Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
understanding that there is a lack of blueprints for development based on integrated
management of water, soil and waste resources in the Member States. Generation
and application of knowledge is a priority for individuals, as well as institutional
capacity development. It is against this background that the UNU-FLORES Insti-
tute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources was estab-
lished in Dresden, Germany. UNU-FLORES is supposed to extend and upscale the
concept of integrated resource management through adopting a truly integrative
perspective by considering inter-related resources (water, soil, waste) and empha-
sizing fluxes of resources between phases and compartments. Thus, instead of
traditional input
output models, UNU-FLORES focused on whether the consistent
tracing (follow-up) and management of resources as fluxes (passage, flow, trans-
port, transfer) would result in sustainable management outcomes. UNU-FLORES
will pursue the achievement of sustainable environmental outcomes by serving as a
think tank that promotes integrated resources management.
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2 Evidence-Based Decision-Making
Over half a century of development research has led us to two fundamental
questions: First, why does good science not always result in good policy? Two, will
improved management of natural resources mitigate livelihood risks?
1
Conversely,
will mitigation of livelihood risks result in improved management of natural
resources? Some have referred to this conundrum as the Poverty-Environment (P-E)
nexus. P-E causality can be attributed to the effects of scale of interventions. For
example, a government programme to restore soil fertility may succeed at plot or
farm scale but increasing spatial and temporal scale may increase uncertainty due to
introduction of exogenous factors such as seasonal differences in farming practices,
fluctuations in prices in factor and product markets and divergence in strategies of
extension agencies.
The role of government in managing the P-E nexus is crucial since a large
proportion of degradable natural resources (forests, river systems, groundwater
aquifers) that are prone to degradation are not under private ownership. Further-
more, solid waste management is also not far from government influence since
worldwide land
ll sites are usually under government control. On the other hand,
land under private title is not averse to the effects of government action. For
example, changes in subsidy regime for agricultural inputs such as seeds or inputs
such as fuel can lead to more intensive cultivation practices with impacts on natural
resources. Examples could include water pollution, overdraft of groundwater
aquifers or decreasing soil fertility.
1
Livelihood risks could relate to access to income, employment, food and services (eg. water
supply, ecosystem services).
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