Environmental Management Process Research Articles

Modern Transformation Factors for Floodplain-Channel Complexes in the Upper Angara Region

This paper focuses on identifying adverse processes of relief formation by ascertaining the transformation mechanisms of floodplain-channel complexes for different types of economic impact. Within the lower reaches if a number of tributaries of the upper reach of the Angara river, the specific features in the modern functioning of valley geosystems undergoing long-term industrial development are considered, based on observations made during 2015–2018. We carried out a landscape-geomorphological analysis of the key areas to identify the main types of channels as well as the most widely occurring landscape complexes within them. A retrospective analysis of the intensification process of environmental management covering a period longer than 350 years identified dominant agricultural activities which we designated as the main transformation factors of valley geosystems. The analysis revealed the mechanisms by which production activities influence the landscapes of floodplain-channel complexes as well as the main relief-forming processes whose intensification is due to the construction and operation of the facilities of the economic infrastructure. Two variants of the conditions for the functioning of the floodplain-channel complexes in the zones of anthropogenic impact are considered. The first variant includes areas with intensive industrial exploitation of the natural resource potential within which there occurs complete or partial destruction of the floodplain-channel complexes accompanied by the manifestation of adverse exogenous processes. Characteristic for the second variant of development of the valley complexes is a minimization of the risks of the manifestation of hazardous relief-formation processes by carrying out environmental measures and constructing engineering protection facilities in the course of gradual long-term development.

LA GESTIÓN AMBIENTAL Y EL PROFESIONAL DE LA CONSTRUCCIÓN

Las empresas de la construcción son eficientes como lo son sus procesos en la actualidad. Estas toman conciencia y reaccionan ante la ineficiencia, lo que potencia el concepto de proceso al trabajar con una visión de objetivo en el cliente. Es por ello que, a partir de las experiencias de los investigadores, es indispensable la preparación del profesional para la vida. No obstante, al ser consecuentes con los requerimientos sociales, desde las tendencias actuales del proceso de gestión ambiental y el impacto de las construcciones en el medio, se señalan las principales insuficiencias en su formación, para dar respuesta a las necesidades que la sociedad impone, con un enfoque sostenible. De modo que estén en condiciones de dirigir el proceso inversionista de la construcción y responder a las exigencias del Modelo del profesional.

Development of technologies and processes in environmental management

Environmental management is principally aimed at the formation of ecological productivity, ecological culture and human viability. Development of technologies and processes in environmental management characterized with the principles and items which are specified on the global environmental impact. The very concept of environmental management includes many management problems related to the environmental process as an object of management. Along with governance systems (laws, legislation, rules/regulations, codes and standards etc.), education (awareness raising, capacity building, training, professional development etc.), technology (technologies, and the skills, knowledge and innovation needed to manage those technologies)forms the third and a critical pillar in a policy mix that is needed to tackle environmental problems and aim for sustainability in the long run. Developing technologies that can help solve environmental problems requires a broad range of actions that are to be taken by different “external” stakeholders, besides those that actually develop and operationalize the technologies’ private sector companies, universities and research institutions et. al High levels of pollution and gradual reduction of natural resources, inefficient system of economic incentives for environmental activities - in many cases it will be easier for companies to pay fines than to solve environmental problems.

Deep-learning based approach for forecast of water quality in intensive shrimp culture ponds

With the enormous development of aquaculture, reducing the impacts of effluent discharge and improving water quality had become a critical global environmental concern. It is important to assess and predict water quality in the environmental management process of shrimp mariculture. Meanwhile, the accurate forecast of water quality is still in the exploration stage at present. In this study, deep belief networks (DBN) model are used to forecast water quality in intensive shrimp culture. This method based on deep learning includes a five-layered structure to extract relationships between the quantitative characteristic of water bodies and water quality variables. The water quality can be forecasted by the Canadian Water Quality Index (WQI) obtained from the output layer of simulated model. The results show that the DBN model has a great potential to predict the water quality and the ability of generalization and accuracy of model are satisfied.

THE IMPORTANCE AND THE ROLE OF INTRODUCTION OF ECOLOGICAL ACCOUNTING IN THE FUNCTION OF MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

More and more global warming, ozone depletion and loss of biodiversity have contributed to raising awareness of the need to implement measures that enable sustainable development, so that different pillars of society find a balance between economic growth and social interest in preserving a healthy environment. The environmental impacts of the company have led to the strengthening of environmental demands by society and the incorporation of various management tools into the environmental management process. In order to properly address the issue of environmental protection, a so-called environmental management system is required, which carries out an important part of the information systems management system in an integrated form, together with another accounting information system. Ecological accounting is an important tool for understanding the role of the natural environment in the economy. Environmental accounts provide data that highlight the contribution of natural resources to economic well-being and the costs of imposed pollution or resource degradation. The use of accounting in the environment is necessary with more aspects on various issues, such as cost estimates, investment analysis and strategic decision-making. Companies, which are important subjects of economic activity, play the main roles in economic activities. Therefore, a clear introduction of the goal of preserving the environment in every activity activity becomes a strong motivating force for the structural transformation of this economic society. This paper will present a brief overview of the history, concept, division, role, significance and contributions of ecological accounting, and the importance and necessity of introducing ecological accounting in enterprises.Given the financial implications that environmental impacts can have on the business of the company, this paper aims to point out the role and significance of environmental accounting and the environmental management process.

Interplay between information systems and environmental management in ISO 14001-certified companies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the contributions of information systems (IS) for the evolutionary process of corporate environmental management by highlighting implications for big data research.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted two case studies with Brazilian enterprises certified by ISO 14001, by conducting interviews, document analysis and direct observation. Implications for a research agenda on big data are also presented.FindingsAs results, the authors present the identification of the main contributions of IS for the evolution of environmental management in the studied cases. The authors found that advanced stage regarding IS may be considered a factor that implies a more effective environmental management.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this research consists of the presentation of a framework that identifies the support of IS for corporate environmental practices. By confirming the relation between IS and maturity levels of environmental management, the authors highlight that application of big data has the potential of boosting the relation between IS and corporate environmental management.

Revisión sobre capacidad de carga turística y la prevención de problemas ambientales en destinos emergentes

La degradación de destinos turísticos sigue en aumento como producto de las acciones incontroladas por parte de sus visitantes; como consecuencia de esta situación, los recursos naturales de estos destinos resultan ser los más comprometidos debido, entre otros factores, a la falta de aplicación de controles para la regulación del flujo de turistas. En este artículo se analiza el tema de la capacidad de carga turística y su importancia en la prevención de problemas ambientales en el proceso de planificación estratégica y gestión ambiental sostenible, especialmente en destinos turísticos emergentes, destinos que cobran un importante protagonismo como receptores del turismo. Este estudio se aborda por medio de una perspectiva analítico documental, puesto que implica la revisión de la literatura académica para el análisis y la comparación de antecedentes pragmáticos sobre la utilización de metodologías para determinar el indicador. De la revisión se evidencia que ninguna de las metodologías para el efecto es de aplicación absoluta.

The mechanism of variants of ecosystem conservation options taking into accounting regional and technological features of mining enterprises

At the moment, inRussia, entering the next stage of economic development, which is based primarily on the use of natural resources, a new environmental policy must be developed, an integral part of which is the protection of nature, natural ecosystems and their basis – biodiversity. Based on the Convention on Biological Diversity, a number of measures have been proposed within the framework of the National Biodiversity Strategy inRussia, with the help of which the whole process of conservation of natural ecosystems in the country should be carried out. Unfortunately, up to now the proposed measures are practically not applied in practice, and first of all it concerns the economic levers of biodiversity conservation. So the economic regulation of the protection and use of wildlife, among other things, includes: accounting and economic valuation of objects of the animal kingdom; an economically justified system of payments for the use of wildlife; budget financing of measures to protect and reproduce natural ecosystems; economically justified system of fines and claims for violation of the legislation of the Russian Federation. At the same time, economic incentives for the protection, reproduction and sustainable use of wildlife include: the establishment of tax and other benefits granted to legal entities and citizens that ensure the protection, reproduction and sustainable use of wildlife, as well as the protection and improvement of their habitat. Based on this, it can be said that the purpose of these activities is to improve the environmental management process in industrial regions based on the development of an economic regulatory mechanism and an environmental and economic assessment of conservation of biological diversity as the basis for the existence of natural ecosystems.

Modelling pesticides leaching in cropping systems: Effect of uncertainties in climate, agricultural practices, soil and pesticide properties

Modelling of pesticide leaching is paramount to managing the environmental risks associated with the chemical protection of crops, but it involves large uncertainties in relation to climate, agricultural practices, soil and pesticide properties. We used Latin Hypercube Sampling to estimate the contribution of these input factors with the STICS-MACRO model in the context of a 400 km2 catchment in France, and two herbicides applied to maize: bentazone and S-metolachlor. For both herbicides, the most influential input factors on modelling of pesticide leaching were the inter-annual variability of climate, the pesticide adsorption coefficient and the soil boundary hydraulic conductivity, followed by the pesticide degradation half-life and the rainfall spatial variability. This work helps to identify the factors requiring greater accuracy to ensure better pesticide risk assessment and to improve environmental management and decision-making processes by quantifying the probability and reliability of prediction of pesticide concentrations in groundwater with STICS-MACRO.

Risk-oriented approach to ecological safety management at oil refinery

The article considers place and role of the risk-oriented approach in environmental management at enterprises, describes mechanisms for use of risk assessment in environmental management processes and documents, tools for use of risk characteristics in development and implementation of programmes and plans for oil refineries.The study relevance is based on the need to improve the environmental management system of “Orsknefteorgsintez” in line with the plans to include risk-oriented approach in supervisory work, including state environmental supervision.The main goal of the work was development of approaches to risk-oriented environmental management at “Orsknefteorgsintez” based on the health risk assessment from environment pollution, followed by interpretation of gained data and appropriate management decisions.The research was conducted in two stages. The first stage included health risk levels determination resulted from air pollution by “Orsknefteorgsintez”. The results included hygienic studies of human health risk assessment from negative impact by “Orsknefteorgsintez” considering the implementation of the middle-term enterprise development program; and results of comparative analysis of human health risk levels prior to and after operational commissioning of reconstructed objects within the middle-term enterprise development program. The recommendation on human health risk management from the “Orsknefteorgsintez” production facilities (including control and monitoring) are based on the results of the first stage.Risk-oriented improves environmental management systems at enterprises, helps in interactions with government bodies, enhances management decisions in line with environmental legislation and increases environmental-economic investment efficiency.

Analysis of the whole process of environmental protection project management and control

Since the reform and opening up, the national economy of our country has been developing steadily and steadily, and the overall level of urbanization and industrialization has been upgrading rapidly.Behind its growth is increasingly serious environmental problems, and environmental protection engineering as a key project of ecological environment governance, its process management level and quality are related to the balance of the entire ecological environment.If we want to further improve the overall efficiency and quality of the project and fundamentally realize the standardization and standardization of the environmental protection project, we should strengthen the whole process control and management of the environmental protection project, and promote the full coverage of the whole process control management.In view of this, this article on the importance of the whole process control management focuses on environmental protection projects, according to the actual management of risks in the process to carry on the understanding and control, and make proper treatment, to strengthen risk management and process control of environmental engineering[1].

Assessing soil physical properties variability and their impact on vegetation using geospatial tools in Kebbi State, Nigeria

Geospatial distribution of soil physical properties using Geographic Information System (GIS) is essential and efficient to site-specific farming and environmental management processes. This study attempts to evaluate the spatial distribution of soil physical properties and their impact on vegetation status in Kebbi State, Nigeria using the geospatial technique. A total of one hundred and fifty-six (156) soil samples were collected and analysed for soil organic matter (SOM), porosity, texture, Bulk Density (BD) and pH. The data were analyzed both statistically and geospatially to describe the spatial distribution of soil physical properties in the area. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was examined on Sentinel 2 satellite imagery. Results show the normal distribution for all parameters, except for soil texture and SOM indicating a positively skewed distribution. The spatial distribution of soil parameters results revealed the existence low to moderate spatial distribution. In comparison to the NDVI, soil properties significantly correlate with vegetation status of the area, except soil porosity which shows an inverse correlation. The study revealed that the use of geospatial technique accurately generates the spatial distribution maps of soil properties in the area and therefore, present a recommendable tool for sustainable land management and environmental management.

Analysis of the whole process of environmental protection project management and control

Since the reform and opening up, the national economy of our country has been developing steadily and steadily, and the overall level of urbanization and industrialization has been upgrading rapidly.Behind its growth is increasingly serious environmental problems, and environmental protection engineering as a key project of ecological environment governance, its process management level and quality are related to the balance of the entire ecological environment.If we want to further improve the overall efficiency and quality of the project and fundamentally realize the standardization and standardization of the environmental protection project, we should strengthen the whole process control and management of the environmental protection project, and promote the full coverage of the whole process control management.In view of this, this article on the importance of the whole process control management focuses on environmental protection projects, according to the actual management of risks in the process to carry on the understanding and control, and make proper treatment, to strengthen risk management and process control of environmental engineering[1].

How Participatory Should Environmental Governance Be? Testing the Applicability of the Vroom-Yetton-Jago Model in Public Environmental Decision-Making.

Public participation is potentially useful to improve public environmental decision-making and management processes. In corporate management, the Vroom-Yetton-Jago normative decision-making model has served as a tool to help managers choose appropriate degrees of subordinate participation for effective decision-making given varying decision-making contexts. But does the model recommend participatory mechanisms that would actually benefit environmental management? This study empirically tests the improved Vroom-Jago version of the model in the public environmental decision-making context. To this end, the key variables of the Vroom-Jago model are operationalized and adapted to a public environmental governance context. The model is tested using data from a meta-analysis of 241 published cases of public environmental decision-making, yielding three main sets of findings: (1) The Vroom-Jago model proves limited in its applicability to public environmental governance due to limited variance in its recommendations. We show that adjustments to key model equations make it more likely to produce meaningful recommendations. (2) We find that in most of the studied cases, public environmental managers (implicitly) employ levels of participation close to those that would have been recommended by the model. (3) An ANOVA revealed that such cases, which conform to model recommendations, generally perform better on stakeholder acceptance and environmental standards of outputs than those that diverge from the model. Public environmental management thus benefits from carefully selected and context-sensitive modes of participation.

Environmental risk management. Forecasting and modeling of emergency risk management situations

For processes of environmental risk management, the results of a study of its perception are important. The identified priorities in the public concern about the state of the environment should be taken into account when preparing the necessary environmental measures. The prevention of risk or its reduction should take into account not only quantitative, but also qualitative characteristics of risk, which are caused by various factors and mechanisms of risk perception. Risk perception research data is essential for adequate risk communication, so managers involved in risk management should be interested in increasing the use of such data.

Fatores Determinantes da Aprendizagem Organizacional para a Inovação Ambiental: Um Estudo Multicaso

Resumo Conforme as questões ambientais orientam as ações das empresas por meio de sua agenda de inovação, a aprendizagem organizacional surge como importante elemento de análise. Sugere-se que as noções de aprendizagem organizacional e aprendizagem para a sustentabilidade devam convergir, estabelecendo-se como antecedentes do próprio processo de inovação ambiental e denotando, a partir deste ponto, um novo campo de análise - o da Aprendizagem Organizacional para a Inovação Ambiental. Este trabalho tem como objetivo identificar os indutores que determinam a aprendizagem organizacional para a inovação ambiental. Para tanto, foi elaborado um modelo conceitual de análise que foi aplicado por meio de um estudo multicaso em três empresas. Das diversas variáveis analisadas, a regulação, o papel do empreendedor, o trabalho de Pesquisa & Desenvolvimento (P&D) em redes e a existência de um processo de gestão ambiental se mostraram influentes para a consolidação do processo de aprendizagem. Infere-se que as influências das variáveis do processo de aprendizagem organizacional para a inovação ambiental diferem quanto à intensidade em função do modelo de negócio adotado, do grau de autonomia dos gerentes, do tipo de educação ambiental recebido pelos funcionários, do ambiente cultural e do perfil do empreendedor.

Особливості процесу впровадження екологічного менеджменту на промислових підприємствах.

The relevance of the topic is determined by need to increase the level of environmental policy of the activities of Ukrainian business entities. The theoretical and applied aspects of the implementation of environmental management system at domestic industrial enterprises are to be examine as a subject of the study. The main goal is to discover the features of ecological objectives and strategies of Ukrainian industrial enterprises in order to implement the environmental management. The basic methods of the study are analytical, systemic and comparative, institutional and structural-functional approaches The scientific significance of the work is to determine the features of implementation process of environmental management on domestic industrial enterprises. The article identifies the relationship between the state of the environment and the methods used by the enterprises. The processes of the environmental management system are presented with the use of the Shewhart-Deming cycle (PDCA). The potential benefits reflected in the performance of enterprises from the implementation of the environmental management are analyzed. The possible factors and barriers that can inhibit the development and implementation of the environmental management system are identified. The results of the research highlights the necessity of implementation of the environmental management system that can provide improving of the environmental state, saving of the resources, reducing expenses of the enterprise what will contribute to take a competitive position in domestic and international markets.

How do environmental governance processes shape evaluation of outcomes by stakeholders? A causal pathways approach.

Multi-stakeholder environmental management and governance processes are essential to realize social and ecological outcomes. Participation, collaboration, and learning are emphasized in these processes; to gain insights into how they influence stakeholders’ evaluations of outcomes in relation to management and governance interventions we use a path analysis approach to examine their relationships in individuals in four UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. We confirm a model showing that participation in more activities leads to greater ratings of process, and in turn, better evaluations of outcomes. We show the effects of participation in activities on evaluation of outcomes appear to be driven by learning more than collaboration. Original insights are offered as to how the evaluations of outcomes by stakeholders are shaped by their participation in activities and their experiences in management and governance processes. Understanding stakeholder perceptions about the processes in which they are involved and their evaluation of outcomes is imperative, and influences current and future levels of engagement. As such, the evaluation of outcomes themselves are an important tangible product from initiatives. Our research contributes to a future research agenda aimed at better understanding these pathways and their implications for engagement in stewardship and ultimately social and ecological outcomes, and to developing recommendations for practitioners engaged in environmental management and governance.

Understanding ethnic differences in perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours: a study of domestic water use in Sydney

AbstractThere is growing realisation among environmental and social studies researchers that people's decision‐making about water use conforms to their internal norms and beliefs, which are developed in social and cultural contexts. Little research, however, has addressed the possible impacts that ethnic and cultural diversity may have on domestic water use and management. This paper presents the results of a study conducted in Sydney, with specific reference to questionnaire findings. Among respondents from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, significant differences were observed in terms of perceptions, specific knowledge, attitudes, and self‐reported behaviours in relation to water use and conservation. The disparities identified were not masking socio‐demographic and economic characteristics but were the result of a series of constructs closely tied to ethnicity, including cultural value, environmental experience, language preference, and information access. As a factor explaining variation in the engagement of pro‐conservation behaviour, ethnic status was found to be more useful than some socio‐economic factors. The study highlights the importance of including ethnicity and cultural sensitivity issues in the decision‐making process of environmental management.

Proposed Derivation of the Integrated Capability Maturity Model as an Environmental Management Maturity Model

This article highlights the adaptability of the integrated Capability Maturity Model within the context of a environmental process maturity framework. Existing maturity models are applicable in a variety of quality contexts – quality management, quality control, and quality assurance. The reviewed literature is synthesized to propose a process improvement maturity model derivative to address environmental management processes.