The tropical rain forest: a nonrenewable resource.

On the other hand, it has often been stated that the tropical rain forests (tall evergreen forests in tropical warm and humid regions) around the world must be protected and conserved for the future generations (1). It has also been stated that it is most important that knowledge about the structure, diversity, and function of these ecosystems has priority in future biological research (2). Unfortunately, either these voices have not been heard or their arguments have not been convincing enough to promote action in this direction.