Editing Tropical forest (section)

{{for|the plant life in tropical latitudes|tropical vegetation}}
{{short description|Generic forest in the tropics}}

'''Tropical forests''' are [[forest]]ed [[ecoregion]]s with [[tropical climate]]s – that is, land areas approximately bounded by the [[Tropic of Cancer|tropics of Cancer]] and [[Tropic of Capricorn|Capricorn]], but possibly affected by other factors such as [[prevailing winds]].
[[File:BorneoRainforest DSC 9267.JPG|thumb|350px|right|[[Borneo]] rainforest]]

Some tropical forest types are difficult to categorize. While forests in [[temperate climate|temperate]] areas are readily categorized on the basis of [[tree canopy]] density, such schemes do not work well in tropical forests.<ref name="Putz_etal">{{cite journal | last1=Putz | first1=Francis E. | last2=Redford | first2=Kent H. | title=The Importance of Defining 'Forest': Tropical Forest Degradation, Deforestation, Long-term Phase Shifts, and Further Transitions | journal=Biotropica | publisher=Wiley | volume=42 | issue=1 | date=September 14, 2009 | issn=0006-3606 | doi=10.1111/j.1744-7429.2009.00567.x | pages=10–20| s2cid=83577100 }}</ref> There is no single scheme that defines what a forest is, in tropical regions or elsewhere.<ref name="Putz_etal"/><ref name = "Shvidenko_etal">Anatoly Shvidenko, Charles Victor Barber, Reidar Persson et al. 2005 "[[Millennium Ecosystem Assessment]]." Ecosystems and human wellbeing: a framework for assessment Washington, DC: Island Press</ref> Because of these difficulties, information on the extent of tropical forests varies between sources. However, tropical forests are extensive, making up just under half the world's forests.<ref>D'Annunzio, Rémi, Lindquist, Erik J., MacDicken, Kenneth G. 2017 "Global forest land-use change from 1990 to 2010:an update to a global remote sensing  survey of forests Forest Resource Assessment Working Paper 187" FAO, Rome.</ref> The tropical domain has the largest proportion of the world's forests (45 percent), followed by the boreal, temperate and subtropical domains.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 – Key findings|publisher=FAO|year=2020|isbn=978-92-5-132581-0|doi=10.4060/ca8753en|s2cid=130116768 }}</ref>

More than 3.6 million hectares of virgin tropical forest was lost in 2018.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/06/human-society-under-urgent-threat-loss-earth-natural-life-un-report Human society under urgent threat from loss of Earth's natural life. Scientists reveal 1 million species at risk of extinction in damning UN report] 6 May 2019 Guardian [https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yd8l2v0u4jqptp3/AACpraYjOYWpTxAFv5H-2vrKa/1%20Global%20Assessment%20Summary%20for%20Policymakers?dl=0&preview=Summary+for+Policymakers+IPBES+Global+Assessment.pdf&subfolder_nav_tracking=1]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=World Lost 12 Million Hectares of Tropical Forest in 2018 |url=https://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/articles/world-lost-12-million-hectares-tropical-forest-2018/ |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=Ecosystem Marketplace |language=en-US}}</ref>