ASSESSING NATURAL FOREST MANAGEMENT AS A TOOL FOR TROPICAL FOREST CONSERVATION

In the last several years, as attempts have been made to reconcile con servation and development agendas, many conservation organizations hav e embraced the notion that careful use of timber resources from natura l forests could be part of a viable conservation strategy. Unfortunate ly, investments in ''natural forest management'' are financially unatt ractive and governments are generally unwilling or unable to force log gers to make such investments. Even where these problems can be overco me, advocates of conservation need to carefully consider whether natur al forest management will result in less damage than would have occurr ed otherwise. The answer to this question depends on what kind of huma n intervention would have taken place in the absence of the forestry p roject: little or none; uncontrolled logging or deforestation for agri culture. Only in the latter case does natural forest management unques tionably represent an environmental improvement. Finally, an assessmen t must be made as to whether forestry is a cost-effective way of achie ving conservation goals. After analyzing these factors, we conclude th at in some limited circumstances natural forest manage-ment represents a promising conservation strategy.