Rain Forest Extraction and Conservation in Amazonia

Abstract

Concern over the fate of the Amazonian rain forest and its peoples has prompted a wave of internationally-sponsored initiatives that promise to conserve the forest while benefiting indigenous peoples. In this paper, the challenges posed by such endeavours are reviewed and a critical synthesis posed of prevailing notions of the rain forest, its peoples, and the economic logic of forest product extraction and trade that underlie current conservation practice and applied research. The authors' critique points to three key issues that require much closer attention by both NGOs and scholars: the microeconomic and geographic factors shaping resource-use decisions of forest peasant households; the fluid and endogenous nature of social relations that arise around forest product extraction; and the role of life cycle factors and historical experiences in shaping resource-use patterns of forest peasant households. Research on these issues promises to provide a firmer foundation for conservation and a clearer understanding of the real prospects and problems posed by forest product extraction for economic development and rain forest conservation in Amazonia.