Environmental Studies Commons^™

Three Essays On Understanding Social And Economic Responses To Crisis And Disaster Events, Shahnawaz Mohammad Rafi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation comprises three chapters that analyze the social and economic responses to crises and disasters. In the first chapter, I have investigated whether media affects the US official foreign aid channel or crisis related aid. I have examined natural disaster citations in four mainstream US newspapers to analyze whether they influence the Official Development Assistance (ODA) or the short-term crisis related aid need of a recipient following a natural disaster. I created three new media variables to measure the strength of media effect on US ODA, humanitarian aid, and food aid. The empirical analyses indicate that media citation only …

The Politics Of The Self: Psychedelic Assemblages, Psilocybin, And Subjectivity In The Anthropocene, Joshua Falcon

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how psychedelic substances become drawn into particular sociohistorical and political arrangements, and how psychedelic experiences with psilocybin ‘magic mushrooms’ are used as tools of subjectivation. Guided by literatures in philosophy, critical theory, and the social sciences that focus on subjectivity, assemblage theory, and critical posthumanism, I argue that psychedelics are drawn into variegated assemblages, each of which conceptualizes the nature of psychedelics in highly specific ways that reflect implicit conceptions of the world and the self. In developing the concept of psychedelic assemblages, this research provides a window onto the politics of the self in the Anthropocene. …

Urban Rivers As Social-Ecological Systems: An Examination Of History & Ecology In The Miami River, Daniela B. Daniele

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rivers have played significant roles in development of cities worldwide. Increasing urbanization has diminished the quality of lotic resources and altered the way in which humans interact with rivers by converting free flowing rivers into heavily altered systems. The Miami River in South Florida, USA, provides a model case for examining urban rivers as social-ecological systems. Research on urban rivers in general and the Miami River is limited. To date, how the urbanization of Miami and surrounding areas may have disrupted social-ecological riverine connectivity has not been studied. To fill this gap, I compiled an environmental history of the river …

Three Essays In Applied Economics, Mohammad Javad Mehregan

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Governments worldwide support their national economies to obtain growth, adequate employment, and price durability. Regulation is a unique approach through which governments control the economy. Governments attempt to maintain and regulate the economy in various ways to guarantee that business fosters the common good. The range of government regulations is enormous and touches all areas of the economy and all features of daily life. Understanding the effect of regulations on the economy is essential since its outcomes can improve government interventions’ efficiency. Applied economics can help measure the effectiveness of government intervention on economic outcomes.

This dissertation includes three essays …

Developing Sustainable Soil Building Strategies For Tropical Fruit Groves Within The South Florida Redland, Ariel Freidenreich

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tropical fruit production has become a lucrative industry in Miami-Dade County. Consequently, developing sustainable farming practices to be applied to these systems to ensure healthy soils and economically viable fruit production is becoming increasingly important. The study is focused on the incorporation of cover cropping as a management strategy for perennial tropical fruit production and its applications for local growers. Cover crops are plants that are grown to cover soil to reduce erosion, increase soil fertility, and enhance farmland biodiversity. The project was specifically designed to test the impacts of highly prolific legumes sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) and …

Three Essays Of Assessing The Risk, Adaptation And Resilience To Natural Disasters, Mohammad Asif Hasan Khan

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three chapters in environmental and natural resource economics. In the first chapter, using survey data, I investigate what factors are important in people's evacuation decisions in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. I examine if temporal spillover is present in their decision making and how significant the spillover effect is. With that objective in mind, I examine the effect of previous evacuation experience on future evacuation decision. I also analyze how network effects influence people's evacuation decisions during a natural disaster.

As the threat of climate change grows, communities around the world are facing the dangers of …

Utilizing Multi-Criteria Analysis And Analytical Hierarchy Process To Facilitate Everglades Restoration Decision-Making, Chloe C. Vorseth

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Greater Everglades Ecosystem (GEE) restoration is a complex undertaking, with a variety of potential outcomes and trade-offs impacting numerous stakeholders. This study utilizes a strategy for facilitating GEE restoration that is based in social science principles and informed by stakeholder opinion, ecologists, and biological modeling techniques. Information in this study was gathered through the use of an online survey involving stakeholder preferences for GEE restoration outcomes. Results revealed that sample stakeholders weighed the outcome of improving seasonal flow of water highest, followed by reducing polluted discharges from Lake Okeechobee, then increasing water storage for human use, and lastly restoring the …

Conservation And Management Of Arapaima Spp. In The Colombian Amazon, Ana A. Rojas

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to conserve megafaunal, charismatic freshwater fish species, an interdisciplinary, translational ecology approach is needed. This thesis explores trends in conservation of the pan-Amazonian Arapaima spp., with two major components. First, I examined research trends on Arapaima over the last 50 years by categorizing articles by theme and geography. My results showed that aquaculture and biology were dominant themes, with most research conducted in the Brazilian Amazon. Second, I conducted field research in the Colombian Amazon to examine perceptions of Arapaima management at various geographic and political scales. One important finding was the crucial role of communities and small-scale …

Coupling Telemetry And Stable Isotope Techniques To Unravel Movement: Snook Habitat Use Across Variable Nutrient Environments, Cody W. Eggenberger

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Habitat selection by organisms can be driven by a number of factors, including the availability of resources. In particular, nutrient enrichment can alter the quality of landscapes, and thus the availability of resources, with implications for consumer movement and habitat use. In coastal ecosystems, eutrophication can affect the production and distribution of resources, and thus the behaviors and space use of consumers. In this study, I coupled acoustic telemetry methods and stable isotope analyses (SIA) to examine the effects of nutrient enrichment on the movement, habitat use, and resource use of Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis), a valuable recreational …

Generating Alternatives: The Possible Energy Transitions For France And Germany After The Paris Accord, Anna Fache

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Following the Paris Accord of 2015, multiple countries, including France and Germany, promised to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in order to slow down climate change. Current energy production and consumption patterns do not allow for such targets. Meeting these emission reduction goals requires a transition in energy production. Energy transitions can be inefficient and costly if not planned properly, and multiple constraints need to be taken into account when putting such a process in place. The model proposed in the present study aims to find the most cost-effective energy portfolios for France and Germany, two highly industrialized nations in …

Assessment Of Watersheds For Sustainable Agriculture In Karnataka, India, Nicholas Adam Charles

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modernization of traditional small-scale irrigation tanks in India is becoming increasingly popular. This is due to high costs of the alternative, of developing and constructing large-scale projects in rural areas. Examination of management strategies, resource allocation, and collective action has become paramount for promoting food security and livelihoods in water-stressed areas of Southeast Asia. Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing techniques are valuable to assessing the management of these irrigation systems, specifically small water storage reservoirs that capture runoff from the monsoon known as irrigation tanks. The primary goal of this study is to develop a stakeholder-informed approach to …

Essays On Economic Valuation Of Water Resources, Christina Estela Brown

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increased potential of flooding caused by heavy precipitation events and sea level rise, as well as growing risk of drought that are likely changes in the frequency and spatial distribution of climatic conditions, pose particular challenges to water management in coastal areas. Extreme events are expected to increase the complexity of managing scarce water resources for competing water users. South Florida, which is characterized by a mosaic of urban settlements, agricultural areas and natural areas, is served by a highly human-engineered water management system grappling to meet multiple objectives, including urban and agricultural water supply, flood control, and environmental restoration. …

Cost Benefit Analysis Of Restocking The Threatened Caribbean Staghorn Coral On The Florida Reef Tract, Kevin Cavasos

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Once a dominant structure building coral on shallow water reefs throughout the Caribbean and western Atlantic, staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) has experienced precipitous regional declines in abundance since the 1970s, the result of a multitude of interlinked natural and human-induced stressors. To mitigate declining trends and support the recovery of wild staghorn populations, a restocking program has been initiated to transplant tens of thousands of nursery-reared staghorn colonies annually onto reefs off SE Florida and throughout the Caribbean. The objective of the present study is to examine the business case for a large-scale staghorn coral restocking program in the Florida …

Fundamental Mechanistic Studies On The Ultrasonic Treatment Of Problematic Water Pollutants And Toxins, Danni Cui

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Problematic organic pollutants in industrial and drinking water sources are a leading cause of water scarcity. Among the advanced oxidation processes, sonolytic degradation has received considerable attention because it combines oxidation processes initiated by reactive oxidant species and a pyrolysis processes associated with the high temperatures produced during cavitation.

The degradation of the semi-volatile compound, MCHM, was rapid and followed pseudo-first order kinetics. The Freundlich kinetic model for heterogeneous systems was successfully applied to describe the non-uniform distribution of MCHM at the gas-liquid interface during ultrasonic treatment. Two primary products were confirmed by GC-MS. Computational studies were also applied to …

Cultural Politics Of Community-Based Conservation In The Buffer Zone Of Chitwan National Park, Nepal, Yogesh Dongol

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation research examines the socio-economic and political effects of community-based conservation initiatives within the Bagmara buffer zone community forests of Chitwan National Park, Nepal. In particular, the study investigates the role of buffer zones creation in structuring the way rural property rights have been defined, negotiated, and contested, in reinforcing or reducing patterns of ethnic dominance and exclusion, and in influencing how cultural identities are constituted and renegotiated. Using a political ecology framework with a specific focus on theoretical concepts of environmentality and territorialization, I conducted 12 months ethnographic and quantitative survey field research in the buffer zone communities …

Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Total Phosphorus Concentration In Soil And Surface Water In The Everglades Protection Area, Shishir Kumar Sarker

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Draining of the Everglades allowed for the expansion of urban and agricultural development, reducing half of the size of the historic Everglades. The detrimental cascading effect on the Everglades ecosystem function is related to the total phosphorus (TP) concentrations of water inflow, the inflow rate and the distance from the discharge point. As Everglades restoration has approached 15 years since the inception of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), there is a need to assess its progress across the ecosystem. Available data from 2004 to 2014 were collected for soils and from 2004 to 2016 for water to understand a …

International Trade And Environmental Regulation, Qingru Tu

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is composed of three chapters regarding international trade and environmental regulation. The first chapter focuses on the relationship between port ownership and the port R\&D investment. I investigate whether a larger degree of private involvement in the port sector makes for a higher level of welfare, as well as an improvement in port performance. I establish the stage games to analyze the reciprocal international trade. The theoretical findings indicate that the endowment of population plays an essential role in choosing the optimal port ownership. In the second chapter, I investigate the effect of port pollution regulation on port …

Evaluating The Successes Of Land Trust Conservation: Social Effects Of Incentive-Based Efforts In Northern Michigan, Kathryn Nicole Braddock

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Little Traverse Conservancy (LTC) of Michigan is a contemporary land trust organization. A case study of LTC identified the accomplishments and challenges of LTC as well as criteria for successful land conservation. Research emphasizes knowledge gaps in effective conservation efforts. An applied research protocol to improve ecological and socio-political knowledge about the workings of LTC and, by corollary, other similar land trusts is recommended.

Key informant interviews (n=33) were conducted with LTC stakeholders. The objective of these interviews was to understand the perceptions and motivations of LTC stakeholders and more broadly, of small-scale land conservation. Findings show …

Speaking Private Authority: The Construction Of Sustainability In Forests And Fisheries, Roberto Jose Flores

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation is to expand upon current understandings of the emergent global phenomenon that is private authority. Private authority is a process wherein private actors create, implement, and enforce rules aimed at managing global problems. As private authority is becoming increasingly important in the conduct of global governance, broadening our understanding of it will serve the field of International Relations. In this dissertation I argue that private actors are not simply outgrowths of structures or certain material conditions, rather they are purposive actors strategically pursuing an agenda. As such, explaining private authority requires an examination of the …

A Floristic Study Of Halmahera, Indonesia Focusing On Palms (Arecaceae) And Their Seed Dispersal, Melissa E. Abdo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The dispersal services of frugivores affect plant community assembly, persistence, and gene flow in the short-term, and in the long-term are critical to ensuring that tropical trees and palms can regenerate in disturbed areas and can migrate amidst climate change. Halmahera is the largest Moluccan island within the Wallacea biodiversity hotspot, yet data on its plant and animal distributions and interactions are almost null. I studied the tropical trees and palms of Halmahera and their seed dispersal dynamics. Chapter I explores the palms of the Moluccan islands through field-, herbarium-, and literature- based studies. The results of herbarium specimen collections …

Measuring The Economic Value And Social Impact Of Crocodile Tourism In Tarcoles, Costa Rica, Ana Lemos

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis measures the economic value and social impact of tourism associated with crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) in Tárcoles, Costa Rica. Crocodile tourism is unique compared to other tourism operations in Costa Rica because it is managed locally and has grown in an organic matter. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from tourists and key informants who work, directly or indirectly, in crocodile tourism in the region. The results demonstrated that the economic benefits derived from nature-based tourism is an important strength and incentive for C. acutus conservation in Tárcoles. Bringing in an estimated USD 5,292,073.81 per year (estimated …

Reimagining Movements: Towards A Queer Ecology And Trans/Black Feminism, Gabriel Benavente

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to bridge feminist and environmental justice movements through the literature of black women writers. These writers create an archive that contribute towards the liberation of queer, black, and transgender peoples.

In the novel Parable of the Talents, Octavia Butler constructs a world that highlights the pervasive effects of climate change. As climate change expedites poverty, Americans begin to blame others, such as queer people, for the destruction of their country. Butler depicts the dangers of fundamentalism as a response to climate change, highlighting an imperative for a movement that does not romanticize the environment as heteronormative, but …

Examining Movement And Habitat Selection Of Everglades Fishes In Response To Seasonal Water Levels, Gregory J. Hill

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fish distribution patterns and seasonal habitat use play a key role in the food web dynamics of aquatic ecosystems, including the Florida Everglades. In this study I examined the fine scale habitat shifts and movements of spotted sunfish, Lepomis punctatus across varying seasons and hydrologic conditions using in-situ field enclosures and Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) systems. Data on fish use of three dominant Everglades marsh habitats and activity level were recorded continuously from January to August, 2015. Fish were more active and had the highest use of higher elevation habitats when water levels rose during an experimental reversal in mid-April. …

Where Are All The Bonefish? Using Angler Perceptions To Estimate Trends Of Bonefish (Albula Vulpes) Decline In South Florida, Emily K.N. Kroloff

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Local ecological knowledge (LEK) is a useful method to capture environmental or resource changes when there is an absence of biological data. Since the bonefish fishery is data limited, this study aims to understand the trend of bonefish decline over the last 40 years using LEK and to assess whether varying fisher experience and fisher type would influence perception of bonefish decline. Semi-structured surveys and key informant interviews were conducted to collect LEK data. Along with perceiving an overall decline (p

Community-Governed Multifunctional Landscapes And Forest Conservation In The Sierra Norte Of Oaxaca, Mexico, Barbara Pazos Almada

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Community forestry is an evolving approach to forest management, shown to maintain forest cover, while generating income for local communities. In Sierra Norte (SN), a region with no public protected areas, indigenous communities have been actively conserving their forests for decades, through conservation zoning and careful management of their logging areas. This study found that across 22 communities in SN, an estimated 2,949,116.50 m³ of timber were produced from 1993 to 2013, while the region maintains 78% forest cover. About 75% of the forest is under some form of community conservation. Community governance plays a major role, as rules …

Trees In The Agricultural Matrix: Reforestation Processes In A Tropical Dry Landscape In Chinandega, Nicaragua, Brittany A. Duffy

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tree management practices in the tropical dry forest region of Nicaragua were examined to determine opportunities and factors influencing tree-planting initiatives and forest recovery within the agricultural matrix. A 217.11 ha tree inventory and 44 social surveys were conducted in three rural communities. The inventory found 88 species, 66.68% were native, and 70 valued for multiple uses. Farmers’ reasons for maintaining trees varied, emphasizing live fencing, wood, and fruit. The landscape also contains a tree plantation and a riparian forest, and the origins and management of these tree cover components of the landscape are also considered. Tree planting interventions should …

Evaluating The Economic Impact Of Recreational Charter Fishing In Florida Using Hedonic Price And Economic Impact Analysis, Mehrnoosh Asadi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Florida is the “Fishing Capital of the World”. With 3.1 million recreational anglers and total recreational fishing-related expenditures of $5 billion in 2011, Florida ranked first in the nation. Given the large benefits of recreational fishing in Florida, assessing the preferences of anglers is critical for sustaining the substantial benefits obtained from recreational fishing in Florida. The objective of this study is to estimate the value of fishing attributes using data on recreational fishing services offered by guides and outfitters. Hedonic price models are applied to estimate the implicit prices of fishing trip attributes and features. The estimated total economic …

Ethnographic Investigations Of Commercial Aquaculture As A Rural Development Technique In Tamil Nadu, India, Brittany L. Kiessling

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1960s, international aid organizations and governments have invested millions of dollars in promoting aquaculture as a way to stimulate local economies and improve food security. India is one such country, incorporating aquaculture research and extension programs as part of their development plans as early as 1971. India’s aquaculture promotion efforts gained momentum in 2004, following the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. The government sees aquaculture as a post-disaster development tool and a method to increase community resilience in rural areas of India.

Aquaculture currently constitutes nearly half of global seafood production today. Due to this importance, and the …

Successes And Shortcomings In The Implementation Of National Sustainable Development Strategies: From The Greening Of Governance To The Governance Of Greening, Rachel Emas

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The interdependence between the economy and the environment necessitates integrated policymaking that recognizes the biological limits of our world and the scarcity of these natural resources. At the 1992 Earth Summit, countries agreed to adopt a National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) which should comprise the integration of economic, social, and environmental policies across sectors, territories, and generations; country ownership and commitment; broad participation and effective partnerships; development of the necessary capacity and enabling environment; and focus on outcomes and implementation. Working from these key factors and based on decades of international research and peer reviews of these policies, this study …

A Market Study Of Organic And Fair Trade Coffee In Bolivia, Christopher L. Estevez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to study the commercialization of Fairtrade and Organic coffee in the Bolivia. Fairtrade and Organic coffee are alternative trade systems designed to promote the equitable and environmentally sustainable production of coffee. However, these alternative trading systems often fail to meet these goals. The producers and environment these systems are intended to protect remain marginalized. These failures are due to a number of local institutions. In order to better understand these institutions, this research conducted interviews of various stakeholders including producers, cooperative leaders, organic/Fair Trade certifiers, government agencies and private buyers. All these stakeholders influence …