Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Tourism In Lugu Hu: Helpful Or Harmful? Examining The Impact Of Tourism On Lugu Lake’S People And Environment, Joana Chan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Is tourism a boon or burden to the land and the people that it impacts? This question has plagued academics for ages. On the one hand, tourism brings not only definite economic growth for the local people, but also motivation for preservation of the local landscape. On the other hand, the arrival of tourists also ironically brings definite cultural and environmental transformations to the very people and land that visitors travel so far to see and experience.

My research examines the complexities of tourism and its impact on the environment and people of Lugu Lake, Yunnan. By surveying social and …

Watered Down: The Intersection And Integration Of Tourism Development And Water Resource Management In Marrakech, Morocco, Alison Maassen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

Desarrollo Turístico Y Sustentabilidad: Caso Villa Pehuenia Y La Comunidad Mapuche Puel, Sasha Shahidi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

With limited resources and overpopulation on a global level, sustainable development is the only way that human beings will be able to survive on this earth. The problem is that the dominant model of development stresses the importance of economic profits in the short term and far too often exploits natural resources and less powerful cultural groups. This creates dangerous long-term affects as natural resources and indigenous cultures that depend on them continue to disappear with no plan, or possibility, to replace them. Sustainability seeks the least negative impacts possible on the natural environment and indigenous cultures in order to …

The Price Of Gold: The Environmental Impacts Of Toxic Chemicals In Gold Mining, Adam Goetz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The role of mercury and cyanide in gold mining has become a hot topic in Mongolia in the past few years. In the past few months, the government has launched a crackdown on the illegal use of these chemicals in response to the contamination of Khongor soum’s drinking water which resulted from an illegal mining operation. However, there are many more sites throughout the country that are in need of cleaning as a result of the illegal use of these chemicals by small companies as well as individual miners.

This paper examines the role of a variety of different views …

The Role Of Industrial And Traditional Fishing In Sustainable Resource Management, Aime Schwartz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For decades, the notion of ‘sustainable development’ has been a source of international contention and debate. While the meanings and implications of sustainable development are widely disputed, it is interpreted by many as an ideal that encompasses social, environmental and economic spheres while promoting the value of human rights in development. Theoretically, this approach allows for the quality of life of current and future generations to be considered in environmental decision-making and formally recognized by national and international standards, dictated primarily by wealthy industrialized governments (Adebowale et al 138). Policy-makers in developing nations continuously face the struggle to balance the …

Fueling Samoa’S Growing Transport Sector: The Impact Of Rising Oil Prices And Imports On A Pacific Island Economy, Janis Mcdaid Ikeda

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The developed nations of the world are more concerned than ever with reducing their dependence on imported oil, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and developing alternative energy technologies. These issues are among the highest priorities for developing economies in the Pacific region as well. Samoa is a part of several regional initiatives that address petroleum and energy issues and is due to launch its own national energy policy in the coming months.

Petroleum prices in Samoa are low in comparison to other parts of the region because of the unique government/oil company partnership that administers its oil imports and pricing; however …

“Sustainable Soy” In Santarém: Power Struggles For The Future Of Development, Jake Schoneker

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines the environmental and socio-economic effects of soy development in the city of Santarém, located in the western part of Pará state in the Brazilian Amazon. In the past decade the soybean has emerged as one of Santarém’s primary crops, largely as a result of Cargill Corporation’s construction of a fluvial port in the city that now exports one million tons of soy per year to European markets. The arrival of soy agribusiness in Santarém has transformed the agricultural scene and has had drastic impacts on both local communities and the forest. Surrounding the soy conflict are various …

How Do Women In Prek Toal Village (Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve, Cambodia) Participate In And Benefit From Ecotourism?, Amy Dowley

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Abstract This study assesses how women in the floating village of Prek Toal in the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve, participate and benefit from the ecotourism activities in their area. The study also investigates women’s perspective on ecotourism within their community, how it affects their lives, and if they have expectations of current and future benefits or changes resulting from ecotourism. This study is conducted in the context of current studies on livelihoods in the Tonle Sap region, including the recent technical report, “Influence of Built Structures on Local Livelihoods: Case Studies of Road Development, Irrigation, and Fishing Lots,”(ADB, 2007a) identifying …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Periodismo Medioambiental, Peter Weisberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

INTAG is a community run, environmental newspaper that serves the county of Intag on the western slopes of the Andes in northern Ecuador. For the month of November 2005, I worked for the newspaper, writing articles and researching ways in which the paper can increase communication among different organizations that formed over the last eleven years of resistance to proposed mining. After interviewing eleven community leaders, I conclude that the paper can 1) do more to elicit the participation of groups that are currently inactive and 2) maintain its ecological position while gaining credibility by constructively criticizing the anti-mining community …

Análisis Del Desarrollo Sustentable En La Industria Del Salmón En Chile, Theresa Mohin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The focus of this independent study project is sustainable development, in the context of the Chilean salmon industry. The project centers on the environmental impacts of the salmon business, from its introduction as a fledgling industry in the eighties, to its arrival as one of the most important exporting markets in the Chilean economy. The discussion focuses on the economic history of the salmon industry, its environmental consequences, and the role of the government in environmental regulation, to discover whether or not current environmental programs in place are in fact sustainable. I conclude that while the efforts of the Chilean …

The Role Of Malagasy Women In Community Development: Analyzing The Potential For The Creation Of A Women’S Association For Alternative Livelihoods In Ifaty, Amanda Fencl

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Integrated Conservation and development projects (ICDPs) have increased in number worldwide as conservation organizations have to come to terms with the importance of involving and addressing the needs of local human populations to order to achieve their conservation goals. Madagascar’s unique biodiversity, environmental degradation, and plaguing poverty has made ICDPs crucial in achieving national goals of tripling the area of natural heritage conserved and poverty reduction through socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable development. In order to understand how such sustainable development can be achieved, it is essential to spend time enhancing one’s understanding of the local mentality and worldview. On …

The Role Of Tibetan Buddhism And Culture In Sustainable Development (A Case Study Of Yubeng Village), Frazer Lanier

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

During a lecture by Li Bo, of CBIK (the Center for Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge a Chinese NGO), I was given a glimpse into the role that culture plays within poverty alleviation and environmental conservation. While poverty alleviation aims to develop community economies, this goal is usually seen as being in conflict with environmental conservation because it requires the use of environmental resources. This is a common misperception. According to Gou Jing’s article Gateway between Culture and Nature， “man’s touch bestows nature with culture” (Guo Jing 12). The interaction between nature and humans is the foundation for culture and the …

Agroecology Of The Naso-Teribe: The Management And Conservation Of Traditional Agroecological Systems, Maisie Ganz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The term “agroecology” is used to describe the sustainable design and management of agricultural systems by the application of ecological concepts and principles. The resulting agroecosystems, often practiced by indigenous or poor farmers in marginal environments without access to external technologies, are systems of food production that integrate cultivated crops into surrounding ecosystems. The Naso-Teribe, an indigenous community of approximately 3,800 individuals living in the forests of western Panama, practice a complex agroecological system. The Naso farmers’ agricultural practices contribute to, and are dependent on, the biodiversity of resources available. The ways in which Naso farmers manage, maintain, and preserve …

Coral Reef Tourism And Conservation In Bocas Del Toro: An Analysis Of Ecotourism And Its Tour Guide-Based Components, Rebecca Kayes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Tourism of the coral reefs in Bocas del Toro is an important economic activity but also potentially harmful to the environment, creating an ecologically and economically unsustainable situation and doubts that the region engages in “ecotourism.” Coral reef tourism was analyzed with a specific emphasis on tours, tour guides, tourist motivations, tourist education and conservation-related activities. Research methods included participant observation in the tourism world in Bocas, interviews with guides, tourists and community members, and a tourist survey. Though local popular opinion disagrees, data collected shows tourism in Bocas does not emphasize reefs or reef conservation, a potentially catastrophic situation …