PhD Theses
- Sustainability assessment of biofuel feedstock production in Ghana
Student: Abubakari AHMED (Ghana) - Potential CO2 emission reductions through the utilization of roofs in Tokyo
Student: Jelena ALEKSEJEVA (Latvia) - Developing an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) framework for food systems in South Africa
Student: Robert Massimo ALFONSI (Italy) - Assessing the outcomes of certification standards to oil palm and cocoa smallholders in Ghana
Student: Eric Brako DOMPREH (Ghana) - Evaluating urban ecosystem services in Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar
Student: Helen (Myanmar) - Assessing the sustainability of Eco-Industrial Parks in China
Student: Hongru HONG (China) - Sustainability impacts of modern cooking energy interventions in Murang’a and Kiambu Counties of Kenya
Student: Alice KARANJA (Kenya) - Mapping socio-ecological systems in indigenous settings through network analysis: The case of Guna Yala in Panama
Student: Rodolfo Dam LAM (Panama) - Enhancing the sustainability of Municipal Waste Management systems in Bolivia
Student: Denise P. LOZANO LAZO (Bolivia) - Impact of Japan timber logging practices and procurement in Sarawak, Malaysia
Student: Vinamra MATHUR (India) - Corporate Environmental Sustainability (CES) in the retail sector: The case of Japanese and South African supermarket companies
Student: Merle NAIDOO (South Africa) - Spatial Planning for the Sustainable Protection and Restoration of Coastal Zones in China
Student: Jie SU (China) - Integrating ecological, economic and social dynamics to access the potential of sustainable aquaculture in Myanmar, China, and Japan
- Suburbanization in Ghanaian cities: Local impacts and future scenarios for peri-urban production landscapes
MSc Theses
- Evaluating the cost of over-fishing in coral reefs affected by climate change: The case of parrotfish harvest in Jamaica
Student: Dalelan ANDERSON (Jamaica) - Identifying the multiple values of indigenous forest-dependent Baka communities in Cameroon
- Identifying the factors affecting the resilience of sub-tropical Community-Based Forest Management areas in Nepal
- Positionality of greenhouses within a food systems framework
- A political ecology of water conflicts in sugarcane areas of Swaziland
Student: Nikole ROLAND (United States of America) - Sustainability impacts of Conservation Agriculture in Zimbabwe
Student: Spencer SIBANDA (Zimbabwe) - Assessing the effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes in Myanmar: Case Studies from the Cement Industry
Student: Ei THWE (Myanmar)
Sustainability assessment of biofuel feedstock options in Ghana
Thesis Summary Download (PDF)
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Biofuel feedstock production has been promoted across Sub-Saharan Africa in the past decade mainly for economic development and energy security. However feedstock production can have important local sustainability impacts to land use change, poverty, livelihoods, land tenure and food security, among others. Most studies that have assessed the local biofuel impacts of biofuel feedstock production in Ghana have either focused on single impacts or feedstock production system.
This study aims to provide a holistic assessment of the multiple sustainability impacts of different feedstock production systems in Ghana, including jatropha, sugarcane and oil palm. The specific objectives are to:
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Evaluating the cost of over-fishing in coral reefs affected by climate change: The case of parrotfish harvest in Jamaica
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Overfishing on coral reef coastal ecosystems has added enormous pressure on coral reef survival in many tropical countries. At the same time reef species play an important role in the livelihoods of poor coastal communities. Such an example is the case parrotfish species in Jamaica. On the one hand parrotfish abundance affects coral reef resilience, with many calls for the species protection having been voiced. On the other hand the fish constitutes a major source of protein and income for coastal communities and is important in the diet of local Jamaicans. With rising awareness, social groups have called for the restriction of its harvest but this trade off to artisanal fishers will prove problematic. Understanding the value of the species to current and future generations could better inform policy makers and the public of the importance of sustainable approaches to managing the resource.
The aim of this thesis is to identify the different values associated with parrotfish on coastal ecosystems and communities of Jamaica. Specific objectives include:
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Potential CO2 emission reductions through the utilization of roofs in Tokyo
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Urban areas are currently responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. The building sector constitutes a large fraction of these emissions and has been identified as a priority area to curb GHG emissions from cities. Technological options that mitigate GHG emissions in buildings are gathering an increasing level of attention.
This research aims at assessing the potential CO2 emission reductions by deploying mitigation technologies on building roofs such as solar panels and green roofs. The study focuses at the Sumida ward, Tokyo that includes built-up areas with varying building properties and densities. Specific objectives include to:
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Developing an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) framework for food systems in South Africa
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Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can become valuable tools for enhancing the sustainability of food systems. For example ICTs can be instrumental in creating social networks to share information for sustainable production and consumption practices in food systems. Current studies mainly focus on the use of ICTs for monitoring or tracing food, but there are few studies about their effectiveness across all stages of the food system, especially in emerging economies such as South Africa.
This study aims to develop an ICT framework that can be operationalized, and enhance the sustainability of food systems in South Africa, including conventional, subsistence and alternative food systems. Specific objectives include to:
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Identifying the multiple values of indigenous forest-dependent Baka communities in Cameroon
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Indigenous communities are increasingly recognized as stewards on nature as their traditional lifestyles and governance systems have sustained natural ecosystems for centuries. The close interaction with ecosystems constitutes an integral part of their identity, culture and livelihoods, and are thus crucial for their well-being. A good example are the indigenous Baka people in Cameroon whose lives are closely linked to the forest. However, the implementation of various development and conservation projects affect the forest, which they value and depend on.
This research aims to identify the multiple values indigenous Baka people in Cameroon attribute to the forest ecosystem, and how these values change over time and affect their well-being. Specific objectives include to:
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Identifying the factors affecting the resilience of sub-tropical Community-Based Forest Management areas in Nepal
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A large fraction of Nepal's population resides in the subtropical region, and is highly dependent on sub-tropical forest ecosystem services. However these forests are vulnerable to degradation due to land use change, overexploitation and climate change. To ensure the sustained provision of these crucial ecosystem services, more than 30,000 Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) areas have been developed, covering 4.5 million households. These systems entail the management, protection and utilization of forestland directly by the local communities. Although they have contributed to forest area increase, the cumulative effects of different processes threaten their contribution to human wellbeing.
This study aims to identify the factors affecting the resilience of CBFM systems in the subtropical forest zones of Nepal, and its effects for ecosystem services delivery and human wellbeing. Specific aims include to:
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Assessing the outcomes of certification standards to oil palm and cocoa smallholders in Ghana
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Student: Eric Brako DOMPREH (Ghana)
Type: PhD Duration: 2017-2020 (Concluded) Study country: Ghana Cocoa and oil palm contribute significantly to the national economy and rural livelihoods of Ghana. However their production can have negative environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Certification is one of the key tools that can promote the sustainable production of cocoa and oil palm. In addition to ensuring the adoption of environmentally friendly production practices, certification can also improve household livelihoods and food security, and act as a poverty alleviation mechanism.
This study explores the impact of cocoa and oil palm certification on the farm productivity, income, food security and poverty of smallholder households in the Eastern and Western Regions of Ghana, where cocoa and oil palm production is concentrated. Specific objectives include to:
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Assessing urban ecosystem services in Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar
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Student: Helen (Myanmar)
Type: PhD Duration: 2016-2019 (Concluded) Study country: Myanmar Urban ecosystems can provide numerous ecosystem services that can contribute to more livable, healthy and resilient cities. Maintaining urban ecosystem services can contribute to green economic transitions. While there has been a growing literature on the value of urban ecosystem services, there are still significant knowledge gaps for secondary cities of developing countries.
This study quantifies the economic value of ecosystem services provided by different urban ecosystems in Pyin Oo Lwin (Myanmar). These include urban parks, urban farms, urban degraded forests, golf courses and other green spaces. Specific objectives include to:
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Assessing the sustainability of Eco-Industrial Parks in China
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Student: Hongru HONG (China)
Type: PhD Duration: 2017-2020 (Concluded) Study country: China Since the reformation and opening-up of its economy in the late 1970s, China constructed thousands of industrial parks to meet the growing global demand for industrial products and to boost its economy growth. The economic output of these industrial parks is possibly contributing to over 60% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, at the same time, industrial parks have caused substantial damage to the environment. As environmental awareness grew, the government undertook a national programme to promote the construction and verification of eco-industrial parks (EIPs) that embrace environmentally friendly production practices such as industrial symbiosis, However, EIPs can still have a number of important sustainability trade-offs, especially related to local environmental and socioeconomic impacts.
This research assesses the sustainability impacts and the main trade-offs of operational EIPs in China. Specific objectives include to:
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Assessing the effectiveness of coastal ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change: Evidence from Asian coastal communities |
Student: Lam Thi Mai HUYNH (Vietnam)
Type: PhD Duration: 2022-2025 Study country: China, Singapore, Vietnam Climate change-induced disasters such as sea-level rise, and more frequent and intense droughts, floods, and typhoons have been posing significant threats to coastal communities across the world. As adaptation to climate change has emerged as one of the biggest sustainability challenges, there is a growing need for the robust assessment of the effectiveness of different adaptation approaches. Recently, ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) has received growing attention as a possibly more sustainable and cost-effective approach to climate change adaptation in coastal areas than conventional engineering defenses. However, despite the expanding literature on coastal EbA, there is a lack of robust syntheses of the evidence regarding the status and effectiveness of coastal EbA globally.
This study aims to understand the effectiveness of coastal EbA approaches, especially compared to traditional engineering solutions at the local scale. Specific objectives include to:
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Sustainability impacts of modern cooking energy interventions in Murang’a and Kiambu Counties of Kenya
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Student: Alice KARANJA (Kenya)
Type: PhD Duration: 2016-2019 (Concluded) Study country: Kenya Access to reliable and safe energy is essential for achieving sustainable development and poverty eradication in Sub-Saharan Africa. Cooking is a major component of final household energy demand in the region, but it is still dominated by traditional biomass fuels such as charcoal and fuelwood. A shift towards modern cooking solutions could reduce the negative environmental and socioeconomic impacts associated with the use of traditional biomass particularly related to deforestation, greenhouse gases emissions, health, poverty and gender.
This research assesses the sustainability impacts of adopting clean cooking options in Africa, and propose policies that could enable scaling up their adoption. The specific focus is on the dynamics between traditional and modern (i.e. biogas, improved biomass stoves) cooking options in rural settings of the Murang’a and Kiambu counties, Kenya. The specific objectives include to:
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Mapping socio-ecological systems in indigenous settings through network analysis: The case of Guna Yala in Panama
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Student: Rodolfo Dam LAM (Panama)
Type: PhD Duration: 2017-2020 (Concluded) Study country: Panama The Gunas are the most populous Amerindian group in Panama and enjoy a high degree of autonomy. However their ancestral homelands (Guna Yala) face a myriad of sustainability challenges due to a series of political, demographic and development circumstances. The level of socioeconomic development is generally lower than the rest of the country, while at the same time important environmental challenges emerge.
This study unravel the current sustainability challenges in the Guna Yala socio-ecological system (SES) embracing a participatory and transdisciplinary research approach. The main focus in on seven islands of the San Blas Archipelago that represent the key livelihood activities (e.g. fishing, tourism). Specific objectives include to:
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Enhancing the sustainability of Municipal Waste Management systems in Bolivia |
Student: Denise P. LOZANO LAZO (Bolivia)
Type: PhD Duration: 2017-2020 (Concluded) Study country: Bolivia Rapid urbanization, along with changes in production and consumption patterns, has often resulted to large increases in waste generation. It is expected that the main impacts and challenges of increasing waste generation will occur in developing countries putting further pressure to the currently inadequate infrastructure. There is a need to enhance the adoption of sustainable waste management systems, but this can be challenging in contexts of limited financial, technical and institutional resources.
This research analyses current municipal Solid Waste Management (SWM) systems in Bolivia in order to identify how to enhance their sustainability. Specific objectives include to:
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Impact of Japan timber logging practices and procurement in Sarawak, Malaysia
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Student: Vinamra MATHUR (India)
Type: PhD Duration: 2017-2020 Study country: Malaysia Achieving sustainable forest management is a key challenge in highly biodiverse tropical countries such as Malaysia. Timber demand from international markets can complicate substantially such efforts. It is thus very important to tackle at the local, national and regional scale the multiple factors that contribute to illegal logging such as weak governance/institutions, bad business practices, and the lack of law enforcement and monitoring.
This study uses a socio-ecological system approach to understand the environmental, social, legal, and economic ramification of Japanese timber sourcing practices in Malaysia. Specific objectives include to:
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Corporate Environmental Sustainability (CES) in the retail sector: The case of Japanese and South African supermarket companies |
Student: Merle NAIDOO (South Africa)
Type: PhD Duration: 2015-2018 (Concluded) Study country: Japan, South Africa Corporations can play a critical role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as they have the resources and market incentives to effectively address multiple sustainability issues. Corporate Environmental Strategies (CES) can decrease the direct and indirect environmental impacts of corporations, through internal operations improvements, green supply chain management and stakeholder engagement. Most research on CES focuses on the manufacturing industry, but the retail sector is an equally important player due to its global economic power and influential position between supply and demand.
This research studies how the current CES practices adopted by supermarket retailers in Japan and South Africa can have positive sustainability outcomes. Specific objectives include to:
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Positionality of greenhouses within a food systems framework
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Student: Gayara RATHNABARANA (Sri Lanka)
Type: MSc Duration: 2020-2022 Study country: Global In a society of exponential population growth and rapid urbanization, conventional agricultural practices have been both a driver and a victim of the impacts of climate change. Already, 50% of all habitable land is utilized for agricultural production, and considering the growing population and urbanization, the further expansion of agricultural land appears to be both difficult and come with important impacts. Therefore, there have been huge national efforts to find alternatives production options to satisfy food demand. Greenhouse food production could be considered an ideal candidate due to its ability to produce high food yields and shorten food value chains. However, the current food system frameworks prevalent in the literature have not integrated greenhouse food production particularly well.
This study aims to understand the positionality of greenhouses with the different components of food systems and identify different options to improve their sustainability. The specific objectives are:
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A political ecology of water conflicts in sugarcane areas of Swaziland |
Student: Nikole ROLAND (United States of America)
Type: MSc Duration: 2017-2019 (Concluded) Study country: Swaziland Industrial crops such as sugarcane have been promoted in various parts of Africa to boost national economic development and rural poverty alleviation. However depending on the context the large-scale production of such crops can have different environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Considering its extensive need for irrigation, the large-scale production of sugarcane has often caused competition for scarce water resources between different water users.
This study unravels the water conflicts that emerge in the sugarcane areas of the northern lowveld in Swaziland using a Political Ecology approach. Specific objectives include to:
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Sustainability impacts of Conservation Agriculture in Zimbabwe
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Student: Spencer SIBANDA (Zimbabwe)
Type: MSc Duration: 2017-2019 (Concluded) Study country: Zimbabwe Conservation agriculture (CA) has been promoted in several parts of Sub-Sahara Africa as a sustainable farming practice that can have multiple environmental and socioeconomic benefits. These include benefits to farm productivity, household income, and soil quality among several others. While several studies have focused on the multiple factors that influence the adoption of CA practices, few have assessed the actual impacts of CA in a holistic manner.
This study assesses the sustainability impact of CA in Zimbabwe. Specific objectives include to:
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Assessing the effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes in Myanmar: Case Studies from the Cement Industry
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Student: Ei THWE (Myanmar)
Type: MSc Duration: 2017-2019 (Concluded) Study country: Myanmar Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes aim to reduce the unacceptably high negative environmental impacts from projects and policies. Nonetheless the prescriptions of an excellent EIA report may have disappointing environmental performance if not implemented properly. Currently EIA legislation is promoted in several developing countries but it is not always clear whether it has the positive environmental outcomes initially anticipated.
This research assesses the effectiveness of the newly introduced EIA processes in Myanmar. The specific focus is on two operational cement plants in Naypyitaw and Mandalay considering that the cement industry has significant environmental impacts. Specific objectives are to:
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Spatial Planning for the Sustainable Protection and Restoration of Coastal Zones in China
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Student: Jie SU (China)
Type: PhD Duration: 2019-2022 Study Country: China There is a need to improve the spatial planning of coastal zones but there are often important trade-offs. For example, the effective designation of coastal setback lines and ecosystem restoration in intertidal areas often becomes a delicate matter when important goals such as adaption to climate change and coastal zone defense seem conflicting.
The main aim of this study is to develop a decision-support framework for sustainable coastal protection and ecological restoration planning. The main functionality of the framework would be to inform the selection of the width of coastal setback lines and new ecological restoration areas based on stakeholder involvement, suitability analysis and the assessment of environmental and socioeconomic trade-offs. This research will focus on a coastal area of Fujian in southeast of China and will seek to:
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Integrating ecological, economic and social dynamics to access the potential of sustainable aquaculture in Myanmar, China, and Japan
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Student: Quanli WANG (China)
Type: PhD Duration: 2020-2023 Study country: Myanmar, China, Japan Production from capture fisheries has leveled off in many parts of the world, reaching
its maximum potential in these areas. To fulfill the protein needs of a growing population and ease the pressure on the fishing stocks, there is a need to develop sustainable aquaculture systems. The current research approaches seeking to estimate sustainable aquaculture yields lack consistency, with little literature focusing on the complex social-ecological interactions on aquaculture systems. The main aim of this thesis is to develop methods for estimating the optimum levels of sustainable production and social-ecological sustainability for different aquaculture contexts. The particular focus is on estimating the optimum sustainable yield (OSY) and maximum sustainable yield (MSY) of aquaculture systems in Myanmar, China, and Japan through different econometric models. Specifically, the study intends to:
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Suburbanization in Ghanaian cities: Local impacts and future scenarios for peri-urban production landscapes
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Urbanization is a major driver of global change with significant far-reaching positive and negative sustainability outcomes. Global population has more than doubled in the past decades, with most of the increase occurring in urban centers of the developing world. This has often led to unplanned urban expansion into adjoining rural areas, having major environmental and socioeconomic consequences through the conversion of peri-urban production landscapes. This can have many knock-on effects on the ability of local peri-urban communities to adapt to the changes posed by urbanization.
The aim of this research is to investigate the suburbanization processes and their effects on the peri-urban areas of Ghanaian cities. Specific objectives include:
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