The biodiversity of Southeast Asia is gravely imperilled by drivers including massive habitat modifications, forest fires and the overexploitation of wildlife. This book contains the first comprehensive determination of the current state of Southeast Asia's terrestrial biotas and highlights the primary drivers responsible for the grave threat to the region's unique and rich biodiversity. The looming Southeast Asian biodiversity disaster demands tangible actions. However, such will continue to be constrained by socioeconomic variables (e.g. rampant poverty and lack of infrastructure). Any realistic solution should involve a multi-pronged strategy (e.g. political, socioeconomic and scientific), in which all major stakeholders (e.g. people, governments and national and international non-government organisations) must partake.

The biodiversity of Southeast Asia is gravely imperilled by drivers including massive habitat modifications, forest fires and the overexploitation of wildlife. This book contains the first comprehensive determination of the current state of Southeast Asia's terrestrial biotas and highlights the primary drivers responsible for the grave threat to the region's unique and rich biodiversity. The looming Southeast Asian biodiversity disaster demands tangible actions. However, such will continue to be constrained by socioeconomic variables (e.g. rampant poverty and lack of infrastructure). Any realistic solution should involve a multi-pronged strategy (e.g. political, socioeconomic and scientific), in which all major stakeholders (e.g. people, governments and national and international non-government organisations) must partake.

This book was published in 2007. Protected areas have emerged as major arenas of dispute concerning both indigenous and environmental protection. In the Malay Archipelago, which contains two of the twenty-five biodiversity hotspots identified globally, rampant commercial exploitation is jeopardizing species and rural livelihoods. While protected areas remain the only hope for the imperiled biota of the Malay Archipelago, this protection requires consideration of the sustenance needs and economic aspirations of the local people. Putting forward the views of all the stakeholders of protected areas - conservation practitioners and planners, local community members, NGO activists, government administrators, biologists, lawyers, policy and management analysts and anthropologists - this book fills a niche in the area of biodiversity, and is a highly valuable and original reference book for graduate students, scientists and managers, as well as government officials and transnational NGOs.

This book was published in 2007. Protected areas have emerged as major arenas of dispute concerning both indigenous and environmental protection. In the Malay Archipelago, which contains two of the twenty-five biodiversity hotspots identified globally, rampant commercial exploitation is jeopardizing species and rural livelihoods. While protected areas remain the only hope for the imperiled biota of the Malay Archipelago, this protection requires consideration of the sustenance needs and economic aspirations of the local people. Putting forward the views of all the stakeholders of protected areas - conservation practitioners and planners, local community members, NGO activists, government administrators, biologists, lawyers, policy and management analysts and anthropologists - this book fills a niche in the area of biodiversity, and is a highly valuable and original reference book for graduate students, scientists and managers, as well as government officials and transnational NGOs.