Environmental Management and Sustainable Development in India: Issues and Challenges

In the rural economy land is the site of production. Our villagers live and work with close relationship with nature; they love and adore nature. Intensification of resource use and diversification of occupation (even if we call it as technological advancement) pose serious challenges to balanced economic development in India. Villagers are facing the growing needs of food, fodder and fuel on the one hand, and fast encroaching urbanisation on the other. Both have disastrous consequences on nature’s fragile fabric. Modern development in urban areas has resulted in stress and strain, and in the rural distress and drain of resources. Hence we need a though analysis of the strengths, weaknesses threats and opportunities for economic development now and in the future. This will create the much needed awareness for prioritisation of economic activities in the country to make the best use of relatively limited available natural resources. Keeping in mind the above factors the present study tries to draw the attention of academicians, policy makers, rural people and their urban brethren towards: (i) sustainable methods of environmental management, (ii) a holistic approach with multidisciplinary, multilocational and multiinstitutional involvement, and (iii) making the practice of SWOT analysis an inbuilt mechanism in resource management for sustainable development.