Among the environmental problems, which are most analyzed today, is pollution in its various phases, this is an aspect that society has to solve, for this reason, it is necessary to analyze one of the main consequences that is stem from this problem, which has been lacking a contextual approach from a CTS perspective. This affectation is present in the interior channel of the South Island of Varadero, a study area located in this tourist pole, which due to its coastal zone characteristics has been subjected to strong pressure of use, without taking into account its fragility and vulnerability. With the aim of proposing a Comprehensive Environmental Sanitation Program that helps counteract the pollution of this canal and restore its quality as part of the ecosystem to which it belongs,this research was developed. For this, it was necessary to carry out a participatory environmental diagnosis, guided by the theoretical assumptions of the Social Studies of Science and Technology, which revealed a list of environmental problems, the most significant causes of which were associated with ignorance of science and technology, the lack of environmental perceptions of the residents of the place, a scarce community participation in solving these problems and a lack of harmonious integration between the institutions. This made it possible to develop different subprograms with actions linked to environmental issues that respond to the needs of the context, and whose harmonious articulation makes up the Comprehensive Environmental Sanitation Program of this channel.The methodological treatment given to the problem of contamination in this case can be an interesting experience to transform areas with similar problems.
Introduction
Man cannot exist as a totally independent and isolated entity, but depends on the environment where he develops, since he needs, in order to subsist, among other things, on air, water, an adequate temperature, as well as other essential factors. for life. Hence, the importance of preserving and conserving the ecosystem where it lives.
However, each community and / or country struggles to survive and prosper without worrying about the effects they cause on others, some consume the earth's resources at an accelerated rate that will leave little for future generations. When man begins to perceive the detriment of his environment and realizes the danger he runs, if he continues with such indiscriminate and irrational exploitation he decides, then take measures to try to avoid his actions against the deterioration of the environment.
Humanity has been gaining awareness in recent years of the importance for its own survival of protecting natural resources, achieving a balance between development and nature.
All this has been due to not taking into account the context of development from a social perspective, which is why it is necessary to bear in mind the problems that humanity is experiencing today. Today's man cannot be seen isolated, but included within this context, as a central axis to promote social development.
The evolution of man has shown since ancient times that the interaction between the individual and the environment is a basic life process. This sense of life has been oriented towards the coastal areas, because they constitute a natural environment with considerable special ecological-environmental and socio-economic significance, precisely because they constitute the natural limit between the mainland and the sea.
In coastal areas there are the highest world population densities, as well as the highest population growth rates, since it supports 60% of the population and two-thirds of the cities with more than 1.6 million inhabitants (IGBP, 1992; IGBP, 1993).
The characteristic feature of the natural functioning of coastal ecosystems, which is influenced by anthropogenic action, is the intensity of the energy-substantial geoflows that take place between the maritime and land parts that make them up and the significant role they play in the primary biological production globally. This functioning can be affected, and in fact it is, by distinguishing itself as an area where they compete for space, conditions and natural resources, obviously limited, and by the presence of a great diversity of socioeconomic activities (Cabrera, Caballero, Consuegra, Alfonso, 2002).
In this context, beaches constitute a coastal ecosystem of great importance and are currently the main attraction of the tourism industry, worldwide and everything indicates that it will continue to be so in the coming years.
The Caribbean region, and Cuba as part of it, has experienced a growth in the tourism sector in recent years, very closely linked to beaches (Cabrera, Moreno, Mena, Consuegra, Rojas, 2005).
Varadero beach has exceptional natural conditions, among which the following stand out: the extensive sandy strip of biogenic origin, the quality of its waters and the landscapes with dunes. However, exploitation for several decades and tourism development have caused very rapid changes in the structure and functioning of this ecosystem, manifesting transformations in its natural image.
It is necessary to understand that the options for effective action that exist in the face of the progressive deterioration of the environment, imply a change of attitude of each one of the inhabitants of the earth with respect to their relationship with their environment, which leads to a change in the outlook irrational anthropic that development has had, as it tends to be increasingly excessive, uneven, and out of context. All this shows that this development, responsible for the environmental problems that humanity is experiencing today, has lacked a social approach to science and technology (STS). This approach is extremely necessary to guide socio-environmental development in any area of planet Earth, especially in the coastal zone, that is why it is instituted in emerging before the knowledge society that is characterizing the 21st century.
The importance of this approach is based, attending to its basic objectives, since it is oriented to:
- Develop a critical spirit around the development of science and technology.
- Demystify the neutral nature of science. (Put science in a social place full of interests.)
- Achieve public participation in the technological intervention processes.
The achievement of these objectives contributes to breaking the traditional image about science and technology and therefore the linear vision of the equation that science + technology = development is questioned, because the quality of life demands other orientations. The economy must be developed but with a humanistic vision, because otherwise there is no development.
The social studies of science and technology rather than the result itself, focus on non - technical unveil values that are present in the process of development of this activity, assess the conditions and impacts of the technical results obtained.
Among the environmental problems that this excessive development has generated, and that concern society most, is pollution, due to its visibility, which is the result of a scientific and technological development foreseen from outside the context. This problem is one of those that is most affecting the quality of life of the natural and social systems that make up the coastal zone.
Without the CTS approach, the management of the coastlines would not be completely effective, which is extremely important, as it is increasingly necessary to maintain a balance between use for economic, social and sustainable purposes, conservation of ecosystems and beauty. of these places.
Pollution is a problem of concentration, that is, of quantity per unit of volume. Consequently, pollutant can potentially be any element and / or substance that, due to its high concentration, can produce a harmful alteration (negative impact) on the physical, chemical and biological properties of the environment. This phenomenon occurs equally in soils, waters and the atmosphere and particularly within waters it presents great importance.
Cuba does not escape the existing reality, regardless of the fact that in recent times there has been a strengthening in environmental policy. In this sense, the municipality of Varadero has been working on this issue, creating for this purpose the Integrated Management Offices for beaches and coasts, and the Ecological Reserve, which are subordinate to CITMA. However, the studies are insufficient, biased from the knowledge and in the geographical space, and they are not always participatory, nor do they include all those involved in the environmental problems that emanate in the Varadero peninsula due to the highly significant tourist development for the country.
In Varadero, the South Island is located, which is separated from the Hicacos peninsula by an inland channel known by the same name. This is affected by the dumping of solid and liquid waste that is emitted into it, by natural and legal persons who live or live around the canal, which has brought, with their negligent and irresponsible actions, an increase in pollution. in this section of the coastal zone, with risk consequences for flora, fauna and human health, even for the entire peninsula due to the interconnection between ecosystems through flows.
For this reason, involve all the institutions that directly or indirectly have participation in this environmental matter in order to jointly act to reduce the pollutant load that is spilled today on the interior channel of the South Island of Varadero and that affects the water quality and therefore the environmental ecosystem, the motivations that gave rise to this work that is offered, have to do with the important role that people should play in their way of thinking and their styles of behavior within society and specifically within the community, the policies of the different sectors of the economy, science, education, and culture, but above all the existence of the political will and the capacity to integrate them.
The environment is one of the most important assets, more and more people are interested in environmental protection measures, which are being carried out in different sectors of society, and especially in tourist destinations.
Historically, this dilemma environment and development has brought as a consequence a level of contamination such that humanity is in a conflict, from the consequences that this can cause to man himself and to nature, since only the economic development and not the sustainability of the ecosystem.
CTS studies as an emerging approach to development
The identification of the links between science and technology is a phenomenon with antecedents in the nineteenth century, but it takes place in an accelerated way in the second half of the twentieth century from the recognition of the role that science and technology play in development, since that both, as one more human activity and interrelated with each other, are significantly impacting the social, economic, political, environmental and cultural life of humanity. This expansive character of influences and impacts is generated from the triumphalist and traditional approach that, around science, accompanies the linear model of development, "+ science = + technology = + wealth = + social welfare".
At the base of this model lie the economic interests concentrated in power groups, hence the elitist nature of its benefits and the prevalence also of technocratic and economistic approaches, which constitute the causes that determine, according to many authors, the environmental problem. facing humanity today. (Castellanos, María E; Clara E. Miranda, Maríanela Morales and Ángel Raúl León. 2007).
The need for an academic change in the image of science and technology is a process that began in the 1970s and is currently in a phase of intense development.
The key to this change is not to despise knowledge, but to consider it as an inherently social process or product where non-technical elements (for example moral values, religious convictions, professional interests, economic pressures, etc.) play a decisive role in its genesis. and consolidation (López, 1998). Since then and under this interpretation, science and technology are considered a social process, whose understanding, education and application have been building an approach to the science-technology-society (STS) relationship, which becomes essential to guide development with a more humanistic purpose (Núñez 1999, 2002).
To appropriate a STS approach is to have a citrus-reflective spirit about scientific and technological development, it is to demystify the neutral nature of science and even more to promote public participation in the processes of technological intervention in particular contexts, because finally the citizens of These contexts are more victims of technological risks due to their spatio-temporal expression, whose impacts can last centuries, than of the benefits that a technology always generates, since these can even become ephemeral, as they are a function of The changing interests.
The theoretical references of CTS are the basis of orientation to the pollution problems presented by the interior channel of the South Island of Varadero of this investigation, where an Integral Environmental Sanitation Program was presented, a culture is created to reduce the actions of Future contamination that may come and they serve as an obligatory starting point before the analysis for decision making, seen from a moral, material and finally legal perspective that serves, as an effective sanitation support, so it should not be dispensed with of the interpretations of science and technology with a CTS approach, for a Comprehensive Environmental Sanitation Program, nor of its methodology for obtaining the results.
Basic elements to take into account for a Comprehensive Environmental Sanitation Program
The possible Stages and Phases to develop and implement a plan of this nature are the following:
In stage 1. Preparatory.
Phase 1. Analysis of the environmental and biodiversity conservation situation.
Establishment of the main environmental problems suffered by the interior canal and the existing community. This must be done in a participatory manner, using techniques that are considered adequate for the type of area where the investigative work is carried out.
The prioritization of the problems must also be carried out in a participatory manner, using forms of dynamic selection and considering technical alternatives for weighing each of them (criteria of greater coverage, incidence, of the affected population, etc.)
Phase 2. Definition of alternative solutions to the problems indicated. Once the problems have been selected, each of them needs to be analyzed from the perspective of their eventual technical, organizational or behavioral solutions, with the intention of defining possible additional studies to be carried out, or adjustments that should be incorporated into the process.
Phase 3. Analysis of the perceptions of the community members, and organizations and institutions located in the study area, regarding the problems and the degree of knowledge they have in this regard. How the problem is expressed in them and how much they know about it, intuitively or explicitly.
Phase 4. Elaboration of central guidelines for the solution of the prioritized environmental problems and detection of the educational topics with which each one of them is related. Environmental problems will be solved as a priority in accordance with educational action guidelines that must be defined in this step. For this, it is important to take into account that, to a greater or lesser extent, there are environmental management processes underway, within the same community where the interior canal is located or at the municipal level, and that these guidelines, as well as the entire methodology They must be closely linked with these works and with previous intersectoral experiences.
In stage 2. Implementation.
Phase 5. Establishment of general purposes and coverage. The purposes can be associated with general educational aspects for the population, environmental awareness, group and individual participation, collective organization, or be directed to achievements related to levels of solution of specific problems in which there is a need to educate the population. The coverage will indicate the scope of the work, in terms of the geographical area and the people and groups to which it will be addressed.
Phase 6. Formulation of objectives and development of the action plan for environmental education. Participatively, the community must contribute to formulate the specific objectives and the action plan that will also include the activities to be carried out for each objective and the expected results of each activity. Likewise, a general strategy will be defined, where the sectors involved and the responsibilities of each activity are considered.
Phase 7. Implementation of the action plan. The active participation of community members and entities located in the area is of vital importance, and must be present in the various activities, in accordance with the capacities, knowledge and availability of individuals and groups.
Phase 8. Elaboration of informative messages according to thematic priorities, for various media. The messages will be prepared based on what was obtained in the previous steps, choosing the most appropriate forms of communication for community members, labor entities and their cultural characteristics, for the treatment of the selected problems and for the geographical environment.
At stage 3. Follow-up and monitoring.
Phase 9. Selection of strategies to convey these messages (forms of diffusion, reinforcements, links with specific tasks, balance of receptivity, etc.) These include the means of communication that will be used, the forms of diffusion of the messages, subsequent reinforcements, relationships between messages and specific tasks to be performed or in progress, gradual analysis of receptivity, etc.
Phase 10. Monitoring and evaluation of the first stages of the plan and determination of the modifications to be made to it. It is necessary to establish a concrete monitoring and evaluation plan, cut and comprehensive, for the entire plan. These results should be part of a feedback process of all phases.
Phase 11. Follow-up of results and alternatives to achieve their sustainability. It is important to establish specific lines of monitoring the process, articulated with the evaluation and fulfillment of each of the activities and as well as the expected results.
Methodological scheme proposed for the application of the methodology for environmental sanitation in the interior canal of the South Island in Varadero.
Stage 1
High school.
- Analysis of the environmental situation.
- Definition of alternatives.
- Analysis of the perceptions of community members and state entities of their problems.
- Preparation of central guidelines for solving problems.
Stage 2
Implementation.
- Establishment of general purposes and coverage.
- Formulation of the objectives and development of the plan.
- Implementation of the action plan.
Stage 3
Follow-up and monitoring
- Elaboration of informative messages.
- Selection of strategies.
- Monitoring and evaluation.
- Monitoring of results and achieving sustainability.
The methodology presented is made up of different techniques, in order to carry out a current diagnosis of the environmental problem in the interior channel of the South Island, its contamination, the risks and effects of the ecosystem and society in general, having taking into account the practical experiences of all decision-makers in order to obtain more real information about everything that happens, which is why a Comprehensive Environmental Sanitation Program was proposed, from a CTS perspective that allows the improvement of water quality, coastal zone and the diversity of the ecosystem, as well as avoiding affecting the health of the population and improving the natural environment at the entrance to Varadero, this being the main tourist pole of the country, due to its tourist attractions such as sun, beach and nature.
Comprehensive Environmental Sanitation Program for the interior canal of the South Island of Varadero
Fundamentals of the program.
This program for the canal is important because through it it is possible to act, to eradicate or reduce the environmental pollution that it currently presents with the dumping of sewage, solid waste and garbage, but not only the canal, but also the The objective is to improve with these actions the quality of life of the residents in its surroundings and contribute to protecting our flora and fauna for the benefit of a new, purer and less polluted society, achieving a sustainable ecosystem where the Comprehensive Sanitation Program Environmental, in which all the organizations committed to the environment participate and integrate the community into it, taking into account public participation in solving problems,in the awareness of the risks and negative impacts to which it is exposed when acting on the solution of the present, without thinking about the compromise of the future.
The following format is proposed as an example to prepare the Comprehensive Environmental Sanitation Program for the Inland Canal of the South Island of Varadero.
General objective:
Contribute to the environmental sanitation of the interior canal of the South Island of Varadero.
Strategic objectives:
Provide environmental sanitation, in order to:
• Improve the sanitary and hygienic quality of the canal.
• Promote environmental education and information.
• Promote community participation in sanitation processes.
• Strengthen the integration of production companies - services located or linked to the canal.
Even though all the mechanisms are created to carry out environmental sanitation in the interior canal of the South Island, this is not carried out, neither by the members of the community, nor by the administrative managers of the entities located in the area and that They are discharged into the sea, nor by the health organizations, the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources, CITMA, the management office and the Government in the territory.
In a conclusive way we can say:
- The study carried out allowed us to know the perception that the organizations involved have on the problems of the environment.The lack of information about the environment and the lack of education about the environment are influencing factors in the scarce environmental awareness and consequence of a compatible behavior that leads to serving as an example worthy of being imitated In Varadero, environmental protection is deficient, among other causes, due to the fact that, at the decision-makers and responsible level, they have a very partial and reduced perception of the tasks and duties of environmental protection The implementation of the proposed program and its action plan for environmental recovery,can achieve the integration of special databases and attributes for the analysis of the most essential problems that the interior channel of the South Island presents.
The integration of social actors, community participation, understanding of risk, search for financing for the execution of programs, strengthening the community-company / institution bond, creation of circles of interest, evaluation of the improvement of environmental conditions, creation of a group manager.
The CTS approach in the identification of the problem and the elaboration of the program is a fundamental element to take into account to elaborate an integration scheme of the actors, which contributes to the solution of the problem, with participatory decision-making.
Conclusions
During the development of the research, a series of techniques and instruments were applied that allowed us to reach the following conclusions:
- It was possible to identify the main environmental problems of the interior canal of the South Island of Varadero. Surveys applied to the population and administrative officials of the labor entities established in the area allowed us to know the perception that they have on environmental problems. Lack of environmental information and lack of environmental education are influencing factors in the low environmental awareness and a compatible behavior that leads to serve as an example worthy of being imitated In Varadero, environmental protection is deficient, among other causes., because, at the decision-makers and responsible level, they have a very partial and reduced perception of the tasks and duties of environmental protection.The application of the proposed program and its action plan for environmental recovery can achieve the integration of special databases and attributes for the analysis of the most essential problems that the interior channel of the South Island presents.
The integration of social actors, community participation, understanding of risk, search for financing for the execution of programs, strengthening the community-company / institution bond, creation of circles of interest, evaluation of the improvement of environmental conditions, creation of a group manager. Taking into account the CTS approach in the identification of the problem and elaboration of the program, in which a scheme of integration of the actors in the solution of the problem was elaborated, with participatory decision making.
recommendations
The fundamental recommendations derived from the work carried out by the Comprehensive Environmental Sanitation Program are:
- Present this investigative work to the authorized bodies in the territory in order to implement this environmental sanitation program in those areas or localities with characteristics similar to the intervention area. Coordinate with all the actors and managers, be it legal or natural person and Negotiate the actions to carry out the proposed environmental sanitation project Act through the legal regulations and the CITMA and Government Inspection Bodies to guarantee the viability of environmental sanitation projects Prepare a training plan for stakeholders and managers who will undertake actions and projects for environmental sanitation. Enrich the environmental sanitation program based on the results and experiences obtained in solving this research problem.Take into account the process of evaluating local indicators for environmental sustainability.
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