Catastrophic extinctions follow deforestation in Singapore

Barry W. Brook (), Navjot S. Sodhi () and Peter K. L. Ng
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Barry W. Brook: Kyoto University
Navjot S. Sodhi: National University of Singapore
Peter K. L. Ng: National University of Singapore

Nature, 2003, vol. 424, issue 6947, 420-423

Abstract: Abstract The looming mass extinction of biodiversity in the humid tropics is a major concern for the future1, yet most reports of extinctions in these regions are anecdotal or conjectural, with a scarcity of robust, broad-based empirical data2,3,4. Here we report on local extinctions among a wide range of terrestrial and freshwater taxa from Singapore (540 km2) in relation to habitat loss exceeding 95% over 183 years5,6. 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 model7,8,9, imply that the current unprecedented rate of habitat destruction in Southeast Asia10 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.

Date: 2003
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DOI: 10.1038/nature01795

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