According to available estimates, forests cover more than one
quarter of the world's total area. About sixty percent of these
forests are situated in tropical countries. However, these forests
are disappearing at a very fast pace. Between 1980 and 1995, an
area larger than Mexico had been deforested. This accelerated
destruction of forests poses a serious threat to the environmental
and economic well-being of the earth. Several studies have
demonstrated that natural forests are the single most important
repository of terrestrial biological diversity--of ecosystems,
species, and genetic resources. Forests also act as major carbon
sinks, absorbing massive quantities of carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere. Deforestation, according to these studies, is directly
linked to adverse climate change, soil erosion, desertification,
and water cycling. Until recently deforestation was deemed to be a
local/national problem. However, increased awareness and scientific
data have pointed out that the problem transcends national
boundaries. Deforestation affects the entire earth's environment
and economic development.
This collection of essays analyzes the forces responsible for
deforestation, the governmental policies that effect this
destruction and the roles multilateral aid agencies, NGOs, play in
the environmental debate. The collection critically examines the
principles and criteria suggested by forest-experts for a sustained
economic growth vis-a-vis forest stewardship in Latin America,
Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. An invaluable resource for
scholars, students, researchers, and policymakers involved with
environmental and public policy issues.
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