Comercio de servicios ambientales y desarrollo sostenible en Centroamérica: Los casos de Costa Rica y El Salvador

The report examines how Costa Rica and El Salvador are positioning themselves to benefit from emerging markets for environmental services. Costa Rica is highlighted as a leader in carbon trading through the Kyoto Protocol's Joint Implementation and a robust national payment system for environmental services (PSA). El Salvador's case focuses on 'shade coffee' as a critical substitute for natural forests, providing essential water regulation, biodiversity habitats for migratory birds, and potential carbon sinks, though it faces severe land degradation and institutional weaknesses.

• Costa Rica has established a comprehensive institutional framework to trade environmental services, including the creation of the Oficina Costarricense de Implementación Conjunta (OCIC) in 1995 and the Fondo de Gases in 1996 to manage foreign investments in carbon reduction projects.
• Costa Rica's strategy for sustainable development relies heavily on ecotourism and the energy sector, which necessitates the preservation of forest cover. Tourism grew significantly from 1987 to 1995, with visitor numbers increasing at an average annual rate of 15%.
• The Costa Rican government implemented a Payment for Environmental Services (PSA) system via Law No. 7575, funded by a fuel tax, to remunerate forest owners. By 1997, $14 million was allocated for these payments.
• Costa Rica has utilized Certified Tradable Offsets (CTOs) to commercialize carbon credits. In December 1997, the country executed its first CTO transaction, selling 200,000 metric tons of carbon to the Norwegian government and private companies for $2 million.
• In El Salvador, the economic importance of coffee has declined sharply, with its contribution to the GDP falling from nearly 10% in 1981 to less than 3% in 1997, leading to the conversion of coffee lands into urban and industrial areas.
• Shade coffee plantations in El Salvador act as 'coffee forests' that are critical for providing environmental services, such as water regulation and biodiversity conservation, especially given the country's lack of significant natural forest cover.
• El Salvador is implementing a GEF-supported pilot project to use shade coffee plantations as biological corridors for migratory birds, aiming to connect the El Imposible and Los Volcanes areas across approximately 75,000 hectares.
• El Salvador faces a significant gap in carbon trading experience compared to its neighbors, but identifies potential in expanding shade coffee to increase carbon sequestration and combat rural poverty.

APA

Cuéllar, N., Herrador, D., & González, M. (1999). Comercio de servicios ambientales y desarrollo sostenible en Centroamérica: Los casos de Costa Rica y El Salvador. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/prismasumrprt_s.pdf

Chicago

Cuéllar, Nelson, Doribel Herrador, and Martha González. Comercio de servicios ambientales y desarrollo sostenible en Centroamérica: Los casos de Costa Rica y El Salvador. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 1999. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/prismasumrprt_s.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cuéllar |first1=Nelson |last2=Herrador |first2=Doribel |last3=González |first3=Martha |title=Comercio de servicios ambientales y desarrollo sostenible en Centroamérica: Los casos de Costa Rica y El Salvador |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=1999 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/prismasumrprt_s.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cullar1999comercio, author = {Cuéllar, Nelson and Herrador, Doribel and González, Martha}, title = {{Comercio de servicios ambientales y desarrollo sostenible en Centroamérica: Los casos de Costa Rica y El Salvador}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {1999}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/prismasumrprt_s.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }