The UK environment industry is estimated to employ 400,000 people in 2007 and is worth approximately 25 billion GBP. Environmental consultancy is a rapidly growing industry sector and is predicted to achieve over 9% growth throughout 2008, due to government legislation that companies must adhere to in their business practices and developments. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) was formed in 2001 due to the failure of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) to manage the outbreak of foot and mouth disease which devastated livestock farming throughout the United Kingdom. MAFF was thus merged with the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR), creating DEFRA, which states their objective as being 'to enable everyone to live within our environmental means'. Environmental consultants provide an essential service in many areas, including carbon foot-printing, environmental planning, environmental economics, local authority waste management, renewable energy sources and sustainability assessment, to name but a few. Much of the environment industry operates on a specialist consultancy basis; however, many companies also have internal departments that offer expertise or which are responsible for subcontracting relevant specialist environmental consultants. The environment industry is continually evolving, responding to ongoing corporate responsibility, risk and image requirements. Before planning permission can be granted for any given development, there is DEFRA legislation in place to ensure that certain environmental requirements are met. While an environmental consultant's duties will vary dependent on what specialised sector they are consulting in, some general traits remain consistent. Environmental consultants generally collate and evaluate information from sources and format this data into scientific policy reports that can support applications for planning permission or any other associated developmental legislation. Environmental consultants will also support the client at any applicable meetings and make presentations of data collated during environmental surveys and research, evaluating any potential environmental risks. A major role of environmental consultants is to devise and implement practical environmental management systems to ensure that legislation remains adhered to and that the environmental impact of specific activities remains within the limits of any given legislation. Some consultants focus more on the public relations side of environmental development and are vital links for initiating corporate environmental sponsorship agreements. The current concerns regarding climate change have cemented public interest in the protection of the environment at domestic, industrial and corporate levels and been the driving force behind the continual legislative regulations that have been imposed on the corporate world. The legislative minefield of the environment industry has rendered the role of environmental consultants indispensable and the industry is expected to grow in future.
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