Forest Transition

This wide-ranging book investigates the deceptively simple proposition that forests in many parts of the world have been transformed from long-term decline to gains in the area under forest. Guy M. Robinson combines historical and contemporary thought on the Forest Transition to systematically analyze the complex factors underpinning deforestation and reforestation.Drawing on case studies from across the globe, Robinson demonstrates that experiences of the Forest Transition vary greatly across geographical space. He explores the impacts of climate change, globalization, diverse policy measures and management systems, alongside recent advances in multi-purpose forestry. Chapters assess the evolution, and associated critiques, of the concept of the Forest Transition from its geographical roots to its adoption and development by other disciplines in the environmental and social sciences. They also highlight the factors underlining ongoing deforestation and examine the neo-colonial relationship between importers of forest products in the Global North and suppliers in the tropics.The Forest Transition is a valuable resource for researchers and students from a range of academic disciplines, including geography, natural resource management, environmental science and economics and ecology. It will also benefit students of forest, climate change and sustainability science and the social sciences.