The AMISCONDE Initiative in Costa Rica and Panamí¡ was implemented through a partnership involving Conservation International, McDonald’s Corporation, Clemson University, and later Texas A & M University. This paper provides an appraisal of the partnership using criteria established by Berry et al. (1995) and Berry and Dyer (1996). Results indicate that the AMISCONDE collaborators could improve the essential partnership elements of inclusiveness and communication. The establishment of a common vision and goals and the avoidance of -goal substitution- can help promote partnership success. I recommend that the AMISCONDE partnership and other similar efforts should seek to (1) increase inclusiveness by recognizing participating communities as partnership members; (2) fully utilize each partner’s strengths to promote the common interest; (3) encourage communication with partnership members early on in the project to ensure vital components of the project are not overlooked; (4) make partnership endeavors a learning experience through transparency and outside reviewers; and (5) ensure that a common vision and goals are established to avoid subjugation to individual goals.
