Safeguarding Imperiled Biodiversity and Evolutionary Processes in the Wallacea Center of Endemism

Struebig, Matthew J.; Aninta, Sabhrina G.; Beger, Maria; Bani, Alessia; Barus, Henry; Brace, Selina; Davies, Zoe; De Brauwer, Maarten; Diele, Karen; Djakiman, Cilun; Djamaluddin, Rignolda; Drinkwater, Rosie; Dumbrell, Alex; Evans, Darren; Fusi, Marco; Herrera-Alsina, Leonel; Iskandar, Djoko T.; Jompa, Jamaluddin; Juliandi, Berry; Lancaster, Lesley T.; Limmon, Gino; Lindawati; Lo, Michaela G. Y.; Lupiyaningdyah, Pungki; McCannon, Molly; Meijaard, Erik; Mitchell, Simon L.; Mumbunan, Sonny; O'Connell, Darren; Osborne, Owen G.; Papadopulos, Alex S. T.; Rahajoe, Joeni S.; Rosaria; Rossiter, Stephen J.; Rugayah; Rustiami, Himmah; Salzmann, Ulrich; Sheherazade; Made Sudiana, I.; Sukara, Endang; Tasirin, Johny S.; Tjoa, Aiyen; Travis, Justin M. J.; Trethowan, Liam; Trianto, Agus; Utteridge, Tim; Voigt, Maria; Winarni, Nurul; Zakaria, Zulianto; Edwards, David P.; Frantz, Laurent; Supriatna, Jatna

Abstract

Wallacea—the meeting point between the Asian and Australian fauna—is one of the world's largest centers of endemism. Twenty-three million years of complex geological history have given rise to a living laboratory for the study of evolution and biodiversity, highly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures. In the present article, we review the historic and contemporary processes shaping Wallacea's biodiversity and explore ways to conserve its unique ecosystems. Although remoteness has spared many Wallacean islands from the severe overexploitation that characterizes many tropical regions, industrial-scale expansion of agriculture, mining, aquaculture and fisheries is damaging terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, denuding endemics from communities, and threatening a long-term legacy of impoverished human populations. An impending biodiversity catastrophe demands collaborative actions to improve community-based management, minimize environmental impacts, monitor threatened species, and reduce wildlife trade. Securing a positive future for Wallacea's imperiled ecosystems requires a fundamental shift away from managing marine and terrestrial realms independently.

Citation

Struebig, M. J., Aninta, S. G., Beger, M., Bani, A., Barus, H., Brace, S., Davies, Z., De Brauwer, M., Diele, K., Djakiman, C., Djamaluddin, R., Drinkwater, R., Dumbrell, A., Evans, D., Fusi, M., Herrera-Alsina, L., Iskandar, D. T., Jompa, J., Juliandi, B., Lancaster, L. T., …Supriatna, J. (2022). Safeguarding Imperiled Biodiversity and Evolutionary Processes in the Wallacea Center of Endemism. Bioscience, 72(11), 1118-1130. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biac085

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 7, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Oct 19, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022-11
• Deposit Date: Oct 19, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 19, 2022
• Print ISSN: 0006-3568
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 72
• Issue: 11
• Pages: 1118-1130
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biac085
• Keywords: conservation, evolution, interdisciplinary science, tropical ecosystems, applied ecology
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2936424