 |
| Above, a visitor at INBio.
Over 61% of Costa Ricans have been determined
to have a concern over the preservation of the
environment. |
| Courtesy INBio |
Even if there is garbage alongside the roads, in
the countryside as well as in the cities, there
is still a greater sense of “national consciousness”
among Costa Ricans compared to any other country
when it comes to protecting nature.
You will often hear stories such as that of a hotel
owner who wanted to buy some land and the first question
the prospective seller asked was: What are you going
to do with the land? If the hotel owner answered,
“I will fell a bunch of trees in order to create
a path to the beach,” he instantly lost his case.
Costa Ricans, from the government to the ordinary
citizen, prefer responsible money to quick money.
Naturally, if one does not have bread to eat and a
roof over their heads, protecting a group of monkeys
means very little. The Ministries of Education and
Environment are putting a lot of emphasis on the education
of the people, and it is also a widely accepted fact
that, the higher the standard of living, the more
capacity there is to see beyond the cave.
Unimer, together with National Institute of Biodiversity
(INBio), AMANCO, Procter & Gamble and ULACIT,
conducted a study in August on the ability of Costa
Ricans to understand preservation issues. One of the
most significant findings was that 61% of Costa Ricans
express serious concern over environmental degradation.
These, and other results, reveal “Costa Ricans
have made remarkable advances in the deep acquaintance
of environmental and ecological values,” says
Dr. Carlos G. Paniagua, President of Unimer, the firm
charged with conducting the study.
The research also shows that the main environmental
concerns of citizens are the contamination of Costa
Rican rivers, air, deforestation, and the problem
of garbage. These problems exist all across Costa
Rica and addressing them is one of the main thrusts
of the new Minister of the Environment.
Interestingly enough, research has shown that all
citizens, be they in the public or private sector,
contaminate the environment in much the same way,
meaning that little in the way of differences exist
between industry and private citizens.
Costa Ricans believe that the government is making
a major effort in conservation; although, only a minority
or respondents (17%) expressed the view that the country
is doing a lot for the environment. The majority of
people thought that either very little is being done
(40%) or only what is necessary (36%).
Almost one third of Costa Ricans thought that the
government must take a leadership role in conservation.
The government is expected to provide citizens with
more information ( as the new Minister of Education
plans to do) and introduce fines for those who pollute.
In order to attain these objectives, the population
would support higher paying in taxes and environmentally
friendly products in order to assist in conservation
efforts.
The groups demonstrating less of an interest in preserving
the environment are those living in rural areas, the
elderly, and those of lower economic and education
levels. Naturally, the more education and income one
has, the more one is inclined to think beyond daily
needs. Most of these people, who have the capacity
to think “beyond,” live in the Metropolitan
Area and Central Valley, and are between 25-40 years
old.
When it comes to knowledge of global environmental
problems, Costa Ricans have a high (28%) or very
high (37%) level of information regarding issues
such as the ozone layer, global warming and the
contamination caused by agro-chemicals.
|
