Proceedings of the Conference on Integrating Social Sciences & Ecosystem Management held in 1995. The overall purpose was to improve understanding, integration, & research applications of the human dimension of ecosystem management. The goals were to: (1) discuss the state of knowledge of social sciences relevant to ecosystem management, (2) discuss how to integrate this knowledge with ecosystem management (along with the physical & biological sciences), (3) develop a strategy to effectively integrate social sciences with ecosystem management, & (4) identify a research agenda to further knowledge in the area. Illustrated.

Rural development policies have historically focused primarily on increasing agricultural productivity, but this volume demonstrates the need for a much broader approach as rural producers become increasingly integrated into the global economy. Followi