Is saving the rain forest overrated?

The rapid expansion of “secondary forests” across the tropical world—former farms, industrial areas or natural disaster zones that are rapidly returning to nature—has some scientists questioning whether their conservation efforts are wrong-headed. “By one estimate, for every acre of rain forest cut down each year, more than 50 acres of new forest are growing,” says this New York Times piece. But environmental groups are outraged by the suggestion that all forests are equal.

The New York Times