Carlos Manuel Rodriguez
Carlos Manuel Rodriguez is Vice president for conservation policy at Conservation International. Before joining CI, Rodriquez was the Minister of environment and energy for the Republic of Costa Rica, where he was a pioneer in the development of payment for ecosystem services.
A lawyer, politician and, above all a conservationist, Rodriguez held various political posts in Costa Rica, including Director of the National Parks Service. He is also founder and board member of many environmental NGOs in Costa Rica, in addition to several tropical research institutes.
Rodriguez understands the political preconditions necessary for successful implementation of PES systems that benefit local communities. As the Minister of Environment, he managed to curb logging and deforestation trends to achieve a national net growth of forested areas through natural regeneration and reforestation. He is also internationally recognized for promoting the concept of identifying and capturing the economic value of standing forests within protected areas, private forests and Indian reserves. This approach provides local communities with economic incentives to act as stewards of nature’s bounty, providing an attractive alternative to selling mineral and timber rights for short-term gain. This strategy has helped Costa Rica conserve ecosystems that would likely have been pillaged for resources, and was among the policies that have allowed the country to become one of Central America’s strongest economies.
Rodriguez was also a key player in the establishment of a multinational marine park — Las Baulas National Marine Park — and international efforts to eliminate bottom trawling and other unsustainable fishing practices.
