8 Economic and Ecological Crisis
1. Most recent experimental efforts at FORI have concentrated on nonagricultural issues, such as streambank stabilization and the reclamation of toxic mine tailings. FORI researchers have also cultivated test plots of a rather remarkable cloud-forest plant, the so-called petroleum shrub ( Pitasporum resiniforum ). Its highly flammable seeds contain a high-quality fuel, and foresters hope that one day commercial plantings may be feasible. [BACK]
2. Bulldozer owners derive income from government road-building contracts, from clearing their own new garden plots, and from clearing the plots of other farmers in exchange for either cash or a section of land. [BACK]