Forests are repositories of great wealth and ecological importance; politi-
cally, they are much more than that. Forests are often located in critical
spaces that states want to control: international border areas as well as
zones which might be deemed "sensitive" because of either their politi-
cal-ecological importance or sociological composition. Historically, forests
have also been the outposts of "outlaws" and "outcasts" and the base for
many an opposition force to imperialistic powers - from 10th century
"China" to 14th century Java to 20th century Peru and Vietnam (Menzies,
1992). Forest mapping was embraced early by emerging European states,
first for establishing political boundaries and later for management (Kain
and Baigent, 1992:132, 210).
Fil: Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Sage Hall, 205 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06511
Fil: Peluso, Nancy Lee. Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; Estados Unidos