TOPICS:
Understanding environmental problems; making effective use of technical information; market approaches; applicable to land use and growth issues; written for the first party participant.
ABSTRACT:
Holistic Resource Management is an examination of an alternative to traditional resource management which, the author asserts will be more beneficial for the ecosystems affected by such management.
Holistic Resource Management will be of interest to those who seek an understanding of an holistic approach to resource management as an alternative to the traditional management approaches. The book is divided into nine parts each addressing a separate issue within the overall topic. The first of these parts is an introduction which carefully defines ?holistic resource management' and discusses some of the political and economic ramifications. Part two offers the authors estimation of the four areas which must be addressed before holistic management can occur. First, he offers an argument for holistic management, followed by a chapter devoted to the examination of brittle and non-brittel environments. The sixth chapter discusses the role of herding animals and their predators in brittle environments. The final chapter of the second part examines time dimensions in soil, plants, animal relationships.
Part three offers a set of temporary goals with which to begin the process of converting to holistic management. The fourth part is an examination of the ecosystem model. The author discusses the water cycle, succession of life forms, the mineral cycle and energy flow. While the examination is cursory, it will be a sufficient basis for the purposes of the remainder of the book. Part five presents the tools one needs to manage an ecosystem. These include: money and labour, human creativity and, cycles of fire, rest and grazing. Additionally, the author addresses the impacts of animals and technology on ecosystems.
Part six comprises the bulk of the book Herein, the relationship between time and: cropping, grazing, browsing and trampling are considered. Further, the relationships between time and: energy flow, livestock nutrition, and game management are discussed. The remainder of this part is divided into three general categories: the need to address the needs of the organisms in an ecosystem, the need to consider the ecosystem as a whole with its own emergent properties, and to accept the realities of financial planning and wealth generation. Part seven offers a set of long term goals which arise from the guidelines offered in the previous part. Part eight examines three application modes: the diagnostic mode, the policy analysis mode, and the research orientation mode. The final part is the authors estimation of the future in regards holistic resource management.
Holistic Resource Management is a careful examination of the benefits of holistic management and an estimation of the changes which must occur in order to implement such an approach. The text is appended with a description of the Center for Holistic Resource Management and a glossary. The text is well annotated and will serve the serious reader well as an overview of the topic.
T. A. O'Lonergan