Global Environmental Change and Natural Resources: New Approach in Research and Education
Global environmental change is the greatest challenge of our time. There is increasing global awareness of the need for an integrated approach to analyze and mitigate the global environmental problems. Specifically, land degradation, water crises and the impact of climate change on natural resources and food supply are timely and relevant issues, not only for the industrialized world but also more urgently for the developing world. Some examples of global changes in agriculture and forestry include the misuse of natural resources, deforestation and land-use changes, degradation of eco-systems, loss of biodiversity, reduction in food security including plants and animals, the impact of waste disposal, the pollution of air and drinking water1-9. Finding solutions for achieving protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources in the WBC requires a comprehensive understanding of factors and processes linked to sustainable agriculture and forestry. Sustainable management of natural resources issues are related to topics of various disciplines, including, ecology, soil science, water science, agronomy, grassland science, animal husbandry, forest science, genetics and breeding. Until now, there are no in western Balkan countries (WBC) an Integrated Management System (IMS) including a controlling system and education, to achieve the sustainability of agriculture in terms of ecology, economy and social issues.