Tropical Rainforests

About this book

Presents an up-to-date and wide-ranging review of the problems and prospects of the world's tropical forests.

Contents

Acknowledgements List of Tables List of Figures Chapter 1 The Tropical Rainforest; history and environment 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Climate and Rainforests 1.3 Age and Stability 1.4 Appearance 1.5 Animals and Foodwebs 1.6 Nutrient Cycling 1.7 Rainforest Soils 1.8 Ecological Diversity 1.9 Values of the Tropical Rainforest Chapter 2 Destruction of the Rainforest; rates of loss 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Past Rates of Clearance 2.3 Present Rates of Clearance 2.4 Present Patterns of Clearance 2.5 Future Prospects Chapter 3 Causes and Processes of Clearance 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Fuelwood Gathering 3.3 Shifting Cultivation 3.4 Land Distribution and Population Pressure 3.5 Population Resettlement Programmes 3.6 Commercial Logging Operations 3.7 Plantations and Cashcropping 3.8 Cattle Ranching 3.9 Large Scale Development Projects 3.10 Foreign Aid 3.11 Conclusions Chapter 4 Impacts and Costs of Destruction 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Loss of Biodiversity 4.3 Loss of Natural Resources 4.4 Loss of Environmental Services 4.5 Local and Regional Changes to Climate 4.6 Global Climatic Change 4.7 Conclusion Chapter 5 Forest Peoples 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Tribal People and the Rainforest 5.3 Decline and Fall 5.4 Threats and Pressures 5.5 The Yanomami of Brazil 5.6 The Kayapo of Amazonia 5.7 The People Fight Back 5.8 The Altamira Gathering (1989) 5.9 Conclusions Chapter 6 Possible Solutions 6.1 Introduction 6.2 The Need for Action 6.3 Constraints 6.4 Protection and Conservation 6.5 Restoration and Reforestation 6.6 Sustainable Use and Management 6.7 Controlling the Tropical Timber Trade 6.8 International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA) 6.9 Tropical Forest Action Plan (TFAP) 6.10 Debt for Nature Swaps 6.11 Aid Policies and Investment Decisions 6.12 Changing Fortunes in Amazonia 6.13 Conclusions References Index

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