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12
Executive summary
In the Heart of
Borneo, an average
of 850,000 hectares
of forest is lost every
year due to palm oil
plantations, mining
and timber production
agricultural yields, declining freshwater fish stocks, and reduced access
to clean drinking water.
One of the most widely used indicators for tracking the state of
biodiversity around the world is the Living Planet Index (LPI), which
can be regarded as an indicator of the health of the planet’s ecosystems.
Between 1970 and 2008 the global LPI fell by almost 30%. In the Indo-
Pacific region, the LPI shows an even greater decline of 64% in key
populations of species over the same period.
This report looks in more detail at the state of key ecosystems in Asia
and the Pacific and what can be done to sustain them. In particular
the report focuses on four major regions where cooperative action
to safeguard ecosystem services and natural resources is making a
difference: the Heart of Borneo, the Coral Triangle, the Greater Mekong
Subregion and the Eastern Himalayas. In these subregions, the web of
ecosystems provides income and livelihoods for millions of people and
is worth billions of dollars annually in exports and national income.
The forested watersheds, biodiversity, and coastal and marine habitats
also provide multiple services not currently valued in the marketplace
or fully recognized by decision-making processes. As a result, changing
consumption patterns and ever-growing demand for resources are
putting these ecosystems under extreme pressure.
In the Heart of Borneo, an average of 850,000 hectares of forest is
lost every year due to palm oil plantations, mining and timber
production. If this trend continues, by 2020, forest cover will drop to
less than a third of what it was in 1950. In the Coral Triangle, over
40% of the coral reefs and mangroves of the region have disappeared
over the last 40 years, resulting in declining fish stocks. In the
Greater Mekong Subregion, economic development jeopardizes the
connectivity between the important biodiversity hotspots in the region,
and poorly planned hydropower projects could result in a drop in
fish production of 150,000 to 480,000 tons per year in 2015
compared to year 2000 levels.
Increasingly however, governments, businesses and communities
are working together in these areas to protect biodiversity and
ecosystems, allowing countries to maintain and increase the economic
and social benefits derived from their natural capital. In doing so,
various approaches are emerging and show great promise in helping
to maintain natural capital, while at the same time encouraging green
growth and poverty alleviation. This report will explore a number of
these approaches, including experiences from four regional initiatives
and programs: the Heart of Borneo Initiative (HoB), the Coral Triangle