The Evolution Of Colombian Environmental Institutions: 1971 -2004

This document presents an analytical description of the processes by which Colombian environmental institutions and regulations evolved between 1971 and 2004. The methodology used was based on the analytical framework of the 2003 World Bank Development Report: "Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World: Transforming Institutions, Growth, and Quality of Life". For this analysis, the recent history of environmental management in Colombia is divided in four periods. The first period begins in 1971 and ends with the approval of the Constitution of 1991. The second period begins in 1991 and ends in 1993 with the approval of Law 99. The third period extents from 1994 to 2002; during this period the environmental institutions and regulations created by Law 99 of 1993 were developed. The last period begins in year 2002 when new reforms to the institutional environmental framework were proposed and implemented by the government. For each of those four periods the document analyzes the means by which society became aware of environmental problems; the mechanisms that generated social demand for their solution; and the mechanisms to balance legitimate, competing social interests and by which adopted solutions were executed. Finally, the document includes a list of conclusions.