Southeast Asia is home to 15% of the worlds tropical forests, and has four globally important biodiversity hotspots. This unique mega-diversity is at the forefront of the biodiversity crisis due to the large-scale threat of land use change from logging, mining and expansion of palm oil plantations: habitat and biodiversity loss rates are the highest in the world. However, the diversity of the region is not well understood, with baseline estimates of plant species numbers varying from 25,000 to 45,000. We need to better understand the globally important plant diversity of the region and the threats it is facing, and use this knowledge to support meaningful and sustainable conservation action.
Key contact: Dr Mark Hughes Dr Hannah Atkins Dr Axel Poulsen Dr Peter Wilkie