Paul: If you are implying that you disagree with my observations - which though not "systematic" are based on extensive discussions with many people on the ground throughout the country (thus more anthropological than political science) but especially in the rural areas of San Carlos - it would be more useful to explain how and why your observations and conclusions differ.
When I talk to the small farmer I find that most are torn between a desire to conserve their environment and the need to sell their cash crops to a broker who demands the lowest price and best quality, which implies at, at a minimum, fertilizer and herbicides if not genetically modified plants like M2 pineapple. Community associations were similarly interested in conservation in part for itself (because they believed it was right) and to support what they called eco-tourism. This suggests to me that it is reasonable to hypothesize that the people on the ground, in the fields, are aware of and support environmental conservation and that the nation's self-declared green identity might have had some influence in forming those beliefs. Similarly, I cannot think of a single person I met who thinks that the central government is highly effective in its conservation efforts. Its largely top-down approach can be seen to be less than effective when I can hear the illegal nighttime logging in La Amistad, see the trucks smuggling the logs out of a San Carlos reserve in the early morning, or read about ICE's continuing efforts to dam the Rio Paquare, one of the five best whitewater rivers in the world. At Ostional protection of turtle beaches is organized by the local association; government is limited to constructing an office building near the beach. I could go on but you get the gist. We could learn from a debate, even if our information and experiences come from different sources and are influenced by different beliefs and methodologies, Cheers, Neil -----Original Message----- From: Paul Steinberg [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, March 11, 2005 4:10 PM To: Neil E Harrison Subject: RE: Green "identity" of states? Dear Neil, I'll continue this off-line from the GEP list. Speaking as someone who has spent years studying conservation policy in that country, I think that discretion is warranted when basing conclusions on personal impressions from a short stay in a country and in the absence of systematic study. You may be interested in Mario Boza's article "Costa Rica is a laboratory, not ecotopia," that appeared in Con Bio some years ago. Paul Steinberg -- Paul F. Steinberg Assistant Professor of Political Science and Environmental Policy Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Harvey Mudd College 301 E. 12th Street, Claremont, CA 91711 tel. 909-607-3840 fax 909-607-7600 http://www.humsoc.hmc.edu/paulweb/index.html
