Local resource use systems in the tropics: Taking pressure off the forests

Reference Type Book Chapter
Year of Publication
1988
Author
Book Title
Tropical rainforests: Diversity and conservation
Secondary Title
Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences
Volume
12
Pagination
53-70
Date Published
12/1988
Publisher
California Academy of Sciences
City
San Francisco, CA
Language
English
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Collection Topic
ISBN
0-940228-19-X; 978-0-940228-19-1
Call Number
QH541.5.R27T766 1988
Keywords
Abstract
By focusing research on indigenous and local agroecosystems, much information can be gained for the development of resource-conserving, ecologically sound land-use strategies that promote the sustained-yield management of land already cleared in tropical regions. By keeping the farmers on the land they already have, pressure can be taken off the limited forest reserves that still exist. A research approach that looks at the agricultural ecosystem (agroecosystem) will allow an agro-ecological focus, in order to examine impacts on the land in the context of nutrient cycles, crop and non-crop population dynamics, energetics, and other ecological concepts. Examples of such studies are presented from tropical Mexico and Costa Rica, including the corn/bean/squash multiple-crop agroecosystem, the tropical home garden agroforestry system with a diverse mixture of trees, shrubs, herbs, and vines, and an experimental bench-terrace-cropping system with mixed vegetables planted on the flat surfaces and a high organic-matter-producing grass on the slopes. The importance of the sustainability of the natural resource sector linked to the sustainability of the agricultural sector is stressed as an integral part of tropical forest preservation strategies of the future. (author).
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Research Notes

Local system: LIAS522882

Local system: (OCoLC)18566557

Added title: Diversity and conservation of tropical rainforests

Short Title
Local resource use systems in the tropics