“Biodiversity is the greatest treasure we have… Its diminishment is to be prevented at all cost.” — Thomas Eisner
Posted on : August 1, 2023Author : Adrika Sengupta
The sustenance of life on Earth happened to be a very big question in today’s world and so Biodiversity comes into being, whenever this issue is talked about. A basic reference to Biodiversity is made when it is realised that a lot of species including plants, arthropods, microorganisms, animals, and people are found in a particular geographic region or setting. It is described as a “web of life” which is much crucial to protect and maintain for it contributes to the health and stability of the ecosystems. There are nearly 8.7 million species on Earth and Asia being the largest continent (occupies 30% of the Earth’s land) indeed possesses a large percentage of these species within. Despite this, many species are left undiscovered, which highlights the notion that there are much more species than we could have added up to the estimates. Being stated, human beings contribute only a minor percentage of this vast estimation as much as 0.01% whose activities and overconsumption are in turn threatening the other major species’ habitat devastatingly. As days passed by, the population is growing at a very fast rate due to which consumption of the earth’s natural resources is quite high followed by severe havoc on the biodiversity. This justifies the extinction rate of species, which is quite high, almost 1000 times more than the previous estimation made before 2021 (in 2022, a report was made by WWF which claims that 69% of the wildlife has been lost).
A broad variety of ecosystems and habitats can be found across the incredibly diverse continent of Asia. It has a tremendous variety of natural landscapes, from high-altitude regions to tropical rainforests, coral reefs, and mangroves. Asia is home to some of the largest tropical rainforests in the world, including the Southeast Asian Rainforests, the Congo Rainforest in Africa, and the Amazon Rainforest in South America. Additionally, the world’s richest coral diversity may be found here, and a dizzying array of marine animals call this region home. Also, Asia is home to iconic and rare animals like Tibetan wolves, snow leopards, Himalayan Tahr, and a wide range of alpine vegetation. Simultaneously, vast deserts can be found throughout Asia, including the Gobi Desert in China and Mongolia and the Thar Desert in India and Pakistan.
Thereby Asia is well-known for its extraordinary biodiversity, which includes a diverse spectrum of unique species and high levels of endemism; a large number of countries within Asia inherit many parts of these. The Western Ghats and the Eastern Himalayas are only two examples of India’s various ecosystems which are home to about 91,000 different species of animals, including Bengal tigers, Indian elephants, Indian rhinoceroses, and several deer and primate species. The largest archipelago in the world, Indonesia is home to a vast amount of wildlife. Orangutans, Sumatran tigers, Komodo dragons, and Javan rhinoceroses are just a few of the famous animals who consider it home. Like Indonesia, the Philippines is an archipelago with over 7,000 islands, making it a hotspot for biodiversity. With an estimated 52,177 identified species, many of which are exclusive to the nation, it boasts one of the highest levels of endemism in the entire globe. These portray the distinctive species’ richness and endemism in different Asian nations while them having diverse habitats and unique ecosystems, contributing to the remarkable biodiversity of the continent.
Eventually, these diversified and distinctive species are at risk and threatened by several causes leading to their diminishment. The main drivers of habitat loss are habitat destruction which is done by transforming natural habitats into landscapes controlled by humans. Numerous species are displaced and eventually become extinct as a result of habitat loss and fragmentation caused by activities like mining, logging, and urbanisation. While Asia is home to huge tropical rainforests, these are being swiftly destroyed for agriculture, infrastructural construction, and timber harvesting. Moreover, due to Asia’s growing urbanisation like the building up of roads, dams, and other infrastructure, natural ecosystems are being replaced by concrete jungles and ecosystems are disturbed and native species are displaced. Furthermore, the impact of climate change is another significant cause of ecosystems and species getting disturbed. For instance, temperature variations can alter the timing of insect pollination and plant blossoming, causing mismatches that have an impact on the populations of both plants and pollinators.
Along with this, many Asian countries have realised the significance of protected areas, national parks, and animal reserves. These areas were created to preserve biodiversity, defend important ecosystems, and offer sanctuary to threatened and endangered animals. They offer to take steps like identification and selection of significant places while putting a legal framework upon them. For this, zoning and boundaries are also made separating protected areas into zones that comprise strong protection core zones, sparsely populated buffer zones, and resource-efficient transitional zones. But these conservation measures often come in with implementation problems due to limited resources, inadequate enforcement, conflicts persisting between conservation and development goals, human-wildlife conflicts, and many more.
Nevertheless, there are several conservation policies and initiatives in Asian nations like in China tremendous conservation efforts are being made, especially in regard to the preservation of giant pandas. More than 60 panda reserves have been built across the nation, including the Wolong Nature Reserve and the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. A logging ban has also been put in place by China in important forest areas to safeguard biodiversity. India has put in place a number of programs to preserve its unique biodiversity. There are more than 500 wildlife sanctuaries and over 103 national parks in the nation, including Corbett National Park and Kaziranga National Park. To safeguard these iconic species, India has also developed the Project Tiger and Project Elephant programs. On the other hand, Thailand has made wildlife and natural resource conservation a priority. The government has created a number of national parks, including Doi Inthanon National Park and Khao Yai National Park, which are home to a variety of habitats and animals.
Borneo, which is shared by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei, has undergone extensive deforestation over the years as a result of activities including logging, palm oil plantations, and infrastructure development. This has led to the loss of vital habitat for several species, including widely recognised orangutans, pygmy elephants, and Sumatran rhinoceros. Reduced biodiversity, disturbed ecosystems, and increased carbon dioxide emissions are some of the ecological effects. In addition, the conversion of land for palm oil plantations has produced short-term economic gains at the expense of sustainability over the long term and the loss of potential ecotourism income while the social effects are also something huge to deal with as Borneo’s deforestation include the displacement of indigenous tribes and the disruption of their cultural traditions.
Another important case study happens to be the coral bleaching in the Andaman Sea, Thailand which is home to a variety of coral reefs that support a large number of marine animals. However, coral bleaching, which is predominantly brought on by rising water temperatures as a result of climate change, has wreaked havoc on these delicate ecosystems. Corals that are under stress expel the symbiotic algae that are a part of their tissues. If the stress continues, the corals eventually die. Subsequently, coral reef destruction diminishes biodiversity, has an impact on fish populations, and can have cascading impacts up and down the food chain.
One of the most important aspects of preserving biodiversity is to recognise the importance of indigenous wisdom and customs for the preservation of biodiversity. Indigenous groups have cultivated sustainable practices through many generations and have a profound awareness of their unique ecologies. For instance, shifting farming practices utilised by the Adivasis in India allow for natural forest regeneration and stop soil degradation. Similar to this, the Dayak people of Borneo have employed selective logging techniques using their understanding of forest ecosystems, ensuring the preservation of important tree species and the maintenance of forest biodiversity. In addition to this, there are several well-known international organisations like the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which establishes partnerships between nations, facilitating international cooperation, and providing technical expertise.
Asia’s declining biodiversity is important from both economic and political standpoints. Economically, Asia is home to an extensive range of ecosystems that offer crucial services to human society and like agriculture, fishery, forestry, and tourism industries, which are being negatively impacted. Also, the availability of sources for traditional medicine and drug discovery is decreased due to the loss of biodiversity, which decreases the potential for pharmaceutical development. Asia is the continent with the greatest population, and many of its nations significantly rely on agriculture to ensure their own food security. Loss of biodiversity can worsen worries about food security and possibly cause social and political instability by lowering agricultural yields, making crops more susceptible to pests and diseases, and upsetting traditional farming methods. Internationally, Countries in Asia are part of international accords and obligations to address the issue of biodiversity loss, which is a worldwide concern. Failure to address biodiversity loss can harm economic deals, diplomatic ties, and reputations.
For overcoming all sorts of the economic and political significance of biodiversity loss, countries in Asia must indeed focus on the in-depth implementation of conservation measures, promoting sustainable land use practices, strengthening environmental policies and regulations, fostering international cooperation, and integrating biodiversity considerations into their development plans. In the end, Preserving biodiversity is not only crucial for the environment but also essential for sustaining ecosystems, supporting economic growth, and ensuring the well-being of present and future generations.
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Adrika Sengupta
Intern, Asia in Global Affairs.
The originality of the content and the opinions expressed within the content are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the website.
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