ABSTRACT
The chapter focuses on secondary forests, especially secondary forests in the swidden fallows that have been the prime subject of author's own research into swidden. His disappointment arose from the commonly held view of secondary vegetation as being second-rate when compared to primary vegetation, in terms of biodiversity, structural complexity, habitat value and benefits for the overall environment. The perception of secondary forests is also changing from the perspective of conservation. Nowadays, the term 'wilderness' seems to be fading from the language of conservationists. Two concepts have been influential in changing perspectives within conservation that may also change the perception of conservationists on swiddening: biodiversity conservation and the landscape approach. Swidden landscapes are diverse landscapes that can be understood only in their entirety and connectedness. The transvaluation of swiddening that is currently reaching new heights should, however, not induce a similarly simplistic view of swiddening as a 'good' land-use system.
