Ecociencia Gt

Plastic pollution around the world is so obvious, harmful and worrying that in the same way that the majority of plastic marine debris gets afloat, the topic emerges during daily conversations and more frequently among those whose work aims to the conservation of biodiversity and natural resources.

That is what happened to a group of professionals passionate for the marine-coastal resources from Guatemala, Honduras and Belize during a workshop on the educative methodology of the Jane Goodall Institute´s Root and Shoots Program that they will apply on the Mesoamerican Reef System (SAM, by its acronym in Spanish).

They talked about the problems that SAM is facing and agreed in pointing at plastic pollution as the common problem of the territories where this marine treasure expands. Those territories are from Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and Mexico.

They also agreed that a way to encourage a change in the attitude related to the use and final disposal of plastic, between children and teenagers from the adjacent communities to SAM, would be to launch a campaign that promotes the right actions to reduce the use of this material.

And after a brainstorming to write the slogan of the campaing that has already started and that will be carried out during four months, at least in Spanish, even in verse and rhyme ended: “Si del SAM quieres gozar, menos plástico debes usar”: “If the SAM you want to enjoy, less plastic you should use”.

SAM is a life mosaic that provides multiple services to people. Photo : Ana Giró

¡To save SAM, from Jane Godall´s hand!
What solutions can we offer to stop or reduce the many problems that, derived from human actions, the unvaluable natural resources of the Planet are facing? What can we do before things get worse, so we do not only put off fires?

How can we demonstrate to children and teenagers that the world could be better and how empower them so they can take actions to achieve it?

Those questions reverberated in the mind of the Guatemalan Elisa Areano after listening a speech given by Jane Goodall, expert in animal behaviour, and Peace Messenger of the United Nations, who leads a conservation movement for the common welfare.

Therefore, Areano set to herself the challenge of replicating in Guatemala the Jane Goodall Institute´s  Roots and Shoots Program and focus it on the Mesoamerican reef.

That is why Areano, founder and executive director of Fundación Mundo Azul, with the support of Marfund, brought together in a workshop on the Roots and Shoots Program to representatives of the organizations that are implementing protection and conservation projects along the SAM.

In that enjoyable and interactive workshop –as described by the interviewees- that was carried out in the middle of January 2017, in Puerto Barrios, Izabal, participated very actively specialists of the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment, from Belize; Fundación Mundo Azul, EcoLogic Development Fund and Healthy Reefs from Guatemala; Cuerpos de Conservación de Omoa and Bay Islands Conservation Association from Honduras.  Mexico will join the initiative later.

Representantives of the organisations that work in conservation projects at SAM during the workshop in Puerto Barrios.  Photo: Marielos Rosales/Fundación Mundo Azul

What is the Roots and Shoots methodology about?
The Colombian biologist Ybeth Pinzón, master in environmental education, and who is the coordinator and trainer of the Roots and Shoots Program in Colombia, explained that this program is one of the three action working lines of the Jane Goodall Institute.

The main goal is to empower children and teenagers to lead actions aimed to improve the world that surrounds them, through short, medium and long term projects that help people, animals or the environment.

The methodology to achieve it starts from the knowledge, through the empathy until the action; it implies to know what is happening around me, how I am linked to that situation and what I can do to solve it.

“Children and teenargers learn that adults can support them to make their ideas come true, however they have the intelligence, creativity and power to make changes by themselves”, Pinzón said.

Ybeth Pinzón, of the Roots and Shoots Program in Colombia explains the Jane Goodall Institute´s history, mission and educative methodology. Photo: Marielos Rosales/Fundación Mundo Azul

Team work for the SAM
As the organization´s leaders working in favour of the SAM´s conservation identified plastic pollution as the common problem among the countries where it expands, the following step will be to reach the schools of the communities next to the sea in order to explain the students what the SAM is, what are the ecosystem services it provides, what is the problem that it faces and how they can give solutions.

Cleopatra Méndez, coordinator of the EcoLogic Development Fund´s Subregional Project Sarstoon Temash that embraces the Multiple Use Area Sarstún River in Guatemala and the National Park Sarstoon Temas in Belice, said that they will involve in the campaign the fishermen leaders, so they can go to the schools to share with the students about the ecosystem services that they get from the sea and to tell them how they have learned to value and protect it.

“Fishermen have received environmental education and they have understood that the development of their communities rely not only on foreign people, but on the way of thinking and acting of their inhabitants. Many fishermen groups of the area already ask themselves: what can we do to help?”, Méndez added.

In terms of children and teenagers, Cleoplatra said that it is important to give them the space that they deserve to get informed and to express themselves, to learn what is going on around them and to propose creative and viable solutions.

Pinzón agrees that it is necessary to persevere in order to form a citizen culture that promotes the individual and collective responsibility on the conservation of the natural resources.

“I am optimist and I believe that little actions, for example, not to buy beverages in disposable containers and do not use straws, make the difference”, Pinzón said.

The best of all is that those children, teenagers and teachers from Belize, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico that participate in the Roots and Shoots Program remain connected with their colleagues from each country and get motivation and feedback on their activities, so the scope and impact is greater.

Participants of a Leadership Program for teenagers of the Caribbean of Guatemala that was held in 2016; they are going to get involved in the Roots and Shoots Program. Photo: Cleoplatra Méndez/EcoLogic