India, Oct. 29 -- With the fast-growing trend of democratization of forestry coupled with the commodification of forest produce and apparent undermining of eco-services that are often difficult to quantify in monetary terms, the imminent danger of imbalance between holism and reductionism in forest management strategies looms large. This conflict is likely to get more pronounced if the choice for reductionism with its short-term returns, obviously preferred by communities dependent on forest produce for their economic wellbeing, overrides the long-term, complex considerations and contribution of holism.

Reductionism and holism are two fundamental approaches in science and philosophy for understanding and handling complex systems. Reducti...