A Framework for Environmental Management Planning

Abstract

Beginning in the late 1970's the Japanese government's environmental policy changed from an emphasis on pollution control to one emphasizing preservation and creation of amenity values. Environmental Management Planning (EMP) has developed to accomplish these conservation goals, and landscape planners have been actively involved in this new field.
In this article the concepts and methodology of EMP are introduced and discussed. The significance of EMP to the planning process is evaluated and the future development of EMP is assessed, as follows;
1) EMP through its focus on the region integrates environmental factors and allows for the establishment of a unified management system. As the level of management extends down to the local level, management becomes more sensitive to the particular attributes of the region. It is at this local level where the future direction of EMP is most important.
2) Prior to the development of EMP, planning was based on the concept of environmental resources. These can be divided into three categories; natural, social and amenity related environmental resources. An environmental database can be developed and utilized in the planning process, and the article provides a catalogue of these resources.
3) The process of EMP is twofold; vertical and horizontal. The vertical role provides a sectional planning tool for pollution control, the conservation of physical and biotic resources, and the creation of an amenity environment. Horizontal role is more general; it is useful for comprehensive planning, landuse planning and development planning, and shows how resource planning should be incorporated into and guide the overall planning process.
4) EMP should be based on environmental modeling and the management system which results should be firmly based on the model. Such a structural model can characterize the subdivision of the project area. The predictive model based on the structural model then allows for adequate assessment of environmental impacts. Such models should be an integral part of EMP, based on the environmental database and incorporating multivariate analysis.
5) The ordinary citizen's perception of the environment is changing dramatically as social circumstances change. To keep up with this rapid change and to allow citizens to select the most suitable environmental future, EMP should be process-oriented rather than purpose-oriented.
6) To put EMP into practice, it can first be used in basic planning such as zoning landusage. Secondly, it can be used to provide ongoing project assessment in order to maintain environmental quality. Such assessment creates the conditions for the most appropriate decisions concerning the project's suitability for the affected site. Thirdly, EMP allows for readjustment in the creation of an environment emphasizing such amenities as conservation and landscape values. EMP leads to the creation of space in which amenities receive full consideration, yet is flexible enough to allow for changing environmental perceptions as society changes.
If the potential of EMP is to be fully achieved, legislation in the field of environmental management must be enacted.