Environmental change in South-East Asia: people, politics and sustainable development

Environmental Change in South-East Asia brings together a wide range of contributors to explore the interaction of people, politics and ecology.

Environmental Change in South-East Asia brings together scholars, journalists, consultants and NGO activists to explore the interaction of people, politics and ecology. Ostensibly "green" activities - plantation forestry, eco-tourism, hydro-electricity - are revealed as guises used by elites to promote their own political and economic interests. Highlighting fatal flaws in presently exclusive economic and ecological approaches, the authors stress that neither the quest for sustainable development nor the process of environmental change itself can be understood without reference to political processes. Environmental Change in South-East Asia brings together scholars, journalists, consultants and NGO activists to explore the interaction of people, politics and ecology. Ostensibly "green" activities - plantation forestry, eco-tourism, hydro-electricity - are revealed as guises used by elites to promote their own political and economic interests. Highlighting fatal flaws in presently exclusive economic and ecological approaches, the authors stress that neither the quest for sustainable development nor the process of environmental change itself can be understood without reference to political processes.

Cover -- Environmental Change in South-East Asia: People, Politics and Sustainable Development -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of plates -- List of figures -- List of tables and boxes -- List of contributors -- Acknowledgements -- 1. Introduction -- The Politics of Environmental Change -- The Politics of Sustainable Development -- Overview -- Part I: Context -- 2. Freedom to Plant -- An Expanding Industry -- Common Dangers -- Indonesia -- Thailand -- Conclusion: Managing Resistance -- 3. Environmental Ngos and Different Political Contexts in South-east Asia -- Environmental Ngos and the Political Context in Vietnam -- Environmental Ngos and the Political Context in Malaysia -- Environmental Ngos and the Political Context in Indonesia -- Conclusion -- 4. Japan and South-east Asia's Environment -- The Political Economy of Japanese Environmental Management -- Japan as an Agent for Environmental Change in South-east Asia -- Japan as a Consumer of Natural Resources -- Japanese Overseas Economic Activity/foreign Direct Investment (fdi) -- Japan's International Environmental Policy -- Future Directions in Japan-south-east Asian Environmental Relations -- Conclusion -- Part II: Process -- 5. The Search for Sustainable Livelihoods in Indonesian Transmigration Settlements -- Introduction -- Environmental Resources -- Livelihoods -- The Indonesian Transmigration Programme -- The Research Location -- Key Issues Confronting Transmigrants in North Lampung -- Price of Farm Products and Access to Credit -- Pest, Disease and Weeds -- Health -- The Ownership and Management of Land -- Transportation -- Consequences and Responses -- New Agricultural Strategies -- Livestock Production -- Wage Labour -- Hunting, Gathering and Market Trade -- Conclusions -- 6. The Race for Power in Laos -- The Regional Context -- The Nam Theun Hinboun Dam.

Dam-building in Laos: the Boot Era -- Nordic Connections -- The Politics of 'appraisal Optimism' -- Laos's Dilemma -- 7. Plenty in the Context of Scarcity -- Introduction -- Laos: the Forest Resource -- Forests and the Economic Reforms -- The Multiple Sources of Deforestation -- Understanding Resource Degradation in Laos -- Forest Policy-making on the Run -- Establishing Property Rights -- Prospects for the Future -- Part III: Method -- 8. Environmental Change in Malaysian Borneo -- The Issues -- Interdisciplinary Research Programmes -- The Bintulu Research Project, Sarawak -- Fire, Drought and Rain -- Rainfall Statistics -- Implications of Drought -- Iban Activities and Response in the Bintulu Division of Sarawak -- Fire and Rain in Bintulu -- Other Environmental Concerns -- Perceptions of the Environment -- Health and Nutrition -- Non-timber Forest Products -- Summary and Conclusion -- 9. Mapping the Environment in South-east Asia -- Introduction -- Remote Sensing -- Geographical Information Systems -- Case Studies -- Case Study 1 Monitoring and Measuring Land Cover Conversion in Sabah, East Malaysia -- Background -- Method -- Results -- Data Issues -- Remote Sensing -- Conclusions -- Case Study 2 Aerial Photography and Gis: a Baseline Resource for Environmental Studies... -- Geographical Coverage -- Pilot Study: Thailand -- Photograph Analysis -- Discussion of the Analysis -- Transfer of Information from Photograph to Digital Format -- Recognition of Land Use Patterns -- The Digitization Process -- Research Directions -- Case Study 3 a Gis for the Rainforests of Brunei -- Methodology -- Topographic and Related Data -- Existing Data -- Survey Data -- Gis Output -- Discussion -- Applications of the Present Gis -- Limitations -- Issues and Recommendations -- Data Unification -- Data Protocols -- Spatial Accuracy -- Ease of Use -- Conclusions.

General Conclusion -- 10. Problems in the Making -- Introduction -- The Tropical Forestry Action Plan -- Shifting Cultivation -- Consultation Between Consultants -- The Paper and Pulp Industry -- Large-scale Hydro-power Development -- The Tfap in Vietnam Today -- Conclusion -- Part IV: Options -- 11. The Sustainability of Ecotourism in Indonesia -- Tourism in National Parks -- Ecotourism: Principles and Practice -- Sustainable Tourism: Principles and Practice -- Ecotourism in Indonesia -- Case Studies -- Siberut National Park -- Gunung Leuser National Park -- Wasur National Park -- Lore Lindu National Park -- Komodo National Park -- The Asmat People -- Towards the Future -- 12. The Bajau -- The Need for Marine Conservation -- A Sea-nomadic Lifestyle Under Pressure -- Fishing Methods -- Marine Cosmology -- Stewardship -- 13. Environmental Degradation, Non-timber Forest Products and Iban Communities in Sarawak -- Introduction -- The Importance of Ntfps -- The Changing Importance of Ntfps in Borneo -- The Iban Study Communities -- Impact of Change -- Response to Change -- Future Prospects -- 14. Environmental Characteristics of Brunei's Temburong Rainforests and Implications for Conservation and Development -- Forestry in Brunei Darussalam -- Conservation Through Research? -- The Rainforest Environment -- Research, Education and Tourism -- Priorities: Conservation or Economic Development? -- Conclusion -- 15. Philippine Communitybased Forest Management -- Introduction -- National Overview -- Philippine Sustainable Development and Community-based Forest Management -- Mati, Claveria -- Core Community -- Regeneration and Indigenous Management Knowledge -- Multi-sectoral Interconnectivity -- Local Government Units -- Programme/project Integration -- Aggregation -- Conclusion -- 16. Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index.