Conservation of West and Central African Rainforests Book

The fundamental change in thinking over the past decade, which has brought the whole environmental aspect of development to the fore, has resulted from an increasing recognition of the interdependence of the economy and the environment. The primary question raised has been whether the economic activity on an increasing scale, and the societies it supports, can be sustained indefinitely, and the earth ' s environment and natural resources maintained in a condition such that they can continue to provide benefits for future generations. This volume brings together selected papers presented and discussed at the Conference on Conservation of West and Central African Rainforests, held in Abidjan, November 5-9, 1990. The conference was held to gather and interpret the most recent scientific knowledge on the subject, provide an opportunity for African governments to explain their emerging forest strategies, identify the concerns of African and international non-governmental organizations, and promote greater cooperation among all concerned groups. The World Bank placed special emphasis on this conference because the Western and Central African rainforests are of great importance to the stability of the regional and global environment. The selection of papers in this volume is intended to represent the diversity of participants at the conference, as well as the issues that predominated and the growing clarification of the debate