Access:
The Environmental Information Service (Servicio de Información Ambiental, or SIA) sent 2053 information packages in 2003; this represents a significant increase from the 1552 packages sent in 2002. 63.96% (or 1313) of the 2003 requests were sent to Argentina; of the 740 sent to the rest of the world, most (695) were sent to Latin America. To detail the information requests within Latin America (excluding Argentina), the largest number of packs were sent to Perú (12.81%), México (11.20%), and Colombia (10.94%). In 2003, SIA answered requests from Spain (33), Germany, France, Italy, Israel, Sweden, Portugal, and the United States.
Figures for the 1552 packs sent in 2002 provide a picture of the affiliations of people requesting information that year. 17.72% were from schools, 9.79% were from NGOs, 5.22% were from university professionals, 3.9% were from governmental organisations, and 1.42% were from the media (radio, television, and websites). The remaining 62.05% went to people who did not identify themselves as belonging to any of these categories. Regarding the monthly number of requests received and sent in 2002, the media accounted for 129 requests per month, with a peak value of 215 in August and a minimum value of 47 in January.
Conclusions:
- The Argentine community shows interest in this service, as it is an arena that has yet to be carefully explored in terms of particular environmental topics and ways to access information.
- People who work at institutions and schools are the two groups that have used this service the most, perhaps suggesting that the material offered is being used both to inform people and as backup material for formal and nonformal educational purposes.
- Sending information packages by post seems to be a useful alternative for users who lack easy access to internet technology.
Source
Letters sent from Anne Blanchard to The Communication Initiative on February 8 2003 and January 14 2004.
For full evaluation and more information, contact:
Anne Blanchard
Medio Ambiente & Argentina
Armenia 2104- 7 "D"
1425 - Cap Fed
ARGENTINA
carau24@yahoo.com
anne@ecoportal.net
SIA request page (in Spanish only)
Ecoportal.net site (in Spanish only)