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WATER EDUCATION AND INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTSpeaking so that people understand: integratedwater resources management in GuatemalaJoram Gil, United Nations Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization Chair in Sustainable Water Resources, GuatemalaPoor environmental management is a priority issue inthe Republic of Guatemala. Among its causes is thewidespread indifference of citizens, authorities and institutions.Inadequate management of the municipal territorieshas brought consequences such as illegal logging, irrational useof natural resources and a passive attitude to their management.In addition, a conformist culture of inaction and indifference onthe part of citizens and policymakers, combined with a lack ofknowledge and capacities, means that there are limited developmentalternatives for improving living conditions.Poor land use planning is another problem, causedby a lack of respect for environmental regulationsand a weakness in the coordinated participation oforganizations and government. Accelerated deforestation,degradation and fragmentation of habitats,unmanaged changes in the use of soil and the lossof ancestral knowledge complete the problems ofthe country.All this has resulted in increased socio-environmentalvulnerability, the contamination and lossEducational materials for IWRM in the Naranjo watershed[ 130 ]