The deterioration of the environment in the Americas exacts urgent and decisive action - a diagnosis shared by all 34 member countries of the Organization of American States. Consequently, in 1990 the OAS began a process of diplomatic debates oriented toward creating an inter-American system of nature conservation. This effort culminated at the June 1991 General Assembly in Santiago de Chile, where an Inter-American Program of Action for Environmental Protection was approved and an OAS permanent committee on the environment was created to design and oversee environmental policy. This book includes articles that derived from those discussions, along with other important essays, the complete Inter-American Program of Action, and a unique selection of key documents on environmental issues. Reflecting the views of both developed and developing countries, the book addresses the critical themes involved in diplomatic negotiations on the environment.

Foreword by: J.B. Soares