Southeast Asian biodiversity: an impending disaster

Southeast Asia has the highest relative rate of deforestation of any major tropical region, and could lose three quarters of its original forests by 2100 and up to 42% of its biodiversity. Here, we report on the current state of its biota and highlight the primary drivers of the threat of extinction now faced by much of the unique and rich fauna and flora of the region. Furthermore, the known impacts on the biodiversity of Southeast Asia are likely to be just the tip of the iceberg, owing to the paucity of research data. The looming Southeast Asian biodiversity disaster demands immediate and definitive actions, yet such measures continue to be constrained by socioeconomic factors, including poverty and lack of infrastructure. Any realistic solution will need to involve a multidisciplinary strategy, including political, socioeconomic and scientific input, in which all major stakeholders (government, non-government, national and international organizations) must participate.     

Impending conservation crisis for Southeast Asian amphibians

With an understudied amphibian fauna, the highest deforestation rate on the planet and high harvesting pressures, Southeast Asian amphibians are facing a conservation crisis. Owing to the overriding threat of habitat loss, the most critical conservation action required is the identification and strict protection of habitat assessed as having high amphibian species diversity and/or representing distinctive regional amphibian faunas. Long-term population monitoring, enhanced survey efforts, collection of basic biological and ecological information, continued taxonomic research and evaluation of the impact of commercial trade for food, medicine and pets are also needed. Strong involvement of regional stakeholders, students and professionals is essential to accomplish these actions.     

Role of culturally protected forests in biodiversity conservation in Southeast China

Culturally protected forests (CPFs), preserved and managed by local people on the basis of traditional practices and beliefs, have both social and ecological functions. We investigated plant species richness and diversity within the tree layer, shrub layer and herb layer in three types of CPFs (community forests, ancestral temple forests, cemetery forests) as well as nearby forests without cultural protection (NCPFs) in Southeast China. A total of 325 species belonging to 85 families and 187 genera were recorded in CPFs, including 17 protected species in China Species Red List and IUCN Red List, which accounted for 17 % of counties’ endangered species. Compared with NCPFs, the tree layer of CPFs had larger DBH and lower species density, especially in the cemetery forests. CPFs had higher alpha diversity values generally, particularly in the tree layer. The differences in tree layer were substantial, and CPFs covered nearly 85.4 % of the tree species in the surveyed sites. The similarities between CPFs and NCPFs were higher in the herb and shrub layers than in the tree layer. These differences of species diversity may be attributed to differences in resource use and management between CPFs and NCPFs. Our field investigation results suggested that local CPFs harbor many plant species, high biodiversity, and contribute to the conservation of a substantial proportion of the local species pool.     

The role of traditional knowledge and access to genetic resources in biodiversity conservation in Southeast Asia

The article examines international treaties linking trade and environment, their governance models and implementation in the context of Southeast Asia. Particular attention is being paid to the role of intellectual property concepts, customary law and traditional knowledge as incentives for biodiversity conservation and to difficulties in defining the subject matter and communities of knowledge holders. Indonesia’s regulation of traditional knowledge and access to biodiversity is discussed as example. The article concludes that national development goals and interests in royalty collection frequently dominate the discussion and that key concepts are still insufficiently defined to avoid overlaps and conflicts. Genuine local support for the conservationist aims of the models will depend on whether a benefit flow to communities can be ensured and their original role to act as incentives can be realised. International collaboration is important to avoid disputes concerning biodiversity related knowledge held across borders.     

Effects of intensive rice production practices on avian biodiversity in Southeast Asian managed wetlands

Rice fields are common throughout the agricultural landscape of Southeast Asia and sustain various bird species. These birds can provide ecosystem services, such as pest control, that improve agricultural yields whilst minimising the use of agrochemicals. This study quantified avian biodiversity in rice production landscapes during three farming stages in Peninsular Malaysia. In Malaysia, rice fields can be an important habitat for migrating birds due to Malaysia’s position on the East-Asian–Australasian Flyway. We determined bird abundance, species richness, and composition in rice field landscapes and compared these during different stages of rice growing. Wetland and terrestrial birds were counted in rice fields using the point-count method. Sixty sampling points were randomly established in three locations, from which 3447 individual birds of 46 species and 26 families were recorded. There was a significant difference in total bird abundance and species richness between the three different stages of rice growing. The growing stage supported greater bird abundance and species richness compared to the pre-harvest and post-harvest stages. Rice-growing provides temporary habitats to different bird species in this managed aquatic landscape. This implies the presence of abundant food, such as small fish and amphibians. The evidence from this study suggests that biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices should be implemented to improve habitat quality for birds in rice production landscapes.     

集合种群与生物多样性保护

集合种群的概念受到空前的重视,其精髓是强调物种受局域和区域两个空间尺度上生态学过程的共同作用。主要介绍了集合种群概念的由来、集合种群动态理论以及集合种群理论在生物多样性保护及生物防治中一些可能的应用。     

中国古籍与生物多样性保护

本文提出一种借助古代文献恢复自然生态系统的方法,而中国古籍在这方面可以发挥巨大的作用。生物多样性保护的技术性关键在于找到合适的生态系统,而自然生态系统就是其中之一。中国古籍,特别是中国医书、中国农书和中国方志的有关记载为寻找这种生态系统提供了大量的信息。因此我们可以参考中国古籍,使现存的复合生态系统逐步地接近自然生态系统,从而达到生物多样性保护的目的。     

Books on biodiversity and conservation

Reviews are provided for 24 books published over the years 2006–2011 which have been received by Biodiversity and Conservation. These are in the general areas of ecology and the environment, mammals, birds, plants, evolution, and the human dimension of biodiversity, plus a miscellaneous work. Such batches of synoptic reviews are a new feature for Biodiversity and Conservation, and it is envisaged that 3–4 such groups of reviews will now be issued each year.     

Books on biodiversity and conservation

Reviews are provided for 22 books published over the years 2002–2011 which have been received by Biodiversity and Conservation. These are in the general areas of biodiversity, conservation, environmental crime, evolution, forestry, invasive species, legislation, methodology, and public perception. This is the second of a series of synoptic reviews, several instalments of which will now appear in the journal each year.     

Books on biodiversity and conservation

Reviews and notices are provided on 21 books, all but two published in 2015 or 2016. These are concerned with diverse aspects of biodiversity and conservation, including phylogenetic diversity, conservation law, habitat management, soils, and regional works. This is the sixth of a series of cumulative reviews and book notices, which generally appear annually in the journal.     

Books on biodiversity and conservation

Reviews and notices are provided on 62 books published over the years 2004–2012 which have been received by Biodiversity and Conservation. These are in the general areas of biodiversity, conservation, ecology, ethics, extinction, invasive species, methodology, and urban ecology. This is the third of a series of cumulative reviews and book notices, one or more instalments of which is included in the journal each year.     

Books on biodiversity and conservation

Reviews and notices are provided on eight books published over the years 2012–2013. These are concerned with diverse aspects of biodiversity and conservation, including ecology, ethics, invasive species, mangroves, philosophy, primates, and trans-frontier reserves. This is the four of a series of cumulative reviews and book notices, one or more instalments of which is included appear in the journal each year.     

Books on biodiversity and conservation

Reviews and notices are provided on 15 books, published over the years 2016–2018. These are concerned with diverse aspects of biodiversity and conservation, including biogeography, marine ecology and fisheries, legislation and regulation, mammals, sustainable development, and woodland ecology. This is the seventh of a series of cumulative reviews and book notices, which generally appear annually in the journal.     

分子系统学在生物保护中的意义

本文综述了近年来分子系统学的原理和方法及其在生物多样性保护中的应用和发展。分子系统学方法可以很好地确定物种保护的基本单元——进化显著性单元,并可用于推测群体的发展状态,从而为物种的保护提供了一项新的具很强操作性的科学手段。     

The importance of long-distance dispersal in biodiversity conservation

Dispersal is universally considered important for biodiversity conservation. However, the significance of long‐ as opposed to short‐distance dispersal is insufficiently recognized in the conservation context. Long‐distance dispersal (LDD) events, although typically rare, are crucial to population spread and to maintenance of genetic connectivity. The main threats to global biodiversity involve excessive LDD of elements alien to ecosystems and insufficient dispersal of native species, for example, because of habitat fragmentation. In this paper, we attempt to bridge the gap in the treatment of LDD by reviewing the conservation issues for which LDD is most important. We then demonstrate how taking LDD into consideration can improve conservation management decisions.     

The role of conservation in expanding biodiversity research

It has been suggested that current reductions in global biodiversity may impair the functioning of ecosystems. This biodiversity‐ecosystem function (BD‐EF) hypothesis represents a new avenue of ecological research originating from conservation concerns. However, the subsequent evolution of BD‐EF research has reflected academic concerns more than conservation priorities. I suggest three questions for BD‐EF research, which would benefit both ecological theory and conservation. (1) Is biodiversity the main driver of ecosystem function? Several experiments show that biodiversity loss is a minor link between habitat change and ecosystem function. (2) How will extinction patterns change BD‐EF relationships? Biased extinctions may have additional impacts on ecosystem function, which can be deduced by comparison with random‐loss models. (3) Will conserving regional biodiversity conserve local ecosystem function? The answer to this question may differ between saturated and unsaturated communities, and may depend on whether the magnitude or stability of ecosystem function is measured.