Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Using the case study of semi-arid Tanzania, in this chapter we highlight
the reciprocal relationship between the environment and society. We
demonstrate how the paradigms that dei ne environmental managers' and
policy-makers' conceptions of ecological and social problems are integral
to dei ning the policy discourses (see Ockwell and Rydin, Chapter 6, this
volume) that shape their choice of management solutions. Furthermore,
we argue that if these paradigms fail to recognize the reciprocal link
between the environment and society, the resulting management solutions
will fail to protect and enhance the livelihoods of poor people. The chapter
begins with an analysis of the reciprocal relationship that dei nes and
shapes both the ecology and socioeconomics of semi-arid regions. It then
moves on to explore the dif erent paradigms that have dominated concep-
tions of ecological and social problems in the region and how these para-
digms have shaped policy discourses and environmental management. The
chapter concludes by highlighting how recognition of the reciprocal rela-
tionship between people and the environment within the paradigms that
shape policy and management decisions is critical to achieving sustainable
development.
The reciprocal relationship between environment and society
Understanding what dei nes and shapes a particular ecosystem has tradi-
tionally been assumed to be a purely ecological question. More recently,
however, as well as recognizing the importance of ecological factors in
dei ning semi-arid regions, observers have begun to recognize the dei ning
nature of human activities. This stems from an increased understanding
of the reciprocal relationship that exists between the environment and
human society. Focusing on East Africa, and Tanzania in particular, to
demonstrate this reciprocal relationship we begin by examining the cli-
matic and vegetative characteristics of semi-arid regions. We then show
how people and their livelihoods play an important role in shaping the
ecology of semi-arid regions and how, in turn, the ecology of the region
shapes people's livelihoods.
Climatic and vegetative characteristics of semi-arid regions
Climate, the average weather conditions such as temperature, day length
and rainfall (O'Brien, 1993), forms a key attribute of semi-arid regions.
More precisely, variability in climate, especially rainfall, since temperature
and day length are less variable near the equator, has a huge inl uence
on the nature of semi-arid regions. In sub-Saharan Africa the semi-arid
regions are inl uenced by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), a
broad low pressure zone in which the trade winds meet and pick up mois-
ture from the equator and move it north and south towards the tropics
