Global forest resources

Forests are one of the major biological resources of the planet and this book presents the first worldscale overview of this vital and fragile element of the biosphere that links ecological and environmental concerns with the utilization of forests as a renewable resource. Dr Mather adopts a perspective that combines the historical, geographical and environmental and provides an authoritative and factually based account in a field where a balanced and reasoned approach is badly needed. He begins with an interpretative account of the forest resource base in global terms, which introduces a history of how forests have been exploited, comparing and contrasting different experiences and practices throughout the world. Contemporary patterns of forest use and management are then considered and the environmental aspects of forests are examined in depth. Then follows an especially important chapter on the institutional framework of forest resource utilization, where particular emphasis is laid on how national forest policies are developed. The particular problems and dilemmas of utilizing the tropical forest are then presented and the book concludes with a summary of the main trends and themes in forest use and argues the need for a wider appreciation of the nature and functioning of the most widespread and neglected natural resource.