Ecological research involving habitat studies was conducted on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River in Denton County, Texas, from spring 1985 to spring 1986. Habitat Evaluation Procedures and Habitat Suitability Index Models developed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service were applied to a 1419 hectares study area to determine the quality of habitat for four species: beaver, Castor canadensis, wood duck, Aix sponsa, pileated woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus, and white crappie, Poxomis annularis. Population estimates were generated. A wildlife management plan was developed for the study area. Habitat Suitability Index Models were found to be overly conservative, underestimating the quality of habitat in areas of ecological transition.

Thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Architecture (Professional) to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / In light of an increasing scientific and social focus on unsustainable human practices, mankind’s dominant relationship with the natural world is now being challenged. Few phenomena demonstrate this destructive relationship better than the growing number of animals being driven to extinction through human actions. The most notable of these, within the South African context, is the devastation of rhinoceros populations caused by illegal poaching, particularly in the Kruger National Park. In dealing with this issue, we have a unique opportunity to embody and catalyse a sustainable paradigm shift. Such a shift would seek to transition mankind into a symbiotic rather than parasitic relationship with the natural world. It would promote the use of cutting edge technologies for the benefit both human and non-human actors, breaking down the separation between man and nature. The resultant hybridised ecosystem would stand as an exemplary manifestation of the long theorised ‘cyborg’ entity, not as individual, but as a new form of habitat and, ultimately, societal organisation. Contextualising such a ‘Cyborgian Nexus’ as a solution to the scourge of rhino poaching is the chief subject of this research report. The Matsulu Centre for Rhino Defense is proposed as a Connected Conservation Centre in the disadvantaged Matsulu community, bordering the Kruger National Park. Its aim is to be the heart of a sophisticated system of cutting edge technologies which allow park rangers to overcome the poaching threat. Through its program as well as its architecture, the project aims to become a recognizable icon of a new relationship between man and nature. One in which human innovation allows for the natural world and the human world to coexist sustainably to the mutual benefit of both. / GR2017

Invasion of exotic species is a global threat to native species, biological diversity, and ecological restoration projects. Pomacea maculata is a macrophyte herbivore often misidentified with one of the world’s most invasive and destructive exotic snail, Pomacea canaliculata, but has a broader geographical distribution and climate tolerance, and greater egg production. This research examines whether the exotic P. maculata and native Pomacea paludosa occupy identical vegetation communities, mechanisms of interference competition, grazing impact differences on Vallisneria americana and to develop an exploratory agent based model. This model uses historical and present data to project how differences between species in life history and grazing patterns can potentially impact South Florida ecosystems. This model examined how P. maculate invasion of South Florida could affect two of the Central Everglades Planning Project’s main environmental restoration goals: function of key vegetative communities and conservation of endangered or threatened species. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Two species of sea turtle, loggerheads (Caretta caretta) and leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea) are caught frequently as bycatch in longline fisheries. These fisheries use hooks baited with fish or squid. Yet, leatherbacks feed on gelatinous prey while loggerheads are carnivores. I investigated the responses of these two species to bait odors in controlled laboratory experiments to better understand their feeding behavior and why they interact with longlines. Both species initiated feeding behavior in the presence of squid bait odors and just C. caretta showed feeding behavior with sardine odors; neither responded to mackerel odors. The turtles are hooked differently on longlines. Loggerheads are usually hooked in the mouth while leatherbacks are usually hooked in the shoulder or flippers. Comparisons of prey attack behavior and accuracy in apprehending a stimulus in the presence of waterborne food odors identified speciesspecific differences that may predispose the turtles to particular kinds of hooking. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

In the face of biodiversity loss due to agricultural expansion and intensification, agroforestry has been proposed as an environmentally friendly form of agriculture capable of conserving biodiversity while supporting local livelihoods. However, how social drivers related to farmers’ decision-making and ecological processes affect the potential of agroforestry systems to serve as reservoirs for native species diversity and community composition is unclear. This dissertation aims to describe patterns of tree diversity and community composition in coffee (Coffea arabica) agroforestry systems as they compare to surrounding forests, and uncover the social drivers related to farmers’ decision-making and ecological processes giving rise to those patterns. Worldwide, there is an extensive overlap between coffee-growing areas and regions with high species richness and endemism considered biodiversity hotspots. This renders the issue of clarifying the sustainability and conservation value of shade coffee even more urgent. Otherwise, we risk losing important late-succession and conservation concern tree species, and simplifying the structural and floristic composition of mature forests. To uncover how the social factors related to farmers’ decision-making and ecological factors drive tree diversity and community composition in coffee agroforestry systems, a series of empirical studies were conducted based on surveys and field data collected in La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico, between 2009-2013. Field research took place in two coffee farming communities within the reserve, where 50 farmers were interviewed, and 31 coffee agroforest sites and 10 forest sites were sampled. Forests were sampled to provide a reference for tree diversity and community composition in the absence of coffee management. Although a higher sample size would have permitted the inclusion of more covariates in statistical analyses without losing statistical power, there is no reason to believe that the results of this dissertation would change if a larger sample size were considered. This is because the magnitude of the effects detected were large and the p-values small, which underscore the robustness of the results of this dissertation. The three chapters in this dissertation correspond to individual studies. Chapter One investigates tree floristic patterns in coffee agroforestry systems and compares them to those in surrounding forests. Findings indicate that although at the landscape level coffee agroforestry systems hold similar tree species richness compared to forests, tree species community composition is significantly distinct. Coffee agroforests had a lower proportion of trees of conservation concern, a higher proportion of pioneer trees, were dominated by Inga spp., harbored lower tree species diversity at the plot level, and were composed of different tree species compared to native forests. This chapter raised questions with regards to whether these results were the result of farmers’ intentional tree selection criteria and preferences, or an unintended consequence of management practices. Chapter Two addressed these questions by examining the use of knowledge by farmers to manage coffee agroforests and the consequences on tree community composition relative to forests. In Chapter Two, results indicate that differences between agroforests and forests are primarily driven by farmers’ manipulation of tree community composition, which occurs according to their beliefs about the benefits and disservices of trees for coffee production. Tree community composition in coffee agroforest is dominated by the trees that farmers prefer and practically void of the trees they dislike as compared to the trees’ natural abundances in forests. These findings are novel and important because they clarify that the community composition changes observed in coffee agroforests are mostly an intentional consequence of management and not a byproduct. Finally, Chapter Three focuses on a subset of trees of particular conservation importance, trees of conservation concern (CC) and typical of old growth or late succession (LS) forests. This chapter investigates how management practices that affect shade tree density, basal area, and the proportion of Inga trees, mediated by land use legacies, affect the proportions of CC and LS trees in coffee agroforests. Findings indicate that management practices that sought to increase the proportion of Inga spp. trees had the largest negative impact on the proportions of trees of LS and CC, but the magnitude of the effects were dependent on land-use legacy. Among farms established on land previously used for pastureland or crop cultivation, the impact of farmers’ tree preferences and selection criteria on LS and CC trees were significantly higher than on farms established on forests without an agricultural history. These findings underscore that farmers’ sharp preference for Inga spp. trees undermines the potential of agroforests to conserve higher proportions of CC and LS trees. The results presented in each chapter of this dissertation allow for a more thorough understanding of the tree diversity patterns conserved in coffee agroforestry systems and the underlying social drivers related to farmers’ decision-making and ecological drivers that generate such patterns. The results of this dissertation seek to contribute new knowledge not only to the scientific community, but also to society so that better policies and strategies be devised that successfully conserve floristic diversity in the biodiverse areas of the world where coffee is cultivated.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-22T22:12:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Adriana Bentes Craveiro.pdf: 602357 bytes, checksum: 77958ee6f46ef6db5b7c27ff757670c8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-06-24 / CNPq - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Currently almost 1/5 of the species of reptiles are endangered in the world. In this imminent scenario of biological loss, the rapid growth of human population and urban density are considered global threats to reptilian diversity by the destruction, modification and homogenization of the natural environment, far beyond the boundary of the municipality. In the urban landscape in expansion, snakes are among the reptiles impacted primarily due to their ecological and behavioral quirks, which often trigger fear in western human. Manaus, the most populous city of the Amazon biome, since the first decade of the XXI century has accelerated the expansion of the urban area in a disorderly manner on the surrounding continuous forest. Among vertebrates directly affected by this process of degradation of habitat is the jiboia (Boa constrictor). This snake, although it can reach up to 4.2 m in total length, can persist in modified environments and has been one of the vertebrates with the largest number of rescues by power public in Manaus in the last decade. Between 09/2010 and 11/2012 were evaluated 222 specimens of B. constrictor that were rescued in the urban area of the capital of Amazonas. The high frequency of individuals in basically all sizes / ages, of both sexes and distributed throughout the urban area of Manaus indicated that the capital of Amazonas still contains a robust population of B. constrictor. There wasn t relationship between the accumulated rainfall in the last 24 hours and the occurrence of rescues, indicating that the B. constrictor in Manaus aren t simply carried by heavy rain, which would favor its viewing by residents and triggering the rescue. On the contrary, the rescue rate appeared to reflect seasonal movement of the target species, and the monthly precipitation explained 45% of the variance in the number of B. constrictor rescued in the respective months. The sex ratio (male / female) overall was 0.7, indicating general trend skewed towards females, which also remained in the sex ratio (0.8) between the administrative areas of Manaus. Greater number of redemptions (55%) occurred in the city that has greater connectivity with continuous forest. It was also confirmed that the population of B. constrictor in the urban area of Manaus is mainly infested by Amblyomma dissimile and secondarily by Amblyomma aff. rotundatum. The prevalence and mean intensity (n° total of tick / n° total of snakes) high in all administrative areas, and over the months in Manaus, indicated that the infestation is apparently chronic throughout the city, throughout the year. The absence of a clear relationship between the surface area and the number of residents to the number of rescues of B. constrictor by administrative area of Manaus was not expected, and showed how the rescue effort public can be a unique opportunity to obtain robust information on the biology, ecology and conservation status of cryptic species like jiboia - Boa constrictor. / Atualmente quase 1/5 das espécies de répteis está ameaçada de extinção no mundo. Nesse cenário iminente de perda biológica, o crescimento acelerado da população humana e o adensamento urbano são considerados ameaças globais à diversidade reptiliana, mediante a destruição, modificação e homogeneização do ambiente natural, muito além dos limites da sede do município. Na paisagem urbana em expansão, as serpentes figuram entre os répteis primariamente impactados devido as suas peculiaridades ecológicas e comportamentais, as quais geralmente despertam temor em humanos ocidentais. Manaus, a cidade mais populosa do bioma Amazônia, desde a primeira década do século XXI vem acelerando a expansão da sua área urbana de forma desordenada sobre a floresta contínua circundante. Entre os vertebrados diretamente afetados por esse processo de degradação dos hábitats está a jiboia (Boa constrictor). Essa serpente, apesar de poder atingir até 4,2 m de comprimento total, consegue persistir em ambientes modificados, e tem sido um dos vertebrados com maior número de resgates pelo pode público em Manaus na última década. Entre 09/2010 e 11/2012, foram avaliados 222 exemplares de B. constrictor que foram resgatados na área urbana da capital amazonense. A frequência elevada de indivíduos de basicamente todos os tamanhos/idades, de ambos os sexos e distribuídos por toda a área urbana de Manaus indicou que a capital amazonense ainda comporta uma população robusta de B. constrictor. Não ocorreu relação entre a chuva acumulada nas últimas 24 horas e a ocorrência de resgates, indicando que as B. constrictor em Manaus não são simplesmente levadas pela chuva intensa, o que favoreceria a sua visualização pelos munícipes e o acionamento do resgate. Pelo contrário, a taxa de resgate pareceu refletir a movimentação sazonal da espécie-alvo, sendo que a precipitação mensal acumulada explicou 45% da variância do número de B. constrictor resgatadas nos respectivos meses. A razão sexual (macho/fêmea) geral foi de 0,7, indicando tendência enviesada para fêmeas, o que também se manteve na razão sexual (0,8) entre as zonas administrativas de Manaus. Número maior de resgates (55%) ocorreu na região da cidade que possui maior proximidade com a floresta contínua. Também foi evidenciado que a população de B. constrictor na área urbana de Manaus está infestada principalmente pelos carrapatos Amblyomma dissimile e secundariamente por Amblyomma aff. rotundatum. A prevalência e a intensidade média (n0 total de carrapatos/n0 total de serpentes) altas em todas as zonas administrativas, e ao longo dos meses em Manaus, indicaram que a infestação é aparentemente crônica por toda a cidade, ao longo de todo o ano. A ausência de relação evidente entre a área superficial e o número de habitantes com o número de resgates de B. constrictor por zona administrativa de Manaus não era esperado, e evidenciou o quanto o esforço de resgate público pode ser uma possibilidade única de obter informações robustas sobre a biologia, a ecologia e o estado de conservação de espécies crípticas como a jiboia - Boa constrictor.

While roads can present weak to complete barriers to wildlife, depending on the animal and traffic volume, mitigations such as under-crossings and green bridges on highways at least partially increase the permeability of the landscape to some of these species. The few studies evaluating the effectiveness of these structures for at least three years typically focused on a single species. Here, we monitored the crossing structure under Boeckman Road, in Wilsonville Oregon, for wildlife activity across summer seasons for ten years, since construction of the road and subsequent opening to traffic. This long-term multi-species dataset, which includes monitoring when the road was closed to traffic has provided a unique opportunity. Wildlife activity was collected using sand track pads monitored during summer seasons from 2009 to 2018. Wildlife activity showed a significant community level response from year to year and species-specific responses to year, vegetation change, disturbance, detection area, and previous experimental additions of artificial light. Roads create barriers to animal movement through collisions and habitat fragmentation. Investigators have attempted to use traffic volume, the number of vehicles passing a point on a road segment, to predict effects to wildlife populations approximately linearly and along taxonomic lines; however, taxonomic groupings cannot provide sound predictions because closely related species often respond differently. We assess the role of wildlife behavioral responses to traffic volume as a tool to predict barrier effects from vehicle-caused mortality and avoidance, to provide an early warning system that recognizes traffic volume as a trigger for mitigation, and to better interpret roadkill data. We propose four categories of behavioral response based on the perceived danger to traffic: Nonresponders, Pausers, Speeders, and Avoiders. By considering a species' risk-avoidance response to traffic, managers can make more appropriate and timely decisions to mitigate effects before populations decline or become locally extinct. Barriers to animal movement can isolate populations, impacting their genetic diversity, susceptibility to disease, and access to resources. Barriers to movement may be caused by artificial light, but few studies have experimentally investigated the effects of artificial light on movement for a suite of terrestrial vertebrates. Therefore, we studied the effect of ecological light pollution on animal usage of a bridge under-road passage structure. On a weekly basis, sections of the structure were subjected to different light treatments including no light added, followed by a Reference period when lights were off in all the structure sections. Findings suggest that artificial light may be reducing habitat connectivity for some species though not providing a strong barrier for others. Through the work conducted herein we provide contributions to the understanding of how elements of the built environment impact wildlife communities ability to move across the landscape. Additionally, we provide new tools to support resource managers in barrier mitigation and connectivity planning. Habitat fragmentation effects are a complex set of issues that require resources and collaboration to reach meaningful solutions. The work presented here can also support decision-making, communication, and collaborative efforts that will ultimately result in on-the-ground impacts to reduce fragmentation effects and mitigate existing barriers effectively to promote the long-term viability of wildlife and the systems they depend on.

Rhetoric of "community-based conservation" has gained prominence among development specialists and environmentalists, yet such projects are often implemented from the top-down in Africa. This dissertation contends that only a bottom-up approach can foster resilient livelihoods and environmental stewardship. This study focused on determinants of household resilience within a poverty-stricken agricultural community near Gombe Stream National Park (GSNP) in western Tanzania. The research purpose was to explore: 1) relationships between villagers and GSNP management; 2) how groups and individuals view priority livelihood problems and solutions; 3) various attributes of households; and 4) perceived trends for household resilience and how these are related to natural, social, human, and financial capital as per the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF). A mixed-methods approach provided qualitative and quantitative assessments. Data collection consisted of Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA), key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and household surveys. The RRA was conducted adjacent to GSNP while other work was implemented over a larger area. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi square, and logistic regression. Regression examined relationships between trends in resilience variables (quality of life or ability to solve problems) versus trends in capital. Results from the RRA indicated high polarization and problems between villagers and GSNP management. A more complex picture, however, emerged from subsequent investigations revealing that the most important issues facing local communities were inadequate public services, ineffective leadership, and development isolation. This situation was exacerbated by population growth, poverty, and environmental decline. Regression results identified lack of income, manual labor, and skills and knowledge as factors undermining household resilience. Other data indicated a need for improving farming systems. In conclusion, while all forms of capital mattered to resilience, human and financial were most lacking. Knowledge of such variation strengthens future applications of the SLF. Practical implications include how an indigenous educational institution, the Gombe School of Environment and Society (GOSESO), could operate in the area. The GOSESO needs to adopt a bottom-up, participatory approach that emphasizes capacity building for poverty reduction and conservation. This could allow for broader goals of economic and cultural vitality, as well as environmental stewardship, to be achieved.

To this date, little research has been done evaluating the quality of wildlife habitat provided by open space in residential areas. Quality wildlife habitat for the purposes of this study is defined as those areas which contain the physical and biological characteristics necessary to support native wildlife species of the region. This thesis critiqued a wildlife habitat assessment method used in a nationwide study of residential open space for the purpose of better understanding the research conducted by the study and to inform similar, future habitat evaluations of landscapes altered by human activity to accommodate residential land use. The methodology critiqued was a low resolution, habitat based, rapid assessment. The methodology provided information on the ecological function of the open space in each development and related that information to individual wildlife species needs to provide an estimation of habitat quality. However, an increase in sampling frequency and additional data collection would have improved the assessment.

This thesis examines the social impact of wildlife conservation nonprofits (WCNs) in the United States and Ecuador. Cultural developments of environmentalism provide the social context for WCNs, informing trends in participation and conflict. WCNs rely on public support and engagement to advance their mission, which requires an image of legitimacy and healthy organizational culture. This thesis argues the relationship between WCNs and the public impacts their organizational sustainability and their success as a conservation institution.