tion in water resources planning, this is based not on established scientific analyses that conclusively prove that such participatory approaches sub- stantially improve the water resources planning process; it is rather that such approaches are desirable. We there- fore need to answer the question as to whether we are looking at public participation as a means to better water planning or viewing it as an end in itself. Rigorous monitoring and evaluation of participatory processes need to be carried out before valid scientific conclusions can be drawn.

In another key paper on some thoughts on the future of water re- sources planning and decision making, Dr Janusz Kindler of Poland express- ed his concern that much of what is being developed to aid decision mak- ing is not finding its way into practice. He correctly suggested one of the important reasons for this sad state of affairs: the lack of proper communica- tion between those who are develop- ing analytical tools and their potential users. He reviewed some compara-

tively new planning aids like decision support systems and expert systems.

Some excellent papers dealing with real problems were presented during the symposium. In a paper on the economic evaluation of increasing the height of a dam in FR Germany, Ulrike Tegtmeier, Karl-Ulrich Rudolph and Gert A. Schultz analy- sed the costs and benefits of restora- tion of an existing dam as well as the alternative of increasing the reservoir to three times its present capacity by raising the dam. While the costs and benefits of the first alternative were both low, they were both high for the second. Both alternatives were found to be economically justifiable. Mere restoration of the dam would mean it would be only used for the single purpose of drinking water supply whereas increasing the height of the dam would bring in additional benefits like low flow augmentation, availabil- ity of additional water, flood control and others. Interestingly the final poli- tical decision was for restoration of the dam. In another interesting paper

Arne J. Carlsen analysed the econo- mic consequences of operating the reservoirs on the River Numedals- lagen in Norway under the changing conditions of discontinuation of tim- ber transport and resolution of con- flicts between water uses for hydro- power generation and salmon fishing.

The symposium was unusual in that not only was it well organized and held at the picturesque Soria Moria Con- ference Centre but also the papers presented were of generally high qual- ity. Active participation of around 130 people from some 20 countries meant that it was small enough for people to get to know each other and yet large enough to provide a diversity of views and experiences. It was certainly one of the most productive and enjoyable meetings I have attended for some time.

Asit K. Biswas, President International Society for Ecological

Modeling Oxford, UK

Book reviews A major resource bank

WORLD RESOURCES 1986: An Assessment of the Resource Base that Supports the Global Economy, With Data Tables for 146 Countries

A Report from the World Resources Institute and the International Institute for Environment and Development.

Basic Books, New York, USA, 1986, 353pp, f11.95.

The 1970s saw a rapid increase in concern over resources and the en- vironment and many authors pre- dicted disasters if the high annual rates of economic growth, then common in the developed world, were to continue for several decades. Only one decade on from then, serious environmental problems, even disasters, are a reality

RESOURCES POLICY December 1986

and this despite the absence of the high growth rates. The scene is in- creasingly international - loss of tro- pical forests, transnational pollution (acid rain and radioactive matter), famine across the subtropical belt in Africa, threats to the global commons _ and peoples in many countries are increasingly aroused by such matters.

On the other hand, recession in countries like Britain has eased the pressure on oil and raw mineral re- sources and this has been paralleled by some evaporation of concern about world resources of energy and miner- als. But the situation developing in Southern Africa could result in a quickening of interest in future sup- plies of certain metallic ores. Many countries may eschew nuclear power for the time being as a result of the Chernobyl disaster and this would

reawaken interest in energy supply problems.

Nowadays, many organizations, not just national governments, have to confront issues rooted in resource use, environmental quality and population growth problems. Such organizations include banks, multinational corpora- tions, development agencies, relief and refugee bodies. A key resource which they often lack is accurate and up-to-date data on global matters. World Resources 1986 could help them in this respect. This book is the first of what is intended to be an annual series, with the aim of constantly adding to the data base and up-dating the information it provides. It is edited by staff of the World Resources Insti- tute but textual matter and construc- tive criticism has been supplied by individual experts from around the world. Quantitative data has been provided by dozens of individuals working in government departments, universities, research institutes and international organizations. The fund- ing of this work came from organiza- tions as diverse as, for example,

353

Book reviews

NASA and the World Bank, the Ford Foundation and the UN Environmen- tal Programme.

Over half the volume is devoted to reviewing major world resource topics - human settlement, population trends, food and agriculture, forests, wild life and habitat, energy, water and atmosphere. Then comes a discus- sion of the problem of forest destruc- tion. The remaining third of the book contains the tables which complement the review sections, plus some basic economic indicators such as GNP, labour force statistics and world com- modity prices and indexes. Although the tables are usually up-to-date, they are reproduced in such small print that readers with less than perfect sight may find extensive use a strain on the eyes.

The tables do not provide all the data that might be required by the organizations using this book; the authors stress, however, that there are gaping holes in the basic knowledge of certain topics and this very fact was seen as a principal motive for com- mencing the whole project. For inst- ance, there is said to be no reliable data on the condition of the world’s rangelands and the very best data on water availability is now apparently over ten years out of date. Informa- tion on water quality and use is even

more inadequate. It is to be hoped that policy makers throughout the world will become alerted to the limitations of the existing data and to the pressing need for improvement. The authors invite the reader to make suggestions in this sense and indeed to suggest changes in the content and balance for the next volume. It is hard to see that such comment can be in time for the next work, if there is only going to be a year space between each publication.

Not all the important topics in the vast field of resources and the environ- ment are covered in this first volume. For example, ‘Oceans and coasts’ deals with fisheries quite well but marine pollution is to come in next year’s issue. And commencing next year will be an additional chapter devoted to biogeochemical cycles; it will deal with our understanding of the global cycles of elements such as carbon, nitrogen, sulphur and phos- phorus as well as methane gas and how they affect life on earth and the role of people in altering the cycles.

This book will be useful for teaching and research. Although the emphasis is on data and information it is never- theless interesting to read. Although demography may appear to be a dull subject, it is covered in human terms here. Many people believe that one of

the basic problems with developing countries is their desire for large fami- lies, leading to growth in population which outstrips resources. When the women in these countries are con- sulted, it seems that many of them would prefer smaller families and there is an unsatisfied demand for contraception. Presumably only the male head of family was consulted in the past . Although the chapter on energy is quite short, considering the great importance of this resource, it nevertheless gives a fairly balanced picture of global demand. Unlike many reviews of the subject, which tend to deal almost entirely with com- mercial energy supplies, here we find that due consideration is given to the enormous importance of wood burn- ing in many countries of the world; people collect the raw fuel themselves and there is no transaction recorded in the market place. But at the rate of consumption it is hardly a renewable resource and there are enormous en- vironmental implications.

It is to be hoped that this book is widely read, thus ensuring that it is only the first of a series. It is certainly good value for money.

Fred Roberts Energy and material resources con-

sultant Richmond, North Yorkshire, UK

Sustainable development?

NATURAL RESOURCES: ALLOCA- TION, ECONOMICS AND POLICY

Judith Rees

Methuen, London, UK and New York, USA, 1985, 449 pp, f30.00 (hard- back), f 14.95 (paperback)

In this book, Judith Rees examines the main reasons for the depletion of natural resources, the consequences of such depletion and the policy and practice of renewable resource man- agement. The book contains ten chap- ter. After discussing the nature and scarcity of both stock and renewable resources in the first chapter, Rees analyses the production and distribu-

tion of minerals. Next, she discusses critically the performance of the mineral production process. Here, Rees is particularly concerned about the problems of evaluating production performance that arise from the con- flicting criteria which are generally used by writers in a multidisciplinary subject. She rightly emphasizes the dilemma that policy makers usually face in simultaneously achieving objectives such as economic and tech- nological efficiency and distributive equity in the process of economic growth in both developed and under- developed countries. The section on national security objectives is interest- ing and deserves attention. Chapter Five describes the nature of public

intervention in the minerals sector while Chapter Six explains the nature and causes of renewable resource problems. Externality problems like environmental degradation and ‘the tragedy of the commons’ are clearly stated. In Chapter Seven, Rees tackles the economic perspectives and mechanisms of the allocation of re- newable resource flows. Here, I am inclined to think that the analysis of the pricing policies in the management of the common property resources might have been more rigorous. It is rather unfortunate that Rees has not paid much attention to the intertem- poral pricing problems created when resources become more or less valu- able with the growth of complements and substitutes. However, Rees cor- rectly observes that none of the ‘charging schemes’ implemented in practice even approaches the econom-

354 RESOURCES POLICY December 1986