Keepers of the forest: Land management alternatives in Southeast Asia. Edited by Mark Poffenberger. Kumarian Press, Connecticut, USA, 1990, 289 pp.
| Date | 01 February 1993 |
| Author | N. C. Saxena |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.4230130116 |
| Published date | 01 February 1993 |
88
Book
Reviews
(the title of chapter 49) in 1966, he has remained unsung among the heroes of emergent
Africa, while many lesser mortals have had their memoirs ghosted or their hagiographies
dutifully published. Students of the history of modern Nigeria will be grateful to Mr Clark
for having dared-and,
I
would argue, hugely succeeded-in stepping in where no African
author or academic has yet dared to tread and giving
us
an authoritative and deeply detailed
(not far short of half a million words) yet stylishly written and well-organized biography
of one of contemporary Africa’s most honourable and honoured statesmen. If there were
more ‘Lives of the Great’ on this scale, students might well afford to follow the advice of
another eminent Prime Minister, Disraeli: ‘Read no history, only biography;
for
that is life
without theory’.
A.H.M.
KIRK-GREENE
KEEPERS
OF
THE FOREST: LAND MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES IN SOUTH-
EAST ASIA
Edited
by
Mark
Poffenberger
Kumarian Press, Connecticut, USA, 1990,289 pp.
This book summarizes the work of scientists, foresters and management specialists
in
the
Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia who have been involved in developing new forest manage-
ment systems. In Southeast Asia, access to state forests, which comprise the majority of the
region’s total land area, is intensely sought by timber companies, development projects and
rural people. The book raises the important (and also political) question of who are the
rightful forest keepers?
‘Are the keepers the forest administrators in their offices,
or
the rangers in green
suits and black boots with guns on their hips? Are they the logging companies
who hold the lease rights to exploit? Are they the insatiable consumers
of
the
developed world? Are they the forest communities who have lived in the forests
from prehistoric times, or the migrant families that arrive daily in increasing
numbers?’
While discussing deforestation, the book concludes that forest mismanagement is primarily
caused by deep-seated differences between governments and rural people about who should
control these lands and how they should be managed. Unless action is taken to resolve forest
management conflict, unsustainable practices will continue, leading to the ultimate destruction
of the region’s tropical forests.
Therefore, a strictly protectionist approach to tropical forests in the face of growing pressure
from forest dwellers is unlikely to succeed. The authors suggest that rural people, if given
responsibility for the forest lands in their area, can develop management skills to administer
these resources efficiently. This optimism
is
based on agro-ecological research studies, which
reveal that many of the indigenous pastoral, swidden farming and agroforestry systems of
Southeast Asia are based on the efficient use of land and labour and cause little damage
to the larger forest ecosystem.
The book, however, does not advocate a simple transfer of use rights and responsibilities
to the rural communities. On the other hand, the authors warn against turning over land
to rural families
in
a haphazard manner without carefully considering long-term forest manage-
ment needs and local capacities.
Such solutions may be as unsustainable as giving leases to logging companies. Therefore,
joint management by the forest bureaucracy along with local people is preferred by the authors
over the transfer of all forest rights to the community. Other solutions advocated in the
book are giving higher importance
to
non-wood products, which can be obtained without
the felling of trees, and formulating policies that strengthen the economy of subsistence farmers,
so
that rural people become less dependent on natural resources.
The book is vital reading for all working in the fields
of
aid, environment and forestry
in Southeast Asia and is highly recommended to policy makers in particular.
N.
C.
SAXENA
Oxford
Forestry
Institute
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