Environmental Management: Principles and practice

BOX 1.1 Some definitions of environmental management
♦ An approach which goes beyond natural resources management to
encompass the political and social as well as the natural environment…it
is concerned with questions of value and distribution, with the nature of
regulatory mechanisms and with interpersonal, geographic and
intergenerational equity (R.Clarke, Birkbeck College, University of
London: pers. comm.).
♦ Formulation of environmentally sound development strategies.
♦ An interface between scientific endeavour and policy development and
implementation (S.Macgill, Leeds University, UK: pers. comm.).
♦ The process of allocating natural and artificial resources so as to make
optimum use of the environment in satisfying basic human needs at the
minimum, and more if possible, on a sustainable basis (Jolly, 1978).
♦ Seeking the best possible environmental option to promote sustainable
development (paraphrased from several 1990s sustainable development
sources).
♦ Seeking the best practicable environmental option (BPEO), generally
using the best available techniques not entailing excessive cost
(BATNEEC) (based on two widely used environmental management
acronyms).
♦ The control of all human activities which have a significant impact on
the environment.
♦ Management of the environmental performance of organizations, bodies
and companies (Sharratt, 1995).
♦ A decision-making process which regulates the impact of human activities
on the environment in such a manner that the capacity of the environment
to sustain human development will not be impaired (paraphrase from
various 1990s ‘green development’ sources).
♦ Environmental management cannot hope to master all of the issues and
environmental components it has to deal with. Rather, the environmental
manager’s job is to study and try to control processes to try and reach