Environment Conservation and Management

Topics covered: Environment conservation and management, what is environment conservation and management, activities of environment conservation etc. 

Environment Conservation and Management

Management of environment is a part of environmental conservation. Management signifies basically balancing procedures of the environments components. There are various types of development works. Almost all of them use natural resources. Natural resources are used in two ways: haphazard utilization and sustainable utilization. Haphazard utilization is random utilization without conserving those resources for the future. But the concept of sustainable utilization assures the long-term existence of natural resources, for future generations. Developmental work involving such utilization is called sustainable utilization. 

Human beings have been the primary and the main cause of environment degradation due to destructive, polluting and environment-exploiting activities. Therefore, it is the first duty of human beings to correct the faults and conserve the common environment of all living creatures. Some of the main activities of environmental conservation in Nepal are given below: 

Activities of environmental conservation 

1. Conservation of forests 
2. Conservation of land
3. Management of waste
4. Control of pollution 

a) Conservation of forests 

Forest is a major constituent of environment. It has several trees, shrubs and trees, In addition to these, it is a home for numerous animals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and microorganisms. Maximum share of the total land of the earth is covered by forests. 

Forests help in conservation and balance of ecosystems. Uncountable unknown and unexplored living creatures still remain hidden in various forests. Nepal is also rich in forest resources though many trees in the forests have been cut down and reforestation has not taken place. There was a saying 'hariyo ban Nepalko dhan'  or the green forests are the wealth of Nepal. But, due to lack of proper policies to utilize such a valuable resource, we could not take much benefit from the forest resources. Forest is being destroyed in Nepal. 

In recent days, Nepal has adopted the community forestry program. This program motivates community people in conservation programs by allowing them to generate income from forest products. People are encouraged to plant trees, conserve as well as utilize forest products in a proper ways for their livelihood. A separate forest and land conservation ministry is there in Nepal. This ministry works for the conservation of forests. A forest Act was introduced in Nepal in 2018 BS, and after few amendments, the Forest Act, 2049 BS categorized the forests of Nepal into seven types. They are national, protected, protected by the government, kabuliyati, community, religious and private forests. This has been helpful to formulate appropriate rules and laws to protect the forests of different conditions. 

b) Conservation of land

Land is the basis of the total environment, Many creatures, including human beings, are terrestrial and live on land. Plants grow on land, animals live on land, and land ecosystem exists on the land. Conservation of land includes activities like control of landslide and soil erosion, protection of pasture land, conservation of forests and water resources, control of soil contamination, etc. There are two main ministries, which work for the conservation of land. These are the Forest and Land Conservation Ministry, and Agriculture Ministry. Environment education in now part of the school level educational program as well as higher level education. Through this, production related human resource and manpower has been possible. Many government and non government organizations are also working for the conservation of land and awareness programs among the people. 

c) Management of waste 

Waste management is the main task in environment conservation. Waste management has been a big problem in towns. Our effort at solving this problem is still not sufficient. The responsibility of collecting and managing day-to-day waste materials has been taken by Municipalities and Village Development Committees. In the towns, necessary vehicles and manpower have been collecting solid waste for appropriate disposal in the dumping sites. But, due to lack of public awareness, proper sanitation has not been maintained. Rivers are polluted and walking around has been difficult in towns. In the villages, there is not system of safe latrines. Open defecation near and around residential areas are a common problem throughout Nepal. In order to control such situation in the villages and towns, there must be proper education, awareness and assistance programs for people. The school level curriculum includes much information regarding the harmful effects of unsafe or open defecation. Students can share their knowledge to make their family and society aware about this. 

d) Control of pollution 

Pollution control is a must in environmental conservation. Pollution and pollutants are mainly produced  by vehicles, industries, and public dwelling areas. People use excessive amounts of chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and pesticides to increase agricultural production. In the long-term, it is harmful for maintenance of soil-fertility. Such activities should be controlled. Industries produce poisonous, acidic, alkaline and other harmful chemical substances. Such substances should be managed well. There are some laws to control pollution. Two-stroke vehicles are banned in some town areas as they produce many pollutants like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, carbon dust and others. Industries producing sound pollution and other pollutants cannot be established and run near residential areas. School education and other higher level education give information and knowledge about such topics. It helps in controlling pollution in town as well as in the rural areas.