Digital Commons Network^™

Fire Making Fuel: How A Surface Fire In A Primary Forest Affected The Availability Of Potential Fuel One Year Later, Alex Leckie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Fires affect millions of hectares of tropical forests around the world. These fires result in great environmental damage and economical losses. Many farmers are dependent on fire for managing their lands and many times their fires accidentally spread into forests via fuels on the forest floor. This study attempted to analyze and quantify the difference of potential fuel in a primary forest which burned one year before and an unburned part of the same forest at a primary forest fragment surrounded by farms and with a history of anthropogenic accidental fires burning it. This was done by making three sample …

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: The Economic And Environmental Impacts Of Commercial Fishing, Jessica Glenn

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Fish and fisheries play an important role in the Amazon River Basin. Fishing provides jobs to people of both urban and rural communities, and fish are a major source of protein in people’s diets and a major part of the Amazon River ecosystem. In recent years commercial fishing has increased due to greater access to both domestic and international markets, and government incentives which have helped fishermen obtain better equipment and boats. The purpose of this study is to observe the Belém Ver-O-Peso fish market and interview fisherman about different aspects of commercial fishing (what species of fish were caught, …

Assessment Of Small-Scale Biogas Systems And Their Widespread Dissemination In Can Tho City, Viet Nam, Tracy Zhu

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Mekong Delta hosts suitable conditions for promoting the widespread dissemination of biogas systems, such as tropical temperatures, high population density, and widespread animal husbandry. The low-cost polyethylene biodigester (BD) is the most common model in the Mekong Delta, although concrete and brick biodigesters have been implemented to a lesser extent. Biogas systems offer a wide range of benefits, such as improving water quality, enhancing integrated farming systems, and meeting rural energy demand while improving public health. Many projects, especially through Can Tho University (CTU), have promoted the installation of biogas systems, but little research has been done to follow …

Les Forêts, Les Charbonniers, Et L’Avenir Une Analyse De La Filière Charbon Dans Le District De Fianarantsoa, Bronwen Stanford

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

Antipodean Inscapes: Reflection Of The Land As A Young Man, Michael Kantor

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The following paper contains a stand-alone piece of creative travel writing. ‘Cloud Juice’ is based on my interpretation of the experiences of the Fall 2006 Australia: Sustainability and the Environment semester. As it is my own personal interpretation it should not be placed in the category of non-fiction. Instead I have tried to write a story that presents the tone of my experience as honestly as possible, rather than simply telling the unbiased facts of the semester. My reason for writing this is to experiment with alternative methods of communicating the growth of an ecological ethic. By focusing on the …

Ley Y Desorden: La Participación, La Política, Y La Planificación En El Archipiélago De Bocas Del Toro, Sage E. Trombulak

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Bocas del Toro Archipelago is quickly becoming one of Panama’s most popular destinations, both for tourists pursuing temporary fun-in-the-sun type activities and for wealthy Panamanians, Americans, and Europeans seeking a more permanent location for their vacation homes, luxury resorts, and retirement communities. These dual phenomena have become a subject of escalating concern for the political leadership in Bocas del Toro and for a plethora of local, regional, and international NGOs, as unprecedented levels of development are leading to the degradation of one of Panama’s most beautiful and biologically diverse landscapes, stresses on urban infrastructure, and rapid economic growth that …

¿Resolver La Tragedia De Las Comunas? La Experiencia De La Caleta El Quisco, Amelia Hawkins

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project completed in the fall semester 2006 is concerning the current economic situation of the artisan fishermen in the V Region of Chile focusing on the experience of the caleta en El Quisco, Chile. The main investigation of this project was to get a better idea of the challenges the caleta faces to achieving sustainable development, both economic growth and environmental sustainability. The main findings of this investigation is that although the concept for the current management system with an ecosystem approach is a good first step in the direction to sustainable development, the implementation of the system contains …

Something Fishy: Cultivating Children’S Sense Of Place Through Literature, Anne Rone

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Environmental Education (EE) has become increasingly important in Australian public and governmental discourse in the past decade. In its most recent national environmental education statement (2005: 7) the Department of Environment and Heritage lays out a new model of sustainability education that is “about,” “in,” and “for” the environment. This governmental framework includes variety of programs for school children in and out of the classroom. Within the realm of EE, sense of place has re-emerged as an important issue. The study of place fosters a sense of wonder and appreciation for the environment in children and leads to concrete, transformative …

Interpreting Nature In Australia Through Poetry: A Personal Anthology Written Within The Erosion Caldera Of Northern New South, Kyla Allon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My Independent Study Project (ISP) involved traveling within the erosion caldera of northern New South Wales, mainly WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) and writing environmental poetry about the places where I lived and worked. I began by researching past Australian environmental poets so that I could have a strong basic understanding before commencing my own writing. I lived in four different locations within the erosion caldera and strove to form a strong sense of place that is reflected in my poetry. Ultimately, I produced an anthology of poems that capture my responses to the natural environments that I experienced. …

Factors Affecting The Distribution And Health Of The Intertidal Coral Goniastrea Aspera On The Reef Flat In Geoffrey Bay, Magnetic Island, Julia Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The intertidal zone can be a harsh environment, presenting many challenges to the organisms inhabiting it. Given its dynamic nature, it is surprising that it is sometimes able to sustain systems as delicate and sensitive as coral reefs. Many organisms have adapted to life on the intertidal reef flat, and one of the most prominent on the northeastern coast of Australia is the massive coral Goniastrea aspera. The mechanisms driving the distribution of this species are not entirely understood; this study investigated the potential role of microhabitat, as well as that of actual physical characteristics of the colonies, in the …

The Development Of Environmental Consciousness And Identity In Surfing Subculture, Alex Mass

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since the 1960’s and 1970’s, surfing has exuded the stereotype of a laid-back, environmentally conscious and left-wing culture, a connotation often spread through media outlets such as movies, television, and music that encourage the idea. While the stereotype is often known and widely accepted, no studies could be found that actually tested this view. Using a series of interviews and surveys of the New Ecological Paradigm, this study investigated the formation of environmental consciousness and identity in surfing subculture in order to examine the accuracy of such stereotypes, and analyse the effect that such generalized views have on the formation …

Decision Modeling: Why Farmers Do Or Do Not Convert To Organic Farming, Ryan Locke

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines why farmers in Northern New South Wales, Australia do or do not convert to organic farming from conventional farming practices. Organic agriculture provides a production alternative that may be environmentally and nutritionally beneficial. Because the structural settings of economy and society influence decision-making on an individual basis at the farm level, discussions of policy must consider why farmers do, or do not, convert to organic farming. Ultimately, the successfulness of a policy depends on the effectiveness of motivating individual action. A hierarchical decision tree was created using ethnographic decision tree modeling. Elimination criteria, motivational criteria, and constraints …

Impacts Of Salt Production On Pemba, Lauren Wolchok

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The economic, social, and environmental impacts of salt production were studied on the eastern coast of Pemba Island. Solar salt production is associated with the clear cutting of mangrove forests, which are significant as soil stabilizers, animal habitats, and as an economic resource. An environmental assessment of this industry is necessary to determine whether the socio-economic gains from salt production justify the environmental costs. Interviews with owners, employees, and day laborers from 20 salt farms were conducted to assess the general sustainability of the industry. The average annual owner income was determined to be approximately 570 000 Tsh, while employees …

Sea Urchin Predation In Misali Island Marine Park, Nicole Esclamado

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The populations of sea urchins and their main predators, triggerfish (Balistidae), wrasses (Labridae) and emperors (Lethrinidae), were studied in the extractive and non-extractive zones of the Misali Island Marine Conservation Area in order to (1) evaluate the applicability of a sea urchin-sea urchin predator model developed in Kenya’s fringing reefs, (2) gain baseline data on Misali’s coral reef, and (3) evaluate the recovery status of the protected zone. This study revealed the predictive power of the sea urchin-sea urchin predator model for the reef ecosystem of Misali Island. As expected, a decline in sea urchin predators as a gross trophic …

Un Estudio De La Palma De Ramos, Ceroxylum Alpinum, En La Zona Intag, Ecuador, Lupe Moscoe

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study addresses the endangered wax palm species, Ceroxylum alpinum, in the Ecuadorian cloud forest zone of Intag. Attention has recently arisen regarding this plant because the yellow-eared parrot, Ognorhynchus icterotis, which depends on it for food and nesting, is in critical danger of extinction. Much of this attention has targeted the use of wax palm fronds on Palm Sunday, but this investigation shows that this is only one of the many threats to the palm. Environmentalists in Intag are currently undertaking reforestation projects in community reserves to save the palm, but little is known about its development. This study …

Effectiveness Of Cane Toad Eradication Methods: Arakwal National Park, Matthew Miller

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The cane toad (Bufo marinus) is a pest throughout Australia. Not only is it poisonous to native predators, it also consumes or out competes native fauna. It has only recently entered into Northern New South Wales where the site for this study is located, at Arakwal National Park. This study aims to discover the most effective method of cane toad eradication in the National Park.

Over the course of 18 days, three traps were set and rotated between 9 different sites. Traps were set at sunset and cleared at sunrise. The three traps used were; (1) Pitfall style trap by …