Even as more new species are found, Southeast Asia is in the grip of a biodiversity crisis
Rich in wildlife, Southeast Asia includes at least six of the world’s 25 “biodiversity hotspots”—the areas of the world that contain an exceptional concentration of species in habitats that are also exceptionally endangered. The region contains 20 percent of the planet’s vertebrate and plant species and the world’s third-largest tropical forest. In addition to this existing biodiversity, the region has an extraordinary rate of species discovery, with more than 2,216 new species described between 1997 and 2014 alone. Global comparisons are difficult to make, but it seems the Mekong region has a higher rate of species discovery than other parts of the tropics, with hundreds of new species described annually. Southeast Asia’s biodiversity is under serious threat; some parts of the region are projected to lose up to 98 percent of their remaining forests in the next nine years. It is also thought to be the world’s most threatened region for mammals.
