Australian rainforests in a global context

Abstract

Moist tropical rainforests cover approximately 6-7% of the surface of the globe and occur in a band about 15-20° either side of the equator. Typically they receive more than 2000 mm precipitation a year and although they may frequently experience a dry season, this is often punctuated by periods of heavy rainfall. These forests are typified by their evergreen nature, although some species of trees can be deciduous. Longer and drier dry seasons inevitably produce tropical dry forests, with most tree species being deciduous. Throughout this book when authors refer to rainforests they are referring to moist tropical rainforests.