1. THE ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
What is a ‘system’?
an arrangement of related and linked components that performs a specific task
linked by flows of material
tend to be characterized by change and complexity

2. 1. Natural Systems
biotic and abiotic components of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere that combine to form the natural environment
provide material and process resources that support life on Earth called ecosystem services (e.g. clean air, water, ozone, food, and stable climate)

3. Resources: anything used by organisms to
meet their needs
two types:
1. Material: renewable and nonrenewable
2. Process: transfer energy and matter among material resources (e.g. hydro cycle weathering and erosion, photosynthesis, decomposition, carbon cycle)

4. 2. Human Systems
cultural, social and economic components that combine to form human societies
make decisions on how to best satisfy human wants (two types):
1. Needs: things required to survive
2. Desires: things that we know or believe will make us happy

5. decisions are shaped by values, expectations, perceptions, and attitudes
wants are unlimited while the environment and natural resources are limited
this results in what economists refer to as the problem of scarcity
scarcity creates competition among individuals and societies which leads to conflict and environmental and resource problems

6. Effective Environmental Planning and Management
focus needs to be placed on ‘managing’ human activities
five things to consider when developing plans:
Context: define the problem by gathering data and information on specific biophysical and human characteristics

7. ‘when one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world’ – John Muir
important role of natural and social sciences
will never have complete information, must proceed in the face of uncertainty
implementation must be adapted to the unique conditions of a region (avoid standardized approaches - what works in one area will not necessarily work in another)

8. Vision: a view of the future, key features must be realistic, credible, desirable, and reflect shared ethics and values
(backcast rather than forecast)
Participatory: involves people (e.g. citizens, interest groups, private sector, experts) closest to the problem in the planning and decision-making process

9. Sustainability: the capacity of a natural and/or human system to endure over time (requires an ecological-economic approach)
5. Equity: no group receives a disproportionate share of the associated costs (intra and inter-generational)

10. purpose is to ultimately generate a product
Plans: outline a set of policies and actions that reflect a shared vision about how to resolve environmental and natural resource issues
Planning involves a variety of processes and methods including:
collaboration and coordination
public participation and communication
adaptive management
impact and risk assessment
dispute resolution (negotiation, mediation, arbitration)

11. CLIMATE CHANGE
Is climate change the most pressing global environmental issue of our time?