The environmental condition of Central America and its relationship to population politics, and development lie in the shadow of more studied areas such as the Amazon. Little has been published about the fragile physical and human resources of the region, compared with volumes concentrating on political strife and economic dislocation. The contribution of this monograph is its link of the region’s natural resource future to political and economic “solutions” that might ensure a stable, economically progressive future for Central America.
The thesis of the book is that natural resources in Central America are managed inefficiently, if at all, and without attention to the needs of the poor; induced to produce for the international market; and threatened with irreversible environmental and societal damage. These arguments are presented in dispassionate fashion with such rich data as to preempt dismissal as environmentalist alarmism. Little prospect is found for an improved economic future for the poor, which is linked to better management of marginal agricultural, forest, and fishery resources not normally husbanded by the forces of the marketplace. Given the velocity of resource devastation, there appears to be little time or institutional capacity in the region to stem the misuse.
Curiously, the book looks at the “policy side” of the question from the angle of the Kissinger Commission report, which was mainly a shopworn political manifesto of the U.S. government. The book is also disappointing in that it does not address the role of grassroots organization in natural resource management or the role of different political regimes in approaching the question of sustainable resource management for the poor. While it is true that all of Central America’s resources have suffered, irrespective of regime, it does not follow that the outlook of a political regime is irrelevant to environmental decision making.
This book is a valuable environmental profile. Its authoritative treatment of the range of issues relevant to natural resources and economic development in Central America offsets the lack of country-specific recommendations. The author has certainly taken an important step in defining the mandate for research and political action for the future.
