Crimes Against Rhinoceros: Exploring Attitudes and Perceptions of Stakeholders in South Africa

African rhinoceros, once abundant across Africa, face threats to their long-term survival primarily due to the syndicated poaching of their horns for Traditional Asian Medicine and as status symbols in Asia. Most studies focusing on the human dimensions of rhinoceros poaching have been limited to examining a few aspects of this issue (e.g., reasons for consuming rhinoceros horn, opinions about legalizing trade in horns), from the perspective of just one or two stakeholder groups (e.g., community members, private game reserves that own rhinoceros), and in geographically constrained areas within South Africa or in other countries. This dissertation examined perceptions of multiple stakeholder groups regarding several different issues related to the poaching of rhinoceros across various provinces within South Africa. Three standalone journal articles contained in this dissertation used qualitative data to evaluate stakeholder: (a) attitudes, norms, and perceived motivations associated with the poaching of rhinoceros in South Africa; (b) perceptions of trust, corruption, and punishment related to this topic; and (c) perceptions of risks associated with this issue. Fifty-four in-person, semi-structured interviews were conducted across seven stakeholder groups (private game reserve personnel, government personnel, personnel from non-governmental organizations [NGOs], wildlife veterinarians, community members, private field rangers, tour operators) in six provinces across South Africa (Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape). Results from the first article showed that respondent attitudes emphasized poor (minimal and inaccurate) communication, divisions among stakeholders, lack of political will, and limited resources (e.g., financial support) as serious obstacles to protecting rhinoceros from poaching. Stakeholders also suggested that: (a) conservation strategies in place for rhinoceros can serve as umbrella protection for other species, (b) tourism and employment are being impacted by the poaching, and (c) although the poaching of rhinoceros was not an accepted norm within most communities, some poachers are viewed as heroes for bringing income into impoverished communities. Respondents held various perceptions on the primary drivers and motivations for poaching (e.g., social status and ego of end-users, poverty and greed of poachers, crimes of opportunity). Results of the second article showed that respondents perceived low trust and high corruption associated with security forces (e.g., police, public rangers), upper ranks of the federal government, some veterinarians, and some NGOs, but greater trust and less corruption among private anti-poaching rangers. Punishments for convicted poachers were considered sufficient by most stakeholders, but some felt that even harsher penalties were needed. Results from the third article showed that respondents perceived several risks to themselves as a result of carrying out their professional activities associated with the poaching issue (e.g., personal safety risks from poachers and syndicates, risk of arrest, social and psychological risks from trauma-inducing situations in the field, risks to family members). Respondents also perceived risks to the safety of the broader public (e.g., tourists, community members). Implications of these findings for both: (a) future research to fill in key gaps in knowledge, and (b) agencies and other stakeholders managing this issue are discussed throughout this dissertation

Implications of Climate Variability on Large Fires Across Spatiotemporal Scales in Sagebrush Steppe

Thesis by Andrea Kuchy concerning Fire, Ecology, Plant Communities and other subject

PATTERN OF THE SENSITIVITY OF ALLIUM CEPA ROOT MERISTEM CELLS TO ENDOSRI, NUVAN AND KVISTIN PESTICIDES

ABSTRACT: Cytotoxicity of two insecticides (Endosri & Nuvan) and one fungicide (Kvistin) was evaluated using Allium cepa (Onion) root inhibition test. Onion bulbs were exposed to different concentrations of Endosri (2000Endosri ( , 1000, Nuvan (400, 350, 300, 250, 200, 150, & 100ppm) and Kvistin (3000, 2000Kvistin (3000, , 1000 for 5 days. Set of bulbs treated with distilled water (DW) was kept as the control. Effects on the growth and number of roots were recorded after the exposure period. EC50 values obtained for Endosri, Nuvan and Kvistin were 60, 200 and 500ppm, respectively. Both Endosri and Nuvan showed highly toxic effect and a significant (p≤0.05) decrease in both root length and number as compared to control. However, Kvistin was less toxic as compared to Endosri and Nuvan. Our results indicated that even very low concentrations of Endosri and Nuvan are highly toxic to Allium cepa root meristematic cells as compared to Kvistin fungicide. This toxicity could also contribute to several afflictions in other organisms after exposure to higher concentrations and a negative impact on the crop production as well

(Table 1) Climate characteristics of the four North American Tundra Experiment (ITEX) sites

Climate warming is expected to differentially affect CO2 exchange of the diverse ecosystems in the Arctic. Quantifying responses of CO2 exchange to warming in these ecosystems will require coordinated experimentation using standard temperature manipulations and measurements. Here, we used the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) standard warming treatment to determine CO2 flux responses to growing-season warming for ecosystems spanning natural temperature and moisture ranges across the Arctic biome. We used the four North American Arctic ITEX sites (Toolik Lake, Atqasuk, and Barrow [USA] and Alexandra Fiord [Canada]) that span 10° of latitude. At each site, we investigated the CO2 responses to warming in both dry and wet or moist ecosystems. Net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE), ecosystem respiration (ER), and gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP) were assessed using chamber techniques conducted over 24-h periods sampled regularly throughout the summers of two years at all sites. At Toolik Lake, warming increased net CO2 losses in both moist and dry ecosystems. In contrast, at Atqasuk and Barrow, warming increased net CO2 uptake in wet ecosystems but increased losses from dry ecosystems. At Alexandra Fiord, warming improved net carbon uptake in the moist ecosystem in both years, but in the wet and dry ecosystems uptake increased in one year and decreased the other. Warming generally increased ER, with the largest increases in dry ecosystems. In wet ecosystems, high soil moisture limited increases in respiration relative to increases in photosynthesis. Warming generally increased GEP, with the notable exception of the Toolik Lake moist ecosystem, where warming unexpectedly decreased GEP >25%. Overall, the respiration response determined the effect of warming on ecosystem CO2 balance. Our results provide the first multiple-site comparison of arctic tundra CO2 flux responses to standard warming treatments across a large climate gradient. These results indicate that (1) dry tundra may be initially the most responsive ecosystems to climate warming by virtue of strong increases in ER, (2) moist and wet tundra responses are dampened by higher water tables and soil water contents, and (3) both GEP and ER are responsive to climate warming, but the magnitudes and directions are ecosystem-dependent