Role of GIS as a Tool for Environmental Planning and Management

Environmental Planning and Management (EPM) is defined as the initiation and operation of activities to direct and control the acquisition, transformation, distribution, and disposal of resources in a manner capable of sustaining human activities with a minimum disruption of physical, ecological, and social processes (Baldwin, 1985). Lein (2003), in his book Integrated Environmental Planning stipulates that a development proposal should be appropriate in terms of compatibility with the ecological system; suitability in relation to physical and environmental qualities of the site; susceptibility with regard to potential environmental impacts; and sustainability relative to long term functioning of environmental processes and maintenance of environmental integrity.