Forests offer diverse values to society, including timber, aesthetics, wildlife and biodiversity values, employment and wealth. Forests must be managed to provide the balance of values at the landscape level that the prevailing society deems to be consistent with the basic concept of sustainable development: to satisfy the needs and aspirations of present generations of humans without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy their needs and aspirations.Management of forests to satisfy the requirements of sustainability will not be successful if based solely on the science of ecology, because this science cannot tell foresters what their goals should be. It will also fail if it is based solely on green religion, because this frequently ignores the ecological requirements of many of the living organisms in forest ecosystems, and the needs of the world's present human population, let alone the increase in human numbers that is expected within the next century.Broadly-defined environmentalism should be the basis for managing and conserving the world's forests. This management should be based on the ecology of these forests, should address the multiple values they provide, and should respect current ethical standards concerning the environment. The foresters performing this management should be dedicated environmentalists (in the broad sense). Unless the forestry profession becomes the leader in forest environmentalism, there is a significant risk that forestry in the future will be based largely on green religion.
Sustainable Development as a Basic Concept Development of Cities
