As home to one of the highest concentrations of endangered species in the world, the ecological corridor that connects the Mayan forests of southern Mexico to the lowland forests of Panama is a prime example of such diverse tropical ecosystems. This is the area in which EcoLogic has chosen to focus its work. The importance of conserving tropical biodiversity cannot be overestimated. Many tropical species have proven essential to developing medical, agricultural and industrial uses that have benefited people throughout the world. But the critical role of tropical biodiversity goes beyond the development of products.
Biodiversity provides a matrix of life that makes the most basic of natural processes possible.
The diversity of species work together to protect and purify natural supplies, regulate climate, and prevent erosion, and absorb and decompose pollutants. When biodiversity is threatened, all of life is threatened, because processes on which all of life depends begin to break down. Despite the importance of biodiversity to the very continuity of life on Earth, human beings are permanently destroying vital ecosystems at an unprecedented rate. The causes of this biodiversity crisis are complex, and include overpopulation and poverty.