Identify the challenges, change your perceptions!

(Baonghean) - Venezuela is located in South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea 2,800 km to the north, hence it is also known as a Caribbean country. Of its 28 million inhabitants, 30% live in coastal areas. The diverse topography and climate result in a rich ecosystem with incredibly diverse flora and fauna, including many endemic species in nature reserves. Its abundant landscapes attract a large number of tourists annually. Consequently, factories and industrial facilities are increasingly springing up along the coast. However, due to a lack of appropriate coastal management programs, Venezuela faces the risk of significant environmental impact.

Venezuelan Ambassador Jorge Rondon at the discussion session "Coastal Economic Zones and Border Economic Zones: Challenges and Opportunities for Development" (Vinh City, May 29, 2015).

Coastal areas face major challenges such as: domestic and industrial waste invading residential areas, industrial zones, and tourist areas; serious water pollution and degradation; the extinction or threat of extinction of some genetic resources; and the destruction of some picturesque natural landscapes.

Faced with this situation, Venezuela has taken serious measures to protect the environment and ecosystem. This includes rapidly implementing research programs to identify the similarities and differences between regions, and on that basis, classifying these regions into distinct areas to develop management mechanisms and specific regulations. This approach aims to ensure continued efficient exploitation while simultaneously addressing environmental problems.

To address the lack of mechanisms and measures for environmental management, Venezuela has enacted a law on coastal zone management. This provides the legal basis for Venezuela to implement programs to protect estuaries, river mouths, river and stream areas, ecological zones, and conservation areas.

Legalizing environmental protection requirements in coastal areas is necessary, along with management programs and regulations. However, we want to emphasize another point – consider this our goodwill gesture – which is raising public awareness about environmental protection. This is extremely important. The living environment affects every individual, and each individual can directly impact the overall environment.

Therefore, changing the perception of local people in coastal areas is absolutely essential. "Legalizing" environmental protection and establishing management mechanisms and measures is a "coercive" measure, which is reasonable because environmental management through law is necessary. At the same time, promoting awareness among people so they understand their need to protect the environment for themselves, their community, and their "home," making environmental protection a self-driven need, implemented voluntarily, will have long-term significance.

To achieve a proper understanding of environmental protection, it is necessary to establish interconnected relationships. We should not simply consider the dissemination of environmental awareness as the sole responsibility of a single specialized agency, but rather elevate it to a culture of environmental behavior. This culture of environmental behavior needs to be concretized and integrated into relationships with politics, culture, law, and economics. All must focus on establishing a positive relationship between humans and nature, between the social environment and the natural environment. Only then can we create value change and generate positive actions.

The demands of economic development always pose significant challenges to environmental protection for local authorities in coastal areas. As local people's awareness of the environment changes, local authorities must also implement appropriate environmental management mechanisms and measures. This is because, not only in developing countries but everywhere, the results of economic exploitation are often not accompanied by positive environmental outcomes. For example, the demand for industrial development, factories, workshops, and mining often does not go hand in hand with the requirement to ensure clean air and water. Therefore, all solutions to protect our living environment must be considered and implemented early.

Today, Venezuela has become an attractive destination with many resorts, scenic spots, nature reserves, and coastal tourist areas... but this does not mean that the basic environmental problems have been solved. However, it can be affirmed that with the strong efforts of the entire system, we have gradually brought the situation under control.

Ngo Kien

(Summary)