Farms here, forests there: tropical deforestation and U.S. competitiveness in agriculture and timber

Abstract

The conservation of tropical rainforests has benefits beyond safeguarding habitat for biodiversity, maintaining ecological services communities depend on, and protecting carbon stocks that help keep our global climate in check. Saving forests in faraway places can actually benefit U.S. family farmers struggling to compete with cheap imported food and forest products that are produced at the expense of rainforests.