Environmental Resources Use and Challenges in Contemporary Southeast Asia: Tropical Ecosystems in Transition (Asia in Transition, 7)

This edited volume introduces dynamic approaches to the study of Southeast Asia’s environmental diversity from different disciplinary perspectives at the interface between the natural and social sciences. It brings together research on the region’s environmental resource use and shared ecological challenges in the context of present day globalization to offer insights for possible future directions. The book introduces unique approaches to the study of Southeast Asia’s environmental changes and resource management under the influence of intensifying economic change in the region. It also examines the slow erosion of Southeast Asia’s rich environment and addresses serious issues such as the decrease in biodiversity and tropical forests, and the degradation of peat lands. At the same time, it discusses the social issues that are tied to energy-dependent growth and have intensified over the last two decades. It also analyzes the new roadmaps being created to protect, conserve, andmanage the environment. By investigating the many ecological issues surrounding us, the volume brings to light the constant struggles we face while trying to develop a more inclusive and equitable approach to natural resources governance. This volume is relevant for students, academics and researchers who have an interest in the Southeast Asian environment and the way in which we use and interact with it. 

Mario Lopez is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Southeast Asia Studies, Kyoto University. He received his PhD from the Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies at Kyushu University in 2012. His research interests are on humans, mobility, ageing and sustainability in Southeast Asia. He has published widely on these areas and is also a co-developer of the Humanosphere Potentiality Index, a database developed to address current global potentiality with a focus on tropical countries. In addition, Mario is involved in a Visual Documentary Project in collaboration with the Japan Foundation Asian Centre to stimulate discussion and develop dialogues for new research on Southeast Asian communities.