There are many definitions. In ecological terms, rainforests have been defined as "multi-storied closed, broad leaved forest vegetation with a continuous tree canopy of variable height and with characteristic diversity of species and life forms" . Tropical rainforests in particular possess an astonishing array of flora and fauna. In fact, at least half of the Earth's species are found in rainforests. Rainforests have been called the womb of life because they are home to 50-90% of the species on Earth. Worldwide, several hundred million forest-dwelling people live in or depend on rainforests. Many of the world?s important food crops and domestic animals have been developed from rainforest species. Human beings depend on rainforests in numerous ways, but it would be wrong to suggest that they should be preserved purely so that they can be exploited by humans. 1.1 Biodiversity Because of tropical deforestation, it has been estimated that at least 40 species are perishing every day. This is a rate hundreds of times faster than at any period in recent geological time. Tropical forests cover only 12 per cent of the land area of the Earth, yet they are home to between 50 and 90 per cent of the world's species. They contain 90% of non-human primates, 40% of all birds of prey and 80% of the world's insects and over 60% of all known plants. Because one species in a tropical forest may be found in a small area and nowhere else, the destruction of relatively small areas of