According to available estimates, forests cover more than one quarter of the world's total area. About sixty percent of these forests are situated in tropical countries. However, these forests are disappearing at a very fast pace. Between 1980 and 1995, an area larger than Mexico had been deforested. This accelerated destruction of forests poses a serious threat to the environmental and economic well-being of the earth. Several studies have demonstrated that natural forests are the single most …showed first 75 words of 978 total…

…showed last 75 words of 978 total…extent of the world's forest or how fast we are losing them." The World Resources Institute (http://www.wri.org/wri) is an environmental think tank that goes beyond research to create practical ways to protect the Earth and improve people's lives. WWF, the World Wide Fund for Nature (http://www.panda.org), is the world's largest and most experienced conservation organization, with more than 4.7 million supporters and a global network active in over 96 countries