Southeast Asia is in the grip of a biodiversity

crisis

Deforestation in Kelantan State, West Malaysia. Source: Wakx/Flickr

23rd February 2018

RICH in wildlife, Southeast Asia includes at least six of the world’s 25
“biodiversity hotspots” – the areas of the world that contain an exceptional
concentration of species, and are exceptionally endangered. The region contains
20 percent of the planet’s vertebrate and plant species and the world’s third-
largest tropical forest.
In addition to this existing biodiversity, the region has an extraordinary rate of
species discovery, with more than 2,216 new species described between 1997
and 2014 alone.

Global comparisons are difficult but it seems the Mekong region has a higher
rate of species discovery than other parts of the tropics, with hundreds of new
species described annually.

SEE ALSO: Two new bird species discovered in Borneo

Orangutans in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Source: Victor Ulijn/Flickr

Habitat loss
Southeast Asia’s biodiversity is under serious threat; some parts of the region
are projected to lose up to 98 percent of their remaining forests in the next nine
years. It’s also thought to be the world’s most threatened region for mammals.
Sadly, the region’s fragile biodiversity is frequently forgotten by the global
media. It also suffers lower publishing rates than other tropical regions
for ecology and biodiversity research. It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that
Southeast Asia has some of the highest rates of deforestation on the planet,
having lost 14.5 percent of forests in the last 15 years.
Some areas, such as Philippines, have lost up to 89 percent of their original
forest cover.
This loss is rendered especially stark using recent advances in satellite imagery,
such as Google Earth timelapse, which shows that many regions have been
transformed from pristine forest to agriculture within the last decade or two.
Forest loss is one of the major drivers of species loss in the region, and pulp-
paper, rubber and oil palm production are the main drivers of forest clearance.
Southeast Asia exports 86 percent of the world’s palm oil and 87 percent of the
world’s natural rubber. The areas where these grow are projected to expand by
over 4.3 to 8.5 million hectares to meet demand by 2024.
A worker unloads palm fruit at a palm oil plantation in Peat Jaya, Jambi
province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra September 15, 2015 in this photo
taken by Antara Foto. Wahyu Putro A/Antara Foto/File Photo via REUTERS

SEE ALSO: ‘Crop Apartheid’: Malaysia lashes out after EU votes to ban palm oil
biofuels

Most new plantations come directly from rainforest clearance, and companies
investing in Southeast Asia are ranked as the least sustainable globally. The
recently created Forest & Finance initiative has reported that investment in
“high deforestation risk” sectors in Southeast Asia was more than US$38.76
billion between 2010 and 2015.

Avoiding these products is practically impossible. At 61.1 million tonnes, palm

oil was the most consumed oil globally in 2015, and this figure is rising.
Certification aiming to prevent further deforestation and guarantee the
sustainability of certified palm oil has also proven difficult, and failed to halt
deforestation.

The two initiatives for certification of sustainable palm-oil production and

natural rubber – the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and “green rubber
initiatives” – have failed to fulfil their commitments to protect natural habitats.

New plantations have continued to drive destruction of natural rainforests, and

the species dependant upon these ecosystems for survival. In some cases, the
initiatives have ended up using “perverse incentives” which actually encourage
deforestation. These include subsidies that facilitate forest clearance by funding
conversion of forest to crops, or free provision of rubber seeds to replace
natural forests.
A sticker is seen at the Thailand side of the Mekong River, at the border
between Laos and Thailand April 23, 2017. Source: Reuters/Jorge Silva
Dams, wetlands and mining
Deforestation is not the only driver of habitat loss in the region; Southeast Asia
also has more dams planned than any other part of the planet. Though often
looked at as “green power”, dams lead to a loss of biodiversity and undermine
rural economies through the loss of livelihoods.
There are currently 78 dams planned for the Mekong Delta. If built, they are
projected to reduce the number of migratory fish by 20 to 70 percent in the
Mekong, in addition to flooding essential habitats and causing regional
droughts. The Mekong has the highest freshwater diversity in the world, and
the potential extinction of so many species represents a global catastrophe.
Fisheries on the Mekong are also projected to feed more than 65 million people.
Declines in fish stocks will have direct implications for incomes and diets across
the region.
The drainage of Asia’s wetlands presents a further set of dangers, particularly
due to their importance to more than 50 million migratory wading birds that
depend on them for migration and breeding.
Around 80 percent of Southeast Asian wetlands are threatened by conversion to
agricultural land or development by drainage. Up to 45 percent of intertidal
wetlands have already been lost. This has so far caused population reductions of
up to 79 percent in some wading species.
Cambodian fishermen move their fishing net from the Mekong River as they
catch fish on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Source: AP

SEE ALSO: Laos pushes ahead with Mekong dams despite environmental risks

Mining is another often overlooked issue that poses a significant threat to

biodiversity, especially to karsts (limestone outcrops and caves), which cover
around 800,000km² of Southeast Asia. Each of these ecosystems are known to
harbour more than ten species not found anywhere else on the planet.

But most of these sites have never been surveyed, and up to 90 percent of cave
species in China are estimated to be scientifically undescribed. Similar rates of
unclassification are likely to exist for the rest of the region.

These karst ecosystems are under serious threat. Cement comes directly from
karst ecosystems, and between 2011 and 2013 alone, China used more cement
(6.6 gigatonnes) than the US has in recorded history. China’s approximate
annual usage of 1.5 tonnes per capita amounts to over 60 percent of the global
cement demand annually.

As karsts are under-represented in protected areas – and given the majority of

karst-dwelling species are limited to a single site – there is no way of knowing
how many species go extinct annually as a consequence.
Hunting and trade
Another threat to the region’s biodiversity is the illegal wildlife trade. Worth
approximately US$20 billion annually, it’s the fourth-biggest illegal trade in the
world.
In Southeast Asia, hunting represents the greatest threat to the future
survival of many species, with few native mammals of over 2kg surviving
outside protected areas.
Hunting represents a threat to all species, with high-value species sought and
traded by criminal cartels and smaller species traded for medicine, food or
sport.
Trade in wildlife in Asia can be grouped into three main types: for medicinal
purposes, for status (either in wildlife restaurants or as ornaments) or for the
pet, zoo and aquarium trades (principally birds, reptiles and amphibians).
Traditional medicine in Vietnam and China represents a threat to a huge array
of species, but most notably the pangolin, which is the most trafficked animal
on the planet. Sadly, the use of endangered species in medicine shows little sign
of abating.

Custom officials hold up seized pangolin scales at Kuala Lumpur airport customs
complex in Sepang May 8, 2017. Source: Reuters/Rozanna Latiff
SEE ALSO: Nearly 150,000 orangutans lost from Borneo forests

Whereas celebrities have campaigned for species that are targeted for status
and ornamentation, such as elephant ivory, many other animals and plants have
failed to get the attention needed to prevent over-exploitation. And a number
are now facing extinction.

The pet and zoo trade in wildlife, especially for reptiles, amphibians and birds,
have recently received attention, as many species formerly thought to be
captive-bred are now known to be wild-caught. They have suffered serious
population declines as a result of exploitation for trade.

The unique biodiversity of Southeast Asia is under threat because of some of

the world’s highest rates of habitat loss, as well as direct over-exploitation of
species. Even when forests remain intact, they are being steadily emptied of
their biodiversity through hunting.
Though dedicated researchers and conservationists are working to prevent
these issues, Southeast Asia will see the extinction of many endemic species in
the coming decades. The question of how many will remain depends on the
success of conservation and sustainability interventions.

By Alice Catherine Hughes, Associate Professor in Landscape Ecology &

Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Originally published on The
Conversation.
Posted by Thavam