Summary: Emerging environmental problems accompanying current processes of economic and political globalization call for a reinterpretation of ideas about interactions between human societies with their environments. This course reviews recent propositions and debates concerning environmental management and mismanagement, concentrating on the benefits and limitations of employing locally developed management practices in contemporary conservation and development efforts. Over the last several decades many efforts to promote conservation and development have proved ineffective and many conventional approaches have been criticized. Recently, incorporating or building upon environmentally sound locally developed technologies has been widely recommended as a way of correcting many of the shortcomings of these efforts. This course will explore the patterns, techniques, and consequences of environmental management developed by smallholders, particularly in the tropics, and will examine the benefits and limitations of using these practices in conservation and development planning. A much-needed assessment of several current projects using local knowledge and participatory approaches will be included as well as a discussion of appropriate methodologies for professionals in careers linked to sustainable development, conservation, and environmental research. Recent findings, theoretical approaches, and debates concerning the environmental impact of agriculture, agroforestry, and forest management will be surveyed. The topics to be discussed in each lecture will be illustrated using results from selected studies done by natural as well as social scientists. Case studies from Amazonia, Southeast Asia, and Africa will be critically examined. Much of the content of the course will focus on assessing the benefits and limitations of incorporating or building upon local patterns of environmental management to achieve conservation and development goals. Ethnoecological and ethnobotanical research approaches and information, and their application to contemporary problems will be empha |