ABSTRACT
Although research results demonstrated that intact forests held a net present value far in excess of their current timber value, both policy-makers and rural residents routinely ignore the substantial ‘invisible’ income in fruit, game and medicinal plants that intact forests hold. For instance, one villager traded scores of primary forest trees for a rustic stove. Another community sold the timber rights to hundreds of hectares of forest for a few thousand dollars with which they purchased bicycles, radios and liquor. New language, information and concepts, however, can challenge prevailing notions and habits. We discovered that clearly presented economic arguments, demonstrating the stark value of intact as opposed to logged forests, assisted villagers to question and to think more openly about forest management options. Although foreign, the concepts embedded in ‘forest reserve’ and ‘forest corridor’ were of potentially great importance to villagers. These terms were introduced through maps, posters and discussions.
