But driven by the desire for development and selfishness, we did not pay enough attention to the impact development has on the environment. Therefore, development of our surroundings led to destruction or damage to the environment. Since the environmental problems have started to the attract attention of many people around the globe, the coexistence of human beings and nature has gradually gained importance. Our surroundings can be categorized into the inorganic environments such as atmosphere, water, soil, etc. These environments are all rooted in the land .
Land is always a very valuable asset.
It has now become a worldwide issue to devise land utilization plan that will enable the most efficient and perpetual use of the potential of land while preserving the environment. This is something the ancient Chamorros have done on Guam for thousands of years, without the assistance of an Environmental Protection Agency. We are here today to talk about the environment under a newly coined term Ecotourism. It is very important, however, to recognize that the environment is not the only component in our island community mismanaged in the past 52 years. The imposing environmental health hazards, together with the current unsafe conditions, the fearful disorders that run our community, and the abusive use of the land are plights demanding attention to a fundamental and more serious problem.