Tropical Deforestation: Small Farmers and Land Clearing in the Ecudorian Amazon

by Thomas Rudel, Leslie Sponsel (Editor), Bruce Horowitz, Thomas Headland (Editor), Robert Bailey (Editor)

Overview

Addressing decades of rain forest destruction, concerned scientists, often in concert with various environmental movements, have amassed an impressive amount of information on deforestation in areas throughout the world. In Tropical Forests, Rudel draws upon hundreds of these studies to develop a broader perspective on the problem of deforestation. Through a meta-analysis, Rudel identifies the forces that have driven forest cover change since 1980 and spells out their implications for efforts to conserve biodiversity and expedite sustainable development in the tropics.

Rudel builds on local studies to offer clear explanations of what has happened in each of the world's tropical forest regions. He assesses global trends while also offering vivid descriptions of the effects of deforestation in specific areas. His work concludes with a chapter that describes policy directions for conserving biodiversity and promoting sustainable development in each region.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231080453
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	08/05/1993
Series:	Issues, Cases, and Methods in Biodiversity Conservation
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	234
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Thomas K. Rudel is a professor in the departments of human ecology and sociology at Rutgers University. He is the author of Tropical Deforestation: Small Farmers and Land Clearing in the Ecuadorian Amazon (Columbia, 1993) and lives in Metuchen, New Jersey.

Editorial Reviews

Explores the difficult situation in which poor people do damage to the environment, as a beginning to identifying the causes of deforestation, which seem to be different in different situations. Traces the fate of the people and the forests in Ecuador, 1920-90, in the context of longer geographical cycles. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Recommended as a useful resource for upper-division undergraduate through professional collections.

Choice

This book deserves attention from every environmental historian concerned with issues affecting the Third World.

Environmental History