LOCAL SUPPORT      FOCUS   FISHERIES   TOURISM

CeCoCo sites are intended to become an integral component of local coastal communities. As well as supplying a resource for information and contact with the wider world, the Centres should offer a facility to where people can bring and share their own observations as to the well being of their coast. 

 

First and foremost, poor people must be seen as part of the solution rather than part of the problem.   Efforts to improve environmental management in ways that contribute to sustainable growth and poverty reduction should reflect the priorities of the poor. Supportive policies and institutions are needed, including access to information and decision-making, that expand the poor’s opportunities to invest in environmental improvements that can enhance their livelihoods. At the same time, it is essential to address the activities of the non-poor, since they are the source of most environmental damage.

Linking Poverty Reduction and Environmental Management     Policy Challenges and Opportunities

DIFID,EC,UNDP & World Bank  July 2002

 The Centres have significant potential to act in advisory/demonstrative role, allowing local  people to become informed if their activity is damaging the ecology,  leading to impoverishment of lifestyles in the longer term. Importantly, the Centres can stimulate the adoption of alternative practices, and the development of new ways of earning a living, such as tourism.

Current international thinking on the links between poverty and the environment identifies  the actions of non-poor people as being significant causes of environmental damage. On the coast at least, it would be truer to say that poor people moving out of subsistence economies and into cash-based lifestyles,  in response to entrepreneurial activities, can be an important cause of environmental degradation.

In these pages, brief referral is made to the fishing industry, which is in serious problems globally, and the tourist industry which is being pushed widely in Central America as an alternative source of livelihood for coastal communities.

 

The CeCoCo programme could actively encourage integration with communities in a variety of ways:

  • offering classes (informal education) such as learning English.
  • providing an attractive social environment (cafe) where people will enjoy to 'hang out'
  • running evening talks, short courses etc directly related to local social needs and development potential
  • providing a venue for organisation meetings, such as Fishermen's groups, Environmental Action groups etc.
  • Providing an 'advice and communication' facility for environmental and social needs, for example links to central government departments, including utilisation of e-communication facilities.
  • Acting as a history/social window, where through displays and exhibitions the local population can present images of their present and past identity
  • Providing 'franchised' work opportunities through the Centres, for example allowing local tour operators to advertise/base their contact activity within the Centre's facilities, or encouraging local artists to sell their work through the Centre.

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