Ecolaboratory

Robert Fletcher is an associate professor in the Sociology of Development and Change group at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He is the author of Romancing the Wild: Cultural Dimensions of Ecotourism and co-editor of Nature™ Inc.: Environmental Conservation in the Neoliberal Age.Brian Dowd-Uribe is an associate professor in the International Studies Department at the University of San Francisco and currently directs the MA program in international studies. Formerly he was an assistant professor and chair of the Department of Environment and Development at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. Guntra A. Aistara is an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. She is the author of Organic Sovereignties: Struggles over Farming in an Age of Free Trade.

The collection will appeal to scholars of environmental studies, Latin American studies, and environmental governance. In particular, many of the chapters here will serve as apt tools in the classroom to introduce political ecology to undergraduates." - Rocio Gomez, Virginia Commonwealth University, Environmental History 26"Bringing together experts from a range of disciplines under a shared analytical umbrella of political ecology, this collection of case studies fractures the narrative of Costa Rican environmental exceptionalism, while also providing important lessons on environmental policy, governance, and sustainability that can be applied elsewhere." - Keri Brondo, author of Land Grab: Green Neoliberalism, Gender, and Garifuna Resistance

• Introduction: Negotiating Environmental Governance and Economic Development in the Green RepublicRobert Fletcher, Guntra A. Aistara, and Brian Dowd-UribePART I. GOVERNING THE AGRARIAN ECONOMY1. The Costa Rican Agrifood System, 1961–2014: Assessing Neoliberalism’s Impacts on Agriculture and DietsRyan E. Galt2. Agrarian Questions, Neoliberalism, and the Persistence of the Costa Rican Coffee PeasantryNicholas Babin3. Costa Rica’s Farmers’ Market Program: Aiding Farmer Livelihoods and Urban Food Security?Brian Dowd-Uribe and Erin Raser4. Gender and Climate Change in Smallholder Family Farms of Tierra Blanca, CartagoCarolina Castillo EcheverrÍa5. Understanding the Impact of Costa Rica’s Protectionist Rice Economy on Smallholder Farmers in Semi-arid Northwest Costa RicaBenjamin P. Warner and Christopher P. Kuzdas6. Seeding Organic Sovereignties in the Face of Free TradeGuntra A. AistaraPART II. CONTESTING ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION7. Paying for PES: Taxes, Tariffs, and the World Bank in Costa RicaBrett S. Matulis and Robert Fletcher8. Costa Rica’s Forest Transition RevisitedJan BreitlingDavid M. Hoffman10. An Ecolaboratory for Climate Politics? Costa Rica’s 2007 Carbon-Neutral PledgeJulia A. Flagg11. Bonds, Bridges, and Links to Development in Osa and Golfito, Costa RicaCarter A. Hunt, William H. Durham, and Claire M. Menke12. Waves of Development: Surf Tourism on Trial in Costa RicaTara Ruttenberg and J. Peter Brosius13. Ecotourism-as- Conservation: Exploring the Decline of Leatherback Sea Turtles in Playa Grande, Costa RicaEmily Benton HitePART III. NEGOTIATING RESOURCE CONFLICTS14. REDD+, Social Inclusion, and Indigenous Peoples in Costa RicaAlonso RamÍrez Cover15. Peace Parks: Nation Branding and Soft Power in Costa RicaKarina Barquet and Ida Andersson16. Of Dams and Development: Debating “Green” Energy Production in Costa RicaRobert Fletcher and Jernej Frece17. Conflict and Cooperation in Costa Rica’s Water Sector: Lessons for Water ManagementChristopher P. Kuzdas and Benjamin P. Warner18. The Mining Ban Movement and the Role of Democratization in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and HondurasLynn HollandConclusion: Limits to Exceptionalism and Lessons from the LaboratoryGuntra A. Aistara, Robert Fletcher, and Brian Dowd-UribeReferencesContributorsIndex