Theoretical and empirical analyses of why some forested areas thrive and some decline; based on findings from an ongoing multidisciplinary research project carried out by biological, physical, and social scientists.
Emilio F. Moran is Rudy Professor of Anthropology, Professor of Environmental Sciences, Director of the Anthropological Center for Training and Research on Global Environmental Change and Adjunct Professor of Geography at Indiana University. He is Codirector of the Center for the Study of Institutions, Population, and Environmental Change.
This book is a blockbuster for those interested in coupled human-environment systems. It demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt that social scientists are able to hold up their end in research on the dynamics of these complex systems. --Oran R. Young, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara "Human-environment theories, comparative analyses of case studies, and remote sensing and GIS methods form the three pillars of this book. It advances our understanding of interactions among people, forests, and institutions--a comprehensive journey into high quality land use research." --Eric Lambin, Department of Geography and Land-Use and Land-Cover Change Project, University of Louvain, Belgium "Over the past several years the CIPEC group at Indiana University has developed a uniquely powerful and integrated approach to the study of human-environment interactions. This book brings all of this together in a single, accessible volume, from work on the theory of institutional and individual behavior to the methods of remote sensing and GIS to case studies and their generalization. This book will be essential reading for anyone interested in cutting-edge research on the worldwide processes of land use change, deforestation, and forest fragmentation." --Michael F. Goodchild, Professor of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara