Biota and ecosystems: Ecosystems integrity and biodiversity are threatened throughout the region due to extensive agriculture, oil palm and rubber plantations, aquaculture and illegal wildlife trade. Natural forest areas in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, recognized as global biodiversity hotspots, declined drastically in 1990–2015. The number of threatened mammal and plant species increased by more than 10 and 18 per cent respectively in the last decade.Three-quarters of all threatened birds on oceanic islands are also in danger from invasive species. A quarter of all conifers and cycad species are threatened, as are one fifth of marine mammal species. In the oceanic countries and Small Island States, over 25 per cent of hard warm-water corals are experiencing bleaching, mainly due to high thermal stress, and are impacted by dumping of plastic debris and micro-plastic hazardous waste in the oceans.


Freshwater: Water scarcity and deteriorating water quality are commonplace throughout the region especially in Northeast and South Asia. As climate change impacts on water resources become more pronounced, particularly in rivers originating in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, flood and drought events will become more frequent and intensified. Contamination of water sources from human and livestock sewage is a major concern across the region; and the widespread contamination of ground water by pharmaceutical and personal care products, nanomaterials, and organochlorides increase the exposure to human health risk, especially for women and young children. Water related diseases and unsafe water contribute to 1.8 million deaths annually and 24.8 million disability-adjusted life years in the region.


Coasts and oceans: The coastal zone is inherently attractive for human settlement and continued urbanization draws in greater populations, with 325 million more people expected to live in the coastal zone by 2025. About 60 per cent of the coastal mangroves in Asia and the Pacific have been cleared for development and more than 80 per cent of the coral reefs are at risk. Severe erosion prevails on one-quarter to one- third of the coastlines in Southeast Asia. Pollution caused by plastic debris and microplastics is an increasing concern in the region.


Waste: Municipal solid waste generation is expected to rise from 870 million tonnes in 2014 to 1.4 billion tonnes annually by 2030 in the region. New and complex waste streams like e-waste, food waste, construction/demolition waste, disaster waste and marine litter are emerging. Uncontrolled dumping is still the main waste disposal method in the region, leading to leachate run off, methane emission, spontaneous combustion, and other environmental problems. However, recent emergence of waste to energy investment programs could be further enhanced to provide better waste disposal.


The Way Forward: Policy Messages


Regional economic growth and urbanization have helped lift millions out of poverty to middle class affluence, and improved access to basic services. These achievements, however, have come with heavy costs to natural capital, biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and human health. These stressors contribute to gender and economic inequalities and undermine regional economic growth itself. Climate change, air pollution and ecosystem disturbance are emerging issues and could reverse recent progress in human development.


To counteract the socioeconomic drivers leading to environmental degradation, an economic transformation that is particularly based on improved energy and transportation systems and smart green growth for urban areas is urgently needed. Thirty nine countries out of forty one in the region, submitted their respective Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to the UNFCCC before the Paris Conference, illustrating the region’s commitment to mitigate climate change. The region could strive for more transformational change aiming at low- emission development strategies to achieve more than the laudable commitments in their INDCs.


The SDGs will help to promote a more integrated and holistic approach to resource management and ecosystem preservation. With increasing and large investments in new infrastructure expected over the next two-to-three decades, there is optimism in the region that the countries can


xvii


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196  |  Page 197  |  Page 198  |  Page 199  |  Page 200  |  Page 201  |  Page 202  |  Page 203  |  Page 204  |  Page 205  |  Page 206  |  Page 207  |  Page 208  |  Page 209  |  Page 210  |  Page 211  |  Page 212  |  Page 213  |  Page 214  |  Page 215  |  Page 216  |  Page 217  |  Page 218  |  Page 219  |  Page 220  |  Page 221  |  Page 222  |  Page 223  |  Page 224  |  Page 225  |  Page 226  |  Page 227