ABSTRACT
For centuries the clearance of forest for agricultural and other purposes has been regarded throughout the world as a great achievement. Paul Bunyan was a legendary figure in US history who cleared forest at a remarkable rate. A bizarre machine developed by the US Le Tourneau Company to push over large trees was introduced into the Peruvian Amazon region with much publicity in the 1950s. Why, in the last two decades, has conservation rather than clearance of the forests of the world come to be regarded as desirable, if not vital for the future of humanity? Some aspects of the debate over the tropical rainforest of South America in general and of Brazil in particular are discussed in this section.
