12 March 2007 Environmental managers need people skills as much as understanding of environment

"Environmental management is about managing people's behaviour," says the Central South Island Regional Co-ordinator for NZ Landcare Trust, Shelley Washington of Christchurch.

"While humans are the main influence on the degradation of our environment they are also the key to caring for the environment. It is important to empower people to take ownership of issues and support them to find solutions and change their behaviours."

Shelley has a Master of Resource Studies degree from Lincoln University in Environmental Sociology. Her research thesis was called "Restoring What?: A socio-cultural exploration of ecological restoration in Christchurch and Canterbury." Through eight case studies she examined groups of people involved in ecological restoration projects such as Clarevale corner of the Travis Wetland, Otamahua/Quail Island, Addington Bush and Oxford Wetlands and Forestry.

She found that "how and why human beings restore nature is as important as what human beings restore".

Shelley's masters degree followed a Bachelor of Resource Studies degree in which she was Senior Scholar in her graduating year.

Originally from Central Otago and a past pupil of Cromwell College and Burnside High School, Christchurch, Shelley made the decision to do an environment-related degree at the early age of 15 and has never regretted it.

"I really enjoyed my studies at Lincoln University and they led to a very satisfying career where there is a real sense of benefiting society and the environment."

Shelley works for the NZ Landcare Trust, a non-governmental, independent organisation, funded by the Ministry for the Environment and corporate sponsor Transpower New Zealand that fosters community involvement in sustainable land management and biodiversity initiatives. The organisation works mainly with private rural landholders.

NZ Landcare Trust coordinators such as Shelley work with community groups and a range of other organisations within the community, industry, iwi, local government and central government. Their role is to facilitate and provide support and encouragement. This can range from identifying appropriate research expertise for projects to organising meetings and training workshops, assisting with funding applications and managing projects.

"I like it because it is a very people-focused opportunity to work in the environmental arena," says Shelley, "and that's where it all starts, with people."

Along with the Masters of Resource Studies degree, Lincoln University offers the bachelor's level qualification now known as the Bachelor of Environmental Management – BEM.

The main focus of the BEM course is the study of interrelationships between the ecological, social and economic aspects of the environment, says Professor Ken Hughey, a course adviser for the Natural Resource Management stream.

The other streams within the degree are Policy and Planning (course adviser Professor Ali Memon) and Individual Major (Dr Ian MacDonald, course adviser).

The degree is distinctive in New Zealand as the only bachelor's level qualification offering multi-disciplinary training in policy, planning and management, says Professor Hughey.

Environmental managers like Shelley must be skilled in scoping and analysing situations, listening to many points of view, formulating options, and facilitating community choices.

If this sounds like you, you can enrol now in Lincoln University's Bachelor of Environmental Management degree and start your study with mid-year entry on 2 July.

Ian Collins, Communications Group, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand