Environmental Science/Climate Change & Mitigation

Biodiversity Hotspots of the World

Biodiversity of the Sundaland Hotspot
Editor: T. Pullaiah, PhD

Biodiversity of the Sundaland Hotspot

In Production
Pub Date: Forthcoming March 2027
Hardback Price: $220 USD | £170 UK
Hard ISBN: 9781779645371
E-Book ISBN: 9781779645388
Pages: Est. 422 pp w index
Binding Type: Hardback / ebook
Series: Biodiversity Hotspots of the World
Notes: 99 color and 7 b/w illustrations

Biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate due to anthropogenic activities around the world. As part of the new series Biodiversity Hotspots of the World, which highlights the world’s 36 recognized biodiversity hotspots, this new volume focuses on Sundaland. The series seeks to document these remarkable regions and their biodiversity while supporting greater awareness of the need for their conservation and preservation.

The concise volumes in this series focus on the most interesting and important characteristics of these hotspots, covering physiography and climatology; vegetation and forest types; amphibian and reptile biodiversity; and the diversity of crops, plants, fishes, butterflies, insects, birds, mammals, angiosperms, gymnosperms, and more. Each volume also considers the distinctive threats facing its featured hotspot and the conservation efforts underway to protect it.

This new volume, Biodiversity of the Sundaland Hotspot, explores a biologically rich and critically important global biodiversity hotspot in Southeast Asia, encompassing the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Borneo, Java, and Bali. Sundaland supports remarkably diverse ecosystems, including high mountains, volcanoes, plains, swamps, tropical rainforests, and shallow coastal waters, as well as a high number of endemic plant and animal species. The region contains approximately 25,000 vascular plant species, about 60% of which are endemic. Yet severe habitat loss caused by deforestation for agriculture and logging, compounded by climate change, poses significant threats. Less than 30% of the original tropical forests remain intact, while illegal hunting, wildlife trade, road construction, mining operations, and other human activities place additional pressure on the region’s biodiversity.

The volume begins by examining the geological and geographical formation of Sundaland, including its history as a large, contiguous landmass during the last ice age, when lower sea levels connected the Asian mainland with areas that are now the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. Subsequent chapters examine the forests and vegetation types of the hotspot and explore the diversity of cyanobacteria, gymnosperms, butterflies, birds, zooplankton, and other organisms. The volume also addresses in depth the current threats to Sundaland’s biodiversity and efforts to conserve its distinctive ecosystems and species.

One chapter examines remote sensing applications for biodiversity assessment and conservation, highlighting technologies that facilitate detailed habitat mapping, species distribution assessment, and evaluation of ecosystem health. By integrating advanced sensors and artificial intelligence, remote sensing can enhance data collection and monitoring across biodiversity hotspots and contribute to more effective conservation strategies. The discussion also emphasizes the importance of engaging local communities and encouraging citizen participation to promote sustainable practices and habitat restoration.

Biodiversity of the Sundaland Hotspot, together with the other volumes in the Biodiversity Hotspots of the World series, provides a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners in conservation biology, ecology, evolution, and related fields. By concisely documenting the biodiversity, ecological characteristics, threats, and conservation priorities of these globally important regions, the series contributes to a greater understanding of what is at stake and the continuing need to protect it.

CONTENTS:
Preface

1. Occupation and Diaspora in the Indonesian Island Arc Through the Landbridge of the Epicontinental Shelf Sundaland During Low Standard Sea Level of Glacial Periods: Learning from Geo-Oceanoclimatology Influences
Wahyoe S. Hantoro

2. Forests and Vegetation Types of the Sundaland Hotspot
Didik Widyatmoko, Imawan Wahyu Hidayat, Iyan Robiansyah, and Siti Roosita Ariati

3. Diversity of Cyanobacteria in the Sundaland Hotspot
Faradina Merican, Billy Lim Chun Ginn, Qaisara Izzaty Mohd Azni, Muhammad Faris Hilmi Zulkiflee, and Siti Masyitah Saidin

4. Gymnosperms Diversity of Sundaland
Kusumadewi Sri Yulita and Didi Usmadi

5. Angiosperms Diversity of Sundaland
Kusumadewi Sri Yulita and Didi Usmadi

6. Diversity of Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) of the Sundaland Biodiversity Hotspot
Djunijanti Peggie, Abdul Mutholib Shahroni, Fariq Izzudien Ash Shidiq, Imti Yazil Wafa, Ratih Rusman, Martinus, Harmonis, Nabila Rahma, Lutfi Irwansyah, Soenarko, and Haryadi

7. Zooplankton Diversity in the Sundaland Hotspot–Malaysia
Zati Sharip

8. Diversity of Birds in the Sundaland Hotspot
Siti Nuramaliati Prijono

9. Threats and Conservation of Biodiversity of the Sundaland Hotspot
Didik Widyatmoko, Imawan Wahyu Hidayat, and Siti Roosita Ariati

10. The Future of Biodiversity Hotspot in Sundaland Under the Current Climate Condition
Titiek Setyawati, Aisyah Handayani, Sunardi, Decky Indrawan Junaedi, and Anang Setiawan Achmadi

11. Remote Sensing Applications in Biodiversity Assessment and Conservation of the Sundaland Biodiversity Hotspot
Yuliana Susilowati, Waluyo Eko Cahyono, Ayubella Anggraini Leksono, Dewi Puspitasari Leksono, Putri Larasati Leksono, Redempta Bunga Krisetiawan Putri, Aang Gunawan Sutyawan, Wawan Hendriawan Nur, Budi Nugroho, Yugo Kumoro, and Ibnu Maryanto

Index


About the Authors / Editors:
Editor: T. Pullaiah, PhD
Former Professor, Department of Botany at Sri Krishnadevaraya University in Andhra Pradesh, India

T. Pullaiah, PhD, is a former Professor at the Department of Botany at Sri Krishnadevaraya University in Andhra Pradesh, India, where he has taught for more than 35 years. He has held several positions at the university, including Dean, Faculty of Biosciences, Head of the Department of Botany, Head of the Department of Biotechnology, and Member of Academic Senate. He was President of Indian Botanical Society (2014), President of the Indian Association for Angiosperm Taxonomy (2013), and Fellow of Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences. He has been awarded with various prestigious awards for his work. Under his guidance 54 students obtained their doctoral degrees. He has authored 65 books, edited 45 books, and published over 340 research papers. His books include Mangroves: Biodiversity, Livelihoods and Conservation (Springer), Ethnobotany of India (5 volumes, Apple Academic Press), Global Biodiversity (4 volumes, Apple Academic Press), Monograph on Brachystelma and Ceropegia in India (CRC Press), Apomixis in Angiosperms (CRC Press), Invasive Alien Species ( 4 volume, Wiley International), Advances in Cell and Molecular Diagnostics (published by Elsevier), Camptothecin and Camptothecin producing Plants (Elsevier), Paclitaxel (Elsevier), Red Sanders: Silviculture and Conservation (Springer), and more. Dr. Pullaiah was also a member of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Professor Pullaiah received his PhD from Andhra University, India, attended Moscow State University, Russia, and worked as Postdoctoral Fellow during 1976–1978.




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