Tropical Forest Insect Pests

Tropical Forest Insect Pests, first published in 2007, promotes a better theoretical understanding of pest population dynamics, and causes of forest insect outbreaks in the tropics.

Covering pests of both natural forests and plantations, it examines the diversity of tropical forest insects; their ecological functions; the concept of pests; and the incidence of pests in natural forests, plantations, and stored timber. General issues on which foresters and forest entomologists hold strong traditional views, such as the severity of pest incidence in plantations vs. natural forests, in plantations of exotics vs. indigenous tree species, and in monocultures vs. mixed plantations are discussed.

The final section looks in detail at specific insect pests of the common plantation tree species across the tropics, with recommendations for their control. This is a comprehensive resource suitable for graduate students and researchers in forestry and tropical forest entomology, and for forest plantation managers in the tropics.

• Provides detailed pest profiles of all major plantation pests thus identifying profitable research areas
• Facilitates appreciation of the ecological role of insects and the rationale behind modern pest management
• Presents a holistic picture of the ecological framework to aid understanding.

About the Author

Dr K. S. S. Nair obtained his PhD in Zoology, specializing in Entomology, from the M. S. University of Baroda in 1964. From 1976 to 1994 he headed the Entomology Division of the Kerala Forest Research Institute in India, and carried out pioneering research on the management of tropical forest insect pests. He was later made Director of the Institute and guided research on various aspects of tropical forestry. Since 1999 he has served as an Editor of the journal Entomon and President of the Association for Advancement of Entomology. Earlier, he also served as Chairman of the IUFRO (International Union of Forest Research Organizations) Working Party on 'Protection of Forest in the Tropics', for nine years. Dr Nair is now retired and lives in Kerala, India.