http://hdl.handle.net/1842/3111 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 01:34:00 GMT 2013-06-13T01:34:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1842/6381 Title: Sparrow Places: A Spectral Geography of the Decline and Conservation of the House Sparrow Authors: Whale, Helen L Abstract: We are living in an age of mass extinction; everywhere we look, something is disappearing. This dissertation presents a qualitative study of the decline and conservation of the house sparrow (passer domesticus), and the connections between this particular little bird and human notions of place and landscape. Bringing seemingly disparate literatures together, it works at an intersection between understandings of place, more-than-human geographies of species conservation, and literary and historical responses to bird decline and loss. Based on semi-structured interviews with individuals involved in RSPB house sparrow projects – together with photographs and fieldnotes – it explores lived experiences of house sparrow decline and conservation in the light of recent ‘spectral’ geographies of place and landscape. In the chapter stages, house sparrow absence/presence is empirically followed through a series of six ‘places’, both ‘real’ and ‘imagined’. In contrast to phenomenological geographies embracing straightforward binaries of absence and presence, it finds that ‘place’ in the context of house sparrow decline and experiences of sparrow decline themselves might best be understood through notions of haunting and spectrality. Overall, therefore, this study applies notions of the spectral to biodiversity conservation and the experiences of those involved with it. Thu, 29 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1842/6381 2012-11-29T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1842/6380 Title: Monetising cultural ecosystem services? Authors: Vinci, Igor Abstract: ABSTRACT In the context of increasing degradation of the environment, the economic valuation of ecosystem services represents an attempt to quantify the contribution of nature to human wellbeing. This approach has been subject to many critiques, namely, that centred on the utilitarian assumption of the self-?‐interested-?‐man, which posits a consumerist basis to environmental valuing. This dominant environmental ethic is due largely to the paucity of viable metrics to capture the cultural values that humans attach to the environment. This paper considers the case of rural communities in Brazil, to examine some of the cultural views and social issues emerging from farmers’ ecological knowledge and their agriculture practices, which inherently occupy natural and social spaces. Their worldviews transcend the mere instrumental practice of production and are determinant to the farmers’ construction of value. The findings of this study support the appeals to a user-?‐based decision-?‐making process, which would reveal the non-?‐economic social and personal perspectives that are conducive to our ecological behaviours. Thu, 29 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1842/6380 2012-11-29T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1842/6348 Title: Experiencing the Park: Values, Perceptions and Expectations Authors: Bielby, Paul Abstract: Taking ideas about embodied experience and ‘practice’ (and the role that the concepts play in the ways in which people understand, value and engage with environments) as a departure point, this study looks at the ways in which different recreational user groups experience the Cairngorms National Park. With a primary focus on hill walkers that climb the area’s many hills, and using qualitative interviews and ethnographic methods, the study, therefore, investigates the values, experiences and perceptions of some the Cairngorms National Park’s recreational users (as well as those of some businesses that cater for them). Ultimately, it seeks to find to what extent the park’s aims and practices meet the expectations of those who use and visit the park. It was concluded that the many and diverse experiences (and corresponding values) could lead to conflicting land uses within and perceptions of the national park and its landscape. As a result, the park has to both cater for varying desired experiences of those who visit it and the many expectations and opinions concerning what the national park should be aiming to achieve. Finally, it was argued that, given this, the park could focus on increasing communication with its users and visitors so as to generate a greater understanding of what the park stands for and what it does. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1842/6348 2012-08-31T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1842/6347 Title: The Smell of Selfless Love: Relational Ethics in Alternative Apicultural Practices Authors: Green, Kelsey Leigh Abstract: The sudden decline of pollinator populations worldwide has caused significant alarm in recent decades. Apis Mellifera, the European honeybee, is thought to be responsible for pollination of 71 of the 100 crop species which provide 90% of the worlds’ food supply. Large quantitative research efforts have struggled to understand decline, and findings focus on Colony Collapse Disorder, a collection of symptoms with various drivers such as industrialized agricultural practice, pollution and habitat loss. Others, however, are questioning more qualitative aspects of decline. Utilizing a theoretical framework of more-than-human geography, and engaging with relational ethics, this paper seeks to explore these alternate explanations through investigations of present alternative apicultural practices, past human-honeybee historical ecological legacies, and the future implications relations may hold for addressing honeybee decline as well as other pressing environmental issues. Mon, 12 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1842/6347 2012-11-12T00:00:00Z