Publisher :
Place of publication :
Publication year : 2012
Thematic : Biodiversity
Language : English
Note
Globally, biodiversity levels are currently changing at an unprecedented rate due to a
myriad of anthropogenically induced factors (Sala et al., 2000). Over the next century these
negative trends in biodiversity are set to continue, and therefore the identification of areas
for conservation prioritisation are necessary in order to best protect areas of greatest
diversity (Brook et al., 2006). Though studies have used different criteria in prioritisation of
areas, some studies have combined a number of criteria (Myers et al., 2000) which have led
to the identification of 25 global hotspots of biodiversity and species endemicity, which only
comprise 1.4% of the global land surface, but contain 44% of all known plant species and
35% of currently described vertebrates.
In this chapter I will principally dwell on three of these biodiversity hotspots, which join to
form Southeast Asia (SEA). The following section details the biodiversity present through
the region, followed by a brief discussion of the threats to biodiversity. To effectively
conserve species present, knowledge of distributions and identification of species is
essential, and thus appropriate techniques will be discussed and demonstrated. This will be
followed by an analysis of methods to quantify the impacts of such threats, and thus
develop the most suitable strategies to effectively conserve the maximum number of species
throughout the region.
Though this chapter focuses predominantly on Southeast Asia many regions round the
world currently face similar situations. The techniques and approaches discussed here will
be broadly applicable to other regions, and species, than those discussed here.
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Keywords : ecosystem-services
Encoded by : Pauline Carmel Joy Eje
