Assessing tropical forest lands: their suitability for sustainable uses

THE East-West Environment and Policy Institute (EAPI) brings together persons from Asia, the Pacific Islands and the United States to address environmental aspects of various public and private sector policies. One such issue with a high priority is the management of tropical forest and forest lands. The future of these natural systems is important to all nations in the East-West Center region. As part of a continuing programme of multi-national research and study, the EAPI convened a conference of about thirty foresters, ecologists and land use planners from 19-28 June, 1979, to discuss "Forest Land Assessment and Management for Sustainable Uses". Co-chairmen of the conference were Lawrence S. Hamilton and Ata H. Qureshi. Papers were invited from proponents of various land capability classification methods and from experienced planners and forest managers in developing countries of Asia and the Pacific. A selected compilation of the pertinent literature was prepared and provided to each participant as background for the meeting.

Although the participants and forest site studies in this EAPI activity are drawn mainly from the Asia-Pacific region, the findings appear to be applicable throughout the tropical world where relatively limited seasonality (temperature fluctuation and precipitation) establishes a large, widespread biome.

Part I of this volume, "Assessing Tropical Forest Lands: Their Suitability for Sustainable Uses," is based on the conference presentations and discussions. The section on capability classification was written by Dieter Mueller-Dombois and that on suitability assessment by Lawrence S. Hamilton. Other contributors were Ata H. Qureshi, W. R. H. Perera, and Richard A. Carpenter. A draft of the report was circulated to all participants and also to several reviewers who are well qualified in the field. The findings and conclusions are the responsibility solely of the Environment and Policy Institute, although every attempt was made to record accurately both consensus and diverse views from the conference attendees.
Part II, "Invited Papers for the Conference on Forest Land Assessment and Management for Sustainable Uses," comprises the edited manuscripts of presentations made at the meeting. These papers have not been reviewed beyond the discussions of the conference and the responsibility for their contents rests with each individual author.