An assessment of protected karst landscapes in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia constitutes one of the Worldʹs premier carbonate karst landscapes, with a total karst area, including southern China, of about 800,000km^2. The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas has recognised karst landscapes as being critical targets for designation as protected areas, and this study is an initial inventory of the karst conservation situation in Southeast Asia, excluding China. The karstlands exhibit considerable topographic diversity, including "cockpit" and "tower" styles, together with extensive dry valleys, cave systems and springs. The karst has a long and distinguished history of scientific study. The Gunung Sewu of Java, the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, the pinnacles and caves of Gunong Mulu and the karst towers of Vietnam and peninsular Malaysia are "classic" tropical carbonate karst landscapes. The karst also has archaeological, historical, cultural, biological, aesthetic and recreational significance, but human impacts have been considerable. Probably less than 10% of the karst retains its natural vegetation. Regional protected areas and conservation legislation is highly variable in nature and effectiveness. In practice, the protection of designated areas is problematic. Local patterns are highly variable, but about 12% of the regional karst landscape has been afforded nominal protection through designation as a protected area. Levels of protection in different countries are uneven, reflecting population, economic and political variations. There are significant protected karst areas in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. Karst conservation in Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia and Papua New Guinea is minimal, but there remains the potential to designate additional protected karst areas here, in Vietnam and in Laos (Lao PDR). Overall, however, the future of the regionʹs karst landscapes remains uncertain.