Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons^™

The Weight Of Complicity: A Network Analysis Of Ecocide In Palestine, Marilyn Moy

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This paper combines multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) with a network graph visualization to examine corporate and institutional involvement in ecocide in Palestine from 1917 to the present. Using a weighted sum model based on UN human rights principles and UNEP guidelines, actors are evaluated across three criteria: directness, scale, and duration of harm. A dataset of 50+ entities, including Caterpillar, Elbit Systems, and the Jewish National Fund, reveals a dense network of responsibility, with major enablers in the construction, tech, and military sectors. Findings highlight the severe impacts of the 2023–present assault on Gaza and demonstrate that ecocide is a …

Global Commons, Local Crises: The Ecological Embeddedness Of Global Production Networks, Christopher R. Whynacht

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Notions of Global Production Networks (GPNs) are popular approaches to studying the complex, dispersed, and socially embedded production of goods and services. Yet, these concepts have largely struggled with incorporating environmental resources, risks, and actors. My dissertation leverages insights from Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to contextualize ecological elements of production as coequal participants with social stakeholders. I describe how GPNs are ecologically embedded and nested within the natural environment. I draw from ANT to develop a GPN framework that internalizes ecological dimensions. The second chapter in this dissertation develops these ideas and provides theoretical framing for further empirical chapters. The third …

Rangelands Glossary, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

An alphabetical list of common Rangelands terminology.

Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems In Southeastern Utah: An Integrated Analysis Of Hydrology, Ecology, And Landscape Change, Colten Lay

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In Southeastern Utah, springs play a critical role in sustaining groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) in a semi-arid environment. However, they remain understudied and face growing threats from climate change, land use modifications, and hydrologic alterations. This study addresses knowledge gaps in spring occurrence, hydrologic function, and ecological condition by integrating field surveys, remote sensing, and geospatial analysis across multiple spatial scales. It provides a comprehensive assessment of spring hydrology, water quality, and ecological conditions using field surveys, remote sensing, and GIS analysis to establish a foundational baseline of GDE resources in the region. I applied a multi-scale monitoring approach across the …

Multiscale Drivers Of Water Level Fluctuations And Nutrient Availability In Small Intermittent Reservoirs In The Us Midwest, Uchechukwu Vitus Chinatu Ogbenna

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Reservoir dynamics are often captured by fluctuations in water surface elevation, which reflect a complex interplay of hydrologic inputs, climatic conditions, land use influences, and management operations. While water level fluctuations (WLFs) in large regulated systems have been widely studied, the drivers and implications of WLFs in small reservoirs, particularly those fed by intermittent streams, remain poorly understood. Here, we examined the temporal dynamics of WLFs and their relationship with nutrient availability in nine small reservoirs in the U.S. Midwest using daily records from 1985 to 2022. We used water level classification from modified Zscore and transition matrices to assess …

Temporal Partitioning And Coexistence Among Four Sympatric Felid Species In The Northern Jaguar Reserve, Kylie Marie Rezendes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Coexistence among sympatric carnivores is shaped by behavioral strategies that mediate competition and mortality risk in heterogeneous landscapes. Understanding how sympatric carnivores, such as felids, use space and time in relation to one another requires models that account for both spatial and temporal overlap across landscapes. Models incorporating time-to-event probabilities provide a powerful framework for detecting behavioral dynamics across shared landscapes. This study evaluated the spatiotemporal responses of two apex predators â?? the jaguar (Panthera onca) and mountain lion (Puma concolor) - and two mesopredators - bobcat (Lynx rufus) and ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) - across five years of camera trap …

What's The Value Of A State? Accounting For The Ecosystem Services And Natural Capital Of Oregon, Kathryn Liebrecht

University Honors Theses

Ecosystem services are vital to human welfare and society, but often are overlooked when it comes to planning and setting policy. By neglecting to incorporate the benefits received from natural resources, policy makers may unknowingly be making decisions that harm the long term sustainability and use of these services. To highlight the importance of Oregon's ecosystems, the present study aims to provide a full accounting of the ecosystem services and natural capital of the state. Using data from the Institute for Natural Resources' updated Oregon statewide habitat map, Oregon's ecosystems were matched to biome categories from the Ecosystem Services Valuation …

Enhancing The Value Of Satellite Earth Observations For Coastal Management: Tools For Collaboration And Co-Development, Nicole Dejeet Bartlett

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Despite unprecedented satellite Earth observation (EO) capabilities and free data availability, widespread adoption in coastal management remains limited due to persistent communication barriers between satellite experts and coastal practitioners. This dissertation addresses the fundamental challenge of translating satellite EO technical capabilities into management-relevant applications. Through synthesis of literature, stakeholder interviews, and two multi-year co-development case studies in Virginia's Middle Peninsula and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, this research identifies systematic barriers to satellite EO adoption and develops innovative frameworks for overcoming them.

The work argues for a common language between satellite product developers and coastal managers, identifying communication barriers spanning technical, institutional, …

The Nature Of Anthropogenically Driven River Drying: Spatiotemporal Causes And Consequences, Eliza Inez Gilbert

Biology ETDs

Streambed drying naturally occurs in over 60% of rivers and streams worldwide. Climate change and human regulation of surface and groundwater have increased drying in naturally intermittent systems and caused perennial systems to transition to intermittency, impacting water security, water quality, and biodiversity. To understand human-induced drying dynamics, we used 12 years of daily drying data along a 154-km regulated reach of the Rio Grande. We conceptualized river drying as a regime analogous to the natural flow regime paradigm and quantified drying magnitude, rate of change, and duration. Although linear models predicting drying magnitude and rate of change were uninterpretable, …

Zambia's Poor Septic Waste Management: A Disaster In Waiting, Andrew Mwape

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

In the shadows of Zambia’s rapidly growing urban and peri-urban communities lies an invisible but mounting threat, the mismanagement of septic waste. While national dialogue often focuses on economic development, climate change, or energy, the sanitation crisis receives little public attention, yet it poses an equally severe risk to public health, environmental integrity, and sustainable urbanization. Zambia’s poor septic waste management, if left unaddressed, is a disaster in waiting.

Septic waste refers to the wastewater and solid waste that flows from toilets, sinks, and other domestic plumbing fixtures into on-site sanitation systems such as septic tanks or pit latrines. This …

Integrating Belowground Recovery Into Tropical Forest Restoration Design And Monitoring, Lauren Toro, Leland K. Werden, Shalom D. Addo-Danso, Kelly M. Andersen, Sarah Batterman, Matilde M. Bragadini, Pooja Choksi, Rebecca J. Cole, Liza S. Comita, Daniela Cusack, Daisy H. Dent, Lee H. Dietterich, Joshua B. Fisher, Katrin Fleischer, Lucia Fuchslueger, Nohemi Huanca-Nunez, Janey R. Lienau, Lindsay A. Mcculloch, Ember M. Morrissey, Jennifer S. Powers, Mareli Sánchez-Juliá, Oscar Valverde-Barrantes, Anita Weissflog, Michelle Y. Wong

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

There is growing recognition that tropical forest restoration is key for sequestering carbon and enhancing ecosystem resilience. Soils, roots, and soil biota are central to ecosystem function and services, but belowground recovery is largely overlooked in restoration monitoring frameworks. Here, we outline current understanding of the links between above- and belowground recovery in tropical forests by examining how belowground properties before and after intervention influence recovery; by evaluating whether aboveground recovery can serve as a proxy for belowground dynamics; and by proposing a blueprint for monitoring dynamic soil physical (bulk density, aggregate stability), chemical (organic matter or carbon, pH), and …

Geophysical Tools For Agricultural Management: Trends, Challenges, And Opportunities, Sophia Becker, Trenton Franz, Yufeng Ge, Joe Luck, Derek M. Heeren

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Agrogeophysics is a convergence of proximal soil sensing and hydrogeophysics in which geophysical methods are used to describe soil patterns and dynamics that shape agronomic management (including precision agriculture). To fully realize its potential for optimizing agricultural production, current barriers and targets for future agrogeophysics research must be identified. In this review, we compare the trajectory of agrogeophysics within peer-reviewed literature, patents, and the US university extension literature and examine the current challenges and opportunities for supporting agricultural production and sustainability with agrogeophysical tools. We conducted a repeatable search of Web of Science and Scopus for seven geophysical methods (electromagnetic …

Status Of The Western Australian Pastoral Rangelands 2024: Total Vegetative Cover, Cover Risk And Pasture Condition, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) monitors and reports on the vegetation condition of pastoral rangelands in Western Australia. Two levels of reporting are provided: every 5 years a full report (this report) details the state, trend and risk of decrease of vegetation condition in the pastoral rangelands using information derived from remotely sensed and on-ground data; in the intervening years, short reports are provided based on remotely sensed data.

This full report is based on remotely sensed vegetation cover data, rainfall data, livestock data and station-level rangeland condition assessment (RCA) data available in November 2024. Data …

Water Current, Volume 57, No. 2, Summer 2025

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Catching A Fever: A Comparison Of Vachellia Xanthophloea Populations In The Limpopo And Luvuvhu River Floodplains Of The Makuleke Contractual Park, Kianie B. David

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study investigates patterns of stand structure regeneration, growth characteristics, and coarse woody debris (CWD) patterns in Vachellia xanthophloea (fever tree) stands within the Makuleke Contractual Park (MCP), a semi-arid savanna system in northern Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa. Fieldwork was conducted across two stand types: a monospecific fever tree stand in Rietbok Vlei and a mixed-species stand in the Western Nhlangaluwe Floodplain where fever tree is established with Faidherbia albida (ana tree). Data were collected from 20 total 1/4-acre (1,011 m²) circular plots between both stands in 2024 and 2025, including seedling root collar diameter (RCD), …

Bioenergy Crop Production: Implications For Grassland Bird Communities In Southwestern Nebraska, Grace E. Schuster

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Biofuel and bioenergy systems are components of most climate stabilization pathways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming. Currently, corn (Zea mays) is the predominant feedstock used for bioenergy production in the United States. However, widespread production of this monoculture crop has resulted in many negative environmental impacts. The most notorious impact has been the loss of grassland habitat due to agriculture expansion which has had detrimental effects on wildlife that depend on grassland habitat. One such group, grassland birds, has faced steeper, more consistent, and more widespread declines than any other avian guild. Therefore, strategies …

Source Origins Of Hunter-Harvested Waterfowl In Arkansas And Louisiana, Shannon C. Stemaly

LSU Master's Theses

Understanding variability in breeding origins of harvested waterfowl is important for effective population management and regional conservation. Band-recovery data are often used to estimate harvest derivation and inform resource allocation for cross-seasonal conservation. However, uneven spatial and temporal banding effort across species' breeding ranges may result in an incomplete understanding of summer origins and recruitment, particularly if portions of the breeding range are inaccessible. Analysis of stable-hydrogen isotope ratios in duck feathers (δ²H_f) provides an alternative method for identifying source origins of unmarked populations since environmental deuterium values follow a predictable latitudinal gradient across North …

How Invasive Species Affect Ecosystems, Marion Murray, Meg Kast

All Current Publications

Invasive species can have profound impacts on ecosystems worldwide. In the absence of their natural enemies, invasive species thrive and reproduce quickly. They can have significant ecological and economic effects. This fact sheet outlines the impact of invasive species on biodiversity, nutrient cycles, water quality, and the resulting economic consequences. It also suggests practical tips for responding.

Selecting An Internal Carbon Price For Academic Institutions, Alexander R. Barron, Dimitra Prassa

Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications

Many businesses have adopted internal carbon prices (ICPs) to help drive smarter business decisions, innovation, and emissions reductions. The objective of this white paper is to provide a framework that institutions, particularly those in higher education, can use as they think about selecting a price in the context of their own goals for an ICP.

Second Nature’s recent 2025 Carbon Markets and Offsets guidance recommends that: “colleges and universities develop a climate action strategy that includes some type of internal carbon pricing, either as a mechanism to inform climate-positive decision-making or as a mechanism for generating revenue estimates for decarbonization …

Cutthroat Trout In Utah, Hope Northagen, Ethan Gilliam

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is intended to inform anglers, aquatic recreationalists, and backyard conservationists interested in learning about a Utah native species, current restoration steps, and how their actions can help professionals restore native cutthroat trout populations.