Conservation Clinic
Prioritizing Local Communities in the Granting of Concessions for Non-Essential Services for Protected Areas in Costa Rica
A Citizen's Guide to the DR-CAFTA Environmental Submission Process, is a desktop reference for individuals or NGOs interested in enforcement of domestic environmental law by the parties to the CAFTA-DR. The Guide was prepared by Micah McCrary (J.D. Candidate, Univ. of Florida) and Laura Carbonell (Candidata de Licenciatura, Univ. De Costa Rica) at the request of the CAFTA-DR Secretariat for Environmental Matters. After a brief introduction to the mission of the Secretariat's Office and the purpose of the submission process, the guide covers every aspect of the mechanism, from drafting the initial submission to the creation of a factual record. To facilitate its use, the guide is arranged in both a step-by-step and question-answer format, which is cross-referenced throughout. Additionally, the Guide explains the actions of every party during each step of the process, notes any alternate routes the submission might take, and provides tentative time tables to assist the submitter. The authors have also included a flowchart describing the entire mechanism as well as an instructional presentation, which highlights those aspects of the process most pertinent to the submitter.