PROBLEMS IN THE RURAL ENVIRONMENT

People who live in rural areas are usually more aware of the limitations of their natural environment because they live so close to it, and it is easier to see the damage that human activities may do to resources that are important to them. This unit discusses general problems in most rural environments. It can be replaced by the special units on drylands, mountains and small islands which have unique environmental problems. Most rural environments have a number of environmental resources: land used for agriculture and food production, grazing land for animals, forest or woodland, natural areas with native vegetation and animals, perhaps some freshwater features such as streams, a river or lake, and for some a coastal area along the ocean or sea. There are also the villages or towns where human activities are concentrated. Each of these may have some particular environmental problems or management challenges. Forest cover Another major environmental concern for the future of developing countries is the steady reduction in forest cover in almost every country (except those that already have no forest left). Forests are logged for local use or export; shifting cultivation and clearing for agriculture are constant pressures on the forest resource; and frequent uncontrolled fires eat into the forest margins in some countries. This not only represents the loss of a significant productive resource, but contributes to many subsidiary problems such as water shortages, soil erosion, and loss of habitat for endangered species. While many countries have tree replanting programmes, these have rarely been more than marginally successful. Land Use and Land Tenure In rural areas, productive land is usually the most important resource for local people. It must be used efficiently to meet the needs of the people for water, food, building materials and reasonable quality of life, and to maintain the functioning of natural systems on which all these depend. This requires comprehensive planning and careful allocation of land to the most appropriate use or combination of uses. Traditional systems of land and resource tenure often worked effectively when populations were smaller; western approaches to land management were sometimes introduced in colonial times. But rural person's attachment to his or her land may go far beyond western concepts of ownership, and include mystical and spiritual dimensions rooted in traditional cultures. There were often systems of collective tenure that were effective before European contact in maintaining the fair allocation and wise management of scarce resources, but authority and control within traditional land tenure systems tend to break down with modern influences and over-population. European systems of individual freehold ownership are no improvement in this respect. Where neither traditional nor Western systems of ownership function effectively, there can be anarchic development, resource abuse and destruction without the possibility of imposing modern systems of zoning or control in the common interest. While some land is abused, other areas are neglected. However, tampering with land rights in rural areas can produce the same type of reaction as would interfering with religion. Restoring or building on customary systems of management may be the most acceptable and effective approach where it is still possible. Human Habitat and Infrastructure There are also problems of the human habitat in most rural areas, particularly involving housing and sanitation. In countries where cyclonic storms, hurricanes or typhoons are common, many houses are unable to resist hurricane force winds, or are in areas subject to flooding or landslides. Rural areas often lack essential infrastructure like roads or other means of transport that allow rural products to be sold in urban markets or for export, and that make it possible for rural children to continue their education beyond what is available in the village. The pressure of migration to urban areas has also resulted in overcrowding and makeshift construction in towns and cities, with consequent health and social problems. Some cities now have at least partial sewage treatment, but the problems of urban pollution in general are far from solved even there.