The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 and the catastrophic hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 have had tragic and devastating consequences for the global community and have drawn attention to the vulnerability of tropical coastal ecosystems.
Cloud forests represent a rare and fragile ecosystem that is under threat in many parts of the world. These rich mountain forests make up no more than 2.5 per cent of the world's tropical forests but contain a disproportionately large number of the world's species.
