The story is actually a succession of philosophical, political, spiritual, scientific, and psychological discussions (or narratives) that describe how their perfect society works. The man meets a variety of people over a period of days who explain Pala's (the name of the island) unique culture. The theme is pure Huxley: intelligent, open-minded man gets shipwrecked on a remote tropical island where the native population has managed to create a utopia. The only reason I slugged through it was out of respect for Huxley and for the occasional snippets of philosophical wisdom I discovered along the way. In the long term, the local community will not only be able to contribute directly to on-going development projects, but will also be in a better position to participate with government agencies in the decision-making process.This book was simply unbearable to read. Continuing efforts in capacity-building and environmental education aim to provide the local community with the knowledge and skills that are necessary for making appropriate choices for the preservation and development of Holbox and the surrounding ecosystems.

Our contribution in the Holbox Island has made a positive step towards providing the local community with essential knowledge regarding environmental, development and social issues, thereby enabling them to become actively involved in the environmental conservation of their island. Our results also indicate that the public has an improved understanding of the interrelationship between their own behaviour, and that of others, and these environmental issues. People in Holbox identified coastal pollution, coastal erosion and garbage dumping as major environmental concerns and have acquired a good level of awareness about the causes and consequences of these issues. A face-to-face, structured survey was used to evaluate attitudes and perceptions with regard to coastal water pollution and other development issues that concern the Holbox Island community.

Here we report the progress made by different sectors of the Holbox community over a four-year period during which they have become increasingly responsible for the scientific and technical aspects of assessing water quality. We have successfully included the local community of Holbox Island, Quintana Roo State, Mexico in our programme for long-term monitoring of coastal pollution in and around their Island.

Encouraging the active participation of local communities in development projects, through capacity-building and environmental education, has become a major objective of sound development programmes. Many development projects are undertaken in communities where the local inhabitants have little or no input to the planning and implementation of such projects.

Perception 6 by The Island