Forest and Land Management in Imperial China

Although China is generally considered to have suffered continuous deforestation over most of its history, forests were protected or even planted and maintained for centuries in some places. This study identifies six such cases. It uses historical evidence to show that individuals and communities act to manage resources sustainably for a number of reasons including economic benefit, religious or symbolic purposes, and that sustainability of the management system depends on the form of control exerted over the resource.

Autorentext

Nicholas K. Menzies

Klappentext

This book describes six examples of managed forests varying from the Imperial Hunting Enclosure in north-eastern China to intensively cultivated small-scale systems wehre timber was grown as a commercial product intercropped with other cash crops.

Zusammenfassung
It uses historical evidence to show that individuals and communities act to manage resources sustainably for a number of reasons including economic benefit, religious or symbolic purposes, and that sustainability of the management system depends on the form of control exerted over the resource.

Inhalt
List of Maps - List of Tables - Introduction - Forests in China - Forest Stability and Decline: A Delicate Balance - The Mulan Weichang Imperial Hunting Enclosure - Temple and Monastic Forests - Clans, Communities, and Commons - Trees in Agricultural Systems - Beyond Timber: Fuelwood, Sericulture, and Fungi - In the Depths of the Mountains: Logging the Old Growth - Discussion and Conclusions - Appendix - References - Index