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Synopsis In the world today nature limps under the exploitation of man, as also the forests and the living creatures that dwell within them. It is necessary therefore that a world history be written from the perspective of the weak; of that which has been controlled and exploited. What must be exposed is the truth that has been buried in our conventional understanding of a world history. This book brings us a diversity of stories concerning the relationship between the forest and the human community. Reflecting upon our current understanding of civilisations, leading scholars from different areas of specialisation conduct a common and vitally fundamental enquiry into our global environment. Their alternative cultural traditions provide us with a fresh and stimulating perspective from which the western legacy that has generated both the technological achievements and the environmental problems so emblematic of Western civilisations can be viewed. Forest and Civilisations exposes us to important ideas inherited from ancient peoples’ relationship with forests and gives us an opportunity to draw inspiration from them in defining a new world view.