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Background
The fragility
of The Bahamian archipelago is undisputed, its economy is dependent
on the environment, and it is also vulnerable to natural disasters
like hurricanes. Enhancement and improvement of Bahamian livelihoods
requires effective and sustained programmes be implemented to
"get into the heads" of the Bahamian population the meaning of
and the need for environmental protection. In order to achieve
this, the mindset of the populace of The Bahamas must change.
It is felt
that the best way to do this is to provide the information and
support needed for persons to make informed choices and to tie
this in to action on-the-ground. This will serve to raise their
level of environmental awareness through various education initiatives.
Countless efforts have been made to address these problems with
varying levels of success. It was decided to involve a larger
percentage of the community through community media and capacity
building. This
initiative, entitled Building Community Media Capacity for
Environmental Stewardship proposes to sensitize various target
groups on the need for positive and sustainable change in the
environment.
This initiative
is being undertaken with the support of IPDC and Small Islands
Voice. It focuses on selected Family Islands, and includes inventorying
community resource centers and access availability, capacity building
for professionals of traditional media, teachers and environmentalists,
and constructing an interactive website.
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