Maastricht school of Management is performing yearly a twelve-week executive course ‘Management of the Environment’. This programme concentrates on environmental impact from a managerial point of view. Participants come from developing countries and have relevant working experience between 5 to 20 years with a bachelor level. Lecturers have a background as consultant and trainer. Many stakeholders are involved in environmental impact like companies, authorities, NGOs, and citizens. Still environmental science specialists and environmental policy makers play an important role in the debate: environmental impact assessment is a tool for specialists while participation of other stakeholders was meant to be the case.
Environmental problems can only be addressed and managed by and through people. Management of the environment is management of stakeholders through a process of environmental impact, acceptance of stakeholders, and given context conditions. Information, communication, participation, change, negotiation are important management aspects to deal with this process. Learning to address the environmental impact in a negotiable way with proper propitiation is an essential step to find accepted solutions with stakeholders involved. Complexity needs to be brought back to essentials to find proper solutions on policy and executive level. This executive course has the focus on a better environment through people.