Extractive reserves

This account of extractive reserves in the Brazilian Amazon region provides practical examples of sustainability based on first-hand reports. The historical background is followed by examination of social organization, analyses of the economic viability of reserves, the key elements in developing an extractive reserve system, establishment of legislation in Brazil, and subsequent management. It underlines the importance of community involvement. Extractive reserves provide a model of forest management which succeeds in combining sustainable development and the conservation of natural resources applicable elsewhere in the world.