Rainforests more valuable alive than dead, says Charles

May 14, 2008May 14, 2008, 11:00 PM GMT+1

Citing the felling of tropical trees as the single biggest cause of climate change, the Prince of Wales has underlined the urgency of stopping rainforest logging by ensuring the forests are "more valuable alive than dead".

"The trouble is the rainforests are home to something like 1.4 billion of the poorest people in the world," explained the Prince, speaking in a radio interview on Thursday morning. "What we've got to do is try to ensure that the those forest are more valuable alive than dead. At the moment there's more value in them being dead."

Saying he didn't want to be "got at by your children and grandchildren - let alone mine" for not having sone something about the situation, he called for the implementation of a scheme to pay poorer countries to prevent deforestation, and urged governments and consumers to do their bit.

"Halting deforestation would be the easiest and cheapest way in helping in the battle against climate change," he insists.

Helping Land Rover celebrate its 60th anniversary the previous day (pictured), the Prince of Wales had said it's "crazy" deforestation is still taking place across the world

During his visit to the company's Solihull plant, where he was presented with a cake in the shape of the first ever Land Rover, he praised the marque for the efforts it has made to combat climate change

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