A debate over the need to conserve forests versus converting them for industrial use grew heated last week at Australian National University (ANU).
A forum brought together policy experts, scientists, and a forestry lobbyist to discuss Australia's role in overseas forestry. But an exchange between William F. Laurance, an ecologist at James Cook University, and Alan Oxley, a former Australian trade ambassador who lobbies on behalf of forestry interests, became the focus of the event.