Use In Environmental Management Research Articles

Ecology: The Science Versus the Myth

This paper describes the foundations of ecology as a science and argues for adherence to scientific principles in the environmental arena. Ecology as a science does not present moral or ethical guidance for societal use in environmental management. Moral, ethical, economic, and political values are integral parts of environmental management, but they are derived outside the realm of science. We emphasize the importance of preserving the power of science as a methodology to acquire objective information separated from societal values. Environmental Risk Assessment is a process that engages and requires both the life and social sciences for successful environmental management.

DEVELOPING YOUR SECOND SYSTEM: THE CHALLENGE OF INTEGRATION

Developing and implementing your first management system (i.e. formalised), be it focussed on safety, quality or environmental issues is a major task. In contrast much of the ground work may already be established when introducing a second system. However this in itself can create some unique challenges.This paper examines how those challenges were addressed during development of West Australian Petroleum's Environmental Management System (EMS), and highlights some of the issues associated with integrating management processes.Development followed a staged approach, initially focussing on assessment of existing processes and their potential for use in environmental management. Surveys of internal and external customers were conducted, along with external benchmarking to identify potential issues and alternatives.The strategy that emerged was to align with existing safety processes, such as planning, communication, hazard management and audit wherever possible. The underlying issue was whether to apply the processes in parallel or concurrently. Existing documentation was also reviewed to determine howr to effectively document the EMS while avoiding unnecessary duplication.A decision was taken to pilot the EMS at one site prior to company-wide deployment. Senior management support for the decision was linked to the detailed assessment of risks, resource requirements, and likely impacts on other business initiatives.Development is now underway with a number of conclusions or key learnings already apparent. These include an acceptance that if integration is to be successful any underlying differences between the management of environmental and safety issues need to be understood, and safeguards need to be put in place to ensure both receive adequate attention.

Optimizing Bioassay Use in Environmental Management through Test System Selection

Bioassays, the use of a living system to test or assay an effect or response, are finding expanding use in environmental management. Testing procedures have become standardized and new technologies support development of biosensors with the sensitivity and accuracy needed for routine application in monitoring and assessment programs. While new methods allow more accurate and sensitive detection of biological response, if response measurement is not connected with an environmental or ecological consequence, testing may have little use in management or regulation. It is possible to optimize bioassay use in environmental management by following study design assurance procedures that carefully select testing procedures and batteries of tests to meet defined objectives. This paper first reviews procedures for selecting measurement metrics for wastewater treatment process control and environmental assessment. Test systems are suggested that optimize bioassay use in the management of complex environmental systems. For example, an ecological paradigm can be applied to wastewater treatment processes as well as receiving water ecosystems. This paradigm considers both the structure and function of the system in selection of measurement metrics and test batteries in the development of a test system. Examples are provided that demonstrate how optimal bioassay use can lead to improved environmental management.

An approach to environmental risk assessment using avian toxicity tests

Toxicity tests results are often condensed into a single endpoint (LC50) to facilitate their use in environmental management. The single number cannot distinguish between two tests with equal LC50s but dissimilar slopes at LC50 and it cannot describe the response at low and high dose levels. Some chemicals produce a flat response at low dose levels, others produce a steep response. The management of different chemicals requires different strategies and a more comprehensive approach to analysis of test data than use of a single endpoint. An alternative analysis of test data using Weibull survivor function produces information on the overall form of the dose-response curve and enables calculation of toxicity, the slope, and errors at arbitrary protection levels, including the conventional 50% level.

Ecological mapping to support mosquito control on the french mediterranean coast

Less than a century ago on the French Mediterranean coast, mosquitoes were responsible for a high rate of mortality from malaria. Today, mosquitoes are no more than a nuisance, but mosquito control is carried out actively to protect local residents and the economically important tourist trade. Along the Mediterranean coast, mosquito control makes use of environmental management:, biological control and insecticides. However, by use of detailed ecological maps, these control activities can be accurately targeted, leading to efficient control, reduced costs and minimal likelihood of insecticide resistance. In this article, André Gobinoud explains these techniques.

Integrating perspectives in environmental management

Environmental perception plays a major role in environmental decision-making. Three distinct perspective types can be identified—personal, technical, and organizational—which determine the response to environment management problems. Integrating perspectives using multiple perspective analysis can be of use in environmental management. Using this technique, two environmental management problems have been analyzed and differing perspectives have been integrated. This integration resembles the task of conceptualizing a three-dimensional object from a series of one-dimensional descriptions and two-dimensional drawings.