What complexity of colonial development is revealed by studying commercial forestry?

Correct answer: Development, science and infrastructure could grow at the cost of local rights and environmental diversity

The direct answer is A: development, science, and infrastructure could grow while harming local rights and environmental diversity. Commercial forestry shows that colonial development was not automatically beneficial to everyone. Governments used scientific methods and transport networks to extract selected timber, while laws reduced community access to forests. Planting one preferred species or focusing on timber could reduce the variety of plants and weaken older ecological patterns. Option A is correct because it recognises both achievement and cost. Option B is wrong because colonial development often served imperial and commercial interests, not always local interests. Option C is wrong because science could support official control rather than local freedom. Option D is wrong because roads, railways, and timber extraction placed pressure on forests. Memory cue: ask “development for whom, and at what cost?” The supplied answer is accurate.