People outside the world's tropical forests are only now beginning to understand the people who live in the forests - a necessary ingredient to planning for the use and conservation of these forests. Residents of the Bornean village of Tae in Indonesia practice a system of complex and subtle resource management that produces what amounts to forest gardens. Along an Amazon tributary in Brazil, the Kayapo people are skillful modifiers of both forests and grasslands, making use of such sophisticated practices as composting, transplanting, and controlled burning. By failing to recognize and appreciate the resource management expertise of these native people, we not only betray our limited vision but also may betray the interests of the forests' peoples and other residents. -from Author
