Recent decades have seen unprecedented growth in the scale and intensity of industrial forestry. Directly and indirectly, it has degraded the wildlife and ecological integrity of these tropical forests, prompting a need to evaluate the impact of current forest management practices and reconsider how best to preserve the integrity of the biosphere. Synthesizing the body of knowledge of leading scientists and professionals in tropical forest ecology and management, this book's thirty chapters examine in detail the interplay between timber harvesting and wildlife, from hunted and protected habitats to invertebrates and large mammal species. Collectively, the contributors suggest that better management is pivotal to the maintenance of the tropics' valuable biodiversity, arguing that we must realize that tropical forests harbor the majority (perhaps 70 to 80 percent) of the world's animal species. Further, they suggest modifications to existing practices that can ensure a better future for our valuable resources.

Throughout the world people are concerned about the demise of tropical forests and their wildlife. Hunting by forest-dwelling people has a dramatic effect on wildlife in many tropical forests, frequently driving species to local extinction, with devastating implications for other species and the health of the forests themselves. But wildlife is an important source of protein and cash for rural peoples. Can hunting be managed to conserve biological communities while meeting human needs? Are hunting rates as practiced by tropical forest peoples sustainable? If not, what are the biological, social, and cultural implications of this failure? Answering these questions is ever more important as national and international agencies seek to integrate the development of local peoples with the conservation of tropical forest systems and species. This book presents a wide array of studies that examine the sustainability of hunting as practiced by rural peoples. Comprising work by both biological and social scientists, Hunting for Sustainability in Tropical Forests provides a balanced viewpoint on the ecological and human aspects of this hunting. The first section examines the effects of hunting on wildlife in tropical forests throughout the world. The next section looks at the importance of hunting to local communities. The third section looks at institutional challenges of resource management, while the fourth draws on economic perspectives to understand both hunting and sustainability. A final section provides synthesis and summary of the factors that influence sustainability and the implications for management. Drawing on examples from Ecuador to Congo-Zaire to Sulawesi, Hunting for Sustainability in Tropical Forests will be a valuable resource to policymakers, conservation organizations, and students and scholars of biology, ecology, and anthropology.

Agroforestry -- the practice of integrating trees and other large woody perennials on farms and throughout the agricultural landscape -- is increasingly recognized as a useful and promising strategy that diversifies production for greater social, economic, and environmental benefits. Agroforestry and BiodiversityConservation in Tropical Landscapes brings together 46 scientists and practitioners from 13 countries with decades of field experience in tropical regions to explore how agroforestry practices can help promote biodiversity conservation in human-dominated landscapes, to synthesize the current state of knowledge in the field, and to identify areas where further research is needed. Agroforestry and Biodiversity Conservation in Tropical Landscapes is the first comprehensive synthesis of the role of agroforestry systems in conserving biodiversity in tropical landscapes, and contains in-depth review chapters of most agroforestry systems, with examples from many different countries. It is a valuable source of information for scientists, researchers, professors, and students in the fields of conservation biology, resource management, tropical ecology, rural development, agroforestry, and agroecology.

Winner of The Wildlife Society's 2009 Wildlife Publication Award for outstanding edited book As human populations around the world continue to expand, reconciling nature conservation with human needs and aspirations is imperative. The emergence in recent decades of the academic field of human dimensions of fish and wildlife management is a proactive response to this complex problem. Wildlife and Society brings together leading researchers in the range of specialties that are relevant to the study of human dimensions of fish and wildlife work around the globe to provide theoretical and historical context as well as a demonstration of tools, methodologies, and idea-sharing for practical implementation and integration of practices. Chapters document the progress on key issues and offer a multifaceted presentation of this truly interdisciplinary field. The book • presents an overview of the changing culture of fish and wildlife management; • considers social factors creating change in fish and wildlife conservation; • explores how to build the social component into the philosophy of wildlife management; • discusses legal and institutional factors; • examines social perspectives on contemporary fish and wildlife management issues. Wildlife and Society is uniquely comprehensive in its approach to presenting the past, present, and future of human dimensions of fish and wildlife research and application. It offers perspectives from a wide variety of academic disciplines as well as presenting the views of practitioners from the United States, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. It is an important new reference for anyone concerned with fish and wildlife management or environmental conservation and protection.

Anecdotes, facts, and observations on the role animals play in the daily life of Southeast Asian villages.

This book explores the links between bushmeat and livelihoods in Africa, with a focus on the human dimension of the debate. Assembles biological, social and economic perspectives that illuminate the bushmeat debate Features a series of case studies that explore what species survive different intensities of bushmeat hunting and trapping Examines the shape and size of household bushmeat consumption and market trading Reviews governance and institutional impacts on wildlife management; lessons learned from agriculture, forest plant product, and development sectors; and perspectives from Asia and Latin America Provides an excellent resource for students and policy makers in wildlife management, conservation, and development

Publisher Description

This book, first published in 1989, examines the controversial position of commercial utilisation in relation to wildlife conservation. Production of large mammals has earned respectability as an agricultural strategy and its evaluation has been listed as a priority requirement in the World Conservation Strategy. However, many authorities question whether wildlife production is a viable economic and environmental strategy, and suggest that it runs counter to its claimed purpose. This book evaluates this controversy by chronicling the changing role of wildlife and by reflecting on the implications of these trends. The book should be of interest to people both applauding and deploring the use of wildlife in this economic role.

The sustainable forestry challenge. The failure of implementation of forestry laws in Brazil. Enforcement of forestry laws in Finland. Analysis and recommendations.