Strategies to Observe and Assess Changes of Terrestrial Biodiversity in the Asia-Pacific Regions

Abstract

Biodiversity loss is one of the most critical threats to global environments that has already transgressed planetary boundaries (Rockström et al. 2009 ) . Indeed, nonlin- ear, often abrupt changes can drive unacceptable and irreversible deterioration. Rockström et al. ( 2009 ) claimed that earth’s system cannot sustain the current rate of biodiversity loss without signi fi cant erosion of resilience. To halt this biodiversity loss, global efforts to achieve “by 2010 a signi fi cant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional, and national level,” called the 2010 biodi- versity targets, have been made since the agreement by the world’s governments in 2002. However, the latest data on the status and trends of biodiversity summarized in the third edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-3) show that the target had not been met (Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity 2010 ) .