Environmental studies and environmental sciences programs in American and Canadian colleges and universities seek to ameliorate environmental problems through empirical enquiry and analytic judgment. In a companion article (Part 1) we describe the environmental program movement (EPM) and discuss factors that have hindered its performance. Here, we complete our analysis by proposing strategies for improvement. We recommend that environmental programs re-organize around three principles. First, adopt as an overriding goal the concept of human dignity-defined as freedom and social justice in healthy, sustainable environments. This clear higher-order goal captures the human and environmental aspirations of the EPM and would provide a more coherent direction for the efforts of diverse participants. Second, employ an explicit, genuinely interdisciplinary analytical framework that facilitates the use of multiple methods to investigate and address environmental and social problems in context. Third, develop educational programs and applied experiences that provide students with the technical knowledge, powers of observation, critical thinking skills and management acumen required for them to become effective professionals and leaders. Organizing around these three principles would build unity in the EPM while at the same time capitalizing on the strengths of the many disciplines and diverse local conditions involved.

The environmental sciences/studies movement, with more than 1000 programs at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, is unified by a common interest-ameliorating environmental problems through empirical enquiry and analytic judgment. Unfortunately, environmental programs have struggled in their efforts to integrate knowledge across disciplines and educate students to become sound problem solvers and leaders. We examine the environmental program movement as a policy problem, looking at overall goals, mapping trends in relation to those goals, identifying the underlying factors contributing to trends, and projecting the future. We argue that despite its shared common interest, the environmental program movement is disparate and fragmented by goal ambiguity, positivistic disciplinary approaches, and poorly rationalized curricula, pedagogies, and educational philosophies. We discuss these challenges and the nature of the changes that are needed in order to overcome them. In a subsequent article (Part 2) we propose specific strategies for improvement.

The establishment of Podocarpus National Park (PNP), Ecuador, created a new social context (process) in which people interact. The outcomes and effects of this process determine the management policy for the park and surrounding buffer zone. Social process is the interaction of people as they influence the actions, plans, or policies of other people, even if they are unaware of each other. This process is made up of participants with varying perspectives, interacting in situations, seeking values, using strategies to achieve outcomes that have effects. Our rapid assessment (March 10-19, 2005) gave us an introduction to this dynamic context in PNP and these seven variables. Our initial assessment suggests there are procedural problems with how people interact with one another (e.g., poor communication, limited data sharing, conflict), leading to content problems managing the biological features of the park (e.g., orchid poaching, illegal logging, fires). We suggest that participants in PNP develop their own social process map, work to build new cooperative partnerships, and use prototyping to improve finding social process outcomes in the interest of all participants in the arena.The authors would like to thank their Ecuadorian hosts, ArcoIris and The Nature Conservancy, Quito for allowing them the opportunity to explore the conservation challenges surrounding PNP, as well as the numerous individuals and organizations that offered friendship and valuable time to help the authors learn about the region.