Environmental Management in Developing Countries

Abstract

Environmental management is a relatively new and sophisticated term to describe a very old concept, i.e., an organized way to solve problems relating to the natural environment. There are about as many concepts of environmental management as there are advisors, consultants and other so-called experts in the environmental field. The success of environmental management programs in protecting environmental quality varies considerably, however. A commonly used form of ‘management’, and a very poor concept because it is not really management, is simply response to environmental problems and crises as they arise. Even countries like the USA, with seemingly comprehensive and sophisticated environmental programs, began with the ‘response to crisis’ approach in the 1940’s, 1950’s and early 1960’s, i.e., during its period of rapid industrial development.