This work deals with the problem of landscape planning in the landscape area of Kojatice. In the theoretical part we introduced the literary background to the problematics. We also set up a network of geobiocenology areas, characteristic types of the geobiocen and habitant types. The work includes map of biocens and maps of military mapping and sozological map which contains environmentally significant landscape segments, locations of important species of plants, animals and significant trees. Finally the set of recommendations to solve the specific problems in the area was proposed.

Methods and techniques for environmental impact assessment (EIA) and development of land use management options are described. The methods and techniques have specific application in Defence estate management, and general application in other areas of land use assessment and management. The EIA methodology includes techniques for land cover and soil classification, land capability and suitability assessment. The biophysical classifications and assessment techniques are based on the application of various para and non- parametric approaches. The study area for the application of the EIA methods and techniques was the Singleton Training Area (STA) in the Hunter Valley of central New South Wales. Defence estates are required to provide a wide range of terrain and other environmental conditions to support the development of combat related tactics. The maintenance of these areas for sustainable use is fundamental in achieving both military and land use management objectives. The EIA of the STA provided a means of testing the efficiency of the methods and techniques developed in this thesis. The baseline resource inventory data used in the EIA includes land cover and vegetation maps derived from satellite digital data and soils maps derived from both conventional methods and airborne gammaradiation data. This information, together with the military land use requirements provided the basis for land capability and suitability assessment, and development of land use management options.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1984.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1984. / Also available in print.

Master of Science / Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources / Ryan L. Sharp / Visual-based methods are vital tools within outdoor recreation management. This method allows researchers to develop an empirical evaluation of social norms of outdoor recreationists. To better understand visitor’s perceptions, and provide usable information to site managers, researchers must better understand their methodology. This study assessed whether photograph order, within a visually-based method, in a field setting, creates differential results relative to a lab setting by comparing our results to previous literature. To accomplish this, a study was conducted at Buffalo National River (BUFF), Arkansas, USA. Visual-based methods were used in a field setting to determine whether there are order effects in perceptions of crowding between sequential and non-sequential photograph presentation order. Results indicated that study setting may influence whether order effects are present. This research will contribute to the growing body of work in the study of research methods for protected area and visitor use management.

Typically small in number and poorly resourced, Canadian non-status First Nations often find themselves in conflict with more powerful private interests pursuing intensive resource development activities on their traditional lands. In the face of these threats, some non-status First Nations are using a combination of traditional environmental knowledge, a renewed commitment to traditional subsistence activities, and self-developed spiritual ecologies to reassert their sovereignty over ancestral territories. Eastern Ontario’s Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFN) is one such group. AAFN members carry out cultural activities such as canoe building, hunting, trapping and harvesting wild rice on their traditional lands at the headwaters of the (Canadian) Mississippi, Madawaska, and Rideau rivers, lands that are part of a larger unresolved land claim made by Ontario’s Algonquin peoples. This research reports findings from a multi-year participatory research project that sought to understand AAFN’s traditional spiritual ecology (miyo-pimaadiziwin), to describe how it is understood and practiced by community members, and to use these insights as a lens to better understand the current and future trajectory of relations between AAFN members, governments, and outside interests engaged in resource development in this region. While AAFN members hope their miyo-pimaadiziwin-based values will foster mutual respect with non-aboriginal neighbours, the results are yet uncertain. However, what is plainly clear is that miyo-pimaadiziwin has traditionally been fundamentally at odds with rural and resource development strategies being promoted by the provincial government, meaning the potential for future and ongoing conflict is great. Although the two land strategies in contention are in many ways different, this analysis identifies some possible future areas of reconciliation in which the two approaches share common goals. The findings from the study contribute to broader scholarly efforts that seek to better understand the challenges faced by non-status First Nations in preserving cultural knowledge and traditional land-based activities more generally. / Les Premières nations canadiennes non-statuées sont typiquement petites, et elles disposent de peu de moyens financiers. Ces Premières nations se retrouvent souvent dans des situations conflictuelles avec des intérêts privés qui visent à réaliser des projets de développement de ressources naturelles intensifs sur des territoires autochtones traditionnels. Face à cette menace, certaines Premières nations non-statuées ont commencé à élaborer des stratégies de gestion territoriale ancrées dans le savoir écologique traditionnel, ainsi que dans les activités de subsistance. Ces stratégies ont pour but de réaffirmer leur souveraineté territoriale. La vision de gestion territoriale de la Première nation algonquine d’Ardoch (PNAA), située dans l’est de l’Ontario, est représentative de ce nouveau courant. Les membres de la PNAA pratiquent couramment des activités culturelles, telles que la fabrication de canoës, la chasse, le piégeage, et la récolte du riz sauvage, sur leurs territoires traditionnels, localisés à la source des rivières Mississippi (ontarienne), Madawaska et Rideau. Ce territoire fait actuellement partie d’une revendication territoriale algonquine toujours non-résolue. Cette étude présente les résultats d’un projet de recherche pluriannuel qui visait à mieux comprendre l’écologie spirituelle algonquine (miyo-pimaadiziwin) de la PNAA, de décrire comment ce concept est interprété et mis en pratique par les membres de la communauté, ainsi qu’à obtenir un aperçu quant à la trajectoire des relations entre les membres de la PNAA, les gouvernements et les intérêts privés, qui sont responsables du développement des ressources naturelles dans la région. Bien que les membres de la PNAA espèrent pouvoir (en suivant les principes éthiques de miyo-pimaadiziwin) éventuellement établir et maintenir un sentiment de respect mutuel et d’harmonie avec leurs voisins non-autochtones, cette vision reste loin d’être en mesure d’être réalisée. Cependant, il reste que les principes de miyo-pimaadiziwin sont fondamentalement irréconciliables à la vision du développement de ressources naturelles intensif que promeut le gouvernement provincial de l’Ontario. Par conséquent, la possibilité de futures mésententes et de conflits entre la PNAA et le gouvernement provincial reste élevée. Bien que ces deux stratégies territoriales soient, à plusieurs égards, fondamentalement différentes, cette analyse identifie quelques objectifs et ambitions partagés par la PNAA et le gouvernement ontarien, ce qui indique la possibilité de collaboration entre ces deux partis. Les résultats et conclusions de cette étude pourront contribuer aux tentatives de la part de l’érudition de mieux comprendre les défis auxquels font face les Premières nations non-statuées, en ce qui concerne la conservation culturelle, qui va de pair avec la pratique d’activités de subsistance sur le territoire traditionnel.

Master of Science / Department of Agronomy / Eduardo Alvarez Santos / Isotope analysis combined with micrometeorological techniques can bring new insights into the mechanisms governing biogeochemical cycles in ecosystems. New field-deployable optical sensors that have recently become available can provide accurate trace gas concentration measurements at sampling rates suitable for micrometeorological measurements. These instruments could help enhance current carbon cycling research efforts. This research will bring new insights into understanding the biophysical processes governing the carbon cycle at the ecosystem scale, which will be crucial for enhancing our future climate change scenario predictions. The impact that land use management has on the carbon cycle components of an ecosystem is an important issue that could be addressed with this new approach. More notably, research is needed to identify how management practices affect the abundance of C₃ and C₄ plant communities in grasslands and to identify how shifts in plant community composition can modify the net ecosystem exchange of CO₂. Chapter 1 of this thesis provides a literature review on the carbon cycle in grasslands, stable isotope analysis in environmental mediums, and the combination of isotope analysis with micrometeorological methods to study carbon exchange at the ecosystem scale. In Chapter 2, we describe the evaluation of the performance for a multi-port sampling system’s measurements of vertical concentration gradients of stable isotopes of CO₂. The results of these analyzes show that the sampling system was suitable to measure vertical gradients of concentration under field conditions. Chapter 3 describes how the sampling system was used to study the isotope exchange in two watersheds at the Konza Prairie Biological station under distinct management conditions. Gradients of isotopes were measured in two adjacent watersheds (K2A and C3SA). The K2A watershed is burned every other year, while the C3SA watershed is in a patch-burn grazing system and is burned every three years. Results show that the sampling system’s performance is adequate for our study. The sampling system was able to detect clear differences in the isotopic composition of nighttime NEE between the watersheds, which is believed to be greatly influenced by C₃ and C₄ plant community composition. Further research is needed to examine the role that other environmental conditions played on altering the isotopic signals of the NEE in each watershed. Additionally, other management practices should be examined using this sampling system to determine their impact on biophysical drivers in the ecosystem, which could subsequently impact the plant community abundance and diversity.

Typically small in number and poorly resourced, Canadian non-status First Nations often find themselves in conflict with more powerful private interests pursuing intensive resource development activities on their traditional lands. In the face of these threats, some non-status First Nations are using a combination of traditional environmental knowledge, a renewed commitment to traditional subsistence activities, and self-developed spiritual ecologies to reassert their sovereignty over ancestral territories. Eastern Ontario’s Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFN) is one such group. AAFN members carry out cultural activities such as canoe building, hunting, trapping and harvesting wild rice on their traditional lands at the headwaters of the (Canadian) Mississippi, Madawaska, and Rideau rivers, lands that are part of a larger unresolved land claim made by Ontario’s Algonquin peoples. This research reports findings from a multi-year participatory research project that sought to understand AAFN’s traditional spiritual ecology (miyo-pimaadiziwin), to describe how it is understood and practiced by community members, and to use these insights as a lens to better understand the current and future trajectory of relations between AAFN members, governments, and outside interests engaged in resource development in this region. While AAFN members hope their miyo-pimaadiziwin-based values will foster mutual respect with non-aboriginal neighbours, the results are yet uncertain. However, what is plainly clear is that miyo-pimaadiziwin has traditionally been fundamentally at odds with rural and resource development strategies being promoted by the provincial government, meaning the potential for future and ongoing conflict is great. Although the two land strategies in contention are in many ways different, this analysis identifies some possible future areas of reconciliation in which the two approaches share common goals. The findings from the study contribute to broader scholarly efforts that seek to better understand the challenges faced by non-status First Nations in preserving cultural knowledge and traditional land-based activities more generally. / Les Premières nations canadiennes non-statuées sont typiquement petites, et elles disposent de peu de moyens financiers. Ces Premières nations se retrouvent souvent dans des situations conflictuelles avec des intérêts privés qui visent à réaliser des projets de développement de ressources naturelles intensifs sur des territoires autochtones traditionnels. Face à cette menace, certaines Premières nations non-statuées ont commencé à élaborer des stratégies de gestion territoriale ancrées dans le savoir écologique traditionnel, ainsi que dans les activités de subsistance. Ces stratégies ont pour but de réaffirmer leur souveraineté territoriale. La vision de gestion territoriale de la Première nation algonquine d’Ardoch (PNAA), située dans l’est de l’Ontario, est représentative de ce nouveau courant. Les membres de la PNAA pratiquent couramment des activités culturelles, telles que la fabrication de canoës, la chasse, le piégeage, et la récolte du riz sauvage, sur leurs territoires traditionnels, localisés à la source des rivières Mississippi (ontarienne), Madawaska et Rideau. Ce territoire fait actuellement partie d’une revendication territoriale algonquine toujours non-résolue. Cette étude présente les résultats d’un projet de recherche pluriannuel qui visait à mieux comprendre l’écologie spirituelle algonquine (miyo-pimaadiziwin) de la PNAA, de décrire comment ce concept est interprété et mis en pratique par les membres de la communauté, ainsi qu’à obtenir un aperçu quant à la trajectoire des relations entre les membres de la PNAA, les gouvernements et les intérêts privés, qui sont responsables du développement des ressources naturelles dans la région. Bien que les membres de la PNAA espèrent pouvoir (en suivant les principes éthiques de miyo-pimaadiziwin) éventuellement établir et maintenir un sentiment de respect mutuel et d’harmonie avec leurs voisins non-autochtones, cette vision reste loin d’être en mesure d’être réalisée. Cependant, il reste que les principes de miyo-pimaadiziwin sont fondamentalement irréconciliables à la vision du développement de ressources naturelles intensif que promeut le gouvernement provincial de l’Ontario. Par conséquent, la possibilité de futures mésententes et de conflits entre la PNAA et le gouvernement provincial reste élevée. Bien que ces deux stratégies territoriales soient, à plusieurs égards, fondamentalement différentes, cette analyse identifie quelques objectifs et ambitions partagés par la PNAA et le gouvernement ontarien, ce qui indique la possibilité de collaboration entre ces deux partis. Les résultats et conclusions de cette étude pourront contribuer aux tentatives de la part de l’érudition de mieux comprendre les défis auxquels font face les Premières nations non-statuées, en ce qui concerne la conservation culturelle, qui va de pair avec la pratique d’activités de subsistance sur le territoire traditionnel.

Free-roaming horses (Equus ferus caballus L.) – also called wild or feral – have been present in the Chilcotin region of British Columbia, Canada and part of Tsilhqot’in First Nations’ culture for over 250 years. The horses, naŝlhiny in Tsilhqot’in, have also been a focal point for controversy and power struggles over land use in the same region for at least 120 years. Recently, the wild horses of the Brittany Triangle (called Tachelach’ed, near the Nemiah Valley in the territory of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation) have been used by local First Nations and some non-governmental organizations as an iconic symbol to gain support for wilderness conservation. To some other residents and government agencies, free-roaming horses are invasive pests that threaten forage availability for cattle, range health, and native wildlife habitat. Little peer-reviewed research exists to elucidate the actual ecological impacts and social relationships of free-roaming horses in the particular ecological, cultural and political context of the Brittany Triangle, or to support management decisions concerning the horses. This research explores how scientific analysis, local knowledge, and socio-cultural perspectives regarding the ecology and cultural role of free-roaming horses in the Brittany Triangle can be integrated to inform conservation planning and land use management. The primary objectives were: 1) to determine and quantify the species of vegetation where horses are feeding; 2) to document local socio-cultural knowledge and perceptions of free-roaming horses; and 3) to determine how ecological information and socio-cultural perspectives can be integrated to inform conservation planning and land use management. This transdisciplinary, mixed-methods study took an exploratory, adaptive approach over six years of site visits, including two preparatory field visits (2006-2007), four field seasons over two years of formal data collection (2008-2009), and two follow-up visits (2010-2011). A line-point intersect method and statistical analysis were used to assess plant community composition and variance in eight sample sites that are grazing habitat of free-roaming horses. Qualitative research involved literature review, participant observation among host communities, semi-structured key informant interviews, and extensive observation of free-roaming horses and other wildlife in the Brittany Triangle. Results demonstrate that the free-roaming horses are part of a social-ecological complex, one of many disturbance factors in a system with multiple drivers of ecological and social change. Grazing and disturbance of vegetation by horses are patchy and heterogeneous in distribution, but no statistically significant difference was found in plant community composition or heights between sample sites. Qualitative research demonstrates that while the horses are currently remote from much human contact, they and the landscape are part of a rich history of interaction with people in Chilcotin society and cultures, particularly in Xeni Gwet’in and other Tsilhqot’in communities. Disagreements over free-roaming horses reveal deeper differences in ways of knowing that underlie management actions, including differing perceptions of “the wild” in relation to humans, and a history of power struggles over land use between First Nations and government authorities from colonial and settler cultures. As well, vegetation communities in sample meadow habitats did not show signs of ecologically significant structural variance or ubiquitous damage on a spatial scale large enough to warrant management intervention in horse populations within the Brittany Triangle at this time. Local knowledge and livelihood practices among Xeni Gwet’in and other local people have functioned as an informal management system for free-roaming horses in the Brittany Triangle and Nemiah Valley. Broadly, this study suggests a partial rather than full integration of diverse ways of knowing may sometimes be desirable in order to maintain the epistemological and contextual depth and richness of different knowledge systems. Effective integration of diverse ways of knowing in management warrants not only the integration of information into knowledge products (i.e. reports, studies, proposals, etc.), but also the equitable inclusion of knowledge holders in processes and decisions. Narrative can be an effective means of conveying complexity in situations of conflict or controversy. This research also finds that a recognition of the agency that wild animals and the land itself have in relationships with humans, and the sense of collective responsibility towards the land and wild animals are two elements that indigenous perspectives can contribute to management and planning frameworks. This research indicates that it is possible and desirable to maintain a population of free-roaming horses in the Brittany Triangle as part of a functional social ecological system, in ways that are appropriate to, and expressive of the culture, identity and livelihood practices of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation. The success of localized stewardship and management depends on: 1) culturally-appropriate means of limiting horse populations including maintaining predator populations; 2) defining management zones based on ecosystems, political and cultural boundaries, and horse sub-populations; 3) basing actions and decisions on systemic, not segmented, ecological indicators; 4) encouraging people to spend time on the land moving cattle more frequently on grazed open range; 5) cultivating stewardship and monitoring activities; 6) including socio-cultural values and goals in management objectives; 7) recognizing diverse people and ways of knowing in land use and management decisions; and 8) encouraging traditional activities as part of dynamic and changing local livelihoods.

Free-roaming horses (Equus ferus caballus L.) – also called wild or feral – have been present in the Chilcotin region of British Columbia, Canada and part of Tsilhqot’in First Nations’ culture for over 250 years. The horses, naŝlhiny in Tsilhqot’in, have also been a focal point for controversy and power struggles over land use in the same region for at least 120 years. Recently, the wild horses of the Brittany Triangle (called Tachelach’ed, near the Nemiah Valley in the territory of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation) have been used by local First Nations and some non-governmental organizations as an iconic symbol to gain support for wilderness conservation. To some other residents and government agencies, free-roaming horses are invasive pests that threaten forage availability for cattle, range health, and native wildlife habitat. Little peer-reviewed research exists to elucidate the actual ecological impacts and social relationships of free-roaming horses in the particular ecological, cultural and political context of the Brittany Triangle, or to support management decisions concerning the horses. This research explores how scientific analysis, local knowledge, and socio-cultural perspectives regarding the ecology and cultural role of free-roaming horses in the Brittany Triangle can be integrated to inform conservation planning and land use management. The primary objectives were: 1) to determine and quantify the species of vegetation where horses are feeding; 2) to document local socio-cultural knowledge and perceptions of free-roaming horses; and 3) to determine how ecological information and socio-cultural perspectives can be integrated to inform conservation planning and land use management. This transdisciplinary, mixed-methods study took an exploratory, adaptive approach over six years of site visits, including two preparatory field visits (2006-2007), four field seasons over two years of formal data collection (2008-2009), and two follow-up visits (2010-2011). A line-point intersect method and statistical analysis were used to assess plant community composition and variance in eight sample sites that are grazing habitat of free-roaming horses. Qualitative research involved literature review, participant observation among host communities, semi-structured key informant interviews, and extensive observation of free-roaming horses and other wildlife in the Brittany Triangle. Results demonstrate that the free-roaming horses are part of a social-ecological complex, one of many disturbance factors in a system with multiple drivers of ecological and social change. Grazing and disturbance of vegetation by horses are patchy and heterogeneous in distribution, but no statistically significant difference was found in plant community composition or heights between sample sites. Qualitative research demonstrates that while the horses are currently remote from much human contact, they and the landscape are part of a rich history of interaction with people in Chilcotin society and cultures, particularly in Xeni Gwet’in and other Tsilhqot’in communities. Disagreements over free-roaming horses reveal deeper differences in ways of knowing that underlie management actions, including differing perceptions of “the wild” in relation to humans, and a history of power struggles over land use between First Nations and government authorities from colonial and settler cultures. As well, vegetation communities in sample meadow habitats did not show signs of ecologically significant structural variance or ubiquitous damage on a spatial scale large enough to warrant management intervention in horse populations within the Brittany Triangle at this time. Local knowledge and livelihood practices among Xeni Gwet’in and other local people have functioned as an informal management system for free-roaming horses in the Brittany Triangle and Nemiah Valley. Broadly, this study suggests a partial rather than full integration of diverse ways of knowing may sometimes be desirable in order to maintain the epistemological and contextual depth and richness of different knowledge systems. Effective integration of diverse ways of knowing in management warrants not only the integration of information into knowledge products (i.e. reports, studies, proposals, etc.), but also the equitable inclusion of knowledge holders in processes and decisions. Narrative can be an effective means of conveying complexity in situations of conflict or controversy. This research also finds that a recognition of the agency that wild animals and the land itself have in relationships with humans, and the sense of collective responsibility towards the land and wild animals are two elements that indigenous perspectives can contribute to management and planning frameworks. This research indicates that it is possible and desirable to maintain a population of free-roaming horses in the Brittany Triangle as part of a functional social ecological system, in ways that are appropriate to, and expressive of the culture, identity and livelihood practices of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation. The success of localized stewardship and management depends on: 1) culturally-appropriate means of limiting horse populations including maintaining predator populations; 2) defining management zones based on ecosystems, political and cultural boundaries, and horse sub-populations; 3) basing actions and decisions on systemic, not segmented, ecological indicators; 4) encouraging people to spend time on the land moving cattle more frequently on grazed open range; 5) cultivating stewardship and monitoring activities; 6) including socio-cultural values and goals in management objectives; 7) recognizing diverse people and ways of knowing in land use and management decisions; and 8) encouraging traditional activities as part of dynamic and changing local livelihoods.