Editorial
Grassroots journalists put
sustainable development
under the microscope
The word sustainable frequently is used to qualify development projects. But why?
The term describes projects that take into account both the forces of nature and social interests, treating them as an integral part of a project, rather than as separate issues.
The popularity of the term dates back to 1992 when the United Nations celebrated the first World Summit on Sustainable Development in Río de Janeiro. Commonly called the Rio Summit, the event was a watershed in contemporary thinking.
The summit adopted the definition of sustainable development that was established in the Brundtland Report entitled “Our Common Future”, prepared by the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987, to wit:
“Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Projects that don’t take into consideration the will or participation of the inhabitants in proposed project areas will never be sustainable. On the other hand, transparency and democratic participation in the initiatives will assure their social, economic and environmental success.
These were some of the concepts shared with the students of CETMar (Center for Marine Technology Studies) and similar educational institutions during a series of four symposia and workshops about grassroots journalism for sustainable development, held in the Gulf of California Region between November 2009 and April 2010.
The volunteers of the Meloncoyote newsletter team are proud to have provided the training and the chance for workshop participants to debut their writing in the pages of this, our third issue of the publication.
The series was truly a pioneering effort. It was organized by the non-profit SuMar - Voces por la Naturaleza, based in Guaymas, Sonora, through an institutional agreement with the campuses of CETMar. The series was carried out in coordination with the following non-governmental organizations: Centro Intercultural de Estudios de Desiertos y Océanos, A.C. (CEDO); Red Ecologista para el Desarrollo Sustentable de Escuinapa, A.C. (REDES); and Grupo Ecológico El Manglar, A.C. The project was possible thanks to the support of The David and Lucile Packard Foundation; the Fondo de Acción Solidaria, A.C. (FASOL); Journalism to Raise Environmental Awareness (PECE), and Bionero.org.
The workshops and youth symposia “Joining Voices for the Gulf of California” took place in Guaymas and Puerto Peñasco, Sonora; Teacapán, Sinaloa; and San Blas, Nayarit.
In conferences presented by experts in their fields, the students and teachers at the middle and high school levels addressed topics of critical importance to the region, such as climate change, land and water use, biodiversity, natural protected areas, wetlands, fishing and tourism, andmany others. The took the workshops on basic journalism techniques, with emphasis placed on field investigation as well as the value of reporting on positive economic alternatives for local communities.
Because of the nature of the Gulf of California Region, the students’ articles mostly cover reconversion of the fishing industry, an activity in social, economic and environmental trouble. The articles emphasize the importance of society’s support for innovatorsaware of the need for natural resource conservation, as well as economic and cultural progress.
Examples that stand out in these pages include: the oyster and clam cooperatives in Puerto Peñasco; the cooperatives that promote ecotourism instead of the centrally planned tourism megaproject in the municipality of Escuinapa, Sinaloa; the North Wharf Fishing Cooperative in San Blas, Nayarit; and the only company on the North American continent that cultivates pearls, in Guaymas’ Bacochibampo Bay. These projects demonstrate the kind of alternatives that could become reality with grassroots participation in the projected development of the commercial port at Punta Colonet, B.C.
Also due to the nature of the region, the articles cover issues of the wetlands and the desert,which comprise a great deal of the protected natural areas that surround and impact the Gulf, recognized a World Natural Heritage site. They illustrate the success of efforts to protect the native marsh crocodile atf San Blas, as well as of the first environmentally friendly visitor’s center in the Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, designed as the prototype for protected natural areas nationwide.
The young grassroots journalists, enthusiastic authors of the stories in this issue, put social participation and the desire to protect the environment under the microscope. May this be an inspiration for the reader who is concerned about the same things and about not “compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.