In virtual unison, top Central American environmental authorities have praised final U.S. approval of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (Cafta), the trade-liberalization accord negotiated by the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. But the region’s environmental groups rue the U.S. endorsement, which became official this month when President George Bush signed the agreement after it had cleared the U.S. House by a scant two-vote margin. “Illegal logging is devastating the forests of Central America, and Cafta will only intensify this crisis,” says Allan Thornton, president of the Environmental Investigation Agency, an international nonprofit that documents green crimes. The region’s environment ministers say Cafta will bolster protection of Central America’s oft-abused natural resources. They point... [Log in to read more]
