ABSTRACT
Tropical rainforests are exploited for a number of products, from three main product groups: industrial wood, firewood and non-wood-products. Although the conversion of forests into agricultural land is by far the most important cause of deforestation in the humid tropics, unsustainable forestry practices also contribute significantly to deforestation rates, as came to the fore in the decomposition of deforestation processes. The major share of tropical hardwood products is used domestically. The importance of domestic consumption to the commercial forestry sector, however, varies considerably between countries. Fuelwood consumption in developing countries, especially in Africa, is increasingly leading to deforestation because the demand for fuelwood is being met increasingly by the consumption of tree stocks. In 1989 sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 23 per cent of total world consumption of fuelwood, a share only surpassed by East Asia and the Pacific, but growing at a far faster rate.
