An evaluation of the potential for implementing adaptive co-management in the Waodani social-ecological system in the Ecuadorian Amazon
- Authors: Bryja, Malgorzata Anna
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Adaptive natural resource management -- Ecuador -- Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni , Huao Indians -- Ecuador -- Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni , Natural resources -- Co-management -- Ecuador -- Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni , Social ecology -- Ecuador -- Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni , Sustainable development -- Ecuador -- Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni , Resource-based communities -- Ecuador -- Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni , Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni (Ecuador) -- Economic conditions , Huao Indians -- Ecuador -- Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:4784 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018192
- Description: Adaptive co-management (ACM), one of the most prominent management approaches to emerge in the recent years, combines iterative learning, flexibility, and adaptation promoted by adaptive management with the principles of nurturing diversity and fostering collaboration among different partners that underpin co-management philosophy. ACM has been proposed as an approach to address the deficiencies of centralized management in ensuring sustainability of social-ecological systems (SESs) in face of future uncertainties. This thesis aims to evaluate the readiness of resource users (the Waodani) as well as external actors (the Ecuadorian State and NGOs) for future implementation of ACM and thus enhancing the long-term social-ecological sustainability of the Waodani SES located in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Qualitative data obtained by means of focus groups with the Waodani and individual interviews with external actors and Waodani leaders revealed different levels of readiness for ACM. Firstly, in the case of the Waodani, the insufficient fulfillment of some conditions required for successful ACM as well as intercommunity differences in regards to these conditions can complicate the implementation of ACM, unless sufficient external assistance is offered to the SES. The analysis of NGOs demonstrated, on the other hand, a relative readiness for ACM, providing that such aspects as sufficient funding, long-term commitment to collaboration, and inter-institutional linkages are strengthened. The study also found that the Ecuadorian government’s potential to contribute to ACM is hindered by the lack of readiness to work with the indigenous society as well as by funding and communication challenges. Furthermore, the resource based economy supported by the State limits the scope of innovation and adaptation. Still, as in the case of other actors, overcoming the challenges and transitioning towards adaptive governance and thus ACM could be possible in the long-term, if recent legal and political changes are truly implemented.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Bryja, Malgorzata Anna
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Adaptive natural resource management -- Ecuador -- Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni , Huao Indians -- Ecuador -- Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni , Natural resources -- Co-management -- Ecuador -- Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni , Social ecology -- Ecuador -- Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni , Sustainable development -- Ecuador -- Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni , Resource-based communities -- Ecuador -- Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni , Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni (Ecuador) -- Economic conditions , Huao Indians -- Ecuador -- Reserva de Biosfera Yasuni -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:4784 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018192
- Description: Adaptive co-management (ACM), one of the most prominent management approaches to emerge in the recent years, combines iterative learning, flexibility, and adaptation promoted by adaptive management with the principles of nurturing diversity and fostering collaboration among different partners that underpin co-management philosophy. ACM has been proposed as an approach to address the deficiencies of centralized management in ensuring sustainability of social-ecological systems (SESs) in face of future uncertainties. This thesis aims to evaluate the readiness of resource users (the Waodani) as well as external actors (the Ecuadorian State and NGOs) for future implementation of ACM and thus enhancing the long-term social-ecological sustainability of the Waodani SES located in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Qualitative data obtained by means of focus groups with the Waodani and individual interviews with external actors and Waodani leaders revealed different levels of readiness for ACM. Firstly, in the case of the Waodani, the insufficient fulfillment of some conditions required for successful ACM as well as intercommunity differences in regards to these conditions can complicate the implementation of ACM, unless sufficient external assistance is offered to the SES. The analysis of NGOs demonstrated, on the other hand, a relative readiness for ACM, providing that such aspects as sufficient funding, long-term commitment to collaboration, and inter-institutional linkages are strengthened. The study also found that the Ecuadorian government’s potential to contribute to ACM is hindered by the lack of readiness to work with the indigenous society as well as by funding and communication challenges. Furthermore, the resource based economy supported by the State limits the scope of innovation and adaptation. Still, as in the case of other actors, overcoming the challenges and transitioning towards adaptive governance and thus ACM could be possible in the long-term, if recent legal and political changes are truly implemented.
- Full Text:
The value of locally isolated freshwater micro-algae in toxicity testing for water resource management in South Africa
- Authors: Gola, Nontutuzelo Pearl
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Microalgae -- South Africa , Toxicity testing , Water resources development -- South Africa , Aquatic habitats -- South Africa , Water -- Pollution -- Toxicology , Water quality management -- South Africa , Sewage disposal in rivers, lakes, etc. -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:6049 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017873
- Description: The ecological position of micro-algae at the base of the aquatic food web makes them critical components of aquatic ecosystems. Their short generation time also makes them useful biological indicators because they respond quickly to changes in environmental condition, enabling timely identification and assessment of water quality changes. The inclusion of micro-algae as indicators in water resource regulation and management in South Africa has started recently, their more extensive use in biomonitoring and ecotoxicology programmes for water resource management would contribute to the South African policy if water resource protection. The standard algal growth inhibition assay with the species Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata is currently used for monitoring toxicity of in-stream and industrial wastewater discharges to freshwater micro-algae. The relevance of the data generated by standard toxicity bioassays has been questioned, since micro-algae in particular are extremely variable in their sensitivity to a range of contaminants and these standard species used may not occur in the local aquatic environment. As a result, international regulatory agencies, have recommended algal growth inhibition tests be changed from a single standard species to tests with a number of species. One recommendation, in addition to the use of standard toxicity tests, is the use of species isolated from the local environment which may be more relevant for assessing site specific impacts. This study investigated the value and application of locally isolated South African freshwater micro-algae in toxicity tests for water resource management and was carried out in three phases. The first phase involved isolating micro-algae from South African aquatic resources. Micro-algae suitable for toxicity testing were identified and selected using as set of criteria. Three (Scenedesmus bicaudatus, Chlorella sorokiniana and Chlorella vulgaris) out of eight successfully isolated species satisfied the prescribed selection criteria and these were selected as potential toxicity test species. The second phase focused on refining and adapting the existing algal toxicity test protocol (the algal growth inhibition assay) for use on the locally isolated algal species. The refinement of the test protocol was achieved by exposing the locally isolated species to reference toxicants in order to assess and compare their growth and sensitivity to the toxicants under the prescribed toxicity test conditions with that of the standard toxicity test species (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata) and a commercial laboratory species (Chlorella protothecoides). During this phase, one of the three local species (Scenedesmus bicaudatus) was eliminated as a potential toxicity test species due to inconsistent growth. The third phase of the study involved assessing the sensitivity of the two remaining species (C. vulgaris and C. sorokiniana) to a range of toxicants (reference toxicants, salts, effluents and a herbicide) and comparing it to that of the standard toxicity test species P. subcapitata and C. protothecoides. The toxicants were selected based on their relative importance in the South African context, as well as the practicality of using these local micro-algae to routinely determine the impact of these toxicants on local aquatic resources. The growth of the four micro-algae was stimulated by the selected effluents. The standard toxicity test species P. subcapitata was ranked the most sensitive and of the four species to two reference toxicants and two inorganic salts. Chlorella sorokiniana was ranked the most sensitive of the three Chlorella species to two reference toxicants and two inorganic salts. The herbicide stimulated the growth of C. vulgaris while inhibiting the growth of the other species. Pseudokirchneriela subcapitata and C. sorokiniana showed high intra-specific variability in growth, which made it difficult to determine the effective concentrations of the herbicide and therefore compare the sensitivity of the species. This varied response of micro-algal species to toxicants may result in the biodiversity shifts in aquatic ecosystems, and also supports the recommendation of using a battery of different species to support more informed decisions in water resource management.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Gola, Nontutuzelo Pearl
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Microalgae -- South Africa , Toxicity testing , Water resources development -- South Africa , Aquatic habitats -- South Africa , Water -- Pollution -- Toxicology , Water quality management -- South Africa , Sewage disposal in rivers, lakes, etc. -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:6049 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017873
- Description: The ecological position of micro-algae at the base of the aquatic food web makes them critical components of aquatic ecosystems. Their short generation time also makes them useful biological indicators because they respond quickly to changes in environmental condition, enabling timely identification and assessment of water quality changes. The inclusion of micro-algae as indicators in water resource regulation and management in South Africa has started recently, their more extensive use in biomonitoring and ecotoxicology programmes for water resource management would contribute to the South African policy if water resource protection. The standard algal growth inhibition assay with the species Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata is currently used for monitoring toxicity of in-stream and industrial wastewater discharges to freshwater micro-algae. The relevance of the data generated by standard toxicity bioassays has been questioned, since micro-algae in particular are extremely variable in their sensitivity to a range of contaminants and these standard species used may not occur in the local aquatic environment. As a result, international regulatory agencies, have recommended algal growth inhibition tests be changed from a single standard species to tests with a number of species. One recommendation, in addition to the use of standard toxicity tests, is the use of species isolated from the local environment which may be more relevant for assessing site specific impacts. This study investigated the value and application of locally isolated South African freshwater micro-algae in toxicity tests for water resource management and was carried out in three phases. The first phase involved isolating micro-algae from South African aquatic resources. Micro-algae suitable for toxicity testing were identified and selected using as set of criteria. Three (Scenedesmus bicaudatus, Chlorella sorokiniana and Chlorella vulgaris) out of eight successfully isolated species satisfied the prescribed selection criteria and these were selected as potential toxicity test species. The second phase focused on refining and adapting the existing algal toxicity test protocol (the algal growth inhibition assay) for use on the locally isolated algal species. The refinement of the test protocol was achieved by exposing the locally isolated species to reference toxicants in order to assess and compare their growth and sensitivity to the toxicants under the prescribed toxicity test conditions with that of the standard toxicity test species (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata) and a commercial laboratory species (Chlorella protothecoides). During this phase, one of the three local species (Scenedesmus bicaudatus) was eliminated as a potential toxicity test species due to inconsistent growth. The third phase of the study involved assessing the sensitivity of the two remaining species (C. vulgaris and C. sorokiniana) to a range of toxicants (reference toxicants, salts, effluents and a herbicide) and comparing it to that of the standard toxicity test species P. subcapitata and C. protothecoides. The toxicants were selected based on their relative importance in the South African context, as well as the practicality of using these local micro-algae to routinely determine the impact of these toxicants on local aquatic resources. The growth of the four micro-algae was stimulated by the selected effluents. The standard toxicity test species P. subcapitata was ranked the most sensitive and of the four species to two reference toxicants and two inorganic salts. Chlorella sorokiniana was ranked the most sensitive of the three Chlorella species to two reference toxicants and two inorganic salts. The herbicide stimulated the growth of C. vulgaris while inhibiting the growth of the other species. Pseudokirchneriela subcapitata and C. sorokiniana showed high intra-specific variability in growth, which made it difficult to determine the effective concentrations of the herbicide and therefore compare the sensitivity of the species. This varied response of micro-algal species to toxicants may result in the biodiversity shifts in aquatic ecosystems, and also supports the recommendation of using a battery of different species to support more informed decisions in water resource management.
- Full Text:
The impact of the identification process and the corporate social responsibility process on the effectiveness of multi-racial advertising in South Africa
- Authors: Johnson, Guillaume Desire
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Marketing -- South Africa Advertising -- South Africa Sales promotion -- South Africa Consumers' preferences -- South Africa Marketing research -- South Africa Consumer behavior -- South Africa Consumption (Economics) -- Social aspect Attribution (Social psychology) South Africans -- Race identity Race awareness -- South Africa Ethnopsychology -- South Africa Group identity Racially mixed people
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1196 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008263
- Description: Selecting actors to appear in an advertisement is an important decision which has a crucial impact on the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. The same message, delivered by different actors, produces varying outcomes among consumers. This dilemma concerning the choice of actors occurs particularly in multi-racial societies, such as South Africa, where advertisers have to target different sectors of the community. In multi-racial societies, the choice of actors in advertisements goes beyond the usual commercial reasons. Indeed, two dimensions are generally conferred to multi-racial advertising. Firstly, the use of multi-racial representations allows for the targeting of a wider population that also owns a wider purchasing power. Marketers who want to market their brand use, for example, white and black actors so that white and black consumers can identify with the actors and recognize themselves as the target of the advertisement. Secondly, the multi-racial representations of this type of advertising hold a social role that counteracts the segregated depiction of the society. Consumers who are exposed to a multi-racial advertisement might perceive this social dimension and attribute a social responsibility to the advertisement. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the influence of the above dimensions on the effectiveness of a multi-racial advertisement. On the one hand, this study investigates the Identification Process followed by a consumer exposed to a multi-racial advertisement. On the other hand, it examines how consumers attribute a social responsibility to a specific multiracial advertisement and how this attribution, in turn, influences their responses to the advertisement and brand. Finally, the impacts of both of these dimensions on consumer behaviour are compared and the most persuasive dimension is identified. This thesis draws on Attribution Theory and Identification Theory in arguing that there are strong economic imperatives for adopting a multi-racial advertising approach. The thesis develops a conceptual framework and tests empirically hypotheses regarding the key constructs and moderating variables. The empirical results point out that both dimensions symbiotically influence the effectiveness of a multi-racial advertisement. Specifically, the results highlight that the social responsibility attributed by the viewers to the advertisement influences their behaviour more than the Identification Process.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Johnson, Guillaume Desire
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Marketing -- South Africa Advertising -- South Africa Sales promotion -- South Africa Consumers' preferences -- South Africa Marketing research -- South Africa Consumer behavior -- South Africa Consumption (Economics) -- Social aspect Attribution (Social psychology) South Africans -- Race identity Race awareness -- South Africa Ethnopsychology -- South Africa Group identity Racially mixed people
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1196 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008263
- Description: Selecting actors to appear in an advertisement is an important decision which has a crucial impact on the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. The same message, delivered by different actors, produces varying outcomes among consumers. This dilemma concerning the choice of actors occurs particularly in multi-racial societies, such as South Africa, where advertisers have to target different sectors of the community. In multi-racial societies, the choice of actors in advertisements goes beyond the usual commercial reasons. Indeed, two dimensions are generally conferred to multi-racial advertising. Firstly, the use of multi-racial representations allows for the targeting of a wider population that also owns a wider purchasing power. Marketers who want to market their brand use, for example, white and black actors so that white and black consumers can identify with the actors and recognize themselves as the target of the advertisement. Secondly, the multi-racial representations of this type of advertising hold a social role that counteracts the segregated depiction of the society. Consumers who are exposed to a multi-racial advertisement might perceive this social dimension and attribute a social responsibility to the advertisement. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the influence of the above dimensions on the effectiveness of a multi-racial advertisement. On the one hand, this study investigates the Identification Process followed by a consumer exposed to a multi-racial advertisement. On the other hand, it examines how consumers attribute a social responsibility to a specific multiracial advertisement and how this attribution, in turn, influences their responses to the advertisement and brand. Finally, the impacts of both of these dimensions on consumer behaviour are compared and the most persuasive dimension is identified. This thesis draws on Attribution Theory and Identification Theory in arguing that there are strong economic imperatives for adopting a multi-racial advertising approach. The thesis develops a conceptual framework and tests empirically hypotheses regarding the key constructs and moderating variables. The empirical results point out that both dimensions symbiotically influence the effectiveness of a multi-racial advertisement. Specifically, the results highlight that the social responsibility attributed by the viewers to the advertisement influences their behaviour more than the Identification Process.
- Full Text:
A phenomenological investigation into lecturers' understanding of themselves as assessors at Rhodes University
- Authors: Grant, Rose
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Curriculum-based assessment -- South Africa Education, Higher -- South Africa -- Evaluation Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa Education, Higher -- Evaluation Case studies Universities and colleges -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1315 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003948
- Description: This thesis sets out to obtain an understanding of what it means to be an assessor in higher education, more especially within the Rhodes University context. The concept of assessment, a highly contentious and complex issue, is examined against a background of competing understandings of the nature and purpose of higher education, including the striving for excellence versus the call to more equitable ideals associated with a mass higher education and training system. An overview of salient issues is presented in which both traditional and alternative paradigms of measurement and assessment theory are explored with a view to considering foundational principles upon which sound assessment practice should be based. Specific methods and instruments of assessment are examined with the purpose of evaluating their potential for empowering students as active participants in their own learning and in the assessment process. In a field in which much of the literature seeks improved assessment merely through the administration of increasingly sophisticated assessment techniques, a phenomenological investigation offered a unique way of understanding the meaning assessors make of their practice. Making use of in-depth interviews with five lecturers at Rhodes University the researcher, interacting in a personal manner with people not viewed as experimental objects but as human subjects, assisted participants in moving towards non-theoretical descriptions that accurately reflected their experience. Insights contained in the data were synthesised and integrated into a consistent description of the essential nature of the experience, the primary endeavour of the phenomenologist being to transform naïve experience into more explicitly detailed conceptual knowledge. The essence of how these educators understand themselves as assessors at Rhodes University is perhaps best encapsulated by a considerable sense of agency or initiative on their part. While participants make use of a variety of assessment strategies, they are conscious that assessment cannot be viewed in isolation from other aspects of their teaching and the curriculum. Not only do they make use of different assessment methods but, conscious of accommodating the diverse needs of students, understand their responsibility in terms of providing learning opportunities to assist students in meeting the course outcomes and fulfilling their potential. Rather than allowing pressures from within and outside of the academy to dictate, these lecturers, with significant hard work, courage and a capacity for reflective practice, have embraced the challenges associated with higher education in a state of transition.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Grant, Rose
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Curriculum-based assessment -- South Africa Education, Higher -- South Africa -- Evaluation Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa Education, Higher -- Evaluation Case studies Universities and colleges -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1315 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003948
- Description: This thesis sets out to obtain an understanding of what it means to be an assessor in higher education, more especially within the Rhodes University context. The concept of assessment, a highly contentious and complex issue, is examined against a background of competing understandings of the nature and purpose of higher education, including the striving for excellence versus the call to more equitable ideals associated with a mass higher education and training system. An overview of salient issues is presented in which both traditional and alternative paradigms of measurement and assessment theory are explored with a view to considering foundational principles upon which sound assessment practice should be based. Specific methods and instruments of assessment are examined with the purpose of evaluating their potential for empowering students as active participants in their own learning and in the assessment process. In a field in which much of the literature seeks improved assessment merely through the administration of increasingly sophisticated assessment techniques, a phenomenological investigation offered a unique way of understanding the meaning assessors make of their practice. Making use of in-depth interviews with five lecturers at Rhodes University the researcher, interacting in a personal manner with people not viewed as experimental objects but as human subjects, assisted participants in moving towards non-theoretical descriptions that accurately reflected their experience. Insights contained in the data were synthesised and integrated into a consistent description of the essential nature of the experience, the primary endeavour of the phenomenologist being to transform naïve experience into more explicitly detailed conceptual knowledge. The essence of how these educators understand themselves as assessors at Rhodes University is perhaps best encapsulated by a considerable sense of agency or initiative on their part. While participants make use of a variety of assessment strategies, they are conscious that assessment cannot be viewed in isolation from other aspects of their teaching and the curriculum. Not only do they make use of different assessment methods but, conscious of accommodating the diverse needs of students, understand their responsibility in terms of providing learning opportunities to assist students in meeting the course outcomes and fulfilling their potential. Rather than allowing pressures from within and outside of the academy to dictate, these lecturers, with significant hard work, courage and a capacity for reflective practice, have embraced the challenges associated with higher education in a state of transition.
- Full Text:
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