The debt for nature swap experience: Structuring a transnational domain

This research examines the inter-organizational relationships and organizational development that emerged from the use of debt for nature swaps (DNS). DNS has been viewed primarily as a financial mechanism that increased the monetary value of conservation donations by converting a country's discounted debt into funds for environmental protection.;I explored aspects of this mechanism that have not been examined previously, focusing on its use as a tool for encouraging relationships among organizations with complementary interests and its potential as a model of inter-organizational governance. To do so, I reviewed and then employed inter-organizational theory to frame the DNS experience. The empirical data includes a general discussion of experiences across the set of countries that participated in these agreements and an in-depth case study of two countries, Bolivia and Costa Rica. Case study methods were used, as well as archival materials, to develop the empirical evidence.;The research proposition that initiated this work states that the DNS mechanism generated an adaptive model of transnational environmental governance. I found that this model was adaptive to turbulence associated with the debt crisis by structuring a transnational domain of organizational relationships that together were able to protect biodiversity. This transnational domain includes NGOs and government agencies and extends from local organizations operating on behalf of specific protected areas to international organizations acting to preserve global biodiversity. It exemplifies two recent trends in the environmental field: the internationalization of funding and the localization of action.;The findings suggest that DNS is not merely a financial mechanism developed in response to the debt crisis and its national environmental ramifications, but that a transnational model has evolved from it which offers a new approach to environmental planning and governance. In this model, the actors who implement conservation programs also participate in the development of policy and planning. In addition to the introduction and dissemination of this transnational model of governance, the DNS legacy includes the diffusion of the concept of using debt for environmental purposes, the establishment of endowments and environmental trust funds, and the development of capacity among NGOs and government agencies to achieve conservation goals.