Paul H Barber, Ma Carmen A. Ablan-Lagman, A. Ambariyanto, Roberto G.S. Berlinck, Dita Cahyani, Eric D. Crandall, Rachel Ravago-Gotanco, Marie Antonette Juinio-Meñez, I.G. Ngurah Mahardika, Kartik Shanker, Craig J. Starger, Abdul Hamid A. Toha, Aji W. Anggoro, Demian A. Willette
The world is in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, threatening essential goods and services on which humanity depends. While there is an urgent need globally for biodiversity research, growing obstacles are severely limiting biodiversity research throughout the developing world, particularly in Southeast Asia. Facilities, funding, and expertise are often limited throughout this region, reducing the capacity for local biodiversity research. Although western scientists generally have more expertise and capacity, international research has sometimes been exploitative "parachute science," creating a culture of suspicion and mistrust. These issues, combined with misplaced fears of biopiracy, have resulted in severe roadblocks to biodiversity research in the very countries that need it the most. Here, we present an overview of challenges to biodiversity research and case studies that provide productive models for advancing biodiversity research in developing countries. Key to success is integration of research and education, a model that fosters sustained collaboration by focusing on the process of conducting biodiversity research as well as research results. This model simultaneously expands biodiversity research capacity while building trust across national borders. It is critical that developing countries enact policies that protect their biodiversity capital without shutting down international and local biodiversity research that is essential to achieve the long-term sustainability of biodiversity, promoting food security and economic development.© 2014 Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science of the University of Miami.
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States; Biology Department, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines; Marine Science Department, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia; Instituto de Química de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, São Carlos, SP, Brazil; Indonesia Biodiversity Research Center, Denpasar, Bali 80223, Indonesia; NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Fisheries Ecology Division and Institute of Marine Sciences, Santa Cruz, CA 95062, United States; Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon, 1101, Philippines; Fakultas Kedokteran Hewan, Universitas Udayana, Denpasar Bali, Indonesia; Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India and Dakshin Foundation, Bangalore, India; Science and Technology Policy Fellowships, Center of Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC 20005, United States; Fishery Department, State University of Papua. Manokwari, Papua Barat, 98314, Indonesia; Biology Department, Brawijaya University, Malang, East Java, 65145, Indonesia
