---

World natural rain forests have been utilized over centuries by communities at the peripheral areas of the forests on various purposes. Accordingly, the gradual swell of population has threatened the survival of these forests. In answer to this, Forest Buffer Zones (FBZs) can be established in the peripheral areas of rain forests to conserve dense forests and at the same time to satisfy the communal needs for forest resources with the resources available within the FBZs themselves. The book presents an analyzes of the effectiveness of establishing FBZs with regard to the Sripada Tropical Peak Wilderness Sanctuary, which is one of the Wet Ever Green Tropical Rain Forests of Sri Lanka, as an approach to Community Forest Management. The central research problem is to scrutinize whether both socioeconomic development of the rural community and conservation of the rain forest can jointly be achieved through the establishment of FBZs. The book is especially useful to environmentalists, policy makers of Environment Management and Conservation or anyone else who is interested in Ecology, Forestry, and Community Forest Management.

---

H.I.G. Chaminda Kumara, BA in Geography, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. MSc in Development Management, University of Agder, Norway. Presently, a Lecturer in Geography, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. Research interests are chiefly in the fields of Forestry, Biogeography, Sustainable Development and Community Forest Management.

---