Civilizations across time, particularly those pre-industrialization and constrained to relatively small islands, have mismanaged forest cover, soils, and water to the point of collapse. In a new book, edited by M. Bonell and L. Bruijnzeel, called Forests, Water & People in the Humid Tropics: Past, Present and Future Hydrological Research for Integrated Land and Water Management, of Central America comes to mind. Despite Mayan advances in mathematics, engineering and astronomy, reported in numerous glyphs and stella in the ruins of Copan, Honduras, human numbers and the associated complex economy and governance collapsed as the result of resource shortfalls. As reported in this book's chapter entitled 'An overview of the meteorology and climatology of the humid tropics' by Bonell himself, watershed management of the Honduran peoples was tested once again in October 1998 as Hurricane Mitch stalled and generated more than 500 mm of rainfall. Inadequate upper atmosphere meteorological measurements, storm forecasting, and forest management led to a tragic overlap of human habitation, poor soils, and swift floods, causing thousands of deaths.
Forests, Water & People in the Humid Tropics presents an extensive, and in areas exhaustive, review of the hydrological and biophysical systems and processes operating in humid tropical forests, and clearly links land management and conversion to environmental outcomes that range from dire to sustaining. Bonell and Bruijnzeel edited a book that fills 38 chapters (925 pages) by individual and teams of authors who gathered in July 2000 at a symposium and workshop of the book's name in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Major categories for the book are: 1. Current Trends and Perspectives on People-Land Use-Water Issues 2. Hydrological Processes in Undisturbed Forests 3. Forest Disturbance, Conversion, and Recovery 4. New Methods for Evaluating Effects of Land-Use Change 5. Critical Appraisals of Best Management Practices