TROPICAL SEASONAL FORESTS IN MONSOON ASIA - WITH EMPHASIS ON CONTINENTAL SOUTHEAST-ASIA

This paper is intended to provide a brief review of the tropical seaso nal forest, one type of the tropical moist forests in monsoon Asia. It will also focus on and summarise issues of current concern in relatio n to their depletion and global environmental issues. Tropical moist f orests occur in the rainy tropical and monsoon tropical climate types. The tropical moist evergreen forest or the tropical rain forest, whic h account for two-thirds of the tropical moist forests are rich in bio diversity and contain valuable tropical hardwood. The tropical moist d eciduous forest or the tropical seasonal forest which lie along the fr inges of tropical rain forest, are less complex than the tropical rain forest and have more distinct wet and dry periods. Broadleaved decidu ous trees of the genera Tectona, Shorea, and Dipterocarpus are predomi nantly in this forest type. Currently estimates have found that more t han 17 million hectares of forest mainly tropical moist forests are be ing lost each year. There is a widespread recognition that agriculture and the burning of tropical moist forests contribute to global warmin g but to a much lesser extent than the combustion of fossil fuels and industrial activities in the developed world.