Where to begin? The very first post!

Beats Christchurch in the winter..

This blog has been designed as a 'travelogue' for two reasons:

The first is to use travel as a metaphor (thanks Swaffield!) for learning about integrated environmental management (IEM), where the theory learned at the beginning of the semester represents the preparation for the journey, whilst the actual 'trip' will be the group case study carried out as a major part of the course.

The second reason to use travel as a theme of the blog is to provide some real world examples to illustrate where IEM has been used as a framework for environmental problem solving or, more commonly, where it could have been but hasn't been used (IEM not in practice). This will hopefully provide an opportunity to include some interesting pictures and anecdotes!

Like any travel adventure, there is some necessary preparatory research to be undertaken in order to get the most out of your the places you will be heading to. This “research phase” will cover the key concepts of IEM, the theory, frameworks and some examples, which will lead up to and be applied in the case study we will begin in a few weeks

 

Today's first blog will cover some of the initial elements of theory we have discussed over the last week. This will include a few guiding words for defining IEM and I'll try to add some excitement with examples we've discussed and some pictures to match!

To begin.. in Christchurch with a few definitions:

IEM seems to be one of those concepts that looks simple enough (it's only 3 letters long, how can it be tricky?!) but for which, like so many other terms that sound straightforward, no single agreed definition exists. Without repeating all the definitions discussed in class, here are a few key words that stood out for me when trying to pin down what IEM is (and isn't):

Key word	Author	Comment
“management of the environment”	Bührs, 1995	The “environment” as used here includes all aspects we would consider in a broad, expansive definition of environment, i.e., the natural environment and natural resources, as well as the human and built environment.
“co-ordinated control”	Cairns & Crawford, 1991	This is more a non-definition of IEM, what it is not. Control over the environment is a myth, much like the notions of “future proofing” and “guarantees” as to certain environmental outcomes. Of course, Cairns is an engineer by profession, which explains the terminology. However, I use “control” as a caution against unrealistically optimistic solutions for environmental problems.
“social, political, economic and institutional factors operating within ecosystems”	Margerum & Born, 1995	The four platforms of human activity that all have an effect on environmental problems and solutions, and are an inherent part of any IEM process.
“interconnectedness”	Bührs, 1995	To me this means “connected connectedness”, and relates to the framework that is part of IEM, where everything is connected to everything else, to a greater or lesser extent.

And in an attempt to put these all together..

IEM is “an approach to the management of the environment that takes into account its complex, multifaceted and interconnected nature” (Bührs, 1995).

References

Buhrs, T. (1995), Integrated Environmental Management: Toward a Framework for Application, Environmental Management and Design Division, Lincoln University (unpublished).

Swaffield, S. (1998), "Frames of Reference: A Metaphor for Analysing and Interpreting Attitudes of Environmental Policy Makers and Policy Influencers", Environmental Management, Vol. 22, pp. 495-504.