

Nobody Knows the Real Price of a Forest–and That’s a Problem - dnetesn
http://nautil.us/blog/nobody-knows-the-real-price-of-a-forestand-thats-a-problem

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contingencies
There is a something-like-realist movement in biology to encourage the
valuation of forests economically, at least in southwest China where a German
biologist began to explain the economic value in terms of tourism and
extractable natural forest resources to local government in a bid to protect
remnant forest cover. I knew the guy before he died, and have met his wife and
some of the German students sent over to work on his programs. The biggest
cash pile put up was apparently by one of the big French perfume
conglomerates, who wanted to use rare but naturally occurring orchids for some
kind of luxury product. A goddamn obtuse way to try to protect a local natural
resource in the face of the onslaught of rubber farming which is destroying
the local forest (read: borrow money, clear fell, plant, dehydrate, nominally
reap large medium term profits. What's actually happening now is too many
rubber plants in ground equals tiny fraction of projected returns equals zero
forest, zero income, zero traditional sustainable source of
food/medicine/fuel/building materials, and the kicker... bank owns
everything). We need alternate economic systems at this point: there's nothing
else for it. Politics and the international meta-system of fiat-based
capitalism 'as it stands' simply can't solve this stuff in time: our children
will grow up with almost no real, accessible forests or tropical reefs, and
only a fraction of current biodiversity.

For a more articulate explanation, search for 'growing commercialism' in
[http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/06/robert_bu...](http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/06/robert_burnham_j_1.php)
\-- recently posted.

