In the Netherlands, drastic changes were made in the national "Delta Plan," following the exponential growth of public awareness about environmental issues as compared to that in the 1950's when this Plan to close off a series of estuaries in the provi
nce of Zeeland originated and practically no one was concerned with anything but public safety. Similarly, since the 1970's great emphasis is placed on public participation in the environmental decision making process in the USA. According to some criti
cs, this is just lip- service, and little if any heed is paid to inputs from the public. Lack of public awareness and involvement environmental decisions in the former Sovjet republics which ultimately led to disastrous environmental degradation and treme
ndous costs of remediation.
In 1976, the USVI started a campaign to educate the public on coastal management and conducted a series of interviews to evaluate public perceptions about coastal problems and management decisions. One of the questions asked for the ranking of various pos
sible coastal development options and alternatives. Almost 30% of respondents preferred agriculture, just over 20% light industry, and just under 20% fishing; tourism rated slightly lower than fisheries. Yet it is clear from the subsequent scenario tha
t the USVI government certainly did not change its policies to favor agriculture and fisheries, but instead opted to (or was forced to?) develop tourism and light industry, as was predicted by several of the more denunciatory respondents. A 23 year resid
ent of St. Thomas has attended public hearings in order to oppose further exploitation, but complained this was to no avail. "What remains will be developed. The Legislature chooses to pass laws that render it immediate remuneration."
In our 1992 beach surveys in Trinidad, Tobago and Jamaica, we found that local opinions were strongly divided for and against increasing the number of tourists, and with respect to efficacy of schools to te
ach environmental awareness. Our 1995 questionnaire led one respondent to admit that she did not really know much about what was going on on her island, and was eager to learn more. It is our observation that environmental education is very much in dema
nd by the Caribbean people. Environmental education (EE) has been an integral part of the program of the Institute of Marine Affairs in Trinidad and Tobago since its inception in 1976. Similarly, the UWI has been deeply involved in EE and its faculty, in
conjunction with the UNESCO-UNEP International Environmental Education Program, has published a series of EE Curriculum Guides for the Caribbean Islands (Glasgow, 1994). In response to our request, Dr. Joyce Glasgow kindly presented an overview of the status of environmental education on several of the Caribbean islands, which will be included in our Caribbean Coastal Studies homepage, and which we hope to supplement from time to time with additional EE inputs.
The importance of a responsible press should also be recognized. During an ecojournalism awards ceremony in St. Lucia in Spring, 1995, the Jamaican Chair of the Sandals tourist resort chain, Gordon "Butch" Stewart, warned Caribbean countries that, unless
they check persisting damage of the environment their tourism industries would be wrecked. He pointed out that there was a crucial role for the press in preserving the environment and the regional tourism industry. "It is the press that is going to be
the policeman for the environment and the other assets the Caribbean has."
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