Tropical Deforestation

by Leslie E. Sponsel (Editor), Thomas N. Headland (Editor), Robert C. Bailey (Editor)

While many studies of tropical deforestation neglect the indigenous people of the forests, Tropical Deforestation: The Human Dimension illuminates the insights local people have into conservation of their ecosystems, the effects of habitation on those ecosystems, and the impact of development and natural resource depletion on their lives. The authors present fresh perspectives on the major global crisis of deforestation from a wide range of fields including biological ecology, forest history, conservation biology, anthropology, political economy, and development economics. Tropical Deforestation, enriched with more than fifty photographs, illustrations, and tables, along with a comprehensive bibliography, includes coverage of Central and South America, Africa, the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Indian subcontinent. Considering the effects of natural resource use in prehistory and colonial history and the rapid ecosystem depletion occuring today, investigating new technologies and efforts to involve indigenous people in conservation and development, the book presents an excellent overview of the causes, consequences, and possible solutions to deforestation.

352 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1996