title: Multiple benefits and trade-offs of changes in landscape structure and composition surrounding avocado orchards

authors: Young, Gemma Georgina

subjects: Landscape ecology

abstract: Agroecosystems are facing a number of challenges, including declines in biodiversity and associated ecosystem services, emphasizing the need to change the current practices and approaches used within the industry. Ecological intensification, a management strategy that utilizes ecological processes to increase the production of crops while also reducing environmental impacts compared to conventional farming practices, provides a solution to counteract these harmful impacts. The field of landscape ecology provides insight into how ecological intensification practices could be integrated into landscape-level management. This field has found contrasting outcomes in various locations and crops, highlighting the context-specific nature of the interactions between the landscape and ecosystems and the need for tailored approaches to ecological intensification. In this thesis, I contribute to this growing field by exploring the relationship between the landscape and avocado pollinator biodiversity and pest abundance in the Bay of Plenty, which is the primary region for avocado orchards in New Zealand. In Chapter 2, I analyzed how the landscape surrounding avocado orchards impacted various aspects of insect pollinator communities, including species richness, evenness, abundance, biomass and mean body mass. Additionally, in Chapter 3, I investigated the influence of the landscape on the abundance of pest species such as thrips, leafroller, mealy bugs and scale as well as its effects on yield and fruit quality. My synthesized findings show that the dynamics between the landscape and avocado pests and pollinators within agroecosystems are shaped by multiple variables. This thesis also highlights a tradeoff where increasing pollinator abundance is accompanied by higher thrips abundance. Consequently, to balance the control of pests and pollinator conservation, holistic landscape management strategies are crucial. In conclusion, results from my thesis offers valuable insight into the relationship between the landscapes and avocado pests and pollinators in agroecosystems, highlighting the importance of comprehensive landscape management strategies to increase sustainable avocado production.
Supervisor

text: Multiple benefits and trade-offs of changes in landscape structure and composition surrounding avocado orchards Agroecosystems are facing a number of challenges, including declines in biodiversity and associated ecosystem services, emphasizing the need to change the current practices and approaches used within the industry. Ecological intensification, a management strategy that utilizes ecological processes to increase the production of crops while also reducing environmental impacts compared to conventional farming practices, provides a solution to counteract these harmful impacts. The field of landscape ecology provides insight into how ecological intensification practices could be integrated into landscape-level management. This field has found contrasting outcomes in various locations and crops, highlighting the context-specific nature of the interactions between the landscape and ecosystems and the need for tailored approaches to ecological intensification. In this thesis, I contribute to this growing field by exploring the relationship between the landscape and avocado pollinator biodiversity and pest abundance in the Bay of Plenty, which is the primary region for avocado orchards in New Zealand. In Chapter 2, I analyzed how the landscape surrounding avocado orchards impacted various aspects of insect pollinator communities, including species richness, evenness, abundance, biomass and mean body mass. Additionally, in Chapter 3, I investigated the influence of the landscape on the abundance of pest species such as thrips, leafroller, mealy bugs and scale as well as its effects on yield and fruit quality. My synthesized findings show that the dynamics between the landscape and avocado pests and pollinators within agroecosystems are shaped by multiple variables. This thesis also highlights a tradeoff where increasing pollinator abundance is accompanied by higher thrips abundance. Consequently, to balance the control of pests and pollinator conservation, holistic landscape management strategies are crucial. In conclusion, results from my thesis offers valuable insight into the relationship between the landscapes and avocado pests and pollinators in agroecosystems, highlighting the importance of comprehensive landscape management strategies to increase sustainable avocado production.
Supervisor

year: 2023

title: The Micro Geopolitics of (Eco)Tourism: Competing Discourses and Collaboration in New Zealand and Brazil

authors: Lima, Ismar Borges de

subjects: Ecotourism

abstract: This social science, interdisciplinary research deals with 'competing discourses' and 'collaboration'. The thesis examines issues of power in (eco)tourism development as manifested in the discursive construction and positionality of local stakeholders. It then inquires whether collaborative schemes can bridge the various interest groups dealing with nature tourism activities in a way that they can expand social, economic and environmental benefits. The language they use, the context they live in, and their relationships and interactions are systematically deconstructed to unveil possible collaborative models for conflict resolution that can advance the practices of (eco)tourism as well as bring collective gains regionally. The study maps the micro geopolitics that exist in all levels of ecotourism development: in its conceptualisation, design, planning and management.

Focusing on nodes of conflict and nodes of collaboration, case studies were chosen in New Zealand and in Brazil that encompass public and private actors in (eco)tourism such as government agencies and small-scale tour operators. The 100% Pure New Zealand campaign, Kuaka New Zealand Education Travel, and Silves and Itacar  in Brazil are investigated in depth. The researcher is concerned with the values, perceptions and attitudes of local actors about the role and importance of (eco)tourism as a concentration area for conservationist networks. 

The author is skeptical about the constructions of (eco)tourism outside the context of local stakeholders that are 'imported' or imposed on them in a way that it increases pre-existing tensions and conflicts. With many cases in the literature showing that (eco)tourism lacks an institutional archetype to deliver all its promises, it is plausible to talk about nature-based tourism instead. However, the claim is not that simple, because ecotourism entails contentious issues; it is a complex activity as one takes it for social inclusion and as a tool for regional economic development. The author advocates that representative collaboration and partnerships can ease the move from destructive to constructive conflicts in (eco)tourism. Ecotourism is a complex activity as one uses it for social inclusion and as a tool for regional economic development. The author argues that the way (eco)tourism has been envisaged demands participatory managing structures such as local environmental governance (LEG) and deliberative associational spaces. One of the assumptions is that '(eco)tourism' can become even more meaningful and functional in its conservationist mission if locally discursively constructed, negotiated, and consensually implemented. 

For deconstructing the cases, 'critical contextual discourse analysis' (CCDA) was developed. It is a methodological approach and tool used to shed light on textual production (written or spoken), consumption and interpretation, and its influences on social practices within a specific regional context. Social constructionism and theory of collaboration conceptually introduce the case. The author adopted a 'critical realist' stand. In the analysis, collaborative adaptive management, triple bottom line, corporate social responsibility, accreditation programmes, and the importance of environmental education for human attachment to nature are discussed as a background. On the whole, 17 interviewees in New Zealand and 42 in Brazil contributed to this study. Yet, in order to contrast statements on the ground, questionnaires were sent to 37 tour operators in New Zealand. Secondary qualitative and quantitative data significantly added to the investigation, helping to validate or refute preliminary assumptions.

text: The Micro Geopolitics of (Eco)Tourism: Competing Discourses and Collaboration in New Zealand and Brazil This social science, interdisciplinary research deals with 'competing discourses' and 'collaboration'. The thesis examines issues of power in (eco)tourism development as manifested in the discursive construction and positionality of local stakeholders. It then inquires whether collaborative schemes can bridge the various interest groups dealing with nature tourism activities in a way that they can expand social, economic and environmental benefits. The language they use, the context they live in, and their relationships and interactions are systematically deconstructed to unveil possible collaborative models for conflict resolution that can advance the practices of (eco)tourism as well as bring collective gains regionally. The study maps the micro geopolitics that exist in all levels of ecotourism development: in its conceptualisation, design, planning and management.

Focusing on nodes of conflict and nodes of collaboration, case studies were chosen in New Zealand and in Brazil that encompass public and private actors in (eco)tourism such as government agencies and small-scale tour operators. The 100% Pure New Zealand campaign, Kuaka New Zealand Education Travel, and Silves and Itacar  in Brazil are investigated in depth. The researcher is concerned with the values, perceptions and attitudes of local actors about the role and importance of (eco)tourism as a concentration area for conservationist networks. 

The author is skeptical about the constructions of (eco)tourism outside the context of local stakeholders that are 'imported' or imposed on them in a way that it increases pre-existing tensions and conflicts. With many cases in the literature showing that (eco)tourism lacks an institutional archetype to deliver all its promises, it is plausible to talk about nature-based tourism instead. However, the claim is not that simple, because ecotourism entails contentious issues; it is a complex activity as one takes it for social inclusion and as a tool for regional economic development. The author advocates that representative collaboration and partnerships can ease the move from destructive to constructive conflicts in (eco)tourism. Ecotourism is a complex activity as one uses it for social inclusion and as a tool for regional economic development. The author argues that the way (eco)tourism has been envisaged demands participatory managing structures such as local environmental governance (LEG) and deliberative associational spaces. One of the assumptions is that '(eco)tourism' can become even more meaningful and functional in its conservationist mission if locally discursively constructed, negotiated, and consensually implemented. 

For deconstructing the cases, 'critical contextual discourse analysis' (CCDA) was developed. It is a methodological approach and tool used to shed light on textual production (written or spoken), consumption and interpretation, and its influences on social practices within a specific regional context. Social constructionism and theory of collaboration conceptually introduce the case. The author adopted a 'critical realist' stand. In the analysis, collaborative adaptive management, triple bottom line, corporate social responsibility, accreditation programmes, and the importance of environmental education for human attachment to nature are discussed as a background. On the whole, 17 interviewees in New Zealand and 42 in Brazil contributed to this study. Yet, in order to contrast statements on the ground, questionnaires were sent to 37 tour operators in New Zealand. Secondary qualitative and quantitative data significantly added to the investigation, helping to validate or refute preliminary assumptions.

year: 2008

title: Niupepa: A historical newspaper collection

authors: Apperley, Mark

abstract: Niupepa is a collection of 42 newspaper titles published in New Zealand from 1842-1933, comprising a total of 21,000 pages in 1,750 issues. This collection forms a unique historical record of the language of the indigenous Mãori people, the evolution of the written form of this language, and of events and developments during the formative colonial history of our country. Using the Greenstone software from the New Zealand Digital Library this collection is now publicly available with full-text search capability.

text: Niupepa: A historical newspaper collection Niupepa is a collection of 42 newspaper titles published in New Zealand from 1842-1933, comprising a total of 21,000 pages in 1,750 issues. This collection forms a unique historical record of the language of the indigenous Mãori people, the evolution of the written form of this language, and of events and developments during the formative colonial history of our country. Using the Greenstone software from the New Zealand Digital Library this collection is now publicly available with full-text search capability.

year: 2001-05-01