National Environmental Technical Secretary (Costa Rica)

Summary

The National Environmental Technical Secretary is responsible for balancing conservation with the need for development, particularly by evaluating environmental impact studies and recommending remedial action. It was created by Articles 83-91 of the General Environmental Law (Law 1754 of 1995). In terms of forestry, it will evaluate the impacts of proposed activities on forest resources including evaluating proposals for the sustainable use of forests located inside private wildlife reserves. If SETENA approves an activity, the supervision is then the responsibility of the National System of Conservation Areas​ (SINAC - the decentralised environmental authority) and the Costa Rican College of Agricultural Engineers​ (CIAgro - which oversees registered forestry engineers - regentes forestales).