Tropical rainforest regions

Tropical rainforests, by definition, lie between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer, 22.5° North and 22.5° South of the equator. In total, over 80 tropical countries are considered rainforest owning nations, we can split them into three distinct regions:

· Latin America and the Caribbean, which contains around 48%* of the world’s total tropical rainforest cover, with the majority being in Brazil.

· Africa, which accounts for roughly 15%* of the world’s tropical rainforest, concentrated in The Congo Basin, Madagascar and areas of West Africa.

• Asia and the Pacific, which accounts for around 37%* of the world’s tropical rainforest, where the country with the largest area of rainforest is Indonesia.

Each of the rainforest regions contains a distinct biodiversity and unique groups of indigenous peoples, yet the rainforest in each region is under threat from similar commercial and livelihood pressures. Many organisations are working within these specific regions to preserve and manage the forests in a sustainable manner, yet deforestation continues unabated.

*Data derived from: Hansen. M. et al (2008) ‘Humid tropical forest clearing from 2000 to 2005