Introduction Hidden behind familiar statistics is an equally sobering reality.
Of the forests that do remain standing, the vast majority are no more than small or highly disturbed pieces of the fully functioning ecosystems they once were. By now, most people who read a newspaper or watch television know that deforestation is a serious problem, particularly in the tropics. Every year at least 16 million additional hectares fall to the ax, torch, bulldozer, or chain saw. Of the forests that do remain standing, the vast majority are no more than small or highly disturbed pieces of the fully functioning ecosystems they once were. These modified forests should not be forgotten, of course.