Environments Management / Ecological Approach

The need for environmental management stems from the following facts:

(1)    Environmental or natural resources are finite.

(2)    Environmental is a closed system.

(3)    Environment is a natural gift and thus a public property.

(4)    Human induced environmental degradation is stretching the limits of ecological resilience and humans being the cause are responsible for solutions too.

There are following hurdles in environmental management:

--- Globalization, free market economy, regulation of WTO and denial to share the historical burden of environmental degradation by the developed countries.

----- Rapid growth of human population in developing and underdeveloped countries.

---- Irreversible and rapid rate of urbanization and industrialization and consequential increase in the consumption of natural resources.

----- Rapid change in social outlooks and values with consumption driven and use and throw culture.

---- Bad governance

----- Limitations in enforcing environmental laws and regulations.

----Social and religious impediments.

Environmental Management

It involves two management approaches -

1.       Command and control approach or top down approach – Government controlled, hierarchical order based approach.

2.       Participatory approach – decentralized, with participation of local communities, civil society. NGO along with government e.g. Approach suggested by Western Ghats Expert Ecology Committee.

Ecological Approach

While for a biotic resources such as the minerals approach of ‘sustainable use’ is to be applied. Here the discussion is about biotic resources. Besides flora and fauna, the biotic resources can be categorized as (a) Natural ecological resources i.e. wildlife including both plant and animals and (b) Managed ecological resources such as agricultural crops ,  planted trees, shrubs, etc.

In the management of ecological resources, all the activities should be governed by ecological principles which include aspects of nature as following;

1.       Evolution, dispersal and distribution of plants and animals;

2.       Extinction of species

3.       Biological succession

4.       Biogeochemical cycle – transfer , circulation and consumption of matter and energy in different components of ecosystems

5.       Stability and instability of ecosystems

6.       Life cycle of organisms

7.       Inter-relationship among organisms and between organisms and physical components of the environment.

The second thing in ecological management is survey and preparation of inventory of all ecological resources. This is necessary for conservation as well as in view of biopiracy, intellectual Property Regimes (IPR), etc. The survey is followed by evaluation of ecological resources determining the priorities and methods of environmental management.

Finally the actual measures include Preservation and conservation - preservation means upkeep of rare and endangered species of plants and animals in special protected areas, so that their population increases to an optimum level. No use of such resources is permitted. On the other hand conservation is a process which aims at proper utilization, preservation and management of natural resources in such a way that desired quantity and quality is available for judicious use and ecological stability. It should lead to attainment of sustainable development, sustainable environment sustainable use.

The conservation of ecological resources can be approached in following ways-

(1)    Through species preservation e.g. protection of Gir lions, rhinos in India.

(2)    Assemblage Protection – several species of plants and animals are preserved together in the same habitat e.g. Bharatpur bird sanctuary provides ideal habitat of migratory birds.

(3)    Habitat protection- it involves preservation of large areas having diverse ecological resources for the purpose of overall protection of natural ecosystems and ecological resources therein. Such nature reserves are called as National Parks; there human interferences are totally prohibited. The Biosphere Reserves also protect biotic and a biotic components of a large habitat. Their discussion has been done in Natural Vegetation of India Chapter.