Past and present human intervention in the utilization and manipulation of environmental resources are having unanticipated consequences. The often-indiscriminate destruction of forests and woodlands, and the spectre of land degradation resulting in decreased productivity with dire social consequences is generally recognized. The earth's soils are being washed away, rendered sterile or contaminated with toxic chemicals at a rate that cannot be sustained. "There is a growing realization in national and multilateral institutions that not only many forms of economic development erode the environmental resources upon which they are based, but at the same time environmental degradation can undermine economic development"(Brundtland et al., 1987).