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BOOK REVIEW |
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BOOK REVIEW |
On Environmental Management Three prominent
environmental experts discuss challenges in the areas of environmental management and
sustainable development By A CORRESSPONDENT Environmental management and sustainable developments are popular concepts among the development planners in Nepal. Ignored and neglected, environmental management was of least concern to the development planners in early days. With the growing number of cases of environmental degradations and destruction of development infrastructures, the planners have begun to notice the importance of environmental management for sustainable development. Realizing the need to link environmental components in the development planning, the country's planners and policy makers have already introduced a number of strategies and policies. "The significant progress has been achieved since the Earth Summit in the realm of institutional development, international co-operation, ratification and implementation of conventions, formulation of conservation strategies, public participation and emergence of local communities and NGOs action. Legal frameworks and environmentally sound management practices have also been developed and applied in various countries," write the authors in preface. Despite some effective actions and programs taken by the government, the magnitude of environmental pollution problems like the degradation of ecosystem, threat to endangered species; unstable uses of environmental resources and urban poverty are on the rise. The tenth plan also highlights the importance of sustainable development in the poverty alleviation programs. Since inequitable distribution of the resources are causing many problems, it is impossible to manage them without introducing sustainable management programs. 'The present trend indicates that time for action of integrating environmental management and sustainable development is running out. Therefore, there is urgent need for an integration of environmental management with the elements of sustainable development. And the outcome will help safeguard the life supporting system as well as initiate sustainable management of environmental resources fulfilling the needs of present generation and preserving the resources for the future generation," write authors. Divided into three main sections, the book, based on development experiment in Nepal, elucidates the environmental resource base: potentialities and opportunities, harmonizing environmental and development, and environmental management for sustainable development. Moreover, the authors review sustainable land management in the mountain regions, biological diversity: present status and agenda for conservation, hydro resources for energy development: plan policy and performance for wetland conservation: as a vision for sustainable management. Arguing the importance of harmonizing environment and development, they deliberate on development scenario: a contribution to the medicinal plant-lore of hilly areas of the central development region, need of environment friendly approach to road development in Nepal, ethno botanical study of some wild food plants of two villages of the Bagmati watershed, Nepal, environmental implications for mountain tourism development, trail bridge development in Nepal: approach, action and accomplishments. Dr. Ananda Raj Joshi, Surendra Lal Shrestha and Dr. Kunjani Joshi - the three writers with a long experience in the areas of development planning, sustainable development and biological research - intensively debate the issues of environmental management in the book. In the last chapter, the authors also talk about EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) as a tool for sustainable environment management with a case study of EIA of East Rapti Irrigation Project and IEE of proposed Rhododendron Conservation area. "The present book especially tried to explore the existing status and scenario in the area of integrating environmental dimension with the sustainable development at regional as well as national level. The development policy, plan and programs vis-‡-vis environmental actions for sustainable development have already been initiated in the framework of integration in Nepal, particularly since nineties," writes author. At a time when planners are shifting their attention to the areas of sustainable development, this book will help to experiment environment management in sustainable development. Environmental Management and
Sustainable Development At the Crossroad |
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editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
