4. Requirement to Reach a General Acceptance of Sustainability
As stated above, sustainability is a continous process towards
a never-ending goal. To come closer to this goal, activities
at several levels, which together from an "Environment
Management System,' are necessary.
1) Environmental Laws
They are the means of setting standards and of providing
a frame od reference for the law enforcing institutions. They
should be clearly stipulated, including the fixing of tolerance
margins and foreseeing punishment for prosecutors. They should
also be enforced, since norms vinish if they are not enforced
over a long period.
2) Environmental Management Control Force
Law enforcement and continual control in this field is beyond
the capacity of the ordinary law enforcement institutions.
Especially foe fact that specific technical knowledge is required
makes it necessary to have a cadre of specialists for this
task. As long as this does not exist, enveronmental laws will
remain merely on paper.
3) Self-help Organizations
The most important activities - and this is often forgotten
- are those of self-help groups. This seems to be the only
way to include the poor in the strife for a careful use of
resources. Even a well-staffed environmental management control
foree is not in a position to cheek thousands of villages
and the activities in individual fields. Assessing the varying
conditions and situations of different socioeconomic categories
of land cultivations is beyond their possibilities. The huge
number of cultivating households makes it necessary to group
yhem into 'village environment associations.' Their task is
twofold:
They should develop an environmental consiousness among
the villagers by means of lectures, discussion circles, field
visits, demonstrations, etc. One or two persons from each
village association should be trained in all relevant aspects
of environmental care - fron the proper use of chemicals to
useful local measures against erosion. The continous training
of these two specialist would ensure that knowledgeable persons
be available within the village. This would free from dependence
on government staff and from the government' changing policies.
The association is so to speck the watchdog of the village
community in all environmental aspects. The interest of the
community in maintaining the quality of their life base gives
them the right to call to order individuals who do nor follow
the rules. Such a reminder by fellow villagers is much more
efficient than punishments stipulated by laws, especially
for minor cases. It is always difficult to enforce behaviour
against the people's felt intersts, whereas the individual
is traditionally well integrated in his community and has,
there, a feeling of responsibility vis-avis the group. It
is necessary that especially the younger generation participate
actively in these associations because of its better training,
greater activity, and its self-interst in maintaining the
basis of its future life.
The second task of the village environment associations
is to call for activities on the part of the state in cases
that are beyond the technical and financial competence of
the village people. This includes' do not' requests, for instance,
if the government plans to construct a road which would pass
through valuable biotopes, etc. For this task, the village
associations should merge into district and provincial NGOs
which are in a better possition to conduct the policy dialogue
than individual village associations.
Sustainability is a goal which can be reached only via a
change in human behaviour. This requires a multitude of methode
of methods in norm setting, control, and initiative. It can
hardly be successful without the people's active contribution
towards maintaining the resource base on which their life
depends.
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