Ecology, Conservation, and Management of Southeast Asian Rainforests

The book includes essays by many of the world's leading authorities on tropical forests, among them policy officials and scientists from the countries in the region. It begins with an overview of the timber industry in Southeast Asia and a comparison of tropical rainforests there with those in other parts of the world. Experts then describe the plant and animal communities of the region and discuss the efforts that have been made to preserve them. The last section of the book addresses issues of policy and management. Contributors examine the conflicting needs of forestry officials: on one hand, to conserve sufficient forest to maintain healthy populations of plant and animal species and, on the other, to use forest resources to support the needs of the local people. The authors emphasize the need for immediate solutions to these problems, noting that Southeast Asian forests are crucial not only for the economic and social development of specific countries but also because of their role in global climatic change.