Scope
Probably no subject on earth is so much talked and debated about from local level to international level, as the topic of environment. Incidence of environmental degredation all over the world speaks volumes on the fragility of our mother earth which has been nurturing us for millions of years. Most of the production, processing and marketing enterprises (PPME) are bound to deplete and degrade natural resources and generate wastes that pollute our environment. Therefore managers of all enterprises have a moral duty to manage them in a sustainable manner not only economically but also ecologically. Our experience with all types of mining and industries like food processing, leather, pharmaceutical, fertilizer, sugar, fertilizers, pesticides and electronics etc. are compelling us to have an inbuilt mechanism to ensure environmental sustainability in every entrepreneurial management including agricultural production in the rural areas. Further in the context of increasing urbanization solid and liquid waste management has become very crucial while in the rural areas the focus should be on soil and water conservation and soil fertility maintenance. In short it is high time that we give equal or more importance to sustainability of environment in all our businesses and rural management programs. Future is waiting for managers who are sensitive and knowledgeable on environment issues.
Course objective
This course provides a macro and micro perspective on the Sustainable Environment and Natural Resource Management (SENRM) which is one of the most important concerns now for everybody on earth because every one is essentially depending on them for his/her existence and development. It will introduce the students to the basic principles involved in organizing and managing the major components of the environment/eco-system in which the human beings are both beneficiaries as well as managers. The student will get a deeper understanding of the environment as a system of inter-related and inter-dependent multiple relationships in which every one has an essential role and function to play while he has a right to benefit from it. It will make the students of management realize that every decision they make in the future will have a bearing on environment. It will also help them to foresee and asses the environmental impact in every management intervention they make in production processing and marketing (PPM) of various products and services. Further the students will be introduced to some of the most crucial environmental issues faced at the global, national and state level. Finally the course will equip the students with an environmental frame work within which every project can be formulated, implemented, monitored and evaluated. THE AIMS OF THIS COURSE IS TO PRODUCE ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE MANAGERS. However with only seven sessions we cannot do anything more than just an exposure to just some of the environmental problems.
Course Contents
The course will begin with conceptual clarifications on the common terms used in environmental science. This will be followed by lectures, presentations and discussions on:
Session 1: Major components of any eco-system, biotic and abiotic factors in nature, their inter and intra dependence, problem of sustainable balance between them, volumetric concept of sustainable proportionality of each component in the eco-system.
Session 2: The basic principles involved in managing the components of eco-system, soil as the basic production system in environment, organic matter and water cycle in the eco-system as a part of the energy cycle in nature; Simple method of organic matter determination of a given soil. “One foot soil decides the destiny of mankind”. Session 3: Nature of agro-eco-system as a production and regenerative system; sustainability of carbondioxide and carbohydrate cycle in the nature and the disruption of the same in the nature. Key agents in the sustainable recycling of oxygen and carbondioxide. Session 4: Slop as a crucial factor in environment management and its influence on the eco-system in general and specially in soil and water conservation, establishing and maintaining forest systems on the slops. Session 5: Command and catchment area management, watershed approach, basic techniques, water harvesting, importance, various structures and techniques.
Session 6: Management of organic matter in maintaining the soil production potential, waste management techniques for better environment and health.
Session 7: Sustainable land use in India, effect of population explosion on sustainability of environment and natural resources, environment friendly planning human habitats: institutions, villages, towns and cities;
Case Studies (needs more time) 1. Salinity in Punjab and Haryana due to over irrigation 2. Collapse of Sugar Industry in Maharashtra 3. Case of Contract Farming Film on environment by Al gore recipient for Nobel prize for peace one and half hours, (needs extra time) Field study: 1. Dumping ground of solid wastes in Bhubaneswar 2. Sewage treatment plant in Bhubaneswar 3. Environmentally degraded area in some rural areas or villages Class Format
Classes will start with a knowledge assessment of the students since they are already expose to a lot of environment issues. That will help me to adjust the level of inputs in the classes. Emphasis will be given on what and how to do things to improve our environment. A combination of lectures, case analyses, discussions and assignments would be used. Students will be encouraged to ask questions on any topic related to environment and natural resource management. Electronic copies of basic course material will be made available to students who are expected to go through it before they come to each class so that they can ask questions and clarifications. Besides they will be given a list of reference books available in XIM library.
Evaluation Scheme
Following would be the scheme evaluation and the weightage of marks in percentage
1. Quiz consisting of objective type of questions 10 +10 = 20 % 2. Assignment: Field study and reporting 25 % 3. Attendance: regularity in attendance 10 % 4. Involvement in the class: participation, initiative 5 % 5. End of Term examination 40 %
We have more than four hundred volumes on environment and natural resource management alone and the following are some of them more relevant to the proposed course.
01. Tripathi Ak (Ed), Ecology & Environment, Jossey-Bass, (1993)
02. Buchholz Rogene A. et Al, Managing Environmental Issues: A Case Book, Prentice Hall, (1993).
03. Briggs David et Al Fundamentals Of The Physical Environment : Routledge, (1997),
04. Park Chris, Environment : Principles And Applications, Routledge
05. Sharma P. D. Ecology And Environment, Rastogi, (1997).
06. Chapman J. L. & Reiss M. J, Ecology : Principles & Applications, Cambridge University Press, (1992).
07. Agarwal Anil (Ed0, Homicide By Pesticides: What Pollution Does To Our Bodies CSE, (1997).
08. Chandy, K.T., Electronically stored texts on a number of topics under environment and natural resource management is available with me
9. Chary S N & Vyyasulu Vinod (Ed), Environmental Management : In Indian Perspective, Macmillan, (2000).
10. Damodaran A, Towards An Agro- Ecosystem Policy For India-Lessons From Two Case Studies, Tata Mcgraw Hill, (2001).
11. Sengupta Ramprasad, Ecology And Economics : An Approach To Sustainable Development Oxford University Press, (2001).
Created By: Bijoy Kar on 09/14/2010 at 07:26 PM Category: PGP-I Doctype: Document