Acid soils cover approximately 30% of the world's ice-free land area, totaling about 3950 million hectares. These soils are primarily found in two global belts: the northern belt, dominated by cold and temperate climates, and the southern tropical belt. The northern belt includes Spodosols, Alfisols, Inceptisols, and Histosols, while the southern belt consists mainly of Ultisols and Oxisols. Sixty-seven percent of these soils support forests and woodlands, with about 18% covered by savanna, prairie, and steppe vegetation. Only 4.5% (179 million hectares) are used for arable crops, and an additional 33 million hectares are used for perennial tropical crops, contributing to an annual production value of approximately US$129 billion. The authors highlight the vital role of tropical forests and wetlands in ecosystem balance and protection of flora, fauna, and water resources. While acid soils in the northern belt are being protected and reforested, deforestation and abusive modern shifting cultivation have led to the loss of over 250 million hectares of tropical forest, leaving vast areas of eroded and degraded acid soils. The authors suggest that efforts to develop acid soils for agriculture and agroforestry in the tropics should focus on deforested and abandoned areas. However, this requires significant initial investment and technology. A three-step development approach is proposed to prevent or halt the annual destruction of over 5 million hectares of tropical forests by "untraditional shifting cultivators." This approach aims to protect the fragile natural ecosystems on tropical acid soils, which are crucial for future life on Earth.Acid soils cover approximately 30% of the world's ice-free land area, totaling about 3950 million hectares. These soils are primarily found in two global belts: the northern belt, dominated by cold and temperate climates, and the southern tropical belt. The northern belt includes Spodosols, Alfisols, Inceptisols, and Histosols, while the southern belt consists mainly of Ultisols and Oxisols. Sixty-seven percent of these soils support forests and woodlands, with about 18% covered by savanna, prairie, and steppe vegetation. Only 4.5% (179 million hectares) are used for arable crops, and an additional 33 million hectares are used for perennial tropical crops, contributing to an annual production value of approximately US$129 billion. The authors highlight the vital role of tropical forests and wetlands in ecosystem balance and protection of flora, fauna, and water resources. While acid soils in the northern belt are being protected and reforested, deforestation and abusive modern shifting cultivation have led to the loss of over 250 million hectares of tropical forest, leaving vast areas of eroded and degraded acid soils. The authors suggest that efforts to develop acid soils for agriculture and agroforestry in the tropics should focus on deforested and abandoned areas. However, this requires significant initial investment and technology. A three-step development approach is proposed to prevent or halt the annual destruction of over 5 million hectares of tropical forests by "untraditional shifting cultivators." This approach aims to protect the fragile natural ecosystems on tropical acid soils, which are crucial for future life on Earth.