Ecologically Sustained Developments ESD

What is ecologically sustainable development? Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) represents one of the greatest challenges facing Australia's governments, industry, business and community in the coming years. While there is no universally accepted definition of ESD, in 1990 the Commonwealth Government suggested the following definition for ESD in Australia:  'using, conserving and enhancing the community's resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained, and the total quality of life, now and in the future, can be increased'. Put more simply, ESD is development which aims to meet the needs of Australians today, while conserving our ecosystems for the benefit of future generations. To do this, we need to develop ways of using those environmental resources which form the basis of our economy in a way which maintains and, where possible, improves their range, variety and quality. At the same time we need to utilise those resources to develop industry and generate employment.

By following an ecologically sustainable path of development, we should be able to reduce the likelihood of serious environmental impacts arising from our economic activity. The number of divisive and damaging confrontations which have characterised some of our development projects should also decrease. More practically, ESD will mean changes to our patterns of resource use, including improvements in the quality of our air, land and water, and in the development of new, environmentally friendly products and processes. Background to ESD The concept of ecologically sustainable development (ESD) has been with us for over 25 years; however, it has come to international prominence only relatively recently. The significance now accorded to ESD can be traced back to the publication in 1987 of a report by the World Commission on Environment and Development entitled Our Common Future (more commonly referred to as the Brundtland Report, after the Commission’s Chair, then Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland). This report was instrumental in raising awareness at the highest levels of government that, globally, we had been ‘living beyond our means’ in terms of the environmental costs of economic development.

The Brundtland Report provided the impetus for the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the ‘Rio Summit’), which at the time was the largest-ever single gathering of heads of state ever held. The main outcome of the Rio Summit was the publication of a document entitled Agenda 21. This document sought to provide the ‘blueprint’ for each country to formulate its own ESD policies. The authors of the report recognised that conventional approaches to measuring growth had been inadequate, as they did not take into account the associated environmental costs, such as erosion, extinction and desertification. These problems had been traditionally seen as ‘conservation’ issues, rather than ‘development’ issues, hence they were given secondary importance. While it is true that a coordinated approach is required on a national and even global scale to make broad-scale ESD policies work, it is equally important that its principles are implemented at the local level as well.

Australia's goal, core objectives and guiding principles for the Strategy The Goal is: Development that improves the total quality of life, both now and in the future, in a way that maintains the ecological processes on which life depends. The Core Objectives are: to enhance individual and community well-being and welfare by following a path of economic development that safeguards the welfare of future generations to provide for equity within and between generations to protect biological diversity and maintain essential ecological processes and life- support systems The Guiding Principles are: decision making processes should effectively integrate both long and short- term economic, environmental, social and equity considerations where there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation the global dimension of environmental impacts of actions and policies should be recognised and considered

the need to develop a strong, growing and diversified economy which can enhance the capacity for environmental protection should be recognised the need to maintain and enhance international competitiveness in an environmentally sound manner should be recognised cost effective and flexible policy instruments should be adopted, such as improved valuation, pricing and incentive mechanisms decisions and actions should provide for broad community involvement on issues which affect them These guiding principles and core objectives need to be considered as a package. No objective or principle should predominate over the others. A balanced approach is required that takes into account all these objectives and principles to pursue the goal of ESD. Who will be affected by ESD? Every one of us has a role to play in national efforts to embrace ESD. The participation of every Australian - through all levels of government, business, unions and the community - is central to the effective implementation of ESD in Australia.

How does ESD apply to tourism? When ESD is applied to a such a multifacted industry as tourism, it becomes a very broad concept— it encompasses not only environmental aspects, but also experiential, sociocultural and economic dimensions. Environmental sustainability— Running an environmentally sustainable tourism operation means managing our operations to ensure that natural resources are conserved and, where possible, increased over time. Environmental sustainability is a vital concept in our business, as traditional approaches to tourism development have tended to focus more heavily on the economic dimension such as measures of visitor numbers or export earnings. Environmental sustainability is concerned with questions like: · Are the resources we are using renewable or recyclable? · Are we using them in the most productive way? It recognises that natural resources are the raw materials for the tourism industry, just as they are for mining and logging. Some ways in which tourism can help achieve environmental sustainability are through the establishment of national parks, by providing an alternative to extractive industries, and by increasing public awareness of environmental issues.