Addresses the dilemna confronting Latin American countries of desiring to utilize their tropical resources to improve their standard of living, while, on the other hand, dealing with a growing concern about the ecological fragility of such regions and the realisation of the urgent need for sustainable alternatives to prevalent models of economic development. The volume highlights: the fragility of tropical ecosystems; changes to the neotropics caused by human activities; interactions and complementarity between tropical and other regions; and, more harmonious technological, cultural, and land tenure strategies that are more favourable to sustained development of tropical regions.