Controlling Tropical Deforestation
Natural Resource Management Set Series

Tropical rain forest is being cleared so rapidly and on such a scale that it is a major global environmental problem, threatening the survival of half of the world's plant and animal species and contributing to global climate change through the greenhouse effect. But, despite widespread concern for over twenty years, only limited progress has been made in controlling deforestation and improving forest management in the humid tropics.

In this book Alan Grainger offers afresh analysis of the causes of deforestation and presents an integrated strategy for controlling it. His strategy embraces agriculture, forestry and conservation and stresses the need for changes in government policies if land use is to be made more sustainable and the underlying causes of the problem are to be addressed. Controlling Tropical Deforestation is essential reading for policy makers, agronomists, foresters, conservationists and development professionals. To general readers and students on introductory courses at schools and universities it also offers the first concise but comprehensive overview of the causes, scale and consequences of deforestation. Alan Grainger is a lecturer in geography at the University of Leeds. He is author of The Threatening Desert: Controlling Desertification, also published by Earthscan. Originally published in 1992

List of Figures
List of Fables
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Preface
Introduction
The Causes of Tropical Deforestation
Land use Change and Economic Development
Deforestation and Logging
Sustainable Land Use
Development Problems
Global Concerns versus Local Needs
Monitoring and Managing Global Environmental Change
Sustainable Development - a Shared Experience
The Plan of the Book
Controlling Deforestation
1. Tropical Rain Forests and Deforestation
Humid Tropical Environments
Types of Tropical Moist Forests
Tropical Rain Forests - Flourishing yet Vulnerable
The Distribution of Tropical Rain Forest
What is Deforestation?
Forests, Tropical Environments and Deforestation
2. The Causes of Deforestation
Shifting Agriculture
Permanent Agriculture
Other Types of Deforestation
Land Use Change and Deforestation
3. Logging and the Tropical Hardwood Trade
Deforestation and Logging
What is Tropical Hardwood?
The Post-war Development of the Tropical Hardwood Trade
Selective Logging
Is Selective Logging Sustainable?
Logging Impacts and Sustainable Management
4. People, Policies and Forests
The Underlying Causes of Deforestation
Historical Trends in Tropical Land Use
Future Trends in Deforestation
The Impacts of Deforestation and Logging on Indigenous Peoples
Forest Policies and the Spread of Logging
Deforestation, Logging and Development
5. The Scale of Deforestation
Where do Estimates Come from?
Estimates of Deforestation Rates
Deforestation at Regional and National Level
Improving the Monitoring of Tropical Deforestation
The Monitoring Imperative
6. The Environmental Effects of Deforestation and Logging
The Threat to Biological Diversity
The Effects of Deforestation and Logging on Soil
Changes in Water Flows
Deforestation and Climate Change
The Likely Consequences of Tropical Deforestation
7. Techniques to Control Deforestation
Improving Farming Practices
Improving Forest Management
Expanding Conservation Areas
Saving the Forests
8. Policies to Control Deforestation
Policies for the Governments of Tropical Countries
Policies for the Governments of Developed Countries
Policies for International Agencies
Policies - the Heart of the Matter
9. Synthesis, Progress and Prospects
Synthesis
Progress in Controlling Deforestation
The Need for a New Tropical Forest Initiative
Future Trends in Deforestation and Logging
The Prospects for Controlling Deforestation
Notes
Bibliography
Index