School of Geography - Theses
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ItemCommunity and self: experiences of environmental resettlement in Wan Sheng village, Inner Mongolia( 2005)No abstract available
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ItemThe concept of nature in Horkheimer and Adorno's Dialectic of Enlightenment and Horkheimer's Eclipse of Reason( 2007)This thesis aims to interpret and evaluate the concept of nature in Frankfurt School philosophers Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno's Dialectic of Enlightenment and Horkheimer's Eclipse of Reason. I situate my reading in debates about the role of the Enlightenment in contributing to contemporary environmental problems, and aim to illustrate that the ideas of the Enlightenment must be crucial contributors to environmental philosophies. I preface my analysis of nature with a discussion about the dialectical reasoning that is the basis of Horkheimer and Adorno's critique of society, illustrating their debt to Enlightenment thinkers and the ability of dialectics to navigate philosophical dualisms like reason/nature with subtlety. My analysis divides the concept of nature in Horkheimer and Adorno's work into four different aspects, which I consider separately: nature as myth, nature mathematised (instrumental reason), nature as suffering, and the revolt of nature. Through this discussion I demonstrate that the concept of nature for Horkheimer and Adorno is resolutely ambivalent: it is both the force of domination and that which suffers under domination. It follows that nature is not something that alone can be a critical principle. I show that for Horkheimer and Adorno its critical aspect can only be realised when it is mediated through reason or memory. Following my analysis I begin to investigate what sort of environmentalism Horkheimer and Adorno's critical theory might generate. I discuss two pertinent themes, the implications of their negative idea of nature and of their belief that scarcity is contingent, which I follow with a brief acknowledgement of the problem of praxis in their work. This discussion does not aim to be conclusive. I conclude by affirming the goals of enlightenment (in general) and environmentalism, and maintain that, in spite of their antagonisms, they are essentially complimentary.
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ItemFire on the mountain: late-Holocene environmental change on Mount Buffalo( 2008)This study investigates the relationship between fire, vegetation and people on the Mount Buffalo Plateau in NE Victoria, Australia. In general, palaeo-trends in burning largely follow climatic fluctuations, while Holocene divergence of some fire and climate signals have been attributed to localised anthropogenic influence. Most pollen studies in SE Australia have focused on long-term climatic forcings and Aboriginal influence on vegetation through the use of fire, while changes associated with the European-period have recently become of interest. Pollen studies from subalpine regions have generally shown minimal European impact in the form of introduced taxa, but most of these studies lack complementary charcoal data pertinent to understanding long- and short-term vegetation dynamics and land use. The primary aim of this study is to examine late- Holocene relationships between fire, vegetation and land use in a subalpine environment; a secondary aim is to contribute to the knowledge of charcoal taphonomy. Cores were extracted from two bogs within differing environmental settings; fossilised pollen and charcoal assemblages, as well as additional environmental proxies (LOI and Magnetic Susceptibility), were analysed. Results suggest an influence by surrounding vegetation type and catchment area on long-term trends in pollen and charcoal signatures, with vegetation changes concentrated on bog surfaces. Inferred responses of specific taxa to fire suggest a change in fire frequency within the top third of the 1600-year record, possibly associated with changing patterns of land use. A decrease in pollen concentrations concurrent with an increase in charcoal in the top third of the core from the smaller catchment suggest an increased sedimentation rate and/or decreased vegetation cover associated with more fire. In summary, this study shows that the sedimentary representation of fire-vegetation-land use relationships is complex and site-specific; in addition to the knowledge gained from short- and long-term monitoring, studies such as this at scales outside of the temporal scope of monitoring can help inform management.
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ItemPrivate land management in Victoria: local government incentives: an investigation into the application and effectiveness of private land management incentives offered by a selection of Victorial Councils( 2000)This is an investigation into the application and effectiveness of private land management incentives offered by a selection of Victorian Local Governments. It is stressed that the management of private land only is to be examined in this study. Such limitations are important in terms of focussing the investigation within the limited scope of the study. For the purpose of this study land management is considered broadly and therefore includes such things as the protection, enhancement and preservation of flora, fauna and the land that supports them, including waterways. It also includes the repair of degraded land. The findings of the study are as follows: 1. it is particularly important for a tangible financial reward to be offered to a land owner by local government for management tasks completed on their land; 2. it is desirable to not only offer a financial incentive but also to reinforce it with other non-financial initiatives such as education sessions; 3. it is imperative that resources (both financial and in personnel) are allocated to the process of enforcement and assessment of works undertaken in order to claim a financial reward; 4. the structure and functioning of an incentive must be able to target suitable numbers and types of properties and be able to achieve valuable contributions to land management; and 5. there must be structured and meaningful consultation, trialing of methods and consideration of options before during and after the implementation of a incentive package (where applicable). It is submitted as the Research Dissertation requirement of the Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental.