Academic literature on the topic 'Overpopulation'

Thesis (MTech (Environmental Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019.<br>Forests are being depleted and the land becoming bare, with little to no vegetation in the Etayi constituency and in Namibia at large. People rely on the resources of forests for different reasons. Areas that had trees years back have turned into a desert-like environment due to deforestation. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that the cutting of natural forests has had in the Etayi constituency in the Omusati Region, Namibia. This examination has become necessary because forests in the Omusati region have undergone a rapid depletion over the past years. However, it should be noted that these environmentally degrading activities have contributed to the household income in the form of employment to the indigenous people. Forests has an important role to play in terms of the conservation of biodiversity. They also harbour unique and endemic species that are mainly adapted to extreme ecological conditions. They provide vital benefit to the ecosystem, such as wood for fuel, medicine, fodder for animals and tradable goods, like furniture. Furthermore, forests provide the soil with nutrients and reduce wind velocity, thus controlling wind erosion and the retardation of water and moisture depletion. With increasingly uncertain climatic conditions and their related impact across the continent at large, there is a need for new approaches towards the management of indigenous forests that support and promote land-users’ resilience to climatic variability and change. The role of forests in climate change mitigation is important as it sustains the ecosystem. The maintenance of ecological systems has been acknowledged as one of the most important facets of sustainable development. Subsequently, the involvement of several international and local policies and regulations has been established to ensure that natural resources, such as forests, are sustainably utilised. In rural areas/villages, overdependence on wood for fuel has been identified as one of the biggest threats to the forests. This has led to environmental degradation that includes, among others, deforestation, desertification, the extinction of species and soil erosion. Based on the many issues caused by the over-reliance on wood for fuel, this research sought to investigate the impact of the over-exploitation of natural forests in the environment. Ninety-seven (97) respondents, comprising of 51 females and 46 males, were used in this study. Four (4) villages in the Etayi Constituency were chosen for the study. The study employed a qualitative and quantitative approach, which included the following methods of data collection: questionnaires, observation and interviews with respondents in the Etayi community. A quantitative method enabled the researcher to ask questions such as how many and how often? It helped the researcher further to plot the responses into graphs and diagrams. Government representatives from the Constituency Council and Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry and Traditional Authorities in the four villages were interviewed. The study identified key threats to the forests as a result of high fuelwood collection. These threats include high levels of poverty, overdependence on the forests, a lack of understanding about the importance of forests for the environment, little or a lack of information regarding other alternative sources of energy and the lack of coordination in the management of fuelwood resources. Apart from fuelwood being used as a source of energy for cooking and lighting, the exploitation of local fuelwood has become commercialised to supplement household income. Since there is a lack of coordination in the management of natural resources, fuelwood resources are not being managed at all. A main argument identified by this study is that forest management must be a combined approach by all stakeholders. The roles of traditional leaders in forest management should be made public. The lack of an awareness campaign on the importance of forests, a lack of management coordination as well as poverty, makes it difficult for the forests policies to be implemented and for the traditional authorities to manage the forests efficiently. The study recommends that educational programmes, proper coordination between key stakeholders and awareness campaigns regarding the environmental importance of forests to residents would alleviate deforestation and over-exploitation of forests resources. Additionally, an emphasis on the relationship between traditional and local governance in the management of forests as sources of fuelwood and the physical environment should receive attention.

This thesis analyzes the beliefs of population theorist Julian L. Simon through the creation of a harm principle. It specifically analyzes his argument that we value our freedom to choose how many children we want above all other values in the context of overpopulation and environmental destruction. The developed harm principle is meant to give us a method to decide how to balance our personal freedom with our security-survival. I begin with an overview of Simon’s work, as well as an exposition of other prominent population theorists. I then propose a principle that is a utilitarian alternative to John Stuart Mill’s Harm Principle. I apply the principle to the situation wherein overpopulation causes such great environmental damage that we must choose between upholding procreative rights and our continued survival. I conclude that in most cases we will accept limitations on our procreative freedom in order to maintain our planet and ensure our security-survival.

The purpose of this essay is to examine the relation between reproductive rights and overpopulation. The main research question is whether the increase of the population size can affect the moral aspects of the reproductive rights. Relying on, and building upon arguments already developed by a number of philosophers, I show that although some restrictions might be justified, these restrictions cannot completely rule out the basic right to reproduction. Based on this, I then proceed with an overview of the possible solutions. In the subsequent discussion, a one-child-per-couple philosophy stands out as the best option. This would be morally justified according to the initial statements, as well as the most effective alternative when it comes to initiating a significant population decline. The one-child-per-couple philosophy is then contested by several problems that could theoretically arise, but none of these problems are, according to my discussion, strong enough to dispute the positive aspects of the theory. The conclusion of this essay is that we, as a species, have a moral obligation to limit our numbers and that we ought to start acting accordingly.

Pets are an important part of our society as they have become ‘part of the family’. However, one of the most important problems regarding the pet dog population is the great number of strays and their management. The annual stray survey conducted on behalf of Dogs Trust, one of the leading dog welfare organizations in the UK, has revealed that each year there are more than 100,000 stray dogs in the UK. To date, their management remains a problem only addressed by Local Authorities. This thesis’ objectiveis to undertake an economic analysis of the pet dog overpopulation problem in the United Kingdom. It aims to further the existing literature on the pet dog overpopulation problem in the UK and to become a stepping stone on which further research could be based. Given the limited data available, primary data was collected to investigate the following areas: The fate of stray dogs that entered an animal welfare organization for rehoming; the current Local Authority management of stray dogs; and lastly, people’s attitude towards the issue of stray and unwanted dogs and their willingness to pay to provide a humane management. The methodologies used in pursuing these investigations included advanced econometric models such as the Logistic Regression Model with Multiple Imputation, and the Multinomial Logistic Regression Model and its extensions (i.e. the Latent Class Model). In addition, in order to elicit people’s willingness to pay, the survey based technique of the Choice Experiment Method was employed. The survey revealed that people are willing to pay both under a voluntary regime and a mandatory regime. The estimated amount was in the range of £2 to £12. This range concurs with the range of donations that animal welfare organisations are advertising in order to raise funds. This study is the first in the UK literature to conduct an economic examination of the pet dog overpopulation problem. The outcomes derived could be viewed as an initial examination of the UK stray dog population management on which further research could be based.