The Effectiveness of Petrified Wood as a Geobiological Portal to Increase Public Understanding of Geologic Time, Fossilization, and Evolution

The current study examines the importance of planning and management documents (notably the forest management plan and the regional forest plan) for public relations purposes. 17 people (15 forest engineers and 2 forest guards) were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The results of our survey show that some of the information used for public relations is taken from the planning documents. The forest management plan is primarily considered to be an internal document, but it also provides information on the objectives of forest enterprises, justifications of the planned measures, numbers and maps. The regional forest plan contributes to the public relations in three ways: its content provides information about objectives, description of forest functions, projects and measures. In addition, the participation of the public in the process of elaborating this plan is an ideal opportunity to heighten awareness in society and further public understanding of the forest and forestry services. Finally, as the regional forest management plan is in the public domain, it functions as a type of «show case» of the forest service.

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Urban Population Knowledge of Climate Change in Costa Rica and Nicaragua

Revista Latinoamericana de Desarrollo Económico ◽

10.35319/lajed.201319108 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 55-76

Author(s):

Sergio A. Molina Murillo

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Developing Countries ◽

Costa Rica ◽

Urban Population ◽

Public Understanding ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Weather Events ◽

International Policies ◽

General Concern

Most scenarios indicate that people in developing countries are more vulnerable and less capable of adapting to climate change. Since our public understanding of risk toward climate change in developing countries is limited, this article presents results from Costa Rica and Nicaragua, two countries which are socio-economically distinct, but which are expected to suffer similar extreme weather events. From October of 2008 until May 2010, a total of 1,047 respondents were surveyed in cities of both countries. The main results indicate that climate change is a widely known concept but other notions such as “carbon footprint” are foreign to most respondents. Despite the general concern with its negative consequences, respondents’ foremost concern is linked to their socioeconomic situation, and how it will be impacted by climate change in such aspects as poverty and social security. The results presented here contribute to advance national and international policies aiming to support mitigation or adaptation strategies in developing countries.

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