As you climb the mountain, you make your way into the
forest. One thing that strikes you is the dense cloud cover, blocking sunlight and raising
the humidity. Another is the abundance of epiphytes, plants such as mosses and lichens,
growing on the short, twisted trees. You also notice the large number of ferns. You are in
a tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF.)
Although many think the only forest in the tropics is tropical rain forest, there are many
types, one of which is cloud forest. While cloud forests receive less attention than rain
forests, in some places they are being lost at a greater rate. In the past, their steep
slopes and cloud cover protected them from human disturbance. However, with populations
increasing in tropical countries, people are forced to farm unsuitable land. When farmers
remove cloud forests to plant crops, erosion occurs on the steep slopes. The lack of
sunlight also makes it difficult for crops to grow.
Cloud forests are important for many reasons. Like the tropical rain forests, they contain
diverse species, many of which are endemic: that is, species that are found only in that
location. The vegetation also collects moisture directly from the clouds, providing water
to surrounding areas during the dry season. In addition, the trees provide stability to
the steep slopes, and the water-absorbing epiphytes store rain during the wet season,
preventing landslides.
The main threat to cloud forests is what threatens most places in the tropics: population
pressure. For the preservation of tropical montane cloud forests and other tropical
ecosystems, rates of population growth need to decrease, and researchers need to introduce
more sustainable agriculture. People also need to raise awareness of the important roles
these ecosystems play.
March 1999
Related books for sale at Amazon.com:
Tropical Montane Cloud Forests by Lawrence S. Hamilton, James O. Juvik, and F. N. Scatena
Monteverde: Ecology and Conservation of a Tropical Cloud Forest by Nalini M. Nadkarni and Nathaniel T. Wheelwright
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� Suzanne P. Currie 1999 [email protected]
