Endangered Species
Tropical Asia and Australia appear to have a large number of endangered species and particularly high extinction rates. In the face of this global crisis, international treaties to control trade in wildlife and wildlife products, government education and species protection programs, and efforts by wildlife conservation programs have been developed and expanded.
Asia's Endangered Species
In twenty-six Asian countries stretching from Japan to Afghanistan, a total of 2,022 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates were identified as endangered in 1996 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Among these countries, Indonesia, China, India, the Philippines, and Vietnam are among the richest in species and yet have the largest number of endangered species.
The 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species reported that Indonesia harbors the highest number of threatened mammals (135 species), while India (80 species), China (72 species), and Thailand (32 species) rank among the top ten. In the Philippines, which has a large number of endemic species or mammals found nowhere else, 32 percent of those mammals are endangered.
A similarly discouraging profile of endangered bird species is also typical of Asia. Of the twenty countries with the largest number of threatened avian species, 50 percent are from Asia. According to the Red List, the Philippines, a biodiversity hot spot that has lost 97 percent of its original vegetation, has more critically endangered birds than any other country. Endangered species of doves, parrots, and perching birds (passerines) found in Southeast Asia have also shown marked declines due to continued deforestation. Indonesia and China, with some of the largest numbers of bird species in the world, are also countries with large numbers of threatened species. As is the case with the mammals, the countries with the most threatened species also have extremely high human populations. Since 1966, the number of threatened reptiles has grown more slowly, but the populations of freshwater turtles and tortoises are deteriorating rapidly in Southeast Asia. Their decline is due to heavy exploitation for food and medicinal use and to unregulated hunting. As these populations disappear in Southeast Asia, there are signs that this trade is shifting to the Indian subcontinent. Other Asian species, such as snakes and salamanders, are heavily exploited for use in traditional Chinese medicine, but the effects of this and other pressures on most of these species have not yet been assessed.
Various plant species, especially tropical timber trees, are also endangered in large areas of Southeast Asia. Malaysia, for example, has the most threatened number of plant species (681), followed closely by Indonesia with 384.
Preservation and Conservation
In 1975 the CITES treaty, or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora, was approved to control the trade in wildlife and wildlife products. Over 151 countries have signed this treaty, which identifies species and species products that are illegal to purchase or sell for profit or whose sale is allowed only if it will not harm their survival. Other actions have been taken to protect endangered species and their habitats from one of the main factors driving their decline: humans. In Nepal, a second home for the endangered greater one-horned rhino was created in Royal Bardia National Park, helping that population grow to over 550 animals. China's giant panda, a universal symbol of endangered wildlife, has benefited in the past two decades by the creation of thirty-two reserves protecting more than 15,540 square kilometers (6,000 square miles) of panda forest habitat from timber harvesting. And similar efforts are under way to provide protected habitats for the endangered Asian elephant in Sumatra, Indonesia. These government efforts are often undertaken in cooperation with such organizations as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the World Conservation Society (WCS), and the IUCN to provide training in conservation methods, conduct surveys of endangered species, and develop long-term species conservation and protection programs.
While there has been some success in species conservation over the last twenty years, these have come too infrequently and generally have been achieved through large investments that tackle immediate threats. There have been very few attempts to address the underlying driving forces that contribute to species endangerment or extinction. For this crisis to be addressed effectively, greater action is needed to remove the immediate threats to species and the driving forces causing their decline. These issues will be tackled only if there is much greater support for lifestyle changes, and this involves the political will of governments.
Further Reading
Baillie, Jonathan. (1996) "Analysis." In 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. Geneva: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). (1996) "Confirming the Global Extinction Crisis." 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. Geneva: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
——. (2000) 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Geneva: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
World Wildlife Fund. (2000) The Global 200 Ecoregions. Washington, DC: World Wildlife Fund.
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