Environmental Management: Ecosystems, Competitiveness and Waste Management

As defined by the EPA, an environmental management system refers to a set of processes and practices that enable an organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating efficiency. Accordingly, this book presents five chapters that introduce unique perspectives relating to the concept of environmental management. Chapter One describes the results of a large-scale study on the structure and governance of diverse ecosystem services of Bulgarian farms. Similarly, Chapter Two applies a holistic approach in the assessment of the competitiveness of agricultural holdings in Bulgaria as a whole, as well as in terms of their different specialization. Chapter Three includes information that enables the adequate identification of mine waste deposits, in order to evaluate the impact on human and ecological health, and to implement suitable alternatives for their environmental management. Chapter Four reviews the biomonitoring strategies employed to evaluate the negative environmental impact of mining waste, the remediation alternatives for mining-polluted sites, and environmental management approaches. Lastly, Chapter Five presents suggestions of actions for public managers and entrepreneurs of the solid waste sector with the perspective of process automation, waste destination, sustainability of the planet, and the reduction of waste production.