Over the last three decades, environmental issues have been the subject of growing concern in most countries around the world. Concerns include the decline of biodiversity, the impacts of many forms of pollution, the degradation and decline of resources such as water, indigenous forests, and fisheries, urban environmental issues, and global warming.
Environmental policy/planning analysts and environmental managers play a central role in advising and assisting governments, businesses and other organisations, from the local to the global level, to develop responses to such issues. Doing so requires an ability to take a trans-disciplinary approach, to develop an understanding of decision-making processes and institutions, and personal and professional skills.
Study and research opportunities in this area are wide ranging, enabling students to become ‘generalists’ (being able to advise on and/or manage many different environmental issues), or to become experts in particular topics or areas (such as the management of nature conservation, fisheries, urban development). Study can involve different combinations of disciplines (policy analysis, planning, economics, science and social science disciplines), different degrees of emphasis on theory and an applied orientation, and different foci with regard to the level at which environmental issues are studied and addressed (from local communities to the national and global arenas).
For students with a background in:
• Science (BSc)
• Geography
• Social science, economics, law
• Engineering.