Dramatic losses of forest and biodiversity across the Asia-Pacific region are a great cause for concern. The region's tropical ecosystems are under immense pressures, be it from conversion to exotic plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia or intense demand for wildlife products in Vietnam and China. The fragmentation and disturbance of natural vegetation by proliferating road networks and other infrastructures is seriously affecting many sensitive species, especially those that are slow-reproducing, large-bodied or range-restricted. Such changes are already altering seed dispersal, pollination and other key forest processes, making it even more difficult to predict the future impacts of climate change.
In the face of such challenges, tropical ecologists face daunting pressures to answer not just fundamental questions about the distribution and biology of Asia-Pacific fauna and flora but many pressing practical questions as well—questions that require engaging in the pithy realities of conservation practice. With this in mind, the Asia-Pacific Chapter of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation held its 6th annual meeting in March 2013. Gathering under the theme Linking Biodiversity Science to Policy and Conservation Action, over 200 researchers from 25 nations met in Banda Aceh, in the far north of Sumatra, Indonesia.
Over four days more than 150 talks and posters highlighted cutting-edge issues in conservation and tropical biology. These were arranged within 13 symposia, such as Biogeography, Biodiversity and Bioinformatics of the Tropical Asian Flora, Species to Seascapes: Innovative Approaches to Managing Marine Ecosystems, and Transforming Conservation Science into Conservation Action. The Association's current President Lúcia Lohmann explained how her biogeographical studies of lianas could help untangle the complex history of tropical forests, and former President William Laurance spoke about growing pressures on biodiversity hotspots. Indian doctoral student Nandini Velho received the Outstanding Student Paper prize (From mosquito to Minister: malaria and the management of a tiger reserve in north-east India) and Manichanh Satdichanh from Lao PDR was awarded best Student Poster (Species composition of angiosperms in Phou Khao Khoauy National Park, Lao PDR).
In addition to the talks and posters seven workshops were run, by international experts, to enhance the capacity of regional scientists. These included training in Experimental Design and Data Analysis, Scientific Proposal Writing, SMART Conservation Software for Law Enforcement Monitoring, and Evolutionary Approaches to Biodiversity Science. In total, 27 fellowships were awarded for aspiring scientists and conservation researchers to attend these courses.
As researchers discussed the many challenges facing Asia-Pacific biodiversity and ecosystems, the local NGO community called stridently in the national press for the Association to take a formal position on the so-called Aceh Spatial Plan. Sentiments were running so high that over 70 local demonstrators gathered outside the conference venue on its opening night, urging the Association to act. Sumatra has suffered devastating forest loss and degradation in recent decades, with Aceh Province containing the largest surviving block of intact forest—and the only place where tiger, rhino, elephant and orang-utan still co-occur. The Plan will govern the fate of over 3 million ha of the Province's forests and includes, in its present version, provisions to convert large expanses of forest to oil palm, pulpwood and paper plantations.
In the face of such urgency the Association elected to issue a formal statement—the Banda Aceh Declaration—after conferring with its Committee members, local NGOs and relevant members of the Aceh Government. The Declaration recommended that the Aceh Spatial Plan be based on the best scientific data available, and that it considers fully the environmental risks associated with the loss and degradation of ecological services that underpin Aceh's economy and the well-being of its citizens. It also stressed the need to enforce the law to halt ongoing illegal logging. The Declaration is an unprecedented achievement for Aceh because it is the first joint position that leading scientists, local conservation NGOs and the Government of Aceh have agreed upon. Such common ground should help these stakeholders as they engage in future debate and negotiations.
The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation has historically had its greatest strength in Latin America but with recent annual conferences in Germany (2009), Bali (2010) and Tanzania (2011), the growth of its Asia-Pacific Chapter, and forthcoming conferences in Australia (2014) and Cambodia (2015), it has become a truly global organization for advancing tropical research and conservation.
