School of Geography - Theses
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ItemAgriculture and land use in the Ovens and Kiewa River valleys of N. E. Victoria( 1964)No abstract available
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ItemMy land, our river: private property rights, public goods and land use decision-making in the riparian zone( 2001)Ever since public choice theory began to emerge earlier this century, by applying the methodology of economics to the study of politics, it has been fascinated with the perceived conflict between private property rights and the public or the common good. A large component of the environmental movement, by adopting the public good as its unspoken goal, has necessarily found itself at the heart of this private versus public good debate. There have been many studies into the applicability of these public choice theories to real world environmental problems. Some of these have gone to the micro level and tested the assumptions of these theories with actual attitudes and motivations of the individual. At another level there have been studies into the impacts of state environmental policy, normally assessed from the macro level of the overall environmental change resulting from a policy. This thesis draws these two distinct bodies of research together. It recognises that the mentality of social choice theory has long been firmly entrenched in Australian state environmental policy. It also recognises that, as a result of being based upon theories that are not universally applicable to all situations, certain environmental policies fail because they do not elicit the desired behaviour from the individual. It goes on to demonstrate that the failure of certain policies can be attributed to the attitudes and motivations of the very people whose behaviour the policy aims to change, the behaviour of the private property owner. The riparian zone, typically defining a boundary between private and public property, is at the heart of this private versus public good debate. In this zone the activities of the private land manager can have significant public implications, in forms as diverse as water pollution, loss of biodiversity, and regional soil degradation. Yet the relationship is not all one directional, for the riparian zone is also an area where public policy often impacts upon the private property owner. Environmental decline of riverine and riparian environments has led inexorably to pressure for more and more controls on private land use to preserve a number of `public good' environmental values such as water quality, biodiversity and regional soil productivity. A range of planning regulations, specific to floodplain environments, also restrict the rights of the private property holder, once again in the name of the public good. On a regulated river system the relationship is even more problematic, because the manner in which the river is regulated by the public authority can have massive impacts on the riparian landowner. Floods on Australia's Murray River in October 1996, the result of the partial draining of Lake Hume, bear testimony to this. This thesis begins with a discussion of the power of the riparian landholder to influence environmental quality, by reviewing the ways in which terrestrial and aquatic conditions can be influenced for the better or worse by certain riparian land use activities such as stock grazing and fencing. Having outlined the ecological importance of the land use decisions made by riparian landholders, the existing influences upon the riparian farmers' land use decision-making are then identified, examining riparian farmers along Australia's Upper Murray River as a case study. Through surveys, in-depth interviewing, and participant observation, it explores influences on farmer land use decision-making. It discovers why farmers make the land use decisions they do, and it exposes the true impact of state policy on these decisions. A river-based riparian zone assessment was also conducted along each farmer's property, enabling observation of how the attitudes and views displayed in the surveys and interviews translated into different riparian land use activities. The results have revealed a number of opportunities and constraints to obtaining landowner co-operation in stream frontage management, many of which have significant implications for the management of river frontages throughout Australia. This thesis concludes by defining the nature of the problems present in the riparian zone, and the extent to which they can be explained by existing theories.
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ItemModern Aboriginal land management: a Victorian perspective( 1999)The aim of this research was to find out what land management activities are being undertaken by Aboriginal communities in Victoria and what barriers these communities face in doing so. Six Victorian Aboriginal communities were contacted and representatives were interviewed about the land management activities undertaken by their communities. Those involved were Ballarat, Framlingham, Healesville, Mildura, Orbost and Swan Hill. Information gathered from these interviews revealed a number of patterns in Victorian Aboriginal land management. First, there is a wide range of land management activities undertaken across the State that have been little documented. In this thesis they are described under these headings: conservation and land management activities; cultural heritage management; environmental and cultural tourism and education; and native title. This research has shown that communities that have title to land or are near areas of national park are likely to be more involved in land management than those surrounded by private property. Secondly, it was found that many of the works undertaken also involve an element of cultural heritage management. Finally the research revealed that Aboriginal land management activities in Victoria are likely to involve modem techniques of land management rather than what might be thought of as 'traditional' methods. This thesis also identifies the barriers that communities face in becoming involved in land management. The main causes are financial, lack of access to land and the lack of employment opportunities in the area land management. Most of these barriers are the result of political decisions and institutional arrangements. This thesis has only scratched the surface of this large issue and should be seen as a starting point. It raises many more questions that need to be asked if Aboriginal communities in Victoria are to realise their goals of managing and caring for the land.
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ItemDevelopment of a five star Landcare rating system for grazing properties in south west Victoria( 1999)A five star rating system has been developed to reward landholders for managing the physical features of their farm including land, water and vegetation in an environmentally sustainable manner. The Landcare movement largely relies on the goodwill of current land managers to undertake measures to ensure sustainable catchment management for future generations. The five star Landcare rating system has been devised to recognise the efforts of farmers in South West Victoria in working towards sustainable agricultural systems. The system can be adopted by graziers as a benchmarking system for continuous improvement, by local government in rate rebate schemes or used as a product marketing tool. The development of indicators as a measure of catchment health is a relatively new science and most systems developed to date are not practical for regular assessment at a farm level. The five star Landcare rating system uses easily measured and proven indicators that can be used by farmers at a farm scale. The system recognises the requirement for continued research to develop benchmarks for individual resource management units. Over time, measurement of indicators under the system can cumulate into long term measures of environmental outcomes.