Environmental Education is a necessity to face the contemporary environmental crisis, it must go beyond transmitting knowledge about the Environment, it must be aimed at developing habits, abilities, capacities and aptitudes, to raise the quality of life and make use of sustainable natural environment resources. Education in matters related to the environment constitute a strategic component in the Integrated Management of Coastal Zones because it not only provides positive changes in the way of thinking and acting, but also becomes a fundamental tool for collective action. The development of activities in marine and nautical centers generate a large number of negative impacts on marine and terrestrial ecosystems.Adequate Environmental Education, for the implementation of good practices and the integration of social actors to carry out Integrated Management in Coastal Zones.
1- Environmental education with an Integrated Management approach in Coastal Zones in the Marina and Nautical centers
Environmental Education is a permanent educational process that prepares citizens for the understanding of the main environmental problems of the contemporary stage, providing them with technical scientific knowledge that allows them to develop awareness of the urgent need to protect the natural environment with attitudes and actions. that contribute to the search for solutions for the problems that appear, as well as a consequent protection, conservation, improvement and transformation of the environment that guarantees the full enjoyment of life.
Principle 19 of the Stockholm Declaration states: “Education in environmental issues, aimed at both young generations and adults, and which pays due attention to the least privileged sector, is essential to broaden the foundations of a well-informed public opinion and the conduct of individuals, companies and communities inspired by the sense of their responsibility in terms of protecting and improving the environment in all its human dimension ”.
The need to consider the development and implementation of this type of education is based, fundamentally, on the recognition that environmental problems must be faced not only through the application of standards, administrative procedures or technological application, but it is essential develop an educational process that is oriented to the change of values, conceptions and attitudes of humanity towards the environment.
This need has been expressed in different United Nations documents; Among the most important we can cite "Our Common Future", prepared by the Brundtland Commission in 1987. It says: "What we are asking for is a common effort for new modes of behavior at all levels and in the interest of all.. The changes in attitudes, social values and aspirations that this report insists on will depend on extensive education campaigns, debates and public participation. ”
Today Environmental Education is a way that offers great educational possibilities, in addition to helping the formation of the conception about the importance of the conservation and rational use of natural resources, it contributes to significant achievements in the formation of an environmental culture. (Novo, 2003)
Law 81, on the Environment of Cuba, dedicates an extensive chapter (VII) to this topic, from its First Title, to Environmental Education. Article 47 states the following:
“All the organs and organisms have the responsibility to promote and execute activities with their workers, social groups or with the population with which they interact, to increase their knowledge about the environment and its links with development and promote a higher level of awareness in this sphere ”.
Therefore, the production and service companies for the tourist activity, as part of their environmental strategies, must carry out actions aimed at solving the environmental problems they generate, and also carry out outreach and training activities with managers and workers, to raise their knowledge and to promote their willingness to solve current and potential problems. Even when progress is being made in this area, much remains to be done, due to various factors of an educational, technological and financial resource nature.
The Integrated Management of Coastal Zones (ICZM) constitutes, then, today, one of the most important, necessary and novel approaches to consider, in order to execute actions towards the sustainable development of the coasts on a global, regional and local scale, for being an expression practice or route of implementation of what aspires sustainable development in the development of coastal areas (Miranda, Castellanos, León, 2005).
Human practice is based on learning. ICZM, as a long-term process of change, must also respond positively to the changing environmental and socioeconomic conditions of the context in which it develops, by evaluating the different generational cycles through which it passes (Olsen and Ochoa, 2007)..
ICZM starts, as a theoretical and practical concept, from an essentially subjective base, which unfortunately and generally is very little developed. This basis consists in the full and permanent disposition of individuals and their intentions for the development of true cooperative and joint working relationships. A frank openness and readiness is required for the development of the widest possible concertation and coordination of efforts for full and true integration. All of this depends significantly on the application of adequate and systematic Environmental Education programs, in order to create and develop a spontaneous and conscious commitment to the environment.
Education and public awareness on issues related to the environment constitute a strategic component in Integrated Coastal Zone Management because it not only provides positive changes in the way of thinking and acting, but also becomes a fundamental tool for collective action.
1.1- The Integrated Management of Coastal Areas and its relationship with Environmental Education
ICZM starts, as a theoretical and practical concept, from an essentially subjective base, which unfortunately and generally is poorly developed, this base consists in the full and permanent disposition of individuals and their institutions for the development of true relations of cooperation and joint work. The dictionary of the Spanish language indicates that integration is the… "process of interaction of those of a group, which causes a reciprocal adjustment and an individual awareness of identification with the group"… and it is also the… "assimilation process by means of which society integrates the heterogeneous elements ”… In summary, a frank openness and readiness is required for the development of the widest possible concertation and coordination of efforts towards full and true integration.All this depends significantly on the application of adequate and systematic environmental education and awareness programs, in order to create and develop a spontaneous and conscious commitment to the environment in the different social actors. (García, 2006)
Social actors are individuals, groups and institutions that carry out their daily practices (economic, social, political, cultural) at the local level. It is the actual or potential capacity for ideal and executing actions (seen in a broad sense), of agents (actual or potential) of social change. (CIPS Report, 2001).
The management of the coastal zone resource implies a set of positions that start from the social, economic and political scheme of the country in question, transiting, of course, its comprehensive concepts and scientific and cultural development, we have seen this from the community, territorial and national point of view. The consolidation of scientific work is precisely the way to stabilize the levels of knowledge and rational use of the coastal zone. (Montolio, 2006)
The Integrated Management of the Coastal Zone, much more than an object of local interest, has to be seen as a field of multilateral action and permanent cooperation where the experiences and knowledge of all are indispensable, since we experience similar processes and natural phenomena, and At the same time we have made similar mistakes in the administration of the coastal zone. Furthermore, it is today a universally accepted truth that the coastal and marine investigations of the present, due to their complexity and breadth, are outside the full scope of an institution. For these reasons, the establishment and development of more efficient and lasting cooperation and integration programs is essential. (García, 2006)
The integrated management system must be constituted by nature, in a continuous process, with the necessary capacity to constantly improve, evaluate and rethink. It is in itself a challenge to the imagination and the ability of man to model and theoretically forecast the evolution of natural phenomena and processes, in order to decrease the number of subjective decisions that must be made. (García, 2006)
Therefore, for the process to be truly integrated, it must be the purpose of environmental education to positively transform the collective and individual attitude of citizens towards their environment, while making them active factors in its implementation, development, systematic evaluation and improvement.. (García, 2006)
It is the objective of MIZC to advance through educational initiatives organized between decision makers, managers and specialists; which is understandable if we consider that it is a revolutionary approach to the sustainable management of natural resources, in relation to the traditional one, of an economistic nature. In principle, all the programs that are developed worldwide have started with carefully structured educational campaigns that have allowed the principles and techniques of resource management to be transmitted to the widest possible audience. Those who have not heeded these precepts have failed. (Duque, 2006).
In this way we see how Environmental Education is projected into the future, adapting to the moments and giving an ethical and scientific treatment to the environmental problems raised by developing societies. It is an indispensable premise to maintain this topicality that it is also critical and innovative.
Environmental Education for ICZM is a firm base for decision-makers and is most effective when actors visit other areas and appreciate the impacts or the successful results of applied measures.
From the very beginning of the implementation of a coastal management program and as part of the same plan, the institutions involved must have an efficient educational preparation to create an awareness of the importance of rationally managing planned and adequate coastal resources. available, if they really want to achieve sustainable development.
Designing, systematizing and perfecting the "educational programs" duly planned "for each sector, time and type of community, only in this way contribute to the development of the so-called Environmental Education as an essential element for ICZM. This ensures that, decisions related to the use and exploitation of the environment, travel the paths that trace scientific results for the benefit of society and can be directly solved, the particular environmental problems and each social actor will see the problem more closely. that it is intended to provide a solution and within some time to prevent. (Montolio, 2006).
Therefore, it is necessary to reflect, starting from the following elements:
- In everyone's hands, individually is the responsibility.
- No entity, body, company and social actor is exempt, from the institutional (collective) point of view, of the responsibility to educate, to identify problems, to look for solutions.
- It would be recommendable and advantageous if this important responsibility of educating towards ICZM is implicit in the functions and objectives of any institution, community or territory.
- It is recommended that there be within the entity, community or territory the area directly responsible for the work to be carried out, independently that everyone should be involved and committed.
- The results must be systematically controlled and evaluated, to know to what extent it has been reached and how far it should be followed.
- The characterization of the problem, its closeness, sensitivity to it and its solution are dealt with in the corresponding field.
Environmental Education constitutes, together with scientific research, a primary tool for achieving ICZM. Without environmental education and awareness, the best scientists and decision makers could go in the opposite direction of the interests of society and vice versa. It is necessary, then, to form in the managers of the coastal zones a firm political will, both local and national, which constitutes the basis of everything that one aspires to achieve. (García, 2006).
Coastal Zones are sites of intense interaction between economic activities and natural resources around the world, through which they receive many economic benefits, but unfortunately, they also receive pollution from activities on land, such as: waters Untreated blacks, inorganic pollutants and sediments, or from activities in the water, some of which also occur from activities of the Marinas. This causes ecosystems to continue to degrade quickly or slowly, sometimes without considering the long-term negative impacts such as: the reduction of important fisheries breeding areas, or the affectation of marine animal refuge sites, among others..
Marine and nautical tourism is of great importance to the islands of the Caribbean, since taking into account their physical and geographical conditions, as well as their location, they constitute a considerable and growing source of income. However, if these activities are not subject to management that takes into account the sustainable development of the environment, they can cause serious and irreparable damage to the marine environment.
For Marinas to prosper harmoniously with the ecological environment, they need to rely on sustainable forms of administration and management that ensure an economically flourishing business for investors, better ways of life for local communities and the conservation of ecosystems. When a sector, such as tourist marinas, voluntarily adopt environmental practices, it shows its decision to support environmental protection and ecological conservation in its daily activities. (Rubinoff, 2005)
The development of Marine and Nautical Tourism constitutes a fundamental component in the tourism industry in Cuba. The natural characteristics of the region provide different opportunities for the enjoyment of tourist boats, and the development of activities such as water sports, contemplative diving, fishing, catamaran riding, life on board, services to boats, among others.
Each of the aforementioned activities generate a large number of negative impacts on the different coastal ecosystems, requiring a high professional level, extensive knowledge during the management and planning of these activities, therefore Environmental Education is essential for all those who they work and are in charge of planning and defining strategies for the use, management and conservation of coastal areas where these marine and nautical activities are carried out.
Design, systematize and perfect the Environmental Education programs duly planned in the tourism sector in marinas and nautical; it would be a contribution to the development of ICZM. This would ensure that the actions related to the use of marine and terrestrial ecosystems are supported by the principles of sustainability.
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