Source Year: 1996

The historical relationship between people and forests and the role people have played in maintaining diversity in Asias forested habitats is reviewed. The economic roots of the loss of genetic diversity are discussed, with attention particularly focused on : subsidised energy in the form of oil, pesticides and transportation; single products resulting in large plantations of genetically similar trees; and response to global rather than local economic forces. The emergence of new forms of biotechnology presents great potential for a productive link between conservation and sustainable utilisation of genetic diversity and is likely to bring about profound changes in the relationship between people and forests in Southeast Asia. Implications of biotechnology for Asia, particularly for coffee, rubber and oil palm, based on series of reports from Rural Advancement Fund International, are described.