The extinction that is yet to come

Charles Ebikeme — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 10:00:42 +0000

By 2050 they will all be gone. The worst is yet to come.

The Amazon rainforest contains a wider variety of plant and animal life than any other biome in the world. The region in its entirety is home to roughly 2.5 million insect species, tens of thousands of plants, and some 2000 birds and mammals. To date, at least 40,000 plant species, 2000 fishes, 1000 birds, 427 mammals, 428 amphibians, and 378 reptiles have been scientifically classified. The Brazilian Amazon harbors roughly 40% of the world’s tropical forest and a significant proportion of global biodiversity.

The numbers speak for themselves. However, over the past few years what we’re seeing is a biodiversity crisis in slow-motion. Those numbers are at risk. The largest drivers of which being climate change and habitat loss by deforestation.

Habitat loss results in species extinction, but not immediately. When habitats shrink it may take several generations after an initial impact before the last individual of a species is gone. Extinction against the clock and in slow motion.

Visualising how this occurs and estimating the impact has always been a problem for researchers. The question now is — how many species are headed for extinction as a result of past and future deforestation?

New research published today in Science describes cutting-edge statistical tools used to devise a novel strategy to estimate the expected number of local species extinctions as a function of the extent of habitat loss.

Researchers made predictions on the extent of the extinction damage based on four possible scenarios — two in which all parties comply and respect current environmental law and protected area networks; and two which rely on strong reductions and eliminations in current deforestation rates. A reflection of recent pledges by the Brazilian government and potential reductions in deforestation proposed in 2009. What researchers describe is an estimation of something much more serious than previous estimates.

Spatial patterns in bird species and extinction debt in the Brazilian Amazon

Deforestation over the last three decades in some localities of the Amazon has already committed up to 8 species of amphibians, 10 species of mammals, and 20 species of birds to future extinction. Local regions will lose an average of nine vertebrate species and have a further 16 committed to extinction by 2050. The worst is yet to come it seems. More than 80% of local extinctions expected from historical deforestation have not yet happened.

An “extinction debt

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Endangered Species in Indonesia

Josip — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:00:18 +0000

Indonesia the fourth most populous country in the world and with its amazing nature is a popular destination for tourists. Its breathtaking beaches and impressive shrines leave no man indifferent. Unfortunately, there is the dark side to this story of a beautiful country – the endangered species in Indonesia.

Introduction

Indonesia has the greatest biological diversity in Asia. A vast mosaic of 13,667 islands, Indonesia links two biogeographic regions known as the Sunda subregion, an area stretching from southern Burma and Thailand south to northern Indonesia and Borneo, with Oceania to the south and east. The political boundaries of Indonesia have little to do with ecosystems or ethnic cultures. The giant island of Borneo, for example, has been divided among several Asian countries. Indonesia claims the southern twothirds, known as Kalimantan, while Malaysia rules two states in the north and west, Sabah and Sarawak, and the small independent country of Brunei lies on the northwestern coast. Likewise, New Guinea, whose Melanesian tribes have inhabited the island for thousands of years, has been divided between Indonesia, which rules with a strong military presence in the western half, Irian Jaya, and Papua New Guinea in the east, an independent nation. Politically, Indonesia has been in turmoil for decades, with a series of presidents who have grown rich on foreign aid and siphoning off profits from exploitation of timber, oil and minerals. [1]

Endangered Species in Indonesia

Southeast Asia, which includes Indonesia, 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.[2]

Indonesia is famous for its great biodiversity. It is estimated that as many as 300,000 animal species are inhabit its many ecosystems. This equates to 17% of worldwide fauna species, these across only 1.3% of the world’s landmass. With 515 species, Indonesia has more species of mammal than any other nation. There are 1539 bird species and 50% of all the world’s fish species can be found in its marine and freshwater systems.
However, Indonesia also has the most endangered species. The World Conservation Union (IUCN, 2003) lists as endangered 147 mammals, 114 birds, 91 fish and 2b invertebrate species. Major conservation efforts are vital if these species are not to become extinct in the near future.
Trade in wild animals is a serious threat to many species in Indonesia. Over 95% of animals sold in markets are taken directly from the wild and not from captive breeding stocks. More than 20% of animals sold at market die in transportation. Despite this, many endangered and protected species are traded freely, with the rarer species commanding higher prices.[3]

The Endangered Species:

Although Indonesia contains Asia’s most extensive tropical rainforests, the nation has lost 26 percent of its primary forest since the 1990s. Wildlife struggles to find habitat in the face of logging, mining and agriculture, especially oil-palm plantations. The following species are among the best-known endangered ones:
Gibbons
On Kalimantan and Sumatra, three subspecies of agile gibbons suffer decline due to habitat loss. Siamang gibbons struggle for habitat and are taken from the wild to be sold as pets.
Asian Golden Cat
Named for its shiny reddish-brown coat, Sumatra’s Asian, or Temmnick’s, golden cat hunts for habitat while it is hunted for its fur.
Babirusa
Indonesia’s islands house a hippopotamus relative, the babirusa, though it looks more like a pig. It is hunted for meat and often shot by farmers if raiding their fields.
Javan Rhinoceros
With only 60 left, the Javan rhinoceros is one of the most endangered animals on Earth. Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park protects the species.
Wondiwoi Tree Kangaroo
Wondiwoi tree kangaroo are critically endangered and might already be extinct. No one has reported a sighting in recent years. Hunting has been the primary source of their decline.[4]

Conclusion:

All the information mentioned above are more than alarming. Indonesian government together with its scientists and inhabitants has to join in the efforts to save Indonesian flora and fauna. A huge responsibility lies on their back as the destruction of their nature could also have a significant influence on whole world’s environment.

References:

[1] http://www.endangeredspecieshandbook.org/forest_indonesia.php
[2] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169534704002666
[3] http://www.profauna.org/content/en/indonesian_animal_facts.html
[4] http://www.ehow.com/facts_5584897_endangered-animals-indonesia.html

Cite this article:
Ivanovic J (2011-08-30 00:00:18). Endangered Species in Indonesia. Australian Science. Retrieved: May 13, 2024, from http://australianscience.com.au/environmental-science/endangered-species-in-indonesia/

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Endangered Species – Australian Science

The extinction that is yet to come

Who Doesn’t Love a (Penguin) Parade?

Endangered Species in Indonesia

Introduction

Endangered Species in Indonesia

The Endangered Species:

Conclusion:

References:

An Emulation of the Internet Using Stop

Tony Abbott

Abstract

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

2 Framework

3 Implementation

4 Evaluation and Performance Results

4.1 Hardware and Software Configuration

4.2 Experiments and Results

5 Related Work

6 Conclusion

References