Mixed And Pure Forest Plantations In The Tropics And Subtropics

'The text is valuable in that it describes tropical small-scale farm forestry and the complex interrelationships between social, economic, and biological issues quite well . . . For readers interested in tropical forestry in a developed nation, the book is a detailed and excellent source of information.' - Matthew Pelkki, Natural Resources Journal There has been an increased awareness of the need to establish and maintain small-scale forestry in tropical countries. This is due to concerns over continued deforestation, as well as the long-term environmental and economic resources these plantations can contribute if managed successfully. This book examines the constraints that limit the development of small-scale forestry in tropical environments and how they can be overcome.

Get cutting-edge agroforestry research and data Deforestation and the rampant use of fossil fuels are major contributors to increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide and are enormous influences on global warming. Agroforestry systems and tree plantations can help mitigate the resulting climate change and degradation of biodiversity and accelerating climate change. Environmental Services of Agroforestry Systems addresses these global concerns with an essential collection of presentations on biodiversity and climate change from the First World Congress in Agroforestry (Orlando, Florida, 2004). Respected experts discuss the latest research and data on how agroforestry systems can help solve environmental problems through carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. Years ago, agroforestry’s environmental benefits were mainly seen as being soil amelioration, erosion control, microclimate control, and the alleviation of the effects of drought in semiarid areas. Environmental Services of Agroforestry Systems goes beyond the regional considerations of years past to focus on the challenges of today’s most pressing global environmental concerns. The contributors describe the latest research and concepts in agroforestry systems, reforestation efforts, soils, vegetation, and agriculture while reviewing their economic aspects. Incentives for reforestation and agroforestry are explored in detail. Each chapter is carefully referenced and includes tables to clarify ideas and data. Environmental Services of Agroforestry Systems addresses: advantages of mixed-species plantations tropical pasture and silvo-pastoral systems tropical forest ecosystem management research on the economic feasibility of various land-use systems socio-economic considerations of coffee-growing ecosystems agroforestry systems in Costa Rica Environmental Services of Agroforestry Systems is essential reading for researchers and scientists, as well as professionals in agroforestry, forestry, soils, global change, climate change, and environmental studies, educators, and graduate and undergraduate students.

Ecology and economics have Greek roots in oikos for "household", logos for "study", and nomics for "management". Thus, ecology and economics should have complemented one another for a proper growth and development without destruction, but, unfortunately, rapid industrialization, lure for fast financial gains, and commercialization activities have led to a widespread surge in pollution load, environmental degradation, habitat destruction, rapid loss ofbiodiversity, sudden rise in rate ofextinction ofmany wildlife and wild relatives of domesticated animals and cultivated cereals and other plants, global climate changes creating global rise in temperature, and CO levels and increased ultraviolet B at ground 2 level. Although these threats to human health have led us to look to ecology for their solutions and guidance for sustainable development without destruction, the industrial and technology houses are looking for alternative methods of development and resource use methods. The two global conferences of the United Nations in 1972 and 1992, and international programs of Man and the Biosphere (MAB), International Biological Program (IBP), International Geosphere, Biosphere program (lGBP), and World Conser vation Union (IUCN), of different commissions, United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) efforts, Ramsar Conventions (for wetlands), and World Wide fund for Nature (WWF) (for nature in general and wildlife in particular) have focused attention of ecologists, naturalists, governments and Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) toward better conservation.

In Regreening the Bare Hills: Tropical Forest Restoration in the Asia-Pacific Region, David Lamb explores how reforestation might be carried out both to conserve biological diversity and to improve the livelihoods of the rural poor. While both issues have attracted considerable attention in recent years, this book takes a significant step, by integrating ecological and silvicultural knowledge within the context of the social and economic issues that can determine the success or failure of tropical forest landscape restoration. Describing new approaches to the reforestation of degraded lands in the Asia-Pacific tropics, the book reviews current approaches to reforestation throughout the region, paying particular attention to those which incorporate native species – including in multi-species plantations. It presents case studies from across the Asia-Pacific region and discusses how the silvicultural methods needed to manage these ‘new’ plantations will differ from conventional methods. It also explores how reforestation might be made more attractive to smallholders and how trade-offs between production and conservation are most easily made at a landscape scale. The book concludes with a discussion of how future forest restoration may be affected by some current ecological and socio-economic trends now underway. The book represents a valuable resource for reforestation managers and policy makers wishing to promote these new silvicultural approaches, as well as for conservationists, development experts and researchers with an interest in forest restoration. Combining a theoretical-research perspective with practical aspects of restoration, the book will be equally valuable to practitioners and academics, while the lessons drawn from these discussions will have relevance elsewhere throughout the tropics.