DIWPA: DIVERSITAS in the Western Pacific and Asia

March, 2016

DIWPA News Letter

No.34

Office:CenterforEcologicalResearch,KyotoUniversity,Otsu,Japan

Message from the ChairpersonO

ur Center for EcologicalResearch (CER) is registered as a
Joint Usage / Research Center (JURC)
by the Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology Japan(MEXT). It is important for CER toregister under JURC, so as to receive
Shin-ichi Nakano
support from MEXT. Institutions
and research centers can be established because theirscientific researches are evaluated by MEXT, andMEXT provides financial support only to assigned
winners.
CER is the only JURC for ecology and biodiversity
in Japan, registered in 2010. As the term of JURC issix years, CER had the defense interview on renewal of
JURC in August 2015 for the coming another six years.
Fortunately, the evaluation score on CER were very
high, and we CER will be assured of more six-years
activities from April 2016. Even after the renewal,
CER remains as the only JURC for ecology andbiodiversity. To our surprise, in one of the evaluation

items, the evaluation panel gave positive and favorable
comments on DIWPA, and this is also the case for
Kyoto University. Though our CER budget is limited,
we need to provide more funding to DIWPA because of
the high MEXT evaluation.
As you already know, National EcologicalObservations Network (NEON, US) have been
shrunk (Mervis 2015, 349: 574 Science; Cesare
2016, 529: 274-276 Nature), and Natura 2000 (EU)
has been suffering from shortage of funding (http://
www.birdlife.org/europe-and-central-asia/fundingnatura-2000). DIWPA covers Asian Green Belt whichis the only region of continuous forests from northern
to southern hemisphere in the earth, and where thehighest biodiversity all over the world has been
threatened through human activities due to expanding
population and economy. So, we DIWPA have to
make more progress for future studies on ecosystem
and/or biodiversity dynamics and functions toward
the creation of resilient environments, through better
conservation of ecosystem and biodiversity.

Message from the Secretary GeneralW

e held International Field
Biology Course (IFBC) at
Thailand in November 2015. Tworesearchers from India and Thailand
enrolled in the IFBC. We are pleased
to introduce their activity reports
in this newsletter. In this IFBC, we
Atsushi Ishidalearned how to measure the leaf gas
exchange (photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductanceand transpiration rate) in the top canopy leaves offorest trees, and I explained why we want to know leaf
function. In the lowland of Thailand, there are various
forest types, such as %ry dipterocarp forest (DDF),. ixed deciduous forest (MDF) and Dry evergreen
forest (DEF), even in the areas with a similar annual

precipitation and a similar seasonality of rainfall.
However, soil types are different among the forest
types. Furthermore, there is a distinct dry season during
two or three months in Thailand. During the dry season,
deciduous trees fall their canopy leaves and evergreen
trees severely depress the leaf gas exchange rates.
Recently, the precipitation pattern has yearly flu
in Thailand. Such situation may strongly affect theforest and agricultural ecosystems. To consider how
we conserve biodiversity in the future, we need muchknowledge and information from the broad range inbiotic and abiotic environments. Therefore, DIWPA
always welcome various information from yourcountries.

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DIWPA News Letter No.34

Report 1

Reflections on the International Field Biology Course
conducted by DIWPA at the Mae Klong Watershed Research
Station, Kanchanaburi Province, Western Thailand
Anoop Das K.S
Centre for Conservation Ecology, Department of Zoology, M.E.S Mampad College(India)Wildlife Research and Conservation Trust(India)D

IVERSITAS in the Western Pacific and Asia
(DIWPA) is an organization for “capacity
building of scientists from developing countries” since1993. This is a report on the International Field Biology
Course (IFBC) conducted in Mae-Klong Watershed
Research Station, Kanchanaburi Province, Western
Thailand between 8th and 14th November 2015.
Afterasumptuoussupperservedintheflight,Iwas
awakened around 3am as the plane made its landing
in Don Mouang International Airport, Bangkok. Afterthe routine emigration process, it was not difficult to
identify Mr. Shin-Taro Saiki, a student of Prof. Atsushi Fig. 1. A supper along Chao Phraya River
Ishida, who was waiting for me outside in the cold
The next day, we headed toward the mixednight. He took me to the nice Maruay Garden Hotel.
After the program briefing that was held on the deciduous forest of the region. Mixed deciduous
9th November morning, we procured the necessary forest (MDF) is a type of tropical seasonal forests
stationaries for field work from Bangkok City. Under found in Thailand, where it covers large areas withthe leadership of Prof. Ishida, we had a brainstorming high variation in species composition such as Tectona
discussion on what faces Asian Science. He reiterated grandis, Pterocarpus macrocarpus, Xylia xylocarpa
the need of collaboration with the research team in the var. kerrii, Afzelia xylocarpa and Vitex peduncularis.
region. The participants had an icebreaking cum supper The middle layer of MDF is usually dominated bysession along Chao Phraya River (Fig. 1).
bamboos in which Gigantochloa albociliata, Bambusa
On the next day, we had a brief discussion with the tulda and B. nutans were most commonly seen (Fig. 3).
officials of the Department of Forests and Wildlife.
After that, our large Toyota vehicle, loaded fully withfield equipment, drove toward Kanchanaburi province,
Mae-Klong Watershed Research Station (4°34’N,
98°50’E) with an average altitude of 160 m a.s.l.
After the long drive, upon arrival at the researchstation, we were warmly welcomed by the Range
F o r e s t O f f i c e r s . T h e M a e - K l o n g Wa t e r s h e dResearch Station was in Thong Pha Phoom District,
Kanchanaburi province, Western Thailand. The forest
department have a well-developed field station with allbasic amenities (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2. Mae Klong Watershed Research Station

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DIWPA News Letter No.34

Report 1

true for the aquatic insect inhabitants. Water
holes are among the most tractable for small
systems, partially because they are relatively persistent,
and can be mimicked with plastic cups, bamboo
sections or other inexpensive materials. Despite
possessing unique features, extrapolating thethat affected the biodiversity and community structure
to larger systems would need more in-depth discussion
andstudies.Wemanagedtofindafewtree-holesint
study area and I demonstrated the collection of insectsfrom those holes.
In the evening, an exploration to familiarize theFig. 3. The middle layer of MDF usually dominated by bamboos
butterfly fauna of the station was conducted forProf. Ishida patiently explained the mechanism the team. Dr. Ananya Popradit, a participant fromof measuring leaf gas exchange, photosynthetic rate, Thailand, was keen to know about the identity of somestomatal conductance and transpiration rates, to the of the butterflies such as the Common Birdwing. It
participants (Fig. 4). All of us were busy collecting Thailand’s largest butterfly, with a wingspan of moreleaves with long leaf cutter, putting their tip in the mug than six inches. It has been sighted many times duringof water and measuring the leaf gas exchange within the survey. The mating between the two individuals
belonging
Cupha erymanthis was a notable
thestipulatedtime.Thefiledworkcontinued
tilltoevening
and we returned to the camp. Later, we assembled in observationfromthefield.
Nextday, we Mr.
climbed the Flux Tower andthe field station to sort out the collected
samples.
Shin-Taro Saiki was very kind to explain the details of Meteorological Data station to have an overview of thefurther procedures involved in the preservation of leaf. area (Figs 5 & 6). The principal objective of the station
The following day, it was also sunny and nice. was to directly determine the net ecosystem exchange
the surface energy budget over these forestsof COtheUnder the guidance of the expert of this field,
2 and field
trip was a worthwhile experience as I was taught to during the peak growing season. These observations
engage all my senses. Prof. Ishida was very friendly were coupled with a comprehensive characterizationand his keen interaction with all the members helped to of the physical environment (Photosyntheticallybuild the team camaraderie. Before we started on the Active Radiation (PAR), soil temperature, etc.). We
measurement of the gas exchange of leaf, I was given a experienced the thrill of the hot springs near the station.
On our in
returnjourney,
we concluded that the DIWPA
timetointroducethelifeofaquaticinsects
thewaterand the organisers had earned our respect.
filledtreeholes.
Insectslivinginsmallaquatichabitatswithinplants,
also known as phytotelmata (plantheld waters), received
little attention from naturalists over the last century.
For biological investigations, the relatively small
accumulations of water occurring in epiphytes and treeholes offer several methodological advantages overlakes, streams and other comparatively large systems.
They are discrete, and can be treated as individual
units for sampling and faunal surveys. These habitats
are often abundant where they occur, permitting
sample sizes appropriate for statistical analyses. The
macrofauna of phytotelmata is often specialized and of
Fig. 4. Prof. Atsushi Ishida and team, fixing the equipment ready for
manageable diversity and abundance. This is especially analysis

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DIWPA News Letter No.34

Report 1

Fig.6. On the top of the Flux Tower (45 m high above the goround)research are concentrated. The practical information
disseminated through the discussions would go along way to facilitate the mitigation measures used totackle current problems and they generate ideas for theconservation of natural resources.
This training program has showed me an assemblageof a variety of issues around the globe, diverse
methodologies in action and an interesting spark ofcuriosity within the program. As my research focus ison the intricate relationship between the bird, butterfly
and insect communities in both functional and trophic
forests, this course has exposed me to the methodologicalrigours, especially in the conversation ecology, thechanging paradigms in conservational thoughts and thesubtleties of other research groups.
I believe that the program helped me to:
1. Test the rigour of my work at an international
platform.
2. Better understand the conservation research
currently undertaken by various research group indiverse spatial settings.
3. Look out for advances in the area.
4. Interact with eminent personalities to share thefascination of our common interest
5. To update myself as a conservation researcher, andto contribute in all possible ways to get involved in
the conservation activities of the region.

Fig. 5. The Flux Tower

The intention of this program is to share andexpress the programmatic developments in the fieldof ecology and conservation biology, and also tofacilitate the overall development of researchers. This
program enabled hands-on brainstorming discussion
with talented scholars coming from all over the world.
The meeting of researchers coming from the same
field through this course, and the bonds fostered overdiscussions, create future collaboration opportunities.
Beyond this, it is anticipated that by listening to theexpert’s discussions at the host country, it is possible toidentify specific localities and areas where the present

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DIWPA News Letter No.34

Report 2

2015 DIWPA International Field Biology Course in Thailand
Ananya Popradit
Inter-Department of Environmental Science, Chulalongkorn University(Thailand)I

was a student of doctoral course in Graduate the net photosynthetic rates or respiration rates in
School of Environmental Science in Chulalongkorn the leaves from the differences in CO 2 and H 2 O
University, Thailand, when I participated the DIWPA concentrations between the inlet and outlet airInternational Field Biology Course (IFBC) in 2015. gas stream in the chamber. LI-6400XT can regulate
My research topic in PhD is focused on human effects light intensity, CO 2 and H 2O concentrations in air
on tropical forests. As a young scientist, I wish to and leaf temperature. Thus we can know detailed
continually accumulate my knowledge and to enhance leaf physiology using this machine. This technmy research skill. While I was a PhD student, I enjoyed is new field for me and I will be able to gain new
knowledge
about tree species. It was a fascinating
theintensivefieldworkinforestsandworking
togetherwith local communities. The DIWPA IFBC is a part experience. Ecophysiological technique or insighof the Joint-Use and Cooperative Research Program be an important aspect for my research in the future.
managed by Center of Ecological Research (CER) in I conducted the IFBC with Professor Atsushi Ishida
Kyoto University. One of the objectives of DIWPA is to and a student of doctoral course in Kyoto University,
train young researchers to be the leading ecologists of a post-doc researcher in Forestry and Forest Productnext generation. I sent my application for the workshop Research Institute in Japan, a researcher from India,
for the capacity building for young researchers, and I a researcher in Department of National Park, Wildlife
received the acceptance to participate the 2015 DIWPA and Plant Conservation in Thailand, and a teacher of
IFBC. This DIWPA IFBC was conducted in Thailand in Kasetsart University in Thailand. I had a good chance
November 2015. The main program was to learn how
to measure leaf gas exchange.
Fig. 1. A portable photosynthetic
The 2015 DIWPA IFBC was a good opportunity
measurement system (LI-6400XT)
for me to be familiarized with Plant Ecophysiology,
and it trained me to measure the photosynthetic andrespiration rates of the top-canopy leaves of woody
plants with a portable photosynthetic measurement
system (LI-6400XT, LI-COR, NE, USA), which isa state- of- the- art equipment for measuring leaf gas
exchange (Fig. 1). We enter the intact leaves in achamber with a lighting source and we can know

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DIWPA News Letter No.34

Report 2

for working and discussion with many researchers Dry dipterocarp forests (DDF) and Dry evergreen
who are interested in various fields. In especially, forests (DEF). This is the famous place where we canthe researcher from India has studied biodiversity in look many fossils including dinosaurs. At the Phu Kao,
insect. The 2015 DIWPA IFBC was mainly conducted we enjoyed a night festival after the daytime working.
in a Mixed deciduous forest (MDF) at Mae-Klong It was an unforgettable experience. We experienced
Water Shed Research Station belonged to Department the Northeastern traditional dance together with local
of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, people. Most of the team members joined in the dance
relatively located near Myanmar. After the IFBC, and enjoyed the festival. Furthermore, we looked a
Ishida’s group continued their research in Thailand. Snake Show in a local village.
Because I stayed in Bangkok, I joined them again to
I had mainly studied forest structure and dynamics
learntheirfieldstudywhentheywenttoin
thethePhuPhDKaocourse,and got PhD in Chulalongkorn
Phu Phankham National park.
University in 2015. According to this experience, I
The Phu Kao - Phu Phankham National park exists would like to expand my research area and to conduct
in the Nong Bua Lam Phu Province located between study connected with forest dynamics, tree physiology
the south of Udon Thani Province and the north of and forest conservation. Now I contact Prof. Atsushi
Khon Kaen Province in Thailand. “Phu Kao” means Ishida in CER in Kyoto University to apply the Post“nine mountains” in Thai language. In the fact, there Doc program of JSPS in Japan. I hope to continue myare some mountain peaks in the Phu Kao area and there study in his laboratory.
are some forest types, Mixed deciduous forests (MDF),

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DIWPA News Letter No.34

Report 3

The discovery of the Bryan’s Shearwater in the Bonin Islands
Kazuto Kawakami1 and Kazuo Horikoshi2
1Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute(Japan)2Institute of Boninology(Japan)died later. Although some of these specimens weretentatively identified as the Little
PuffinusShearwat
assimilis, the morphology of the Bonin samples was
not completely consistent with the Little Shearwater
and was probably to be more similar to the Bryan’s
Shearwater. Therefore, my colleagues and I examined
the six Bonin samples genetically and morphologicallyto identify the species definitively. In the result, theBonins were confirmed to be the Bryan’s Shearwat(Kawakami et al. 2012). Because the most recent
individual was found on an islet to the north of Chichijima Island in 2011, the species has surely survived
in this island system. Thus, the breeding grounds ofBryan’s Shearwater should be located on the Bonin
Islands.
Three of the individuals found on Higashi-jimawhich is next to Chichi-jima Island were carcasses
preyed upon by Black Rats, Rattus rattus (Figs 2 & 3).
The rat is one of the worst 100 of the World's Worst
Invasive Alien Species nominated by the International
Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN). On Higashi-jima, the rat had preyed
upon an appreciable number of small seabirds such as
Bulwer’s Petrels, Bulweria bulwerii, and Tristram’s

Fig 1. The Bryan’s Shearwater, a small black and white Puffinus
speciesBryan’s Shearwater, Puffinus bryani, is a seabird
species that was described in 2011 based ona specimen collected in the Midway Atoll in 1963
(Pyle et al. 2011). The morphological characteristics
specific to this species are small body size, relative
long tail, dark undertail coverts and bluish legs (Fig. 1).
A shearwater with these characteristics was observedat the Midway Atoll during the winter of 1991–1992(Pyle et al. 2014). These sightings had been the solereliable records of this species throughout the world.
However, given the paucity of records, this shearwaterprobably does not breed regularly in the northwestern
Hawaiian Islands (Pyle et al. 2011). The authors
suggested that their breeding areas are possibly locatedonotherPacificislandsatasimilarlatitudeasMidway.
In any case, this species is likely to be very rare, highly
threatened,andrequirespromptconservationattention.
The Bonin Islands are subtropical oceanic islands,
off Japan. The islands were inscribed as a World
Natural Heritage Site in June 2011 (see No. 25, 29
and 32 in DIWPA News - etter for more details).
Since 1997, one alive and five dead individuals ofa small Puffinus shearwater species were found on
the Bonin Islands; unfortunately, the alive individual Fig 2. The environment of Higashi-jima

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DIWPA News Letter No.34

Report 3

References
Kawakami K., Eda M., Horikoshi K., Suzuki H., Chiba
H. and Hiraoka T. 2012. Bryan's Shearwaters havesurvived on the Bonin Islands, Northwestern P
The Condor 114 507-512.
Kawakami K., Horikoshi K., and Suzuki H. 2010.
Severe predation impacts by invasive black rats
Rattus rattus on the Bulwer’s petrel Bulweria bulwerii
in the Bonin Islands, Japan. In Restoring the oceanicisland ecosystem (K. Kawakami and I. Okochi Eds.),
pp 51–55. Springer Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Pyle P., Welch A.J., and Fleischer R.C. 2011. A new
species of shearwater (Puffinus) recorded from
Midway Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The
Condor 113: 518–527.
Pyle P., David R., Eilerts B.D., Amerson A.B., Borker
A. and McKown M. 2014. Second record of Bryan's
Shearwater Puffinus bryani
from Midway Atoll, with
notes on habitat selection, vocalizations and at-sea
distribution. Marine Ornithology 42: 5-8.

Fig 3. The carcass of the Bryan’s Shearwater preyed upon by the Black
Rats

Storm Petrels, Oceanodroma tristrami (Kawakami
et al. 2010). Attempts were made to eradicate rats on
this island in 2008. While the rat eradication has been
conducted on several other islands, alien rats inhabit inmore than 20 islands. Further rat eradication on otherislands should be conducted to rescue the shearwaterfrom the extinction.
From the limited number of records, Bryan’s
Shearwater appears to be very rare and seriously
threatened on the Bonin Islands. This species is listed
as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List. To
conserve this species effectively, the estimation of
population size and breeding distribution are urgently
required.And further, we need to put much efforts in acomprehensive conservation of biodiversity to preserve
the World Natural Heritage Site.

8DIWPA News Letter No.34

New Site 1

Landscape conservation of Amano-hashidate in Kyoto, Japan:
a guideline against pine wilt disease
Takefumi Ikeda
Kyoto Prefectural University(Japan)

the northern Kyoto, because many tourists visit every
year for sightseeing to look the beautiful pine forestsand beach. Therefore, even in the death of a pine tree,
it is not allowed for our image or governments. HereI report various ecological procedures that we have
implemented under such situation for preventing the
spread of pine wilt disease and its accomplishments.
The protective program for pine death in Amanohashidate
First, the number of dead pines caused by the pine
wilt disease ranged from 10 to 30 individuals per year.
However, the rates of pine death were twice after
2000, and 178 individual pines died in 2001 at Amanohashidate. In 2001, we could predict that the pine deathwould be over 350 individuals in the next year. Thus,
since the autumn in 2001, several procedures have beenrolled out to prevent pine death caused by the pine wilt
disease.
The protective program was as follows: at firstas precautionary measures (1) felling, removing andspraying with insecticides of dead pine trees during
the autumn to winter, (2) spraying insecticides on
preventive ground three times during the late May
to late June, and aerial spraying with insecticides forenhancement of the effects of ground spraying, using asprinkler and remote-controlled small-scale helicopter,and (3) conducting the injection of nematicides to 4,291
pine trees to kill the pinewood nematode introducedby maturation feeding of Japanese pine beetles,
Monochamus alternatus Hope, which is a vector ofpinewood nematode.
Tree wilting damage had seriously spread to pine
forests in the mountain area, surrounding the core siteat the sandbar. It was viewed as an outbreak of the pine
death at Amano-hashidate. To suppress the damage in
the affected pine forests, the further action was carriedout, as follows: (1) removing the source of infection,

Fig. 1. The landscape of Amano-hashidate

S

ince hundreds of years ago, Amano-hashidate
is well known for being one of the three mostbeautiful scenic spots, The Three Great Views ofJapan. The site locates in the western Japan (35°43’ N,
135°11’E). The location is characterized by its coastline
vegetation of white sands, evergreen pines and blue sea
on a sandbar spreading 3.2 km long and 40-170 m wide,
making beautiful contrasting colors (Fig. 1). The pinetrees on the sandbar are one of the important elements,
contributing to the beautiful landscape. Such coastal
sceneries are highly appreciated by Japanese. Mostof Japanese will be hard to imagine Amano-hashidate
without pine trees in the beach landscape. There areapproximately 5,000 big pine trees with over 10 cm dbh(diameter of breast height) in Amano-hashidate. Both
Pinus thunbergii and Pinus densiflpra are common
species, but Punus thunbergii is more abundant. Pine
trees often suffer from a pine wilt disease caused bypine wood nematode (Mamiya 1983). A symptom of
the disease is very severe. Majority of the pine trees
infected by pine wood nematodes will die within a
few months, especially during dry summer season.
In 2001, the pine death was conspicuous at Amanohashidate. This site is a very important for economy in

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DIWPA News Letter No.34

New Site 1(2) eradicating the dead pines infested by Monochamus
alternatus Hope, and (3) conducting preventive action
against infection for the remained living pine trees(Yoshida 2006). To eradicate infection sources, thecontrol program was focused on felling and spraying of
the dead pines in the surrounding mountain area within
2 km distance from Amano-hashidate.
As the results of the control program, the numberof dead pines decreased dramatically. This action plan
would be successful. Note that educational activity
on the pine wilt disease for local residents is also
indispensable to perform the control program.
Fig. 2. The grove of pine forests, where many herbaceous plants areclosely growing

Current situation of pines at Amano-hashidate
To evaluate the current situation in Amano-hashidate
pine forests, the vegetation, soil, fungi and landscapewere surveyed. The following situations have emerged:(1) an increase in broad-leaved trees within the pine
forest, the exuberance of herbaceous plants (Fig. 2),
and the eutrophication in soil, (2) a decline in rootsystems of big trees, because of an elevation of theground water level and the soil dressing covering theoriginal forest floor and (3) an increase in the standdensity over the ideal level for pine trees. Furthermore,(4) up to 30% of tree thinning did not significantly
affect our landscape image on the pine forests,
according to the results of a montage photo-test.
The soil eutrophication allows pine forests to a
gradual transition towards broad-leaved forests in thevegetation, because the successional climax in thisarea is evergreen broad-leaved forests. Such situation
was due to soil improvement conducted in the past,
to promote the growth of above-ground part of pinetrees. However, the top/root ratio of tree individuals
increased and the risk of windfall of trees increased. In
2004, approximately 200 pine trees fell down due to atyphoon,improve the light condition in forest floor and toestablish the balanced growth of pine trees, (2) cuttingof broad-leaved trees, (3) removing litter and humus
layer of soil to make or maintain poor soil (adeqsoil for pines), (4) replanting at disturbed gap sites,and (5) maintaining root systems. In addition, it isnecessary for tree doctors to take care the old pine trees
with pet names. Invasion and expansion of diseases
are world-widely found in forests, may related to
global climate change or an increase in human effects
on forest ecosystems. This is an important issue that
we must resolve in many forests in the world. I am
pleasure if this guideline will help many ecologists
and policy makers. Co-working together with many
ecologists, policy makers and local people is needed
for the challenge to such large issue.
References
Ikeda T. 2008. Control program of pine wilt disease forlandscape conservation – The case of Amanohashidate,
Kyoto, Japan. In Pine Wilt Disease: A Worldwide
Threat to Forest Ecosystem (M.M. Mota and P. Vieira
Eds.), pp. 397-403. Spriger Netherlands, Dordrecht,
Netherlands
Mamiya Y. 1983. Pathology of the pine wilt diseasecaused by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. Annual
Review of Phytopathology 21: 201-220.
Yoshida N. 2006. A strategy for controlling pine wilt
disease and its application on-site. Journal of theJapanese Forestry Society 88: 422-428.

Future efforts for pine-forest conservation at
Amano-hashidate
The maintenance of the beautiful, healthy pine
forests is important for forest conservation. To progress
the regeneration of pine seedlings and saplings at
artificial stands, we must perform further ecologicalactivity, as follows: (1) thinning of pine trees to

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DIWPA News Letter No.34

AP-BON Book3 is coming soonT

his is the third volume of “The Biodiversity Observation
Network in the Asia-Pacific”.Region
This volume examines
the topic of local biodiversity conservation in the Asia-Pacificregion, one of the most rapidly changing areas in the world. Witha focus on aquatic systems, this book offers insight on thof local biodiversity, challenges in management and conservationof biodiversity, and newly developed methods for monitoring
biodiversity.
The first part, “Local Biodiversity and ItsThreats”, consist
four chapters presented at “International Workshop on Freshwater
Biodiversity Conservation in Asia” in Kyushu University, Japanin November 2012. Our planet is currently facing a freshwater
biodiversity crisis, and the key to preventing further extinction isfound by understanding the threats facing aquatic hab
chapters in the part refer to local biodiversity, management andconservation of biodiversity in freshwater systems.
Better management of biodiversity conserva
frequent and spatially detailed assessments of species numbers and distrinformation, laborious and expensive support is needed. The usefulness of modern sophisticatedtechnologies that measure the distribution and status of biodiversity is probably an ideal way to gather
these crucial data. Thus in the second part, “Advanced Methods of Biodiversity Monitoring”, we include a
chapter on remote sensing technology applied to a eutrophic lake and another chapter from marine seagrassbeds.
Ecosystem service in terms of biodiversity is now attracting increasing interest all over the world.
When an ecosystem provides services to humans, some interaction with humans is requsocioeconomic aspects with special reference to biodiversity would be an appropriate approach to evaluate
ecosystem services in a given ecosystem. In the third part, “Ecosystem Service and Socioeconomic Aspects
with Special Reference to Biodiversity”, we have included one chapter on Indonesian fre
and, to provide a broader perspective, two more chapters on terrestrial ecosystem services.
The present book, together with our previous two books, presents the status quo ofAs
in the biodiversity research that still lacks information from developing countries. In addition, we haveincluded contributions, providing reviews on advances in concepts and methods of biodiversity observations
and on the challenges to study spatial variability of biodiversity and ecosystems by linking monitoring
across various ecosystems in the Asia-Pacific region. In effect, all contributions provid
is invaluable for effective conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. This work will interest all
stakeholders in biodiversity conservation, including policy makers, NPOs, NGOs, environment-relatedindustries,andbiodiversityresearchers,notonlyintheAsia-Pacificregion,butalsoacr

11

CALL FOR NEW MEMBER OF DIWPA
We are now calling for membership of DIWPA. Membership fee is no charge. When you become a member,you can;

1. Receive the DIWPA News Letter
You can receive the News Letter by post or e-mail. News Letter contains various information of
biodiversity research in Asia Pacific area, especially reports on every project and activities of AP-BON(Asia–Pacific Biodiversity Observation Network) as well as J-BON (Japan Biodiversity Observation
Network)IPBES,Intergovernmental(
ScienceandPolicyPlatformonBiodiversityandEcosystem)andnew
big project which is “Observation, Evaluation and Prediction of Biodiversity in Asia” by the Environment
ResearchandTechnologyDevelopmentFund.AllyoucangetaboveinformationisONLYinDIWPANews
LetterexceptthatAP-BONprovidestheminitsownwebsite.

2.ApplyfortheFieldBiologyCourse
You can apply for the Field Biology Course sponsored by DIWPA. The chosen candidate would
participate the Field Biology Course which is organized by Kyoto University. There are few international
initiatives which conduct educational activities such as DIWPA even though some of the initiatives carryout biodiversity research.
3. Run your articles regarding your biodiversity activities in DIWPA News Letter
DIWPA introduces our member’s various activities in DIWPA News Letter. Your activities would spreadthroughout the world, and you may receive more information about biodiversity conservation as well as
the supports.
4.Buildupacircleoffriendswithinbiodiversityresearch
Ask DIWPA when you want some information of foreign countries regarding your biodiversity research.
DIWPA can introduce people who have information you want. More than 500 members in 44 countries
belongtoDIWPAnetwork.
IfyouwouldliketojoinDIWPA,pleasecontactto"DIWPA@ecology.kyoto-u.ac.jp".

DIWPA OFFICE
Chairperson
Shin-ichiNakano
SecretaryGeneral AtsushiIshida
Secretary
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