Nature and Society Relations Commons^™

Integrating Landscapes That Have Experienced Rural Depopulation And Ecological Homogenization Into Tropical Conservation Planning, Aerin L. Jacob, Ismael Vaccaro, Raja Sengupta, Joel N. Hartter, Colin A. Chapman

Geography

If current trends of declining fertility rates and increasing abandonment of rural land as a result of urbanization continue, this will signal a globally significant transformation with important consequences for policy makers interested in conservation planning. This transformation is presently evident in a number of countries and projections suggest it may occur in the future in many developing countries. We use rates of population growth and urbanization to project population trends in rural areas for 25 example countries. Our projections indicate a general decline in population density that has either occurred already (e.g., Mexico) or may occur in the future …

Finding A "Disappearing" Nontimber Forest Resource: Using Grounded Visualization To Explore Urbanization Impacts On Sweetgrass Basketmaking In Greater Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, Patrick T. Hurley, Angela C. Halfacre, Norm S. Levine, Marianne K. Burke

Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

Despite growing interest in urbanization and its social and ecological impacts on formerly rural areas, empirical research remains limited. Extant studies largely focus either on issues of social exclusion and enclosure or ecological change. This article uses the case of sweetgrass basketmaking in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, to explore the implications of urbanization, including gentrification, for the distribution and accessibility of sweetgrass, an economically important nontimber forest product (NTFP) for historically African American communities, in this rapidly growing area. We explore the usefulness of grounded visualization for research efforts that are examining the existence of "fringe ecologies" associated with NTFP. …

Gasoline Costs, Public Transit, And Sustainability, Bradley W. Lane

Bradley W. Lane

Excessive levels of automobile driving are generally acknowledged to have several negative externalities that contribute to the lack of sustainability in current transport systems. Achieving a reduction in VMT inevitably requires the introduction of disincentives for driving. This has generally been lacking in the US, which has relatively low parking costs and taxes on fuel compared to its developed-world counterparts. However, starting immediately after the Hurricane Katrina disaster, fuel costs in the United States have increased dramatically relative to previous long-term price behavior. This increase has brought attention to the driving behavior and travel preferences of US citizens. A large …

La Mondialisation Et Les Croyants: Des Effets De La Mondialisation Sur Les Communautés Chrétiennes = Globalization And Believers: Globalization’S Effects On Christian Communities, Carrie Lee Tallichet

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research aimed to explore the different manifestations of globalization’s impact on Catholic and Protestant student movements in Toulouse, France. To accomplish this investigation, the researcher sought the opinions of students who participate regularly in religious groups regarding the cultural diversity of their group and their concept of a global Christian community. Based on information gathered in interviews, the researcher concluded, though not definitively, that Catholic and Protestant student groups both experience the effects of globalization, but each in a manner in relation with their faith’s organizational structure: Catholic students felt close ties with other Catholic groups worldwide despite the …

Western Juniper (Juniperus Occidentalis) Ecology With An Exercise In Remote Sensing Techniques, Elizabeth A. Goralski

Geography Masters Research Papers

Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis var. occidentalis) has been expanding its biogeographic range since the mid-1800's, resulting in decreased biodiversity, altered wildlife habitat, increased soil erosion, reduced stream flows and reduced forage production. The direct causes of western juniper aforestation are unclear but appear to be related to altered fire regimes, over grazing, and climatic shifts.

This study seeks to determine how Landsat images combined with Digital Orthoquads (DOQs) can be used to examine the geographic distribution of western juniper. Satellite imagery has yet to be applied to the large scale mapping of western juniper aforestation, resulting in the lack of …

Comparing Pixel- And Object-Based Classification Methods For Determining Land-Cover In The Gee Creek Watershed, Washington, Tyler Vick

Geography Masters Research Papers

This study analyzes land-cover types in the Gee Creek Watershed of southern Washington using the pixel-based and object-based image analysis approaches. Landsat imagery has traditionally been used for pixel-based classification and change detection in land-cover studies. In recent years, the availability of high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery have enabled for land-cover classification to occur at scales not possible using traditional Landsat imagery. High-resolution aerial imagery of 1 meter or greater has become readily available for free. Yet, commonly found black and white (or panchromatic) aerial imagery is without the multiple spectrum bands found in Landsat imagery, thereby limiting the accuracy …

"Sustainable Development": Critical Concepts In Geography, Tyler Vick

Geography Masters Research Papers

This paper reviews significant geographic contributions to academic literature in the arenas of conservation, environmental thought, and "sustainable development", in order to understand why geographers have not been more central contributors to the sustainable development movement. A review of geographic literature reveals no lack of understanding on the "sustainable development" concept. However, the disciplines' contributions are lacking in numbers relative to published articles and in developing research and practical methods for directly benefiting the "sustainable development" movement. In fact, only a handful of geographers have made multiple literary contributions on the topic of "sustainable development."

The discipline of geography is …

Overfishing And Environmental Justice In Marine Fisheries, Kristin Novak

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This thesis focuses on the depletion of marine fisheries, as a resource, from a geographical perspective. The decline and collapse of abundant fisheries worldwide has serious, though largely unaddressed, social implications, and should be considered as an issue of environmental justice. I analyze the processes that have lead to fisheries collapses all over the world, as well as the governance structures, management strategies, and political and economic forces involved. This is examined through two case studies: one, the collapse of cod stocks in Newfoundland and New England in the 1990s after centuries of intensive fishing, and two, the currently stressed …

Bicycle Space And The American Urban Landscape: Re-Thinking Distance And Mobility In The City, Katie (Kathleen) Gill

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Since its arrival in the United States, the bicycle’s place in public space has influenced, and been influenced by not only road improvements and infrastructure investments but also by the social production of what it means to be mobile and to circulate throughout the city. Drawing upon the theory of “Time- Space Compression” posited by the geographer David Harvey, I propose that the bicycle can compress time and space in urban environments where time-space compression is occurring for motorists and their automobiles. But yet, bicycles (and their riders) have been consistently and systematically excluded from the American urban landscape; keeping …

Human–Wildlife Conflict And Gender In Protected Area Borderlands: A Case Study Of Costs, Perceptions, And Vulnerabilities From Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal), India, Monica V. Ogra

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) is a growing problem for communities located at the borders of protected areas. Such conflicts commonly take place as crop-raiding events and as attack by wild animals, among other forms. This paper uses a feminist political ecology approach to examine these two problems in an agricultural village located at the border of Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand (formerly Uttaranchal), India. Specifically, it investigates the following three questions: What are the “visible” and “hidden” costs of such conflict with wildlife? To what extent are these costs differentially borne by men and women? How do villagers perceive any such …

The Impact Of Historic Logging On Woody Debris Distribution And Stream Morphology In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina-Tennessee, Christopher M. Morris

Masters Theses

In the early 1900s, large sections of the Great Smoky Mountains were intensively logged. Since then, most locations have been allowed to naturally become forest-covered again, resulting in areas of secondary growth and old growth forest. To determine whether differences in large woody debris (LWD) loading and channel morphology persist today, I measured LWD, channel widths and depths, and channel bed sediments of streams in old and secondary growth forest in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. LWD pieces in streams in old growth had larger mean diameters and lengths compared to LWD in streams in secondary growth forest. Streams …

When Beef Was King. Or Why Do Colombians Eat So Little Pork?, Shawn Van Ausdal

Shawn Van Ausdal

This article seeks to understand why Colombians, compared to many other Latin Americans, have traditionally eaten so much more beef than pork. The article first points to the development of a culinary tradition that favored beef. The bulk of the argument, though, centers on the fact that, historically, beef has been substantially cheaper than pork. This price difference, in turn, is rooted in the low productivity of Colombian agriculture, which made corn, often used to fatten hogs, expensive. Additional factors that favored beef include a receding agrarian frontier, a small hog population, the various advantages of cattle, a conflict–ridden history …

The Effects Of Climate Change And Urbanization On The Runoff Of The Rock Creek Basin, Jon J. Franczyk

Dissertations and Theses

Climate changes brought on by global warming are expected to have a significant affect on the Pacific Northwest hydrology during the 21^st Century. Current research anticipates higher mean annual temperatures and an intensification of the hydrological cycle. This is of particular concern for highly urbanized basins, which are considered more vulnerable to changes in climate. Because the majority of previous studies have addressed the influences of either climate or urban land cover changes on runoff, there is a lack of research investigating the combined effect of these factors. The Rock Creek basin (RCB), located in the Portland, OR, metropolitan …

Cumulating Evidence About The Social Animal: Meta-Analysis In Social-Personality Psychology, Blair T. Johnson Dr., Marcella H. Boynton Dr.

CHIP Documents

Like most scientific fields, social-personality psychology has experienced an

explosion of research related to such central topics as aggression, attraction, gender,

group processes, motivation, personality, and persuasion, to name a few. The

proliferation of research can be a monster unless it is tamed with the scientific

review strategy of meta-analysis, literally analyses of past analyses that produce

a quantitative and empirical history of research on a particular phenomenon. The

purpose of this article is to outline the basic process and statistics of meta-analysis,

as they pertain to social-personality psychology. Meta-analysis involves: (i) defining

the problem under review; (ii) gathering qualified …

What Is A Humane Wildlife Control Service?, John Griffin, Lori Thiele, Pamela Lough, Janet Snyder, Maggie Brasted, John Hadidian

Wildlife Population Management Collection

In May 2007, The Humane Society of the United States launched a for-fee business called Humane Wildlife Servicessm to engage in wildlife control jobs in the Washington, D.C. metro area. We had several purposes in launching this service. First, we felt it necessary to offer a service to customers in our home base area that allowed them to choose a wildlife removal company that did not trap and relocate, or trap and kill, animals. Second, we wished to directly experience and test the operational and conceptual challenges associated with this sort of service. Third, we wished to develop a model …

Ni Calamidad Ni Panacea: Una Reflexión En Torno A La Historiografía De La Ganadería Colombiana, Shawn Van Ausdal

Shawn Van Ausdal

No abstract provided.

Un Mosaico Cambiante: Notas Sobre Una Geografía Histórica De La Ganadería En Colombia, 1850-1950, Shawn Van Ausdal

Shawn Van Ausdal

No abstract provided.

Not Your Father’S Border: An Examination Of The Border In Northern Ireland And Its Relevance To The Global Change In The Importance Of World Borders, Aaron Patterson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Humanity has long maintained barriers separating specific entities from others. Ranging from cultural, religious, financial, and racial differences among a few others, the reasoning behind borders has remained a purely human endeavor. But our current golden age of technology has somewhat shrunk, or at least reassessed the necessity for borders. The boundaries of today, while many remain in the same locations as in the past, are vastly different from the borders created by previous generations. Globalization, a relatively new term, has made communication simple and fast. The noticeable result has been, of course, better communication between locations, and thus easing …

A Changing Cultural Landscape: Yanchep National Park, Western Australia, Darren P. Venn

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study depicts the changing landscape of Western Australia's Yanchep National Park as it has evolved in response to natural processes and human activities. The study also serves to evaluate the level of input Indigenous people have in the management of Australian natural and cultural heritage. The Park was examined by utilising a methodology that combined a cultural geography approach with Structuration Theory. Yanchep National Park is highly suited to this type of investigation because of its close proximity to a major urban centre ( Perth ) and because of the importance of the area to Indigenous people, resulting in …

Adding Ecosystem Function To Agent-Based Land Use Models, Vineet Yadav, S Del Grosso, William Parton, George Malanson

George P Malanson

The objective of this paper is to examine issues in the inclusion of simulations of ecosystem functions in agent-based models of land use decision-making,

Environment And Development In Uganda: Understanding The Global Influence On Domestic Policy, Christopher Gore

Christopher D Gore

No abstract provided.

Healthy Urban Food Production And Local Government, Christopher Gore

Christopher D Gore

No abstract provided.

Electricity And Privatization In Uganda: The Origins Of Crisis And Problems With Response, Christopher Gore

Christopher D Gore

No abstract provided.

Testing Reporting Bias In The Florida Sinkhole Database, Spencer Fleury Ph.D., Steve Carson, Robert Brinkmann Ph.D.

Spencer Fleury Ph.D.

The sinkhole database of the Florida Geologic Survey (FGS) is the primary publicly-accessible database of recent sinkhole occurrence and distribution. However, it does not use a consistent and predictable approach to recording sinkhole occurrences. Thus, the possibility exists that the database is largely a reflection of the distribution of people in sinkhole-prone areas of Florida, rather than a true enumeration of all sinkholes that occur. In order to assess the validity of the data contained within the database, a comparison was made of population distribution and sinkhole occurrences. The results indicate that sinkhole reporting is not associated with population distribution, …

Comparative Capitalism And Sustainable Development: Stakeholder Capitalism And Co-Management In The Kenyan Fisheries Sub Sector, Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng Ochieng

Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng Ochieng

This paper argues that stakeholder capitalism is more appropriate to natural resource management and rural development in Africa than other varieties of capitalism. It examines different management arrangements in Kenyan Lake Victoria fisheries resources to argue that whilst stakeholder capitalism is still far from being the mainstream model of capitalism in Kenya, theoretically and empirically, it is more appropriate to sustainable development than the Anglo-Saxon variety of capitalism that the country inherited from its British colonizers. The paper demonstrates that the concepts of ownership and management rights are social, economic and political constructs that are continuously contested, with huge implications …

Housing For Livelihoods: The Lifecycle Of Housing And Infrastructure Through A Whole-Of-System Approach In Remote Aboriginal Settlements, Kurt W. Seemann, Matthew Parnell, Stephen Mcfallan, Selwyn Tucker

Kurt W Seemann

This study set out to review work to date on sustainable investment in desert settlements, reporting on extending the lifecycle of remote, particularly Aboriginal, settlement housing and infrastructure relative to social, technical and economic investment. We aimed to synthesise emerging understandings, articulate new thinking in relation to these understandings, and develop keystone strategies for exploring new ideas in the next stage of research. The main thesis of this project is that technical and economic considerations alone are inadequate for developing innovative responses to expressed need. Key factors for success are local end-user experiences and the capacities of desert people in …