The social participation informed, timely, documented, serene, can have a healthy influence on the public policies and must have an adequate institutional channel so that governments do not move away and are always accompanied by the citizens, he said. José Carmelo Zavala Álvarez.

The undersecretary of Sustainable Development from Baja California noted that the case of El Manglitoin Baja California Suris an example of how vital it is for the citizen participation to influence public policies.

The official indicated that social participation is a way for the community itself to defend, take advantage of and take care of public spaces, such as parks, green areas and other natural resources, as was the case with El Manglito.

He said that the agency he represents has worked closely with the State Environmental Protection Council (CEPA) and with the Baja California Environmental NetworkThe company's activities have contributed to the decision-making process.

"In these two years for which the current state administration was elected, we have interacted not only with CEPA, but also with the civil organizations that make up the Baja California Environmental Network, who have helped us to reflect on the issues and make better decisions," he commented.

In coordination with the Center for Innovation and Environmental Management have developed almost 40 sessions that are transmitted in the social networks of the Secretariat of Sustainable Economy and Tourism and of the CIGA The expert speakers agreed that citizen participation is key.

One of these sessions was held on September 23, where the guest speaker was Alejandro Robles Gonzalezpresident of NOS Sustainable Northwest ACwho presented the case of El Manglitoa neighborhood located in the northern part of the city of La Paz.

There, Robles Gonzalez commented that the fishermen in that area were depredating the La Paz inlet with illegal practices, until the community realized that it was destroying itself and organized through campaigns, banners and other actions.

"They went to the rescue of their natural resources, they defended them with determination and today they have the necessary social capital to conserve that natural capital. When there is that structure, that strong social fabric, the sustainable, profitable economic use of their natural resources can come," explained Zavala Álvarez.

The official indicated that since the early 1990s, Baja California has had the State Environmental Protection CouncilThe government began with a majority citizen structure, but the administration of former Governor Eugenio Elorduy thought that governance was not possible with more citizen votes than government votes and reduced them.

However, he considered that it would be worthwhile to further increase the number of citizen seats in this body.

Source: Uniradio Reports