Many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have developed official government agencies or ministries to deal with environmental problems.  While this change has been mainly beneficial, it has also served to lower the interest in the environment of other government agencies.

Some central governments are granting increased power to local governments.  They feel the environmental situation can be more effectively dealt with on a local basis, where people are directly affected by the environment their policies create.

However, many local governments lack the financial resources and the expertise to solve environmental problems.  Often, only the central government has the technical capability to effectively deal with environmental issues.

Governments are beginning to notice the connection between development and environmental problems.  As nations make economic progress and their societies become more modernized and consume more, the country's environment is often put at risk.

To prevent losing their environments to a modern society, some countries have established programs to preserve native ecosystems.  In Mexico and Costa Rica, for example, the governments have established projects aimed at preserving biodiversity.

For the most part, governments in Latin America and the Caribbean are pulling away from large environmental programs.

In addition to decreasing regulation of the environment, some governments are also cutting environment-friendly programs.  For example, the government of Argentina ended the National Forestry Institute.