ABSTRACT
Any environmentalist or earth scientist will know that no organism exists in isolation from other organisms or in isolation from its habitat. Similarly, all managers accept that their work exists within a much wider environment. This environment has physical, social, economic and political parameters, all of which impose constraints or conditions on the work of the manager. The work of the countryside manager is therefore linked to a wide spectrum of issues which both influence and are influenced by the manager's operations. This wider spectrum of issues is clearly of relevance to the countryside manager for several reasons. Firstly, political or social changes will have a direct bearing upon the work of the manager – political attitudes to afforestation or farm surpluses, for example, will in turn bring changes in public attitude (or indeed, vice-versa!) and, in the longer term, changes in the grant regimes available to fund countryside work. Secondly, the countryside manager is often interested in the wider environmental issues at a personal level: a commitment that is often deeply rooted and, therefore, tends to blur the edges of the managerial responsibilities and areas that the manager feels he or she might like to influence. While this is understandable in managerial terms it could be dangerous because it could lead to vague and unachievable objectives being set. Many countryside managers will have some sympathy for the plight of the tropical rain forests of South America and elsewhere; however, it is beyond the scope of most countryside managers to greatly influence such global issues through their managerial work! The problems and opportunities that exist for many managers are similar not only throughout Britain but also across the world – a situation that is summed up by the adage ‘think globally, act locally’. While the manager may be operating in a small area,
