THE MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS ON THE MANITOBA ESCARPMENT

The Manitoba Escarpment is an area of severe environmental problems caused by a combination of adverse physical characteristics and inappropriate land use. Government programmes to solve these problems have emphasized, in succession, water control, land acquisition and use, and a combination of the two. Evaluation of these activities is difficult because of a lack of basic data on precipitation, runoff, and rates of erosion. Work is currently being done to provide the required information and to use it as a basis for land and water management programmes in conservation districts.
L'escarpement du Manitoba est une région de grands problèmes du milieu, du fait des traits physiques et contraires combinés avec le mésusage de la terre. A fin dé resoudre ces problèmes, des programmes gouvernementaux ont souligné d'abord la réglementation de l'eau, ensuite l'obtention et l'usage de la terre, et enfin une combinaison des deux. Aucune évaluation de ces projets est difficile à cause d'une manque de données véritables du milieu, y compris dés détails de précipitation, de l'écoulement de l'eau, et du dégre d'érosion. On essaie actuellement de fournir les détails nécessaires pour s'en servir comme base des programmes de l'entretien de l'eau et de la terre dans les régions de conservation.     

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY: BOUNDED RATIONALITY APPLIED TO UNBOUNDED ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS

The interaction among myriad species and chemicals in the food chain often yields potential outcomes which are difficult to foresee. In policy terms, these interactions comprise an information load beyond human cognition, resulting in unexpected side effects. The clearest examples are seen in the invasions of species and epidemics, air pollution, toxic substances, and endangered species. The policy process attempts to deal with the information problem by using (1) an incremental approach, (2) a bounding approach, or (3) an uncertainty approach. Unfortunately, the bounding approach excludes all data on interactions outside the apparent cause/effect hypothesis. Possible approaches to augment and improve environmental policy, beyond the bounding approach, are to inquire into uncertainties and side-effects, choose complex ecologies over simple ones, and sample for uncertain risks by probability assessments.