Why are the tropical rainforests so precious? Are dire warnings about the dangers of deforestation and nuclear energy exaggerated? Where can concerned readers turn for a balanced explanation of the facts about the rainforest? The answers to these questions are here in your hands. Tropical Rainforest, Revised Edition is a landmark book. Reflecting the author's four decades of experience in the field, this revised edition was in its original incarnation a bestseller and widely reviewed as a leading reference on rainforest issues. In an anecdotal, personal style, naturalist Arnold Newman first shares with us his delight and excitement about the magical "living cathedral" of the forest interior, later offering a lucid and detailed explanation of its structure and the interdependent web of life it supports.^
The enormous human pressures currently faced by the forest are addressed next, including timber extraction, slash-and-burn migration agriculture, fuelwood collection, cattle raising, mining, and pollution. Yet Tropical Rainforest, Revised Edition is not a doomsday oracle. Newman argues that the forest can be preserved and presents a "blueprint for survival"--An analysis of agroforestry and other sustainable production techniques that demonstrate how humanity can manage the forest resource without destroying it. A comprehensive tivity, clearly summarizes his findings with extensive supporting notes, and the concluding chapter, "Reason for Hope," details recent positive action, both on an individual and international scale, to meet the demands of forest preservation for future generations.^
Tropical Rainforest, Revised Edition is sumptuously illustrated throughout with more than 200 stunning color photographs, many by the author, and more than 200 specially commissioned maps and other graphic illustrations. With its comprehensive and fact-filled text, educational resource lists, updated bibliography, website information, and complete index, this edition is clearly destined to become another classic -- the standard reference in the field -- and indispensable reading for the general public, environmentalists, politicians, students, and the scientific community.
