Beyond the objective environmental indicators which normally measure the amount of pollutants in the environment, there is the perception of the people who are affected or benefited by the environmental laws and policies implemented by governmental authorities. To discuss the perception of the inhabitants of the cities of the River Juncture binational region (compounded by one American and one Mexican cities), this book compiled three case studies complemented with the results of a door-to-door survey conducted in those cities. The case studies discuss about: (a) An informal governmental agreement to stop an invasive plant plague with invasive beetles and pesticides; (b) An informal governmental agreement to solve or prevent fires by following the guidelines stated in an informal international agreement; and (c) A mere casual governmental support to a binational initiative to legally protect a relevant ecotourist park. This book should help to attorneys, environmentalists, policymakers, scholars and all people who are trying to figure out if their countries need more formal international treaties or if informal binational collaboration in the area of Environmental Law is enough.

Ms. Varela-Olivas has co-authored four books, including "The U.S.-Mexican Border Environment: Progress and Challenges for Sustainability" edited by Erik Lee and Paul Ganster, and a book about the fence between Mexico and the United States, coordinated by Ana Córdova and Carlos De La Parra. She obtained her J.S.M. degree at Stanford University.