'Whether you are a seasoned conservationist or forestry professional, an aspiring student or simply a concerned citizen, this book is for you'
David Kaimowitz, Director General, CIFOR

Arrangements for the governance and management of forests have been changing rapidly in recent decades. The post-Rio period has been one of unprecedented re-examination of what the world's forest resources consist of, who they should belong to, who should benefit from their conservation and management, and how all of this should be organized. This collection of outstanding papers on forests, development and livelihoods (until now widely dispersed throughout the literature) brings together the most recent thinking on these issues, and will give students and practitioners of forestry and natural resource management a rapid overview of what is changing, how and why. The papers provide a balanced view of subjects that have been controversial or which the media and influential decision makers have misunderstood or misrepresented.

This book updates and supersedes the best-selling Earthscan Reader in Tropical Forestry, edited by Simon Rietbergen, but this time with a broader focus covering all types of forests and contexts.