Political transition and emergent forest-conservation issues in Myanmar.

Political and economic transitions have had substantial impacts on forest conservation. Where transitions are underway or anticipated, historical precedent and methods for systematically assessing future trends should be used to anticipate likely threats to forest conservation and design appropriate and prescient policy measures to counteract them. Myanmar is transitioning from an authoritarian, centralized state with a highly regulated economy to a more decentralized and economically liberal democracy and is working to end a long-running civil war. With these transitions in mind, we used a horizon-scanning approach to assess the 40 emerging issues most affecting Myanmar's forests, including internal conflict, land-tenure insecurity, large-scale agricultural development, demise of state timber enterprises, shortfalls in government revenue and capacity, and opening of new deforestation frontiers with new roads, mines, and hydroelectric dams. Averting these threats will require, for example, overhauling governance models, building capacity, improving infrastructure- and energy-project planning, and reforming land-tenure and environmental-protection laws. Although challenges to conservation in Myanmar are daunting, the political transition offers an opportunity for conservationists and researchers to help shape a future that enhances Myanmar's social, economic, and environmental potential while learning and applying lessons from other countries. Our approach and results are relevant to other countries undergoing similar transitions

Political transition and emergent forest-conservation issues in Myanmar.

Political and economic transitions have had substantial impacts on forest conservation. Where transitions are underway or anticipated, historical precedent and methods for systematically assessing future trends should be used to anticipate likely threats to forest conservation and design appropriate and prescient policy measures to counteract them. Myanmar is transitioning from an authoritarian, centralized state with a highly regulated economy to a more decentralized and economically liberal democracy and is working to end a long-running civil war. With these transitions in mind, we used a horizon-scanning approach to assess the 40 emerging issues most affecting Myanmar's forests, including internal conflict, land-tenure insecurity, large-scale agricultural development, demise of state timber enterprises, shortfalls in government revenue and capacity, and opening of new deforestation frontiers with new roads, mines, and hydroelectric dams. Averting these threats will require, for example, overhauling governance models, building capacity, improving infrastructure- and energy-project planning, and reforming land-tenure and environmental-protection laws. Although challenges to conservation in Myanmar are daunting, the political transition offers an opportunity for conservationists and researchers to help shape a future that enhances Myanmar's social, economic, and environmental potential while learning and applying lessons from other countries. Our approach and results are relevant to other countries undergoing similar transitions

Evolutionary History of the Odd-Nosed Monkeys and the Phylogenetic Position of the Newly Described Myanmar Snub-Nosed Monkey Rhinopithecus strykeri

Odd-nosed monkeys represent one of the two major groups of Asian colobines. Our knowledge about this primate group is still limited as it is highlighted by the recent discovery of a new species in Northern Myanmar. Although a common origin of the group is now widely accepted, the phylogenetic relationships among its genera and species, and the biogeographic processes leading to their current distribution are largely unknown. To address these issues, we have analyzed complete mitochondrial genomes and 12 nuclear loci, including one X chromosomal, six Y chromosomal and five autosomal loci, from all ten odd-nosed monkey species. The gene tree topologies and divergence age estimates derived from different markers were highly similar, but differed in placing various species or haplogroups within the genera Rhinopithecus and Pygathrix. Based on our data, Rhinopithecus represent the most basal lineage, and Nasalis and Simias form closely related sister taxa, suggesting a Northern origin of odd-nosed monkeys and a later invasion into Indochina and Sundaland. According to our divergence age estimates, the lineages leading to the genera Rhinopithecus, Pygathrix and Nasalis+Simias originated in the late Miocene, while differentiation events within these genera and also the split between Nasalis and Simias occurred in the Pleistocene. Observed gene tree discordances between mitochondrial and nuclear datasets, and paraphylies in the mitochondrial dataset for some species of the genera Rhinopithecus and Pygathrix suggest secondary gene flow after the taxa initially diverged. Most likely such events were triggered by dramatic changes in geology and climate within the region. Overall, our study provides the most comprehensive view on odd-nosed monkey evolution and emphasizes that data from differentially inherited markers are crucial to better understand evolutionary relationships and to trace secondary gene flow

A review of the efficacy of the protected area system of East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia

In 1982 the Indonesian government adopted policy for establishing a national network of protected areas to conserve the nation's biodiversity. The design of the reserve network was based on scientific principles of representation and proposed a major ecosystem reserve, supplemented by smaller reserves, in each biogeographic unit of the country. We review the protected area system for East Kalimantan Province and show that key reserves either have not been established or are degraded. As a result, the present network exhibits major gaps in representation of key biodiversity attributes. We identified the potential for establishing a new major ecosystem reserve, covering more than 440,000 ha in the Sebuku-Sembakung region, which would fill important gaps in representation. Although this proposal has the support of central government and the international donor community, it might not receive the provincial endorsement that is required for designation. We conclude that for East Kalimantan, turning systematic reserve planning into practice has failed because key assumptions of reserve planning principles are invalid in the contemporary sociopolitical landscapes of Indonesia. In our view, strategies for in situ conservation of biodiversity in the protected areas of East Kalimantan need a complete reevaluation. En 1982 el gobierno de Indonesia adoptó una política de establecimiento de una red nacional de áreas protegidas para conservar la biodiversidad e la nación. El diseño de esta red de reservas se basó en los principios científicos de representación y propuso una reserva mayor de ecosistema, suplementada por reservas menores, en cada unidad biogeográfica del país. Revisamos el sistema de áreas protegidas de la provincia de Kalimantan Este, mostramos que las reservas claves no fueron establecidas o están degradadas. Como resultado, la red presente exhibe deficiencias mayores en la representación en los atributos claves de biodiversidad. Hemos identificado el potential de establecer una nueva reserva de ecosistema, de 440,000 ha, en las regiones de Sebuku y Sembakung, que podría salvar importantes fallas en la represerntación. Aunque este propuesta tiene el apoyo del gobierno central y la comunidad donante internacional, no recibe la garantía provincial que se requiere para la designación. Para Kalimantan Este, concluimos que falló en ponerse en práctica el sistema de planeo de reservas porque las asumpciones claves de los principios de planeamiento son inválidos en la situación sociopolítica contemporánea de Indonesia. Para nosotros, las estrategias de conservación in situ de biodiversidad en las áreas protegidas de Kalimantan Este necesitan una completa reevaluación

A review of the efficacy of the protected area system of East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia

In 1982 the Indonesian government adopted policy for establishing a national network of protected areas to conserve the nation's biodiversity. The design of the reserve network was based on scientific principles of representation and proposed a major ecosystem reserve, supplemented by smaller reserves, in each biogeographic unit of the country. We review the protected area system for East Kalimantan Province and show that key reserves either have not been established or are degraded. As a result, the present network exhibits major gaps in representation of key biodiversity attributes. We identified the potential for establishing a new major ecosystem reserve, covering more than 440,000 ha in the Sebuku-Sembakung region, which would fill important gaps in representation. Although this proposal has the support of central government and the international donor community, it might not receive the provincial endorsement that is required for designation. We conclude that for East Kalimantan, turning systematic reserve planning into practice has failed because key assumptions of reserve planning principles are invalid in the contemporary sociopolitical landscapes of Indonesia. In our view, strategies for in situ conservation of biodiversity in the protected areas of East Kalimantan need a complete reevaluation. En 1982 el gobierno de Indonesia adoptó una política de establecimiento de una red nacional de áreas protegidas para conservar la biodiversidad e la nación. El diseño de esta red de reservas se basó en los principios científicos de representación y propuso una reserva mayor de ecosistema, suplementada por reservas menores, en cada unidad biogeográfica del país. Revisamos el sistema de áreas protegidas de la provincia de Kalimantan Este, mostramos que las reservas claves no fueron establecidas o están degradadas. Como resultado, la red presente exhibe deficiencias mayores en la representación en los atributos claves de biodiversidad. Hemos identificado el potential de establecer una nueva reserva de ecosistema, de 440,000 ha, en las regiones de Sebuku y Sembakung, que podría salvar importantes fallas en la represerntación. Aunque este propuesta tiene el apoyo del gobierno central y la comunidad donante internacional, no recibe la garantía provincial que se requiere para la designación. Para Kalimantan Este, concluimos que falló en ponerse en práctica el sistema de planeo de reservas porque las asumpciones claves de los principios de planeamiento son inválidos en la situación sociopolítica contemporánea de Indonesia. Para nosotros, las estrategias de conservación in situ de biodiversidad en las áreas protegidas de Kalimantan Este necesitan una completa reevaluación.This article is not currently available via ORA

Divergence ages in Ma (95% highest posterior density).

*<p>A and B refer to the two major haplogroups in <i>R. bieti</i> and <i>P. cinerea</i>, respectively.</p

Ultrametric tree showing phylogenetic relationships among Asian colobines as obtained from mitochondrial (A) and nuclear sequence data (B).

<p>Open circles indicate ML bootstrap values of 100% and posterior probabilities of 1.0; values below are given at respective branches. Blue bars represent 95% highest posterior densities of divergence ages. In A, upper and lower numbers on branches indicate ML bootstrap values and posterior probabilities as derived from datasets mtDNA1 and mtDNA2, respectively. Abbreviations used in the bars: L = late, E = early, and M = middle.</p

Phylogenetic relationships among studied non-Asian colobine species based on mitochondrial and nuclear datasets.

<p>All relationships are significantly supported by ML bootstrap values of 100% and posterior probabilities of 1.0 in all datasets (mitochondrial and nuclear datasets not combined).</p