We thank Chronicle Books for their permission to use 4 awe-inspiring photos from the book, The Rainforest, A Celebration . The frog on the right livelihood screen is a male glass frog guarding eggs, Costa Rica. Photographed by Michael and Patricia Fogden.
Rain forests are the richest natural environments on earth.
They are also among the most threatened and are irreplaceable. Evolved over millions of years, they are immensely complicated living communities of plants and creatures that both form them and depend on them for their survival. Many, as yet undiscovered and unnamed, could hold immense benefits for humanity, but they are being destroyed before we can realize their potential. To appreciate the vital importance of these fragile ecosystems and the global consequences of their destruction, we need to understand them. This book is both a visual celebration of the world's rainforests and an impeccable scientific summary of how they operate.