Interesting to Know 9/10

A discussion about sampling forests in Honduras, in Forest Ecology class, led to an interesting observation. Professor J.C. Randolph was in Honduras sampling forest area there. They were using a random point method that they had mapped up while in the states using both topographic maps and data from remote sensing, both methods using fairly recent data. Upon arriving in Honduras, Professor Randolph and his team begin driving through the country, through a poverty stricken area, and into the forest. After driving for a while they near the point they are searching for only to discover that a large field has been recently cleared in this vast rainforest. They find a man there and learn that the area has been cleared for farming coffee. I found this incredibly interesting because it fits in with what we have been discussing about how poverty affects sustainable development. To this farmer the rain forest was not a resource. It was holding him back from obtaining a valuable resource, the money that will be obtained from the sale of the coffee beans. It was an interesting how the farmers poverty led to the destruction of a resource, so that he could continue to live and afford food and shelter. This was a great example of sustainability issues that are facing the ""southern" nations.