https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/2251 Sun, 05 Apr 2026 07:53:47 GMT 2026-04-05T07:53:47Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144933 Title: Interactions between wild fauna and farmed tuna in Maltese coastal waters Abstract: Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) ranching is a major aquaculture activity in Malta, yet interactions between tuna farms and wild fauna remain poorly documented. This study addresses this gap by identifying which wild fauna aggregate around farm sites, the drivers of these aggregations, and the resulting ecological and operational implications. Nineteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with tuna farm personnel and environmental monitors across four ranching sites, providing multi-year observations on species presence, behavior, and interaction patterns. In total, 41 wild fauna species and 143 observations were recorded. Aggregation was primarily driven by uneaten baitfish, habitat provisioning from cage structures, and proximity to migratory routes. Findings indicate that tuna farms act as fish aggregating devices (FADs) that alter local trophic dynamics. Consumption of uneaten baitfish can reduce organic loading and improve the condition of aggregated fauna, offering localized ecological benefits. However, reliance on baitfish also perpetuates pressure on wild forage fish stocks, and predictable food subsidies may create ecological traps, behavioral dependency, and changes to natural movement patterns. This study provides the first baseline assessment of these interactions in Malta and highlights the need for long-term monitoring and adaptive management to balance aquaculture productivity with ecosystem sustainability. Description: MSc. (EMS)(Melit.) Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144933 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144858 Title: Sustaining snow : historical trends and future climate impacts on snowmaking sustainability in Southeastern U.S. ski resorts Abstract: Snowmaking has become an essential adaptation for ski resorts in the Southeast United States, where marginal winter temperatures and low natural snowfall increasingly constrain reliable operations. This study evaluates the feasibility and sustainability of snowmaking under historical and projected climate conditions across six representative ski resorts: Wisp, Snowshoe, Winterplace, Massanutten/Wintergreen, and Bryce, using NOAA hourly weather records from 2005 to 2025. The analysis used Linear regression scenario modeling to estimate 2040 snowmaking conditions under moderate and high warming scenarios. Results show available snowmaking hours reducing by 0.31-5.11% per decade, with February exhibiting the most substantial increase in both mean and cold hour wet-bulb temperatures (≤28°F/-2.2°C) of the winter months (Feb-Mar). Precipitation totals and extremes show no clear trends but remain operationally disruptive due to frequent and episodic heavy rain events. Scenario modeling suggests slight increases in Wet-bulb temperatures and proportional declines in cold hours by 2040. Interviews with snowmaking managers at Wisp, Snowshoe, and Massanutten confirm that resorts are already experiencing later openings, shorter cold spells, and growing reliance on high-capacity, automated snowmaking systems. These findings indicate that even modest warming can disproportionately affect snowmaking efficiency, resource demand, and operational stability in this ski region. The study concludes that long-term viability will depend on strategic investment in snowmaking technology, expanded water and energy infrastructure, and critical integration of on-site monitoring through summit and base weather stations. Description: MSc. (EMS)(Melit.) Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144858 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144857 Title: Land as community : an assessment of habitat fragmentation, development pressure, and wildlife impact along the southern border of Shenandoah National Park Abstract: The fragmentation of large, protected areas is a growing concern in ecology, as increased urban and infrastructural development isolates habitat patches and can lead to increased human-wildlife conflict, especially along roadways. Research has shown that fragmentation and loss of forest cover in protected areas is correlated with increased infrastructural development, and that roadways have an outsized effect on surrounding habitat and animal populations for their size, though there are gaps in this knowledge relevant to specific protected areas and highly mobile animal species. I examined the area around the Interstate 64 corridor that sits between the southern tip of Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway, utilizing land cover, topographic, and deer-vehicle crash data to analyze the effect of infrastructure and urban development on the fragmentation of white-tail deer habitat. Habitat fragmentation was shown to be more widespread south of the highway corridor, where there is less protected land area, allowing for more dense infrastructural development along the mountain ridges that comprise the bulk of the study area. Additionally, I-64 was shown to be the greatest barrier to deer within the study area due to its width and much higher traffic volume than surrounding county and state roads. Food and water resources are scarce within the study area, likely leading to increased competition in the autumn months, incentivizing animals to range further in search of nutritional requirements – making the highway crossing a necessity to move between both protected areas. Fragmentation analysis highlights the importance of holistic management of protected areas, treating them as part of wider ecosystems rather than closed systems, as well as providing insights for the creation of wildlife corridor implementation, which would help reduce human-wildlife conflict within the study area. Description: MSc. (EMS)(Melit.) Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144857 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/143909 Title: Nature’s ledger : accounting for decision criteria in conservation finance (2015-2025) Abstract: Conservation agencies must allocate scarce resources across competing ecological priorities, yet the criteria guiding these decisions are unevenly documented and often only implicitly justified. This systematized review synthesizes peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025 to identify the decision criteria used in conservation funding and prioritization frameworks. Searches conducted in Scopus and ScienceDirect, supplemented with AI-assisted retrieval, produced 104 records; after PRISMA screening, 32 studies were included in the final analysis. Three criteria families dominated the evidence base: ecological benefit, financial cost, and feasibility. These were operationalized through cost-effectiveness ratios, return-on-investment metrics, feasibility-adjusted benefit scores, and spatial optimization approaches. While a subset of studies incorporated ecosystem services, climate resilience, or species risk, few formalized social or governance dimensions such as equity, indigenous rights, or community-defined outcomes. This omission reveals a persistent transparency gap, as valueladen judgments continue to shape prioritization without being explicitly represented in models. The corpus also exhibited a strong geographic skew toward Australia, New Zealand, and North America. Despite a decade of global commitments emphasizing justice, resilience, and inclusive governance, conservation funding frameworks remain anchored in a narrow technical triad. Future tools must make value choices explicit and broaden criteria sets to better align funding decisions with contemporary conservation goals. Description: M.Sc. (EMS)(Melit.) Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/143909 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z