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THE BIODIVERSITY LOSS CRISIS in SOUTHEAST ASIA a Literature Review on Current Research

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THE BIODIVERSITY LOSS CRISIS in SOUTHEAST ASIA a Literature Review on Current Research Louise Nilsson Kultur och Samhälle Urbana Studier MV109C Miljövetenskap: Kandidatkurs VT 2019 Handledare: Jonas Lundgren & Johanna Nygren Spanne Picture 1: Cacao pods at plantation in Pulau Samosir, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia, Louise Nilsson, 2018. THE BIODIVERSITY LOSS CRISIS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA A literature review on current research Louise Nilsson Kultur och samhälle Urbana studier MV109C Miljövetenskap: Kandidatkurs VT 2019 Abstract This bachelor thesis focuses on the biodiversity loss problematics in Southeast Asia, since it is one of the most species rich places on Earth, coupled with the highest rate of loss of species. Four biodiversity hotspots encompasses Southeast Asia which implies areas of high endemism coupled with high rates habitat loss. This thesis aim to understand what current research in the field focuses on and what ways of protecting biodiversity in the area that exists. The main driver of biodiversity loss in Southeast Asia as well as in the rest of the world, are land-use alterations; forests and natural habitat being converted to monoculture plantations, as well as agricultural- and urban expansions. Through a systematic literature review of scientific material from 2010- 2019, the biodiversity research in Southeast Asia is reviewed. What the literature review concluded was that an array of environmental- as well as socioeconomic problems intensifies each other in the area, such as poverty and biodiversity loss. International cooperation to halt biodiversity loss and the global demand for products produced in the area which greatly damages ecosystems needs to be addressed urgently. Actions to halt the mass-extinction of species and their connected ecosystem services needs to be taken by providing means to organizations and to scientists that work in the area and could possibly be addressed by moving from anthropocentrism towards a biocentric nature view. Keywords: Southeast Asia, biodiversity, ecosystem services, systematic literature review, biodiversity loss, land-use alterations, biocentrism Louise Nilsson Kultur och samhälle Urbana studier MV109C Miljövetenskap: Kandidatkurs VT 2019 Svensk sammanfattning Denna kandidatuppsats gör en ansats till att belysa biodiversitetsproblematiken i Sydostasien, som är ett område med mycket hög artrikedom som samtidigt hotas av en intensifierad förlust av arter. Fyra ’biodiversitet hotspots’ omger Sydostasien, vilka indikerar platser med hög artrikedom vilka sammanfaller med hög förlust av habitat. Det största orsaken till förlust av biologisk mångfald i Sydostasien är omvandlingen utav artrika naturtyper till monokulturodlingar, och expansionen av jordbruk och urbana områden. För att undersöka den pågående biodiversitetsforskningen genomfördes en systematisk litteraturanalys av publicerade artiklar från 2010-2019. Vad litteraturanalysen kom fram till var att flera problem, socioekonomiska samt miljöproblem intensifierar varandra, liksom fattigdom och förlust av biologisk mångfald. Internationellt samarbete krävs för att stoppa exploateringen av de värdefulla arter och naturtyper som går förlorade till fördel för den globala handeln med produkter som kommer från området. Medel för att stoppa denna biodiversitetskatastrof måste riktas till forskning och organisationer som arbetar i området. Vi bör genast agera på ett globalt plan för att förhindra förlusten av biodiversitet samt dess tillhörande ekosystemtjänster, detta skulle kunna tacklas genom att vi rör oss ifrån den antropocentriska och emot den ekocentriska natursynen. Nyckelord: Sydostasien, biodiversitet, ekosystemtjänster, systematisk litteraturanalys, biodiversitetsförlust, markanvändning, ekocentrism Louise Nilsson Kultur och samhälle Urbana studier MV109C Miljövetenskap: Kandidatkurs VT 2019 Important terms Southeast Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam together forms the area (Sodhi et al, 2010b). Biodiversity: “the variability among living organisms from all sources including, terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems” (CBD description of biodiversity quoted from Mcgill & Magurran, 2011, p. 292). Biodiversity Hotspot: “the exceptional concentrations of endemic species and the exceptional loss of habitat” (Myers, Mittermeier, Mittermeier, da Fonseca & Kent,, 2000, p. 853) Southeast Asia lies within the 4 biodiversity hotspots Indo-Burma, the Philippines, Sundaland and Wallacea (Myers et al, 2000). Ecosystem service: A service derived from the ecosystem functions (Shimamoto, Padial, da Rosa & Marques, 2018). Louise Nilsson Kultur och samhälle Urbana studier MV109C Miljövetenskap: Kandidatkurs VT 2019 Table of contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Purpose and framing of research questions .......................................................................................... 1 2. Background .................................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Biodiversity loss drivers in Southeast Asia ............................................................................................. 2 2.2 The 6th mass- extinction ............................................................................................................................ 5 3. Identifying important issues of protecting biodiversity ............................................................ 6 3.1 Biodiversity hotspots .................................................................................................................................. 6 3.2 Ecosystem services ................................................................................................................................... 7 3.3 Environmental ethics as a theoretic framework to answer the biodiversity crisis .......................... 10 4. Method section ............................................................................................................................ 13 4.1 Overview of the literature review ............................................................................................................ 15 4.2 Validity of results....................................................................................................................................... 16 5. Literature review .......................................................................................................................... 17 5.1 Review of biodiversity- loss articles ....................................................................................................... 17 5.2 Review of land-use alteration articles ................................................................................................... 21 5.3 Review of ecosystem services articles ................................................................................................. 24 6. Discussion .................................................................................................................................... 27 7. Appendix 1. .................................................................................................................................. 33 8. References ................................................................................................................................... 35 1. Introduction On a daily basis we have seen scientists, experts, and environmental groups warning us about the climate crisis and the effects it will have on our planet. Sustainable development as well as climate policies as solutions to cure the climate related issues are becoming integrated parts of our societies. However, the single largest environmental problem is the rate of biodiversity loss (Sodhi et al, 2010b), still decision-makers and the media remain as silent as our forests will be within a few decades. While we are travelling to experience tropical countries, the world’s species are going extinct at alarming rates. This is evident in Southeast Asia, where habitat destruction coupled with endemism is high. We are currently living through the “6th mass- extinction”, where species are declining faster than ever in human history, this is caused by human pressure on the Earth’s support systems through various activities (Braje & Erlandson, 2013). This thesis will concentrate on the biodiversity loss in Southeast Asia, since it is the single most species rich area on Earth, with most endemic species and the area that faces the largest extinction rates caused by habitat loss. First coming across the issues of biodiversity loss in Southeast Asia, we learn that the lack of knowledge and research is a significant issue. Therefore, an attempt of researching the current (2010-2019) published scientific literature could possibly answer what research is being conducted and funded in the field in the area. 1.1 Purpose and framing of research questions The aim of this thesis is to find out what the biodiversity conservation research conducted in Southeast Asia is focusing on through reading and analyzing recent scientific literature. The research questions aims to answer what problems that exists in the biodiversity conservation research in Southeast Asia and what ways to halt the biodiversity loss in the region that exists according to the
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