Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01795
Title: Catastrophic extinctions follow deforestation in Singapore
Authors: Brook, B.W.
Sodhl, N.S. 
Ng, P.K.L. 
Issue Date: 24-Jul-2003
Citation: Brook, B.W., Sodhl, N.S., Ng, P.K.L. (2003-07-24). Catastrophic extinctions follow deforestation in Singapore. Nature 424 (6947) : 420-423. ScholarBank@NUS Repository. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01795
Abstract: The looming mass extinction of biodiversity in the humid tropics is a major concern for the future, yet most reports of extinctions in these regions are anecdotal or conjectural, with a scarcity of robust, broad-based empirical data. Here we report on local extinctions among a wide range of terrestrial and freshwater taxa from Singapore (540km2) in relation to habitat loss exceeding 95% over 183 years. 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 model, imply that the current unprecedented rate of habitat destruction in Southeast Asia 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.
Source Title: Nature
URI: http://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/100218
ISSN: 00280836
DOI: 10.1038/nature01795
Appears in Collections:Staff Publications

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