ABSTRACT
The Brundtland Commission's definition of sustainable development (one that meets the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs) has in many ways been adopted as the global principle of sustainable development. The definition, however, has not helped environmental policy makers and practitioners to translate sustainable development into operational environmental management guidelines. On the contrary, many analysts have come to the conclusion that sustainable development is impossible to make operational in any stable way due to its inherently political and dynamic nature (Haila and Levins 1992; Norgaard 1994; Redclift 1992; World Commission on Environment and Development 1990).
