Towards sustainable development

Sustainable development is defined as 'development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'. Development always involves utilization of natural resources, whatever the form (renewable or non-renewable), which leads to change in environment. Especially when the non-renewable natural resources are in use, such as minerals, exploitation should be well planned. It is needed for the use of renewable natural resources as well since pollution of the environment can cause difficulties for the future.

Large development schemes such as building hydropower reservoirs (Aswan high dam), river channelization (Kissimmee river) can affect the ecosystem to change totally creating drastic effects to the future of the total community. Until recently it was not realized that the magnitude of the environmental transformation threatens the sustainability of the same project,  as well as the total ecosystem. Now, environmental planning and environmental impact assessment (EIA) are the most important part of such projects. It has become a legal requirement now in many countries to get permission for developing or environmental projects. Also, public awareness, public as environmental watchdogs, public contribution, legal and institutional framework are necessary for the sustainable development.

Adaptive management (AM), is a structured, iterative process of optimal decision making in the face of uncertainty, with an aim to reducing uncertainty over time via system monitoring will be the Best Management Practice (BMP) especially for the large scale environmental projects. In this way, decision making simultaneously maximizes one or more resource objectives and, either passively or actively, accrues information needed to improve future management. AM is often characterized as "learning by doing."

Adaptive management can be considered either passive or active. Passive adaptive management begins by using predictive modeling based on present knowledge to inform management decisions. As new knowledge is gained, the models are updated and management decisions adapted accordingly. Active adaptive management, on the other hand, involves changing management strategies altogether in order to test completely new hypotheses. So while the goal of passive adaptive management is to improve existing management approaches, the goal of active adaptive management is to learn by experimentation in order to determine the best management strategy.

Key features of both passive and active adaptive management are:

• Iterative decision-making (evaluating results and adjusting actions on the basis of what has been learned)
• Feedback between monitoring and decisions (learning)
• Explicit characterization of system uncertainty through multi-model inference
• Bayesian inference
• Embracing risk and uncertainty as a way of building understanding

A good example for an AM can be found from Florida, USA, the Kissimmee river restoration project. Between 1962 and 1971, in order to provide flood control for central and southern Florida, the 166 km-long meandering Kissimmee River was transformed into a 90 km-long, 10 meter-deep, 100 meter-wide canal. Channelization and transformation of the Kissimmee River system into a series of impoundments resulted in the loss of 12,000-14,000 ha of wetland habitat, eliminated historic water level fluctuations, and greatly modified flow characteristics. As a result, the biological communities of the river and floodplain system (vegetation, invertebrate, fish, wading bird, and waterfowl) were severely damaged. Following completion of the canal, the U.S. Geological Survey released a report documenting the environmental concerns associated with channelization of the river. This action led to the 1971 Governor's Conference on Water Management in South Florida that produced a consensus to request that steps be taken to restore the fish and wildlife resources and habitat of the Kissimmee basin. In 1976, the Florida Legislature passed the Kissimmee River Restoration Act. As a result, three major restoration and planning studies were set to evaluate implementation of the dechannelization plan. The recommended plan calls for the backfilling of over 35 km of C-38, recarving of 14 km of river channel, and removal of two water-control structures and associated levees. Restoration of the Kissimmee River ecosystem will result in the reestablishment of 104 km² of river-floodplain ecosystem, including 70 km of river channel and 11,000 ha of wetland habitat, which is expected to benefit over 320 species of fish and wildlife.

Read an EIA report on Coal power project

Read an EIA report on Soild waste project