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, and are exceptionally endangered. The region has an extraordinary rate of species discovery, with more than 2,216 new species described between 1997 and 2014 alone.
Plants
Mangifera casturi Kosterm
Of 1371 red-listed plant species in Southeast Asia, 292 are critically endangered, 196 endangered, 737 vulnerable, 31 nearthreatened, and 110 data-deficient. Five plant extinctions are documented: two mangos (Mangifera casturi Kosterm and Mangifera rubropetala Kosterm), two dipterocarp trees (Dipterocarpuscinereus Sloot and Shorea cuspidata Ashton), and one herb – the ‘‘woolly stalked Begonia’’ (Begonia eiromischa Ridl.) (Koh et al., 2013).
Mammals
Sumatran Orang-utan
Mammals in Southeast Asia also have the highest proportion of threatened species among any tropical region (Koh et al., 2013), and an estimated 85% of species are at risk of extinction during this century due to deforestation (Sodhi and Brook, 2006). For example, bats comprise a third of all Southeast Asian mammals, and of Southeast Asia’s 330 species, 60% are endemic to the region (Kingston, 2010). Despite this, bats remain some of the least known vertebrates of Southeast Asia and 40% of species are predicted to be extinct by 2100 due to deforestation (Koh et al, 2013).
Another example would be Orangutans. The Bornean Orangutan is listed as an endangered species and the Sumatran Orangutan is listed as a Critically Endangered species. Their habitats in Indonesia and Malaysia have been destroyed by deforestation for palm oil production.