In 1977, the Volkswagen Foundation sponsored the first of a series of International Symposia on Fire Ecology at Freiburg University, Federal Republic of Germany. The scope of the congresses was to create a platform for researchers at a time when the science of fire ecology was not yet recognized and established outside of North America and Australia. Whereas comprehensive information on the fire ecology of the northern boreal, the temperate, and the mediter­ ranean biotas is meanwhile available, it was recognized that conside­ rable gaps in information exist on the role of fire in tropical und sub­ tropical ecosystems. Thus it seemed timely to meet the growing scientific interest and public demand for reliable and updated infor­ mation and to synthesize the available knowledge of tropical fire ecology and the impact of tropical biomass burning on global eco­ system processes. The Third Symposium on Fire Ecology, again sponsored by the Volkswagen Foundation and held at Freiburg University in May 1989, was convened to prepare this first pantropical and multidisci­ plinary monograph on fire ecology!. The book, in which 46 scientists cooperated, analyzes those fire-related ecosystem processes which have not yet been described in a synoptic way. Following the editor's concept, duplication at previous efforts in describing tropical vegeta­ tion patterns and dynamics was avoided. Extensive bibliographical sources are given in the reference lists of the chapters.