Introduction
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■ INTRODUCTION AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Many Asian countries are currently experiencing dynamic economic growth, and half of the world’s people live in the region. A long-term goal for biodiversity conservation in Asia is to ensure The combination of rapid development and increasing human that the most important areas of natural and semi-natural habitat population is putting unprecedented pressure on Asia’s natural are identified and conserved. BirdLife International is leading the environment and biodiversity. A recent analysis by the BirdLife way in the identification of important sites through its Important Asia Partnership (BirdLife International 2001) found that 323 Bird Areas (IBA) Programme. (or about 12%) of the bird species in the Asia region were globally The IBA programme aims to identify, document and conserve threatened with extinction. The primary cause of endangerment a network of globally important areas for the conservation of birds of these birds was found to be habitat loss or degradation, and their habitats using standard, internationally-agreed criteria, caused by conversion to agriculture and plantations, logging and through national and local level consultations involving NGOs, cutting of timber, development (urban, industrial and experts and government agencies. Since birds are excellent infrastructural) and other economic activities. Despite these indicators of overall biodiversity, these areas will be important for pressures, areas of natural habitat rich in birds and other other fauna and flora. The distribution of birds is comparatively biodiversity survive throughout the Asia region, even in the most well-known, such that important sites can be quickly and densely populated and highly developed places. These areas are comprehensively identified compared with the identification of sites the focus of the current project. for other wildlife. This agenda is not just important for biodiversity conservation. Important Bird Areas also provide vital environmental services, THE BIRDLIFE ASIA NETWORK such as the provision of fresh water and forest products, and prevention of floods and other environmental disasters, and as such BirdLife International is a global network of non-governmental their conservation contributes to the broader agenda of conservation organisations with a special focus on birds, which is environmental management, sustainable development, and poverty currently present in over 100 countries and territories worldwide. eradication. In Asia, the BirdLife Partnership comprises 13 Partner, Partner The Asian IBA Programme has the following long-term Designate and Affiliate organisations (Table 1), with programme objectives: activities in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam). The regional office of the BirdLife Secretariat in Asia is in Tokyo, Japan, with 1. To provide a basis for the development of national conservation operational centres in Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines and strategies and protected areas programmes; Indonesia. The BirdLife Asia Partnership maintains contacts in all 2. To highlight areas which should be safeguarded through wise countries and territories in the Asia region where there is currently land-use planning, national policies and regulations, and the no Partner or Affiliate organisation. grant-giving and lending programmes of international banks The BirdLife Partnership works together on shared priorities, and development agencies; policies and programmes of conservation action. The Asia 3. To provide a focus for the conservation efforts of civil society Partnership has many on-going projects with a focus on the region’s including national and regional NGO networks; globally threatened birds and their key sites and habitats, and 4. To highlight sites which are threatened or inadequately protected recently completed Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife so that urgent remedial measures can be taken; International Red Data Book (BirdLife International 2001). The 5. To guide the implementation of global conservation conventions proposals for conservation action from the Red Data Book were and migratory bird agreements synthesised and further developed in Saving Asia’s threatened birds: a guide for government and civil society (BirdLife International This directory presents data on IBAs in Asia, compiled by the 2003). BirdLife International Partnership since 1996, in a standardised and clear format. THE ASIA REGION Table 1. The BirdLife International Partnership in Asia. Country/ Status in BirdLife The Asia region as defined by BirdLife International extends from Territory Organisation name network Pakistan to Indonesia (excluding Irian Jaya), and northwards to China, Mongolia and Russia east of the Yenisey River. It includes Hong Kong Hong Kong Bird Watching Society Affiliate a great diversity of climates and habitats, and hence is extremely India Bombay Natural History Society Partner Designate rich in birds and other biodiversity. Vast expanses of Arctic tundra, Indonesia BirdLife Indonesia Affiliate boreal forest and steppe grassland in the north of the region support huge numbers of birds which disperse widely both within and Japan Wild Bird Society of Japan Partner outside the region in the northern winter. The forests and alpine Malaysia Malaysian Nature Society Partner grasslands in the Himalayas and other mountain ranges have many Nepal Bird Conservation Nepal Affiliate characteristic montane bird species. South Asia has deserts and semi-arid scrublands and grasslands, biomes which each support Pakistan Ornithological Society of Pakistan Affiliate specialised communities of birds. Moist tropical forests, the most Philippines Haribon Foundation Partner biodiverse biome on earth, were the original vegetation type in parts Russia Russian Bird Conservation Union Partner Designate of South Asia and most of South-East Asia. The tropical archipelagos of Indonesia and the Philippines are particularly rich Singapore The Nature Society (Singapore) Partner in species, because many islands and island groups within them Sri Lanka Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka Affiliate have assemblages of endemic species. In total, the Asia region Taiwan Wild Bird Federation Taiwan Partner supports about 2,700 bird species, more than one-quarter of the Thailand Bird Conservation Society of Thailand Partner world’s total. 1 Intro.p65 1 04/11/2004, 12:00 Important Bird Areas in Asia – Introduction Table 2. Important Bird Area directories published in the Asia region. Country/ Territory Citation Cambodia Seng Kim Hout, Pech Bunnat, Poole, C. M., Tordoff, A. W., Davidson, P. and Delattre, E. (2003) Directory of Important Bird Areas in Cambodia: key sites for conservation. Phnom Penh: Department of Forestry and Wildlife, Department of Nature Conservation and Protection, BirdLife International in Indochina and the Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia Programme. India Islam, M. Z. and Rahmani, A. R. (2004) Important Bird Areas in India: priority sites for conservation. Indian Bird Conservation Network, Bombay Natural History Society (India) and BirdLife International (UK). Indonesia Rombang, W. M. and Rudyanto (1999) Daerah Penting bagi Burung di Jawa dan Bali. Bogor, Indonesia: PKA/BirdLife International Indonesia Programme. (In Indonesian) Holmes, D. and Rombang, W. M. (2001) Daerah Penting bagi Burung: Sumatera. Bogor, Indonesia: PKA/BirdLife International Indonesia Programme. (In Indonesian) Holmes, D., Rombang, W. M. and Octaviani, D. (2001) Daerah Penting bagi Burung di Kalimantan. Bogor, Indonesia: PKA/BirdLife International Indonesia Programme. (In Indonesian) Rombang, W. M., Trainor, C. and Lesmana, D. (2002) Daerah Penting bagi Burung: Nusa Tenggara. Bogor, Indonesia: PKA/BirdLife Indonesia. (In Indonesian) Laos Ounekham, K. and Inthapatha, S. (2003) Directory of Important Bird Areas in Lao P.D.R.. Vientiane: Forest Inventory and Planning Division, the Division of Forest Resource Conservation, BirdLife International in Indochina and the Wildlife Conservation Society Lao Program. Philippines Mallari, N. A. D., Tabaranza, B. R. and Crosby, M. J. (2001) Key conservation sites in the Philippines: a Haribon Foundation and BirdLife International directory of Important Bird Areas. Manila: Bookmark, Inc. Taiwan Wild Bird Federation Taiwan (2001) Important Bird Areas in Taiwan. Taipei: Wild Bird Federation Taiwan. Thailand Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (2004) Directory of Important Bird Areas in Thailand: key sites for conservation. Bangkok: Bird Conservation Society of Thailand and BirdLife International. Vietnam Tordoff, A. W. ed. (2002) Directory of Important Bird Areas in Vietnam: key sites for conservation. Hanoi: BirdLife International in Indochina and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources. THE IBA PROGRAMME IN THE ASIA REGION detailed data on their IBAs, and plan to publish directories in the near future, but for the remainder the summary data presented Since the mid-1980s, BirdLife International (formerly known as here represents the first attempt to collate IBA material. Even where the International Council for Bird Preservation, or ICBP) has been IBA directories have been published, it is likely that new sites that developing its IBA programme. It has proved to be a very cost- meet the global criteria will be discovered (particularly in those effective and flexible way of identifying and promoting coherent countries and territories that have not yet been adequately and organised action for priority sites for birds and biodiversity, surveyed). The information