Ecotax Announcement DBS Seminar Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore

"Catastrophic extinctions follow deforestation in Singapore"

A/P Peter Ng and A/P N. Sodhi
Department of Biological Sciences,
National University of Singapore.

Friday, 7th May 2004: 4.00 - 5.00pm

Lecture Theatre 20
Blk S3 Level 1, Department of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore
Science Drive 4

Visitors may park at Carpark 10
See map

Abstract
The looming mass extinction of biodiversity in the humid tropics is a major concern for the future, yet most reports of extinctions in these regions are anecdotal or conjectural, with a scarcity of robust, broad-based empirical data. Here we report on local extinctions among a wide range of terrestrial and freshwater taxa from Singapore (540km2) in relation to habitat loss exceeding 95% over 183 years. Substantial rates of documented and inferred extinctions were found, especially for forest specialists, with the greatest proportion of extinct taxa (34–87%) in butterflies, fish, birds and mammals.

Observed extinctions were generally fewer, but inferred losses often higher, in vascular plants, phasmids, decapods, amphibians and reptiles (5–80%). Forest reserves comprising only 0.25% of Singapore’s area now harbour over 50% of the residual native biodiversity. Extrapolations of the observed and inferred local extinction data, using a calibrated species–area model, imply that the current unprecedented rate of habitat destruction in Southeast Asia will result in the loss of 13–42% of regional populations over the next century, at least half of which will represent global species extinctions.

The talk will cover the significance of the data presented in the paper, as well as the implications for conservation efforts and the future of biodiversity research.

Ref: "Catastrophic extinctions follow deforestation in Singapore".
Barry W. Brook, Navjot S. Sodhi & Peter K. L. Ng, 2003.
Nature Vol 424: 420-423

ALL ARE WELCOME!  

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