Environmental policy and management in Costa Rica: suitainable development and deliberative democracy

Source: (2006) In, Dennis Sullivan and Larry Tifft editors, “Handbook of Restorative Justice” A Global Perspective. London and New York: Routledge. Taylor & Francis Group pp.512-523

The Costa Rican model provides a context for ongoing dialogue and civil discourse in promoting greater democratic discourse in promoting greater democratic control over environmental resource allocation and economic development through sustainable development policies. This form of civil discourse provides an important context for increased dialogue on the priority of securing environmental integrity and local indigenous economic needs over and above the strategies of global and postmodern capital ventures. It is precisely in sustainable policies that zero-sum effects within a global market can be mitigated. Working within the structures of limiting the use of natural resources and the need to secure the integrity of local domestic needs is fundamental to a sustainable planet. Arguably the Costa Rican model on environmental policy and administration best supports the development of natural and social capital based on the Earth Summit’s sustainable development principles and policies which have emerged from Rio de Janeiro and Johannesburg. These environmental policies and management strategies could prove to be of great benefit to the populations of the North. In future planning strategies, the inclusive dimension of capacity building through civil discourse holds promise for a more democratic environment and economy. (excerpt).