Office for Environmental Programs - Theses
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ItemFrom legislation to best practice( 2015)Impact assessment has been framed as the best way to mitigate and manage the environmental impacts brought on by human activities, including the road. Typically laws are put in place to foster good practice but to what extent are these laws actually inducing and fostering good practice. Looking at the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999) & Environmental Effects Act (1978) and National Environmental Management Act 107 (1998), I attempt to show how regulation form a law regulation shapes EIA regimes in the two countries by exploring two road project impact assessments and I ask to what extent they reflect best practice EIA.
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ItemCarbon accumulation in trees in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne( 2015)Converting atmospheric carbon dioxide to biomass or solid carbon is a highly focused current research area. The potential carbon sequestration ability of trees has gained more interest since the concept was introduced by Nordhaus (1991) who mentioned that carbon could be valued in a future low carbon economy. Most of the available carbon quantification studies have stratified the urban environment into various land use and tree types such as street trees, home gardens, university campuses, botanic gardens and many more. Given the wide range of urban conditions, these locations could be optimal or sub optimal for growth of trees, with variations in fertility, space and other plant requirements resulting in variations in the potential carbon storage capacity. This study was conducted at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (RBGM) to quantify the accumulated carbon content and, carbon accumulation rate of trees and to analyse the effect of tree stand density (number of trees per unit area) on tree relative growth rates. Measurements of stem diameters at breast height, tree heights, and GPS tree location information of 550 individual trees were recorded during tree survey and data collection. Carbon accumulation rates were calculated with current and available previous data obtained from 1991 tree survey conducted at RBGM. Published species specific allometric equations and wood density values were used in estimating tree biomass and carbon contents. It was estimated that RBGM contains 11474 t C during year 2015 with a density of 302 t C ha-1 and the trees accumulate carbon at a rate of 3.6 t ha-1yr-1. The highest amount of stored carbon and relative growth rates were recorded in evergreen tree type followed by conifers. Relative growth rates were negatively affected by increased tree density conditions in the study tree population. However the deciduous tree type was observed to have a positive relationship with increased tree density levels and relative growth rates. The study revealed that RBGM has a significant potential for sequestering urban atmospheric carbon with a reasonable accumulation rate, and the rate of accumulation is lowered with higher tree density conditions.
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ItemInformal places of shelter: a case study of the practice of shared responsibility( 2015)Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 played a pivotal role in the reassessment and shifting direction of the nation’s emergency planning, policies and practices. Revisions to Victoria’s emergency management policies and plans now incorporate the notion of shared responsibility between government, non government agencies and the community alike. Building community resilience has also been incorporated to promote a better understanding of the risks, encourage the development of individual bushfire plans and increase community self reliance. However, in February 2014, a bushfire ignited near Mickleham and spread north towards the towns of Wallan and Kilmore. Though relief centres were opened in Wallan and Seymour, hundreds chose to shelter at Kilmore Racetrack. In this case, the unexpected self organisation and self reliance of the community was viewed as dangerous rather than resilient and brought the notion of shared responsibility into question. This paper therefore questions the practice of shared-responsibility in disaster management using systems thinking by answering the question; How does an actor’s approach to resilience impact the acceptance of shared responsibility in emergency management policies and plans?
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ItemThe Ecuador national plan of ‘Buen Vivir’ and the possible contradictions that arise from the end of the Yasuni ITT initiative( 2015)The traditional discourse of economic growth has separated the consequences of environmental damage that can emerge from countries’ pursuit of development goals (Alam & Islam 2005). From the threats presented by immeasurable growth to the stability of the environment, recommendations have therefore arisen for states to include new strategies in their political agendas that reconsider the impact of environmental deterioration on development discourse. In this context, this review describes the case of Ecuador, a country which has, for decades, suffered the environmental consequences of extractivists’ activities and which, from 2007, has moved forwards into the implementation of a new political agenda for sustainable development. This new development agenda has become rooted in the discourse of Good Living (Sumak Kawsay in Kichwa), a traditional indigenous concept which goes beyond the economic interests of capitalism to become a new system enabling harmony and sustainability between human beings and nature. Additionally, the approved constitution of 2008 has become the first constitution worldwide to grant rights to nature. As a result of this shift in Ecuadorian development discourse, the country has moved towards the implementation of a biodiversity conservation initiative called ‘Yasuni-ITT’. The initiative looks to keep oil underground in one of the country’s largest oil reserves in the Yasuni National Park in exchange for economic compensation from the international community (Martin 2011). However, despite initial commitment to realize this initiative, it was cancelled in 2013. The aim of this paper is to review relevant literature regarding the construction of the discourse of Good Living, examine the reasons behind its construction and, through analysis of the Yasuni-ITT initiative, show the contradictions in the alternative discourse proposed by the Ecuadorian government and the practice. The review suggests that, although the new legal perspective of Ecuador is noteworthy for representing a progressive development model, clashes exist between economic and political interests, diminishing the scope of its legal framework. In addition, the study indicates that the Sumak Kawsay discourse has resulted in controversy about its significance, raising the possibility that it has become a governmental slogan rather than an element of transformation. Moreover, through analysis of the Yasuni-ITT initiative, the review argues that some technical and legal failures have taken place in the way that the initiative was proposed, meaning that structural changes should be implemented to underpin the materialization of the Yasuni-ITT initiative. Finally, the review concludes that the cancellation of the Yasuni-ITT initiative shows that the neo-extractivist interest of the government has prevailed over the interests of Good Living.
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ItemEmerging powers, emerging leadership: climate change leadership by the emerging economies of the developing world: assessing Brazil’s climate change policies under a climate change leadership framework( 2015)Leadership in the climate change regime is understood as a necessary condition to overcome the collective action problems that may produce inaction and socially undesirable outcomes (Young, 1991). The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) institutionalized climate change leadership according to the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR+RC) by setting the preconditions for developed countries to take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Christoff and Eckersley, 2013). From this perspective, countries in the developing world should not be required to make binding commitments to reduce their emissions, even though several of these countries were already emerging as thriving economies that currently rank among the top GHG emitters (WRI, 2014). The paradigm under which CBDR+RC informed the leadership obligation in the UNFCCC has lost its relevance in a changing world order (Gupta, 2014). This has opened the space for a dynamic interpretation of CBDR+RC to account for the fact that the emissions from developing countries are exacerbating climate change, which is driving these countries to become the historical emitters of the future. An increased awareness about the responsibility of developing countries in the climate change problem and the demand for leadership from them is higher than ever before. Based on this growing demand, developing countries have started taking voluntary actions to reduce emissions under national government initiatives (UNFCCC, 2014b). This reflects a changing discourse in which developing countries are no longer exempted from reducing GHG emissions and adopting low-carbon development pathways (Gupta, 2014). To measure climate change leadership, Saul and Seidel (2011) provide an initial model indicator. It encompasses the five climate change leadership forms: directional (unilateral), structural, instrumental (problem solving or entrepreneurial), idea-based (intellectual) and institutional. Brazil’s climate change policies were assessed under such framework. Based on the assessment, it appears that Brazil’s outstanding climate change leadership highlights are currently on track to being neglected with the recent engagement in intensive fossil fuel development pathways. This threatens Brazil’s reputation as a clean energy economy that has managed, so far, to decouple GHG emissions from its economic growth (EIS, 2010).
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ItemRegulatory mechanisms and incentives for private protected areas in Chile: a comparative analysis with the Australian and South African experiences( 2015)The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has recognised that private protected areas (PPAs) are essential to expand biodiversity conservation and to achieve a global ecologically representative network of reserves. In Chile, since the 1990s PPAs have emerged as a spontaneous and voluntary movement with no government assistance. The current environmental legislation does not allow PPAs to be included in the National System of State Protected Wildlife Areas (SNASPE). As a consequence, PPAs in Chile are not subject to systematic regulation or formal definition. PPAs are concentrated in the southern regions where they have enhanced the ecological representativeness of existing reserves. However, ecosystems of the central and northern regions are still underrepresented in PPAs and the SNASPE. In this context, this research analyses what legal mechanisms would be suitable for implementation in Chile to progressively shift towards a representative system for PPAs. With this purpose, the research develops a comparative analysis with the South African and Australian experiences. Contract agreements in South Africa and conservation covenants in Australia have demonstrated to be cost-effective mechanisms to expand biodiversity protection into private lands. The analysis includes an evaluation of existing policies and legislation related to PPAs in these three countries. The findings indicate that Chile needs a more systematic and comprehensive regulatory framework for PPAs to guide and incentivise their creation in underrepresented areas. The enthusiasm of landowners towards biodiversity protection and the existing work of not for profit organisations as major drivers of conservation creates a favourable scenario for the implementation of mechanisms such as contract agreements or covenant programs. The analysis also indicates that the implementation of stewardship programs is essential to provide ongoing support to the management of PPAs and to maintain private landowners’ motivation.
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ItemIdentification of social values that can be affected by bushfire and planned burning: a case study of Black Saturday submissions( 2015)Severe bushfires occurred on Saturday 7th February 2009 (Black Saturday) in the Australian state of Victoria have caused the loss of life and destroyed things, qualities and relationships that people value, especially those living in the rural/urban interface areas. Understanding these public values is essential for fire managers for designing bushfire planning and management. This research focuses on identifying social values, including core values, valued attributes and valued entities, which can be affected by bushfire and planned burning in a selection of submissions to the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission (Black Saturday Submissions). The submissions are a useful existing source of data as they represent public expressions of things and relationships that have been destroyed during the 2009 fire as well as opinions about planned burning. A systematic sample of 112 submissions was selected then analysed using thematic qualitative analysis. The majority of expressions of value were valued entities and valued attributes and only a few expressions of core values were identified in the data. Valued entities identified in the data are concrete objects that can be directly mapped in the landscape and represent specific relationships between individuals and objects (‘Property’, ‘Infrastructure’, ‘People’, ‘Pets’, ‘Place attachment’, ‘Businesses’, ‘Flora and Fauna’, ‘Natural features’, ‘Air quality’ and ‘Community sites’). Valued attributes, defined as general attributes in the landscape that are important to people, include both values that have been well studied in the natural landscape literature (‘Natural attributes’ and ‘Experience’) and additional values that are specific to the bushfire context and appear important to people (‘Life’, ‘Property’, ‘Infrastructure’, ‘Government support’, ‘Agency’, ‘Learning about fire’) and some which have been studied in other contexts (‘Community’, ‘Working-life’). This research provides the initial categorisation of values that can be further developed in research related to fire risks in different scale and context as well as for fire managers to consider a range of important social values in the policy framework.
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ItemAn investigation of the role of ‘Puffing Billy Railway’ coal ash in composting of dehydrated food waste( 2015)Background: For this research Dehydrated Food Waste (DFW), was supplied from Cecconi’s Restaurant, Union House from The University of Melbourne and from the City of Melbourne. The two first places are using the Closed Loop approach for dehydration food waste and the City of Melbourne use the EcoGuardians approach. By dehydration of food waste, is possible to reduce around 85% of weight and 90% of moisture. The composition of DFW from Cecconi’s restaurant has more cooked and uncooked food waste such as bones, meat, eggshells, fish and the left overs. DFW from Union House has more fruits and vegetable waste. Finally, DFW from the city of Melbourne has more coffee grounds and vegetable. Generally, most of these materials are disposed into the landfill. Moreover, coal ash is provided for “Puffing Billy Railway”. Coal ash is produced after burning coal into the firebox of the steam train. Currently, coal ash is being disposed into the landfill. DFW can be composted with coal ash, and it might enhance the process of composting. Results: During composting process the parameters such as moisture, temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), nitrate, ammonia and volatile organic compounds (VOC) were measured. The moisture was kept in a range of 40 to 60%. The treatments which had coal ash increased gradually the temperature. Besides, the pH for these treatments increased after few days. In general for all treatments, the EC values decreased in the first weeks due to the dilution, and it started increasing in the last weeks. Ammonia increased and Nitrate decreced in the composting food waste from Cecconi’s and from The City of Melbourne. In case of composting FW from Union House, ammonia and nitrate decreased. According to the sensorial test of VOC, the treatments from Cecconi’s had high value of VOC, in contrast the treatments from Union House and from the City of Melbourne had low value of VOC. Conclusion: The composting process had greater performance in the treatments which contain coal ash from “Puffing Billy Railway”. Hence, coal ash is enhancing the composting of dehydrated food waste. Moreover, with this research, Puffing Billy Railway, Cecconi’s, The University of Melbourne (Union House) and City of Melbourne might change their perspective of the management of coal ash and dehydrated food waste respectively. The project is being implemented in small scale; and with further research in this topic, it might be replicated in a large scale.
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ItemAnalysis of utility scale solar PV and wind power in Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands( 2015)The Galapagos Islands is one of the world’s pristine archipelago. It has been inscribed as an UNESCO World Natural Heritage since 1978 (Estrella et al. 2011). This archipelago is also well known because Charles Darwin studied the origin of species in this islands. However, it is in great threat due to the main energy source is diesel. Hence, the Ecuadorian government has an initiative call ‘Zero fossil fuel in the Galapagos Islands’ which aims to reduce of diesel by replacing by renewable energy. In this context this research will try to show which is the least cost pathway to increase renewable energy. The research will focus in the most populated island which is Santa Cruz and in solar and wind energy technologies. This project will try to answer the research question by modelling different scenarios using data provided by Galapagos Utility Company. After done the modelling of the scenarios this research demonstrate that the most cost effective way to increase renewable energy in Santa Cruz is by incrementing the wind energy. Wind energy has better capacity factor and lower capital costs than solar energy.
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ItemPopulation Viability Analysis for a small population of the Endangered huemul deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus) in the Chilean Patagonia( 2015-11-02)The huemul deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus) is the most threatened cervid of South America, having experienced a 50% reduction in habitat range and a 99% decrease in population abundance since European settlement. A range of human impacts has led to serious fragmentation of the species habitat and the total population is estimated to be less than 2,500 individuals. Despite increased efforts to protect huemul, species recovery has not been achieved and populations continue to decline. The need for population-specific studies has been highlighted as an important aspect of huemul conservation. Accordingly, this project aimed to analyse the viability of a subpopulation of huemul under current conditions as well as potential management scenarios. The study site was Lake Cochrane National Reserve, Chilean Patagonia, where population vital rates were estimated for the species. This information was used to build a model in RAMAS GIS and develop a population viability analysis. All simulations included 1,000 replications to account for stochasticity and were run across a 100 year period. The model predictions suggested that the population would increase in the next 40 years and then stabilize, however, risks of falling below minimum abundances to maintain genetic richness were high. Fire was the most serious threat for huemul survival in the simulations; increased levels of predation were also shown to have potentially serious implications for the study population. Habitat availability was the most important factor impacting population abundances of huemul, and adult individuals were the most influencing life stage on population viability. Species protection action plans may not sufficiently emphasise important strategies such as fire management and the establishment of captive breeding programs to increase genetic variability. Collaboration between managers of protected areas around Lake Cochrane appears as crucial to ensure joint measures are able to ensure the long-term presence of huemul in the area. Long- term studies are required to better approximate important estimates underpinning the reliability of PVAs for huemul, especially in regards to density dependence factors. This will allow the construction of more accurate and precise PVAs for the species, and improve their utility for managers.