Sustainability
is an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to the management and protection
our natural, built and social environments.
The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development arose from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992. This Conference confirmed that equitable partnerships between Governments and the people were necessary to protect the integrity of the global environmental and developmental systems through recognizing the integral and interdependent nature of the Earth.
27 Principles for development were adopted and these have since become the keystones for the concept of Sustainability practices throughout the world.
These Principles have at their focus the recognition that development and the environment are interdependent and that development should proceed in a manner that protects resources and ecological integrity over the long term while greatly improving human well-being, especially among the poor. Sustainability is most commonly recognised as "an integration of environmental protection, social advancement and economic prosperity" (Government of Western Australia 2003).
The uptake of Sustainability principles throughout the developed world has been gradual but is gaining momentum. The Government of Western Australia has committed to the use of sustainability as an integrated, whole of government approach to its activities and provides allied support for other sectors to integrate sustainability into their practices.
The Sustainability Special Interest Group is involved in the development of broad understanding of sustainability through sharing information about its' issues and the application of principles in development. The SIG develops policies related to the implementation of sustainability principles, contributes to the development of Frameworks for sustainability assessments where possible and acts as a lobby group for the enhancement of the environment and human well-being in development.
