Malaysian limestone orchids status : diversity, threat and conservation.

To date, a total of 288 species from 96 genera were identified from the limestone areas in Perlis and Padawan-Bau, Sarawak, of which many of these are restricted to limestone habitat and either endemic to Perlis or to Sarawak. Knowledge and data obtained from the field observation over the past 8 ye...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rusea, Go, Lim, M.Y.L., Phoon, S.N., Yong, W.S.Y., Tang, C.H., Khor, H.E., Abdullah, Janna Ong, Abdullah, J.
Format: Article
Language:English
English
Published: Nationaal Herbarium Nederland 2009
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/15521/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/15521/1/Malaysian%20limestone%20orchids%20status.pdf
Description
Summary:To date, a total of 288 species from 96 genera were identified from the limestone areas in Perlis and Padawan-Bau, Sarawak, of which many of these are restricted to limestone habitat and either endemic to Perlis or to Sarawak. Knowledge and data obtained from the field observation over the past 8 years leads us to report that at least 15 species endemic to limestone has become rare in the wild in Perlis, Bau and Padawan Sarawak. This was mainly attributed by: i) lack of emphasis by the government on understanding and protecting biodiversity in this kind of habitat; ii) lack of scientists willing to do research in dangerous and disaster prone limestone habitat; and iii) lack of knowledge and awareness among local communities on the importance of conserving and utilizing their natural resources in a sustainable manner.