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3/31/1987 - untitled by Judith H. Mayer

INSTITUTE OF CURRENTWORLD AFFAIRS Honolulu Hawaii March Mr Peter Bird Martin Executive Director Institute Current World Affairs West Wheelock Street Hanover NH 03755 USA Dear Peter Oahu perfect place transition between Washington D C three years insular Southeast Asia destination In addition allowing learn about Hawaii I hoped discussing plans months environmental policy development scholars East West Center University Hawaii would begin Institute fellowship informed somewhat familiar track Turning rented Honolulu airport rolling downtown Honolulu Waikiki before mental images archetype balmy exotic tropical island quickly reality highway Hawaii Interstate H I The freeway through sprawl houses apartments commercial strip developments easily comparable those snowless Mainland metropolitan spreading ridges Honolulu northern hills patterns street lights negative image molten flowing As I climbed Likelike Highway Wilson Tunnels shortcut under mountains Oahu Windward Coast early morning radio weather report noted temperature record March degrees Fahrenheit It warned potential flash floods along Windward Coast streams heavy rains uphill Two people drowned before Sacred Falls water rushed valley north Punaluu I perked longer victim jetlag I planned Punaluu during Hawaii arrived there before I almost forgot McDonalds Burger Kings Wendys I counted airport Postcard coconut palms pandanus Hawaiians suddenly popped sight silhouettes against cloudy glowing violet sunrise Pacific Ocean As rooster calls picked Punaluu tropical island images flooded To south banana gingers ferns sizes stood against snaggle tooth volcanic ridges I walked hedge hibiscus I spent weeks discussions tropical deforest ation readings reforestation natural forest regeneration forestry strategies management regimes consequences potential economic development Indonesia Malaysia based large scale extraction natural resources These topics death importance Judith Mayer Institute Fellow studying environmental protection conservation sustainable development issues Southeast Asia JHM population Indonesia Malaysia developed regions rural little environmental quality think United States affluent West However activities profound impacts quality environment remote areas Indonesia Malaysia potential survival entire species plants animals We forest products region knowingly lumber plywood chipboard furniture especially hardwood veneers range disposable items Directly indirectly Americans provide capital projects potential change earth regions never heard seriously thought about Asian foreign development planners action oriented researchers scholars foresters agronomists ecologists anthropologists geographers economists range advocates various kinds conservation development rapidly defining scope environmental changes developed areas Indonesia Malaysia Recently decisions about these changes anything promote retard prohibit being demanded increasing Opportunities protect valuable resources habitats promote sustainable development rehabilitation seriously degraded environments presented themselves simultaneously The process decision making prioritizing human activities having profound subtle influence change ecosystems become major focus research combining biological social science As stakes decisions increase become apparent people making being affected decisions ecological understanding becomes pressing The means process creating connections focus Institute fellow This difficult business Indonesia Malaysia where outsider I expect reorder thinking important nature cause effect A major first intensive study Southeast Asian botany ecology This brings I doing Hawaii ecological change natural resource management environmental protection Borneo nearby areas Mostly I trying insight kinds concerns prevalent tropical ecology development studies Asia Pacific region general could apply areas where I spend years mainly Borneo Sarawak Sabah Kalimantan Malaysian Indonesian Borneo Before leaving Mainland I several sessions symposium University Washington World Trade Forest Products Quite appropriate conference scheduled immediately preceding major meeting International Trop Timber Organization Japan cmbined sense sessions international timber trade increasingly dynamic increasingly rapid responses changes international demand local national forest policies As truly worldwide market developed major specialty forest products nation forest based industry JHM I remain insulated international market forces Particularly fascinating several reports pointing connections fragmentation timber forest product marketing between nations northern Pacific USA Canada Japan Korea Taiwan those Southeast Asia South Pacific Malaysia Indonesia Philippines several South Pacific nations including Papua New Guinea Fiji For pressing aspects conference attempt grasp implications global trade timber other forest commodities forest management conservation polic countries concerned I fascinated learn North America major export partners maple highest quality Korea Japan Taiwan Korea Taiwan manufacturing partially assembled furniture export U S final assembly Made USA stamp A presentation Dr Soetarso Priasukmana experimental development products East Kalimantan Indonesia useful pointing several topics become subjects future newsletters Among these development intensive rattan industry following rattan exports become effective Investigations propogation management systems growing nitrogen fixing trees several genera yielding several alternatives rehabili tating lands burned enormous forest fires devestated East Kalimantan Indonesian Borneo El Nio Pac meteoro logical phenomenon caused severe drought Dr Soetarso encouraging about possibility visiting Forestry Research Center Samarinda East Kalimantan which directs using Center Kalimantan World forest product markets still I Hawaii Several people extremely gracious providing opportunity their latest their brains Some current concerns regard resource management development Southeast Asia Dr Norton Ginsburg director East West Center Environment Policy Institute explained I dared about organization workings East West Center helping appointments research associates fellows East West Center University He Mr Dick Morse former Institute fellow research associate Center Resource Systems Ins titute helped orient range perspectives represented various people projects connected Center outside I leaving reading material probably havoc weight limits plane Malaysia ideas reappear future newsletters along people brought attention Curiously I haven talked anyone about environmental protection Various types ecosystem management implications research human ecology clearly delineated areas meaningful academic setting administrative regulatory context which I working years environmental planner policy analyst consulting U S Environmental Protection Agency I forward weeks Malaysia where I meeting representatives nongovernmental environmental groups region Penang proceeding Sarawak Sincerely Received Hanover