Despite the recent economic crisis, mainland Southeast Asia continues to experience increasing economic integration of previously isolated rural hinterlands, especially in the upland areas of Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Yunnan in China, where demographic pressure together with the development of infrastructure and increased market-orientation of production combine to bring about significant economic and social change in rural areas. These changes have also led to significant environmental degradation such as deforestation, disturbance of water-flows and depletion of biodiversity resources. These issues and other related ones are addressed in this volume.