Environmental governance and conservation. Experiences in two natural protected areas of Mexico and Costa Rica.

Natural protected areas are recognized as key to the conservation of biodiversity and to face deforestation. Their effectiveness requires both an integrated model and the social participation of local actors. The present study analyzes the deforestation process and its relationship with governance at the Sierra de la Abra Tanchipa Biosphere Reserve (RBSAT), Mexico, and Piedras Blancas National Park (PNPB), Costa Rica. Spatial analysis and participatory methodologies were applied in this study. Over 20 years, 37 ha were deforested in the RBSAT and 396 ha in the PNPB. Cooperation between local actors and institutions, a higher level of governance and empowerment, explains the low deforestation. Land tenure insecurity, unfinished demarcation, and weak governance are the principal threats. A management scheme combining environmental governance, the capacity for institutional management, and international cooperation would be an appropriate model for protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]