ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the constraints on integration suggested by the literature of environmental management, development and public administration, and by field experience. Serious environmental problems are invariably part of socio-biophysical systems characterized by both complexity–many relevant factors in an unclear relationship and a high level of interaction, which means that the relationship is constantly changing. The problems are compounded because modernization in Ghana is resulting in the erosion of traditional, sustainable methods of river management. The management approach will also need to stress continual feedback and adjustment in policy and action to suit the emerging needs of the many stakeholders. A primary requisite for public sector management and development is a competent bureaucratic system, and administrative reform is a near universal goal of contemporary societies. Although institutional reform is often part of a high-quality management approach, there is a common tendency to assume that if only the 'right' institutional arrangements can be brought into being, adequate environmental management will result.
