Geometrid moth diversity as bioindication of forest fire impact

South East Asia s tropical rain forests, acclaimed for their rich biodiversity, have in recent years been ravaged by fire. In these forests, fire played a very negligible role in their ecological functioning as its presence was rare or absent naturally. The reoccurrence of fires in these forests has been exacerbated by the dry season spells related to the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. Between 1992 -1997 more than 5,678 hectares of forest land in Malaysia had been afflicted by fires and in 1998, 2,799 hectares of forest land was reported to have been ravaged by fire. The recurrence of the ENSO phenomenon coupled with burning practices of farming has somewhat allowed fire to occupy a unique niche within the tropical moist forests. In this book, I attempt to quantify the impacts of fire on some of Malaysia's tropical rainforests using Geometrid moth diversity.