Slash-and-Burn Cultivation and Deforestation in Madagascar

Pollini s study takes the linkages between ecosystems analysis, deep ethnography, the various imaginaries of local people, conservation experts, policymakers, and the multiple social sciences, and extraordinarily deep and meticulous study of this area of Madagascar to an entirely new level. The separation of all these dimensions through the academic division of labor, social divisions of class and location, and the competing demands of politicians, scholars, and local actors has rendered the problems of deforestation both unintelligible and unmanageable. In this ambitious and carefully conceived study, all the parts are put in motion together and Pollini finds a way to take the reader through this labyrinth both without losing a grasp on the empirical data and without losing hope that such a complex system can eventually be managed better if all of the relevant stakeholders find ways to hear each other more clearly and cooperate while respecting each other s needs. Few studies have either this scope or depth and Pollini sets the bar for future work on environmental sustainability very high indeed. Davydd J. Greenwood, Goldwin Smith Professor of Anthropology, Cornell University

Autorentext

Jacques Pollini studied Ecology and Tropical Agronomy in Montpellier and Comparative Agriculture in Paris. He worked in development and conservation programs in Burundi, Vietnam, Laos and Madagascar and defended this PhD dissertation at Cornell University. He teaches in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Hendrix College.

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"This book bridges the divide between the natural and the social sciences in a way that has rarely been done before and it is thus a must for anyone interested in conservation issues. It will take time to read, but it is worth the effort every page." Dr Eva Keller, Department of Social Anthropology, University of Zurich, Switzerland. "Pollini takes the reader through a labyrinth of empirical data without losing hope that such a complex system can eventually be managed better if all of the relevant stakeholders find ways to hear each other more clearly and cooperate while respecting each other''s needs. Few studies have either this scope or depth and Pollini sets the bar for future work on environmental sustainability very high indeed." Davydd J. Greenwood, Goldwin Smith Professor of Anthropology, Cornell University. "Pollini''s book is a major contribution to Madagascar studies. It documents in exquisite detail the lives and opinions of the people immediately affected by forest development. It should stand for a long time as a major landmark in studies of development and forestry in a tropical country." Eugene N. Anderson, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of California Riverside.