留学动态 澳洲院校 申请文书 PVA材料 专用软件 雅思 在线咨询 首页

Statement of Purpose

(Environmental Studies)

Two scenes stand out in my mind from my visit to Brazil’s Wetland: Forests burning

before seed planting and trees as hedgerows. Before the planting season, I could

see the leafless remnants of burnt trees still standing. The burning of pristine

forests destroys both the habitats and countless species which depend on and thrive

in these habitats. The few remaining bare, scarred trees silently convey the cost

to our natural resources of pursuing our economic interests. Some forests are

preserved by government edict issued in response to international pressure. But

most of this preservation occurs alongside major roads — not to protect the

ecosystem, but to prevent disturbance to ranches and farms along the highways. The

clash between economic and environmental concerns that I witnessed in Brazil

fascinates me and attracts me to the Environmental Studies Program.

Two courses in my geography department increased my interest in the connection

between the environment and economics: Conservation of Underdeveloped Countries and

Environmental Impact Analysis. In the former, we studied the problems of natural

resource management in developing countries. The balance is always tilted toward

economics growth at the expense of environmental preservation. For example, because

the Pantanal Wetland could become a highly productive agricultural system once

it’s drained, it is drained regardless of the destruction that drainage causes to

the ecosystem. Only portions of the wetland are preserved for tourist purposes.

The other course that piqued my interest is an interdisciplinary course called

Environmental Impact Analysis in which we, as a group, created matrix and flow

diagrams discussing the economic and environmental impact of logging and

preservation of old growth forests. I was able to use tools that I acquired in my

economics and environmental studies classes. In general, logging creates economic

benefits at the local level. It increases employment in the timber industry and

subsequently in related non-timber industries; it also benefits local government.

Yet, it has great deleterious environmental effects: soil erosion, watershed

destruction, and a decrease in specie diversity due to loss of habitat. The logging

industry represents the classic clash between economic and environmental interests.

I also took two sequential classes in the economics department that are related to

Resource Management — Theories of Growth & Development and Policies for Economic

Development. Because the courses were taught by a professor who is concerned

chiefly with economic growth, I learned the standard economic rationalizations for

development unrestrained by environmental concerns.

In addition to my interest in resource management policies, I have a specific

interest in Geographical Information System (GIS), a powerful tool for natural

resource management. After taking several related classes in GIS, I began interning

for the National Park Service (NPS). After I learn how to use ARC/INFO, a leading

GIS package, I will assist the NPS in constructing projects. Some of my duties

include spatial and non-spatial data analysis, digitizing themes such as fire

locations, vegetation, wildlife habitats, etc., and tabular and graphical

presentation of results. I hope to use the tools I acquire during this internship

in my continuing study of our environment.

I would like to study the social and economic factors that influence environmental

policy formation. For example, because people worry more about pollution than

endangered species, laws and regulations concerning environmental pollution are

more numerous and stricter than for bio-diversity. Within the School of

Environmental Studies, I have a particular interest in the emphasis: Economics,

Policy, and Management. This emphasis deals with how economic factors can create

negative externalities, such as pollution, and need to be regulated. This emphasis

also tries to consider non-economic values, such as aesthetic pleasure and specie

diversity. It also discusses tools like GIS and system analysis that apply to

environmental management. Because of my interest in GIS, economics, and

environmental studies, this emphasis suits me perfectly. Furthermore, the

interdisciplinary approach of the School of Environmental Studies attracts me since

it combines social science’s strengths with a knowledge of the natural sciences

necessary to protect and preserve the environment.

After completing my masters program, I would like to continue my education and

obtain a Ph.D. in natural resource management. This degree would enable me to

combine a teaching career with advising business and government on natural resource

management issues. Teaching college students is more than a one-way channel; I

would also learn from their questions like my professors have from mine. In

advising business and government, I can help them strike a balance between economic

and environmental concerns. GIS will be a useful tool in helping me give them

crucial information.

I have enjoyed an interdisciplinary approach in my environmental studies major and

become fascinated by the clash between social interests, especially economics, and

environmental needs. I pursued an additional major in economics to better

understand this conflict. Furthermore, my work for the NPS will train me in the

latest techniques in natural resource management. I would like to continue

exploring this clash and resource management in the School of Environmental

Studies. Ultimately, I would like to teach and work in natural resource management.

Ideally, I would like to find ways for allowing development while preventing the

burning of beautiful and valuable eco-systems like the Pantanal Wetland.

留

　返回申请指导　　申请学校文书

动态|院校|文书|PVA|IELTS
软件|在线咨询|Home|Contact Us

凡属我站自主版权内容，保留一切权力，未经许可转载责任自负。