Forests ecosystems covering about 4

Forests ecosystems covering about 4.1 billion hectares globally (Dixon and Wisniewski, 1995) are a major reserve of terrestrial C stock. There are three principle forest biomes: boreal, temperate and tropical (Table 1). The boreal or taiga forest occupies a circumpolar belt. Temperate forests cover mid- latitudes between 25 and 508 north and south of the Equator, and comprise both evergreen and deciduous species. Tropical forests occur about 258 north and south of the Equator, and comprise both evergreen and deciduous species. Predominant types of tropical forests include lowland rainforest, montane forests and mangrove forests.
The geographical distribution of the world’s forests indicates large areas in South America, Asia, Europe, and North and Central America and Africa (Table 2). Worldwide, forest cover is decreasing at the net rate of about 9.4 Mha/year mostly due to deforestation of the tropical rainforest (TRF) in Brazil, Sumatra and West and Central Africa. The deforestation and conversion of TRF into agricultural ecosystems results in