Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Future of Mammals in Southeast Asia: Conservation Insights from the Fossil Record

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Paleontology in Ecology and Conservation

Part of the book series: Springer Earth System Sciences ((SPRINGEREARTH))

Abstract

The Pleistocene zoogeographic history of Southeast Asian megafauna are examined in order to determine if any patterns of extinction vulnerability can be discerned, and if so determine which extant megafauna species may be in need of heightened conservation effort. Sites in Southeast Asia were examined for three time periods: Early, Middle and Late Pleistocene, and compared with modern distribution patterns. Taxa were divided into one of four conservation statuses: extinct, critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable. One pattern clearly observable for the species in the extinct and critically endangered categories was a widespread distribution throughout the Pleistocene, only to suffer extreme range reductions or extinctions between the Late Pleistocene and today. At least three species in the endangered category display similar distribution patterns: the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), the tiger (Panthera tigris) and the Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus). Although the panda, and to a more limited extent the tiger are well recognised as conservation priorities, this is less true for the tapir. If the zoogeographic patterns observed for extinct or critically endangered species are any guide, the outlook for the panda, tiger, and tapir, independent of stepped-up conservation efforts, are bleak.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Antoine P-O (2012) Pleistocene and Holocene rhinocerotids (Mammalia, Perissodactyla) from the Indochinese Peninsula. C R Palevol 11:159–168. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2011.03.002

    Google Scholar 

  • Bacon A-M, Duringer P, Antoine P-O et al (2011) The Middle Pleistocene mammalian fauna from Tam Hang karstic deposit, northern Laos: new data and evolutionary hypothesis. Quatern Int 245:315–332

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnosky AD (2008) Megafauna biomass tradeoff as a driver of quaternary and future extinctions. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105:11543–11548

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnosky AD, Koch PL, Feranec RS, Wing SL, Shabel AB (2004) Assessing the causes of Late Pleistocene extinctions on the continents. Science 306:70–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bird MI, Taylor D, Hunt C (2005) Palaeoenvironments of insular Southeast Asia during the last glacial period: a savanna corridor in Sundaland? Quat Sci Rev 24:2228–2242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corlett RT (2007) The impact of hunting on the mammalian fauna of tropical Asian forests. Biotropica 39:292–303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corlett RT (2010) Megafaunal extinctions and their consequences in the tropical Indo-Pacific. In: Haberle SG, Stevenson J, Prebble M (eds) Altered ecologies: fire, climate and human influence on terrestrial landscapes, vol 32, Terra Australis. ANU E-Press, Canberra

    Google Scholar 

  • Cranbrook EO (2010) Late quaternary turnover of mammals in Borneo: the zooarchaeological record. Biodivers Conserv 19:373–391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han D, Xu C (1985) Pleistocene mammalian faunas of China. In: Wu R, Olsen JW (eds) Palaeoanthropology and palaeolithic archaeology in the People’s Republic of China. Academic, Orlando

    Google Scholar 

  • IUCN (2011) IUCN red list of threatened species. Version 2011.1. www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed 21 June 2011

  • Jablonski N, Whitford M (1999) Environmental change during the quaternary in East Asia and its consequences for mammals. Rec West Aust Mus 57:307–315

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahlke HD (1972) A review of the Pleistocene history of the orang- utan (Pongo Lacépède 1799). Asian Perspect 15:5–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Kinver M (2011) Javan rhino ‘now extinct in Vietnam’. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15453390. Accessed 20 Nov 2011

  • Lekagul B, McNeely JA (1988) Mammals of Thailand. Association for the Conservation of Wildlife, Saha Karn Bhaet Co, Thailand

    Google Scholar 

  • Li J, Hou Y, Li Y, Zhang J (2011) The latest straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon)? “Wild elephants” lived 3,000 years ago in North China. Quat Int. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2011.10.039

    Google Scholar 

  • Louys J (2008) Quaternary extinctions in Southeast Asia. In: Elewa AMT (ed) Mass extinction. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Louys J, Meijaard E (2010) Palaeoecology of Southeast Asian megafauna-bearing sites from the Pleistocene and a review of environmental changes in the region. J Biogeogr 37:1432–1449

    Google Scholar 

  • Louys J, Turner A (2012) Environment, preferred habitats and potential refugia for Pleistocene Homo in Southeast Asia. C R Palevol 11:203–211. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2011.03.003

    Google Scholar 

  • Louys J, Curnoe D, Tong H (2007) Characteristics of Pleistocene megafauna extinctions in Southeast Asia. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimat Palaeocl 243:152–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Louys J, Travouillon KJ, Bassarova M, Tong H (2009) The use of natural protected areas in palaeoecological analyses: assumptions, limitations and application. J Archaeol Sci 36:2274–2288

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meijaard E (2004) Solving mammalian riddles. A reconstruction of the Tertiary and Quaternary distribution of mammals and their palaeoenvironments in island South-East Asia. Dissertation, Australian National University

    Google Scholar 

  • Milliken T, Emslie RH, Talukdar B (2009) African and Asian rhinoceroses – status, conservation and trade. A report from the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC) African and Asian Rhino specialist groups and TRAFFIC to the CITES Secretariat pursuant to resolution conference 9.14 (Rev. CoP14) and decision 14.89

    Google Scholar 

  • Norton CJ, Jin C, Wang Y, Zhang Y (2010) Rethinking the Palearctic-oriental biogeographic boundary in Quaternary China. In: Norton CJ, Braun DR (eds) Asian paleoanthropology: an introduction. Springer, Dordrecht

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Nowak RM (1999) Walker’s mammals of the world. The John Hopkins University Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Piper PJ, Cranbrook EO, Rabett RJ (2007) Confirmation of the presence of the tiger Panthera tigris (L.) in Late Pleistocene and Holocene Borneo. Malayan Nat J 59:259–265

    Google Scholar 

  • Pushkina D, Bocherens H, Chaimanee Y, Jaeger J-J (2010) Stable carbon isotope reconstructions of diet and paleoenvironment from the Middle Pleistocene Snake Cave in Northeastern Thailand. Naturwissenschaften 97:299–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rink WJ, Wei W, Bekken D, Jones HL (2008) Geochronology of Ailuropoda-Stegodon fauna and Gigantopithecus in Guangxi Province, southern China. Quat Int 69:377–387

    Google Scholar 

  • Sodhi NS, Brook BW (2006) Southeast Asian biodiversity in crisis. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Sodhi NS, Koh LP, Brook BW, Ng PKL (2004) Southeast Asian biodiversity: an impending disaster. Trends Ecol Evol 19:654–660

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sodhi NS, Posa MRC, Lee TM, Bickford D, Koh LP, Brook BW (2010) The state and conservation of Southeast Asian biodiversity. Biodivers Conserv 19:317–328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steinmetz R, Chutipong W, Seuaturien N (2006) Collaborating to conserve large mammals in Southeast Asia. Conserv Biol 20:1391–1401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tong H, Liu J (2004) The Pleistocene-Holocene extinctions of mammals in China. In: Dong W (ed) Proceedings of the ninth annual symposium of the Chinese society of vertebrate paleontology. China Ocean Press, Beijing, in Chinese with English abstract

    Google Scholar 

  • Tougard C, Chaimanee Y, Suteethorn V, Triamwichanon S, Jaeger JJ (1996) Extension of the geographic distribution of the giant panda (Ailuropoda) and search for the reasons of its progressive disappearance in Southeast Asia during the latest middle Pleistocene. C R Acad Sci Paris 323:973–979

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang W, Potts R, Yuan B, Huang W, Cheng H, Edwards RL, Ditchfield P (2007) Sequence of mammalian fossils, including hominoid teeth, from the Bubing Basin caves, South China. J Hum Evol 52:370–379

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woodruff DS, Turner LM (2009) The Indochinese-Sundaic zoogeographic transition: a description and analysis of terrestrial mammal species distributions. J Biogeogr 36:803–821

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woodruff DS (2010) Biogeography and conservation in Southeast Asia: how 2.7 million years of repeated environmental fluctuations affect today's patterns and the future of the remaining refugial-phase biodiversity. Biodivers Conserv 19:919–941

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

I thank Shaena Montanari for critically reading a draft of this chapter and her assistance with the figures.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geosciences, Queensland Museum, 122 Gerler Rd, Hendra, QLD, Australia

    Julien Louys

Authors
  1. Julien Louys
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julien Louys .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Geosciences, Queensland Museum, Gerler Rd 122, Hendra, 4011, Australia

    Julien Louys

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Louys, J. (2012). The Future of Mammals in Southeast Asia: Conservation Insights from the Fossil Record. In: Louys, J. (eds) Paleontology in Ecology and Conservation. Springer Earth System Sciences. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-25038-5_11

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation