Explaining Tropical Deforestation and Rainforest Degradation

Abstract

The underlying goal of this study is to answer one of the most pressing ecological questions of the late twentieth century: why is tropical deforestation and rainforest degradation continuing unabated despite the expressed intentions and evident efforts of governments working through several international forums (ITTO, TFAP, FAO and UNCED), to halt and reverse the decline? The critical approach to international regimes developed in this book enables a good answer to this question to be supplied. The approach not only highlights crucial blind spots in mainstream accounts of international co- operation, but also lays a large measure of blame at the feet of the very institutions — states, corporations, and international organizations — charged with the task of finding lasting, sustainable solutions.