ABSTRACT
The humid tropics are those parts of the world within the tropical belt where, on balance, precipitation is greater than evapotranspiration. This chapter concentrates on the more humid areas where the dry season is shorter than the wet season and there is a annual surplus of moisture. The diversity of species in tropical rain forest was for long believed to be the result of environmental stability. The chapter focuses on the main impacts, which can be summarized as loss of species diversity; loss of natural resources; environmental consequences; possible changes of climate on a local, regional and global scale. The rain forests act as a reservoir of natural resources in the form of fruits, food, timber, raw materials and medicines. Species extinction through clearance would lead to the loss of any of these products. Greater concern has been expressed about the loss of resources which have yet to be discovered.
