Private Enterprise and Financial Markets > Environment > Forestry and Biodiversity Conservation and Management
Forest Resource Policy in Latin America
By Kari Keipi (03/99, En)
About a quarter of the world's forests and over half of its tropical forests are located in Latin America. Forests cover half of the region's land and the per capita forested area is the highest in the world. In addition, Latin America boasts many forest ecosystems and a tremendously rich ecological diversity. As a result, natural resource policies vary from country to country. Some nations favor the conversion of natural forests to other uses and the establishment of forest plantations. Others place a higher priority on the environmental value of the forests and favor conservation. And still other nations argue that the main opportunity for conserving natural forests lies in recognizing and paying for the environmental services that they provide. Yet, in many countries, the main role of forests (be they natural or manmade) is to provide products to fill the basic needs of the local population and generate income through the production of marketable commodities.
In this volume, forest policy specialists look at better ways to manage and conserve forest resource in the region. They assess the economic and social impacts of alternative macroeconomic and sector policies on forests, and discuss financing mechanisms for sustainable use and management, including incentives for forest management. The authors also provide a description of the stakeholders, highlighting land tenure issues and the rights of indigenous groups, and provide an analysis of alternative forests policies. The future direction of sustainable forest development in Latin America will be affected by whether or not opportunities are recognized and taken advantage of, as well as by the types of policy decisions that are made in order to overcome existing contraints.
The introductory chapter is available for download in PDF format.
For additional information on the book contact the IDB bookstore.
Last updated: 04/20/07
