Great apes must be considered guardians of the rainforest, and the forests depend on them as much as they depend on them. Deforestation, which destroys the habitat of rainforest apes, is accelerating: every day, the equivalent of one and a half times the size of Paris disappears from the Earth's surface in forests! Most tropical plants use a mutualistic strategy between frugivores and fruit trees to disperse their seeds. Great apes contribute very effectively to this because of their diet, which is primarily composed of fruit, and their large size.