What do you think?
Rate this book
Reframing Deforestation: Global Analyses and Local Realities: Studies in West Africa
This study reviews how West African deforestation is represented and the evidence which informs deforestation orthodoxy. On a country by country basis (covering Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin), and using historical and social anthropological evidence the authors evaluate this orthodox critically. Reframing Deforestation suggests that the scale of deforestation wrought by West African farmers during the twentieth century has been vastly exaggerated. The authors argue that global analyses have unfairly stigmatised West Africa and obscured its more sustainable, even landscape-enriching practices.
Stessing that dominant policy approaches in forestry and conservation require major rethinking worldwide, Reframing Deforestation illustrates that more realistic assessments of forest cover change, and more respectful attention to local knowledge and practices, are necessary bases for effective and appropriate environmental policies.
Stessing that dominant policy approaches in forestry and conservation require major rethinking worldwide, Reframing Deforestation illustrates that more realistic assessments of forest cover change, and more respectful attention to local knowledge and practices, are necessary bases for effective and appropriate environmental policies.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published June 4, 1998
9 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 2, 2017
How you know and measure the forest shapes who you blame for its loss - or even whether you think it's being lost in the first place.
In this book, Fairhead and Leach lay out a convincing case that deforestation in Africa isn't as it appears. The story has long been one of endless logging, burning, and degradation of the land. But, they argue, the data tells a different story: one where much of this has either been a long term shift (taking place long before recent industrialization), or is entirely overstated relative to that actual forests.
A few themes come through repeatedly. How one defines what constitutes 'forest', for instance, is key to shaping these measurements. How should isolated stands be counted? Where should boundaries be drawn? How should historical sources of data (like photos, travel accounts, and local reporting) be integrated? These challenges dog each case study they examine, and must be resolved in slightly different ways for any given country. Another theme is that of stewardship: How should we think about deforestation if the land is being cared for? How should we count it if the forest is being actively used for human benefit? What if humans created that particular stand of forest?
The strongest chapters, in my estimation, are the Introduction, 1, 8, and 9. They're an excellent overview and synthesis of these issues, and would be valuable to assign to anyone working in STS, ecology, or any other discipline, for that matter. Chapters 2-7 are more valuable for those with a particular interest in African forestry, and are perhaps less important for the overarching arguments. That said, while their focus is a little more niche than my interests, they were readable and approachable.
In this book, Fairhead and Leach lay out a convincing case that deforestation in Africa isn't as it appears. The story has long been one of endless logging, burning, and degradation of the land. But, they argue, the data tells a different story: one where much of this has either been a long term shift (taking place long before recent industrialization), or is entirely overstated relative to that actual forests.
A few themes come through repeatedly. How one defines what constitutes 'forest', for instance, is key to shaping these measurements. How should isolated stands be counted? Where should boundaries be drawn? How should historical sources of data (like photos, travel accounts, and local reporting) be integrated? These challenges dog each case study they examine, and must be resolved in slightly different ways for any given country. Another theme is that of stewardship: How should we think about deforestation if the land is being cared for? How should we count it if the forest is being actively used for human benefit? What if humans created that particular stand of forest?
The strongest chapters, in my estimation, are the Introduction, 1, 8, and 9. They're an excellent overview and synthesis of these issues, and would be valuable to assign to anyone working in STS, ecology, or any other discipline, for that matter. Chapters 2-7 are more valuable for those with a particular interest in African forestry, and are perhaps less important for the overarching arguments. That said, while their focus is a little more niche than my interests, they were readable and approachable.
Displaying 1 of 1 review