| European
Tropical Forest Research Network |
PARTNERSHIPS, PAPER PRODUCTION AND POWER: COALITION-BUILDING TO OPPOSE UNEQUAL LAND-USE OPPORTUNITIES IN SOUTHERN COSTA RICA
By Heleen van den Hombergh
In recent decades the paper industry has been extending its influence further around the globe than ever before: not only to find exploitable natural forests, but increasingly to use agricultural or forest lands to produce fast-growing pulpwood species for their mills. Cheap land and labour and favourable climatic conditions for fast-growing pulpwood species make paper companies sign agreements with Southern governments to 'reforest' the rural landscape. One such country is Costa Rica which is well-known for its protected areas, but which is also plagued by deforestation and is facing a crisis in remote rural areas because of opening markets and declining state support for farmers. The Southern area is one such remote area in need of employment and agricultural alternatives.
The case of Stone Container
Corporation
Stone Container Corporation (now part of Smurfit Stone) was one of the largest
paper producers in the world and is in constant need of raw material. It started
operations in this zone with a view to sowing 24 000 hectares of Gmelina arborea.
The company acquired extensive land resources for very low prices, while the
conditions for the farmers 'leasing out' their land were quite unfavourable.
Not only did the agreements affect the owners of the land, they also had an
impact on their neighbours: the project (further) catalysed a rural exodus.
Furthermore, Stone Container wanted to install a pulpwood-processing plant which
was expected to affect forest and marine biodiversity - important assets for
tourism in the area. To stop this and demand better conditions for the 'partnership'
that the paper giant and Costa Rican government had designed, farmers, tourism
entrepreneurs, environmental organisations, lawyers and politicians joined forces
to negotiate a better nation-wide agreement with the company. They were successful
in this to a certain extent. The slogan 're(af)forestation' proved, however,
to have considerable political clout - who, after all, can be against it? The
study reveals the dynamics of the political process involved, focusing on the
issue of strategic framing or 'selling the green message' by both the company
and its opponents.
Further information:
Heleen van den Hombergh
University of Amsterdam/Novib (Oxfam-Netherlands)
P.O. Box 30919
2500 GX The Hague
The Netherlands
E-mail: Heleen.van.den.hombergh@novib.nl