Institutions and Managing the Environment

From an understanding of environmental problems which arise from development models and the environmental and social degradation they cause, and based on the theory of the sustainable development of species and ecosystems, a study was made of management models concerning the environment and institutional resources. Partial results of the study indicate the incompatibility of the present forms of management with the adoption of conservation practices. Four variables were identified as participating directly in an objective function developed for a conservationist institutional structure for environmental management: the nature of the problem; the organization of the societies involved; the existing institutional structure; and, the human and financial resources. As a conclusion, a set of strategic solutions is presented to overcome the conflict.