María Cristina Castro*

Local decisions are as important as global decisions when the goal is to protect and improve the North American environment. The same type of consensus and cooperation that occurs at a global level should also happen at the local level, among the very communities that must make the difficult decisions related to their way of life and natural resources.

It is not up to the small tourist community to decide how fast hotel rooms are built or how many cruise ships can dock in a port, but it is the community's responsibility to create the necessary public services. If the community does not maintain a broad perspective, it may be surprised. One day its population will have multiplied by five or an unpredictable number of ships will arrive along its coasts. A successful global program should consider the needs of local communities and offer choices, technical training and resources. After all, it is in the communities where the most important decisions become reality, or where their lack of feasibility becomes most evident.

Both economic globalization and faster communications have contributed to the formation of macro-economic regions. In turn, these regions, while forcing more interaction between governments, organizations and individuals, transcend the traditional structures of nations and contribute to a broader vision of human activity. The creation of the North American community has given us a broader perspective on environmental problems, forcing us all to look more closely at cooperative strategies while respecting the sovereignty of our countries.

Within each nation, this new "regionalization" has created a new debate. The same advantages that lead the three North American countries to sit at a negotiating table have led to open dialogue, cooperation and agreements at the local level. The experience of protecting the environment along the Caribbean coast in southeast Mexico was important. We learned that to facilitate real consensus and ensure success, environmental groups, scientific experts and the business and financial communities must work together on all regional plans, development projects and natural resource management programs. Key here was the cooperation of local and federal authorities.

Clearly, to make sustainable development a reality we must look back to that well-known admonition: think globally, but act locally.

* A member of the Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC), María Cristina Castro lives in Quintana Roo, Mexico.