The vast quantity of information that is presented in this volume is the result of a joint project of the World Wildlife Fund-US and the three major botanical institutions of the United States, the Arnold Arboretum, the Missouri Botanical Garden and the New York Botanical Garden. However, as can be seen by the multiplicity of authors involved, the book is the result of the work of a large number of people around the world, and we are extremely grateful to all these persons, who have so generously contributed from their vast pool of knowledge about the tropical rain forest habitat.
