Let's make 2012 the year of the rainforest
Tropical rainforests buzz with life. They're home to a whopping six million species, including some of the world's most enigmatic and endangered wildlife, with new species found continually. They provide food, water and medicines, and act as carbon stores to help in the fight against climate change.
We've spent more than 20 years working with partners in countries such as Sierra Leone, Indonesia, Montserrat, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Thailand to protect these unique places, and we've had some great successes. Check out our brilliant new rainforest pages to see what we're talking about.
But tropical rainforests are in trouble. Every four seconds, an area the size of a football pitch is still being chopped down for commercial gain. This is driven by the demand for paper and wood, for land to grow crops like palm oil and to provide pasture for livestock. In some cases it's illegal.
We can't solve the enormous problem of deforestation alone. To save tropical rainforests, we need people like you to join in the fight. We're working together with organisations, businesses and governments to protect those areas that are left.
We're making 2012 the year we push even harder to save tropical forests forever.
We'll be increasing our efforts and will continue to call on governments and businesses around the world to step up.
You can step up too - we'll be providing lots of ideas to help you do something small that can make a big difference.
Together we can step up and save tropical rainforests!
Happy New Year
Tim Stowe
RSPB Director of International Operations
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1100-year-old Maya ruins in north Georgia (courtesy of global warming and terraforming terra)