Example environmental science dissertation topic 7:

Land use change in China: A case study of the tropical forests of Hainan Province.

Hainan Province consists of approximately 200 islands at the southernmost border of China, a lower population density than many areas in China, an abundance of natural resources, and extensive commercial fish farming enterprises. Additionally, it has some 1,500 square kilometres of tropical forest, which is under threat from a variety of land use changes, including outright deforestation. This dissertation considers the measures Hainan Province has undertaken to protect the tropical forest while benefiting from the economic and social change sweeping China. Using primarily secondary research, this paper evaluates sustainable development in the province, with some primary investigation through local interviews.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Stone, M. and Wall, G. (2004). ‘Ecotourism and community development: Case studies from Hainan, China’, Environmental Management, Vol. 33(1), pp. 12-24.
• Xu, J., Fox, J., Vogler, J.B., Zhang, P.F.Y., Yang, L., Qian, J. and Leisz, S. (2005). ‘Land-use and land-cover change and farmer vulnerability in Xishuangbanna Prefecture in Southwestern China’, Environmental Management, Vol. 36(3), pp. 404-413.
• Zhang, Y., Uusivuori, J. and Kuuluvainen, J. (2000). ‘Econometric analysis of the causes of forest land use changes in Hainan, China ‘, Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Vol. 30(12), pp. 1913-1921.