INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL-MANAGEMENT - STRENGTHENING THE CONCEPTUALIZATION

Although espoused by many, integrated environmental management (IEM) h as been difficult to accomplish in practice. There are many reasons fo r this shortfall, but certainly a key factor is the lack of agreement among scholars and practitioners regarding the concept and its definin g elements. Our purpose here is to sharpen the conceptual basis for IE M by elaborating and pragmatically characterizing a framework for the practice of more integrated environmental management. We outline four fundamental dimensions of IEM: (1) comprehensive, (2) interconnective, (3) strategic, and (4) interactive/coordinative. IEM efforts in the B lack Earth Creek watershed in Wisconsin illustrate specific attributes and examples pertaining to our conceptualization of IEM. Acceptance o f the conceptual framework elaborated here should alleviate some of th e confusion associated with IEM and help move this widely heralded app roach from theory into practice.