FORESTS

Since the dawn of human civilization forests have provided us with food resources and energy The history of human development is also one of forest loss and transformation and yet even in our increasingly urbanized societies we remain surprisingly dependent on forests for a wide range of goods and services Moreover forests still retain a remarkable hold on our environmental values In an era of continuing tropical deforestation and temperate forest resurgence and in the midst of uncertainties of climate and land use changes it is more important than ever to understand what forests are how they contribute to our livelihoods and how they underpin our cultural histories and futures In this Very Short Introduction Jaboury Ghazoul explores our contrasting interactions with forests as well as their origins dynamics and the range of goods and services they provide to human society Ghazoul concludes with an examination of the recent history of deforestation transitions to reforestation and the future outlook for forests particularly in the context of expected climate change ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket sized books are the perfect way to