"Tire la piedra a la luna" - Parity of participation in the establishment of the national REDD+ strategy of Costa Rica

Abstract: In light of remaining high levels of deforestation, the importance of effective collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities increasingly receives international attention. This qualitative case study aims to understand how the foundation for a just collaboration can look like by taking the example of one of the most widely discussed financing mechanisms, REDD+. Focusing on the Talamanca region, it examines the impact of the national consultation process with Indigenous territories in relation to the establishment of the national REDD+ strategy in Costa Rica. The study concentrates on the identification and analysis of key supportive and restrictive elements of collaboration in terms of parity of participation as defined by Nancy Fraser’s theory of justice, in which the theoretical framework is anchored. Important starting points could be identified, such as the creation of spaces of dialogue and relationships of trust, but throughout the analysis, it was also possible to make persistent dynamics of structural oppression visible. The incorporation of five special topics brought forward by Indigenous leaders through the national consultation process could be recognised as biggest achievement, outlining the importance for transformative approaches in order to establish methods of just collaboration between state entities and Indigenous territories.