1990 e 2012) para quantificar mudanças nas coberturas vegetais na área do entorno do parque (1km),na área do parque, na APP do entorno do parque e na APP do parque; Esta análise evidenciou mudanças positivas e negativas nas coberturas nos 12 anos estudados, produto dos diferentes processos de urbanização e ocupação do solo; além disso, verificou-se alguns remanescentes florestais conservados em diferentes estádios sucessionais produto dos processos de reflorestamento na área que permitem a manutenção de serviços ecossistêmicos fornecidos pela cobertura florestal. No entanto, é necessário investir mais esforços e estratégias de gestão ambiental para otimizar a conservação da área do parque Guaraciaba para a manutenção das APP e o bem-estar da população. / Changes in occupation processes and unsustainable use of land, inappropriate development policies and urban growth have generated high levels of degradation and increased pressure on ecosystems that threaten the resilience of the natural system. Today the understanding of urban parks as important elements for environmental quality and social life in big cities is relevant, because of the different services they provide to society such as thermal comfort, carbon dioxide absorption, pollution control noise and air pollution, protection of water resources and welfare of the population. Thus, it is important to identify and evaluate the ecosystem services provided by urban areas, especially in urban conservation areas in order to generate community management and ownership strategies in environmental conservation and maintenance; in this sense, this study aimed to evaluate potential ecosystem services provided by forest cover in Guaraciaba Park in Santo André (SP), guiding the decision-making in conservation and restoration of forest fragments, directing the territory urban sustainability scenarios. It was therefore made use mapping and land cover in two periods (1990 and 2012) to quantify changes in vegetation cover in the surrounding area of the park (1km), in the park area in APP surrounding the park and APP park; This analysis showed positive and negative changes in coverage in the 12 years studied, a product of the different processes of urbanization and land use; Moreover, there was some forest remnants preserved in different successional product of reforestation processes stadiums in the area that allow the maintenance of ecosystem services provided by forest cover. However, it is necessary to invest more efforts and environmental management strategies to optimize the conservation of the Guaraciaba park area for the maintenance of APP and the population's well-being.

The conservation of aquatic-breeding amphibian populations and their habitats is increasingly challenged by urban and rural development, which is occurring more intensively and more rapidly than ever before. Some species are now impacted by development throughout their range. This has forced a re-evaluation of the potential of developed landscapes for providing habitat and contributing to regional conservation strategies. For many amphibians, little is known about the criteria necessary for persistence in a developed landscape. Considerable variation in the physiology, habitat requirements, and movement behaviour of amphibians suggests that responses to habitat loss, alteration, and fragmentation are species-specific. In this thesis, I investigate species-habitat relationships for the northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora) and the Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla) in a mixed urban-rural landscape in southwestern British Columbia to evaluate the potential for species persistence despite urban and rural development throughout their range. I used repeat auditory surveys of the species’ breeding chorus to determine presence or absence at potential breeding wetlands. I then related species occurrence and abundance to characteristics of the aquatic and terrestrial environment measured at multiple spatial scales. Both species were found to use rural and urban wetlands, though R. aurora were rarely detected while P. regilla were common. Occurrence was best explained by characteristics of the terrestrial environment, rather than within-wetland characteristics, though influential terrestrial characteristics and their scale of impact differed between species. Within the context of the developed landscape, I identify species-specific positive and negative habitat associations and suggest the spatial scales at which management of these habitat characteristics will be most effective. These criteria may help to explain the species’ current distribution, prioritize management strategies, predict the effectiveness of habitat conservation and restoration projects, and inform development in municipalities seeking to maintain or enhance amphibian diversity. / Graduate / 2019-09-11