ABSTRACT
Official foreign aid from the Western powers has at times contributed to the destruction of forests and the natural environment in the Third World, in ways which are beginning to be recognised. In addition, environmentalists in industrialised countries, and others concerned about the threats to the world’s forests for a variety of sometimes global reasons, are tempted to advocate using aid as a lever to secure their survival, or at least to assist local efforts in this direction. Other critics of current aid practice have, over a longer period, lobbied for it to be used to secure changes in Third World governments’ policies in the interests of the poor.
