ABSTRACT
Ecological degradation is today most catastrophic in Third World countries. Developed countries cannot face the unpleasant fact that the environmental problems in the Third World are also problems for developed countries. One important cause of environmental crisis in the Third World lies in the political and economic structure of North-South trade. Developing countries produce mainly raw materials and monocultural products for export to developed countries. Monocultured lands are agro-ecosystems similar to ecological communities in early stages of ecological succession discussed in Chapter 7.
