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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Public policy and the misuse of forest resources

Book ·
OSTI ID:6040735

Rapid deforestation in developing countries is making fuel and timber increasingly scarce, causing soil erosion, flooding, and siltation, and destroying unique ecological resources. Population growth and increasing demands for farmland are usually blamed. This book examines the strong profit motives behind the misuse of forest lands, including generous government incentives that encourage forest industries to expand far beyond areas that would normally be commercially viable and policies that underwrite the conversion of forest areas to large ranches, plantations, and agricultural settlements. Based on new, detailed investigations in China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brazil, West Africa, and the United States, the essays in this book provide descriptive, analytical, and empirical material on key forest policies and their effects.

OSTI ID:
6040735
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English