Best Management Practices

Best Management Practices (BMPs) comprise a range of different concepts and definitions, with varying emphases depending on the primary interests or perspectives of the definers. Environmental BMPs, however, share in common that they are geared toward real (or apparent) reduction or elimination of detrimental impact on the natural environment (such as pollution or habitat destruction). Though references to the general idea of BMPs can be found as far back as the late 19th century, the concept did not gain serious traction until it appeared in the revised 1977 Clean Water Act (though it lacked clear definition), and was originally concerned only with water quality. Since then, BMPs have found a variety of uses in agriculture, manufacturing, land maintenance, and animal care, covering the use and ...