Areas Of Southeast Asia Research Articles

The state and future of extreme heat studies in Southeast Asian megacities: risk, impacts and adaptation strategies in a warming world

Abstract Southeast Asian cities are increasingly affected by heat-related phenomena and various climate-related disasters; however, research on urban heat in this region remains limited compared to other areas. This paper employs bibliometric and thematic analyses to investigate studies on extreme heat in mega-urban areas of Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on the risks and impacts faced by vulnerable populations, as well as their adaptation and mitigation strategies. The bibliometric analysis visualises the research landscape, identifying key clusters and highlighting prevalent themes and gaps. It reveals a predominant emphasis on characterising extreme heat and analysing urban temperature variations through satellite and meteorological data, which underscores a significant lack of research on the socio-economic factors affecting at-risk communities. The thematic analysis further examines how existing studies address these socio-economic vulnerabilities and evaluates the adaptation strategies employed, particularly concerning land use changes driven by population growth. Our findings indicate that, while there are studies addressing urban heat in Southeast Asia, their quantity is relatively small compared to the extensive body of research focused on other regions. Strategies to mitigate the effects of extreme heat on mental and social well-being emphasise the importance of green infrastructure and public spaces. There is also a pressing need to enhance urban planning and design to ensure that adaptation measures are inclusive of at-risk, lower-income communities. Understanding the complexities of the risks and impacts of extreme heat on urban populations is crucial for developing effective, context-specific adaptation strategies that prioritise the needs of vulnerable populations and promote equitable, sustainable urban development.

An evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of diagnostic tests for foot and mouth disease: are novel diagnostic tests for FMD more feasible than conventional tests in Southeast Asia?

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) remains endemic in many areas of continental Southeast Asia (SEA). It is responsible for substantial economic losses in the smallholder sector and threatens livelihoods. In recent years, novel diagnostic tests have been developed which reportedly detect FMD virus more effectively and efficiently. This critically appraised topic (CAT) aimed to evaluate the feasibility of these diagnostic tests for FMD in SEA compared to conventional tests. Relevant studies that evaluate diagnostic tests are identified and critically assessed, and recommendations are made on suitable potential diagnostic tests for use in the smallholder sector in SEA. A systematic search of electronic databases (CABI: CAB Abstracts, Web of Science Core Collections) was carried out to identify relevant studies that compared novel and conventional diagnostic tests. The search strategy initially identified 12 papers, of which six fulfilled all the inclusion criteria and were selected for this review. Most of the selected studies had limitations in design and comparability, making it difficult to validly compare the effectiveness and efficiency of the relevant diagnostic tests. These limitations include variation in sample characteristics, methodology, measurable outcomes and the different aspects of the diagnostic tests that each study focused on. Most studies concluded that novel diagnostic tests were more effective and efficient than conventional tests: had greater analytical sensitivity and specificity, were more robust, had a wider range of processable sample types and serotypes, could detect various diseases, had faster testing speeds and provided greater value for money. However, strong recommendations on which specific diagnostic test to rely on could not be made, since there was conflicting evidence and multiple confounding factors. Overall, the evidence found did not entirely apply to the target scenario, being SEA smallholder farms. Recommendations for the target scenario were also made based on the study findings.

Musa species in mainland Southeast Asia: From wild to domesticate.

Many species are defined in the Musa section within its natural diversification area in Southeast Asia. However, their actual number remains debated as botanical characterisation, distribution and intraspecific variability are still poorly known, compromising their preservation and their exploitation as crop wild relatives of cultivated forms. To address the underexplored Musa diversity in mainland Southeast Asia, at the northern edge of the natural range, 208 specimens were collected in Vietnam, Laos and China, mainly belonging to Musa balbisiana, M. itinerans, M. acuminata and M. yunnanensis. Data on location, morphology, environment and local knowledge were recorded, and leaf samples collected for high-throughput genotyping. This study combines geographical, morphological, and genomic diversity to clarify the taxonomic classification. The collected species exhibit highly distinctive morphologies and genomes, just as they differ in ranges and life traits. Intraspecific genomic diversity was also observed, although not necessarily morphologically perceptible. Mainland Southeast Asia is confirmed as a primary diversification centre for the Musa section. The diversity observed is only partially represented in major international ex situ collections, calling for their urgent enrichment and the promotion of in situ management procedures, for the protection of these threatened species and to better harness their potential in breeding programmes. Although considered wild, the species studied are all affected to varying extents by human use. Musa yunnanensis and M. acuminata subsp. burmannica are the most strictly wild forms, with spontaneous interspecific hybrids first described in this study. Although gathered as fodder, they were only occasionally dispersed outside their endemic zones. Musa itinerans is not cultivated per se, but natural populations are widely exploited, leading to a geographically structured diversity. The diversity of M. balbisiana is widely distributed and geographically structured by human activities. This species should be regarded as domesticated. These various stages, from simple opportunistic gathering to true domestication, shed light on the evolutionary history of today's cultivated varieties.

Investigating hunting in a protected area in Southeast Asia using passive acoustic monitoring with mobile smartphones and deep learning

Hunting is one of the most serious threats to wildlife populations. Guns can be used to hunt both terrestrial and arboreal species. While many methods and techniques have been developed to monitor wildlife populations, few techniques have been developed that can meet the demand needed to monitor threats to wildlife populations and support intervention activities; this is particularly true in Southeast Asia. Here, we used smartphones to record gunshots at 64 sites that were systematically spaced in Chu Mom Ray National Park, Vietnam from July to November 2019. Our specific goals were to: 1) quantify temporal and spatial patterns in gunshots in the national park; 2) investigate the correlation between gunshots and seven environmental variables including forest quality, elevation, and distance to the nearest village or ranger post; and 3) compare the performance of three convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures for automatically detecting gunshots. We manually annotated spectrograms of gunshots using Raven Pro 1.6. Using the manual detection approach, we identified 115 gunshots at 30 sites. The number of gunshots recorded at each recording site over two days varied from 0 to 11. On average, there were about 0.93 gunshots recorded per day per recording site. Hunting activity showed a strong temporal trend. The number of gunshots detected increased gradually from early morning, reaching the peak at noon, with the most gunshots recorded from 10:00 to 14:00 local time, equivalent to 0.18 gunshots per hour per site. No gunshots were detected from 22:00 to 04:00 in the morning. There were no strong relationships between the number of gunshots and all environmental variables, with all the correlation coefficients smaller than 0.3. Comparing three CNN architectures — AlexNet, VGG16, and ResNet18— implemented in the ‘torch for R’ ecosystem, we found that both AlexNet and VGG16 architectures led to acceptable performance for automated detection (F1 score > 0.80), but the ResNet18 architecture did not perform well for this task. We found low generalizability, as the models had relatively low performance on an open dataset from Belize (F1 score ∼ 0.52). To implement effective patrols, protected-area managers should make a hunting-risk map. The effort required for this task can be substantially reduced by using a combination of PAM and automated gunshot detection, however these approaches still require creation of a site-specific training and test dataset, along with manual verification of the detections.

Integration of disaster risk reductionand climate change adaptation in Aceh: Progress and challenges after 20 Years of Indian Ocean Tsunamis

The Indian Ocean Tsunami (IOT) of 2004, which tragically claimed 168,000 lives and displaced about half a million people in the Aceh region of Indonesia, established Aceh's reputation as one of the most geologically volatile areas in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, the 2004 IOT also altered some geomorphological changes, particularly land subsidence in the coastal areas of South, Southwest, and West Aceh, making these regions more susceptible to coastal floods and inundation over the last 20 years. The 2004 tsunamigenic earthquakes had been compounded by hydroclimatic hazards (and required to reduce risk beyond geological disasters) that continued to cause loss and damage, compromise communities' well-being, and reproduce vulnerabilities. This article examines the progress and challenges for integrating disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) in Aceh, with a focus on the capital city, Banda Aceh using in-depth stakeholder interviews and document reviews. Anticipating gaps in meeting Sendai Framework 2030 target, as also observed elsewhere in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, the findings suggest various key challenges for the integration, including (1) fragmented DRR and CCA policies leading shaped the gap in coordination and collaboration among actors; (2) nurturing political commitment remains a challenge at local level; (3) lack of fiscal capacity and lack of earmarked allocation hampers the potential integration; (4) and deficits in community participation delayed adaptation and integration. The study offers recommendations for policy insights and consideration.

Introducing the Diversification of Fishery Products from Cultivated Milkfish as a Trigger for the Creative Economy in the Former Pros- titution Area of Kampung Dolly, Surabaya

Kampung Dolly was originally the largest prostitution areain Southeast Asia which is associated with nightlife. On 19June 2014, a policy was issued by the Surabaya city govern-ment to close this prostitution area which abruptly causedmany people to lose their jobs that previously could obtain anoverall economic turnaround of over 300 million rupiah pernight. Even after a decade, the community still has not beenable to recover its economic independence. The research wasdeemed indispensable for assisting the community regain itseconomic strength. This activity was conducted by the lectur-ers and students of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Uni-versitas Airlangga to foster a creative economy in KampungDolly community by utilizing fishery resources for 41 partici-pants who were members of MSME N'Jarang Nambe, Kam-pung Dolly, Surabaya. Assistance and monitoring were alsoprovided to ensure a successful outcome for the participants.Preliminary questionnaires found that 87.8% of participantshad ever bought fisheries products and were knowledgeableabout various diversification product types available in themarket. The final questionnaires observed the participants'preferences on product packaging, marketing, and licensing oftheir products. A total of 54% of participants preferred simplepackaging with affordable pricing, 66% of participants wouldrather sell their product at conventional markets directly, andonly 37% of participants have applied for business permits. Inconclusion, this activity has successfully providedcomprehensive insight regarding the introduction of productdiversification and assistance during the production process totrigger the entrepreneurial spirit for regaining economicstability in Kampung Dolly communities.

Introduction

Social transformations in Sinic intellectual history reveal a complex interaction among evolving cultural, philosophical, and artistic ideas and socio-political shifts. The Sinic region, encompassing areas in East and Southeast Asia influenced by Chinese script and culture—particularly Confucianism and various forms of Chinese Buddhism—includes China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, parts of Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other neighbouring countries. The term “Sinic”, originating from the Latin word for China, highlights the shared cultural and linguistic heritage across these regions. This history illustrates how shifts in intellectual thought have continually influenced and been shaped by changes in societal structures and governance. The present publication explores the intricate relationship between the individual and the state—a theme that resonates deeply through the annals of Asian thought. This relationship, characterized by an evolving dialogue between personal autonomy and state authority, serves as the backdrop to the discussions presented in this issue. Each paper contributes to a broader understanding of how individuals have negotiated their space within the structures imposed by state ideologies, influencing and reshaping them in turn.

Conservation opportunities through improved management of recently established protected areas in Southeast Asia

Protected areas (PAs) play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.1,2 However, ineffective management can lead to biodiversity loss and carbon emissions from deforestation.3,4,5,6 To address this issue and explore viable solutions, we assessed the impact of PA establishment on avoided deforestation in 80 Southeast Asian PAs using the synthetic control approach.7,8 Our results show that 36PAs successfully prevented 78,910ha of deforestation. However, the remaining 44 PAs lost 72,497ha of forest, impacting the habitat of 226 threatened bird and mammal species. Effective management of these reserves could have potentially avoided up to 2.07 MtCO2e yr-1 in carbon emissions. We estimate that at least $17 million USD per year in additional funding is required to better manage these 44 ineffective PAs and reduce future emissions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that carbon markets have the potential to generate these funds by reducing carbon emissions from deforestation within protected areas. Our findings emphasize that improving PA management is an essential nature-based solution for conserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change.

Mantle deformation in the highly oblique indo-burma subduction system inferred from shear wave splitting measurements

We utilized shear wave splitting analysis of teleseismic SKS, SKKS, and PKS phases to infer upper mantle deformational fabrics across a substantial area of Southeast Asia, where splitting measurements were previously limited. We used newly available permanent and temporary broadband seismic networks deployed across the Indo-Burma subduction zone and the eastern Indochina peninsula. The resulting 492 well-constrained splitting and 654 null measurements from 185 stations reveal clear large-scale patterns in the mantle deformational fabrics in response to the highly oblique active subduction and a large transform plate boundary. We identified two distinct domains of mantle deformation fabrics in the western Burma microplate and the eastern Indochina peninsula. In the former, trench parallel N-S fast polarization directions with an average lag time (δt) of 1.9 s are observed beneath the Indo-Burman Ranges. We suggest the observed splitting is partly due to anisotropy in the sub-slab region and relates to shear induced by the north moving Indian plate. The lithospheric fabric within the Indo-Burman Ranges and underlying subducting slab fabric contribute to produce the observed average δt of 1.9 s. The δt value decreases to an average of 1.0 s towards the back-arc until we reach the dextral Sagaing fault. In the second domain, starting approximately 100 km east of the Sagaing fault, we observe a consistent E-W fast direction with an average δt of 1.10 s in the eastern Shan-Thai and Indochina blocks. We interpret the E-W fabric as due to the deformation associated with the westward spreading of the Hainan mantle plume, possibly driven by overriding plate motion. Low velocities in the shallow mantle and late Cenozoic intraplate volcanism in this region support the plume-driven asthenospheric flow model in the Indochina peninsula. The sudden transition of the fast polarization direction from N-S to E-W along the eastern edge of the Burma microplate indicates the Sagaing fault acts as a mantle flow boundary between the subduction dominated trench parallel flow to the west and plume induced asthenospheric flow to the east. We also observed no net splitting beneath the Bengal basin which is most likely due to the presence of frozen vertical fabric resulting from the Kerguelen plume activity during Early Cretaceous.

Dynamics of Community Resilience in Flood-prone Areas of Southeast Asia: A Key Component of the Public Health Agenda

Communities across Southeast Asia face challenges posed by natural disasters, including floods, which disproportionately impact vulnerable populations. In light of the growing frequency and severity of extreme weather events attributed to climate change, there is a pressing need to explore and strengthen community flood resilience. Community resilience is pivotal in mitigating flood-related damages and fostering successful recovery efforts. This paper examines the socio-economic and environmental factors shaping community resilience in flood-prone areas of Southeast Asia. Socio-demographic determinants, exposure to floods, social cohesion, communication networks, socio-economic status, and cultural diversity significantly influence resilience capabilities, with disparities exacerbating socio-economic inequality. The interplay of these factors underscores the complexity of community disaster resilience, with some factors acting as moderators, mediators, or confounders in shaping outcomes. The paper highlights that understanding the dynamics of community resilience formation is imperative for informed policy interventions to enhance disaster preparedness and response in flood-prone areas of Southeast Asia. The contributors to flood resilience are interrelated with social determinants of health, underscoring the vital role of broader socio-economic and environmental factors in shaping community well-being. Future research should explore the relationships within these complex dynamics to guide effective resilience-building strategies tailored to local contexts.

Using image segmentation models to analyse high-resolution earth observation data: new tools to monitor disease risks in changing environments.

In the near future, the incidence of mosquito-borne diseases may expand to new sites due to changes in temperature and rainfall patterns caused by climate change. Therefore, there is a need to use recent technological advances to improve vector surveillance methodologies. Unoccupied Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), often called drones, have been used to collect high-resolution imagery to map detailed information on mosquito habitats and direct control measures to specific areas. Supervised classification approaches have been largely used to automatically detect vector habitats. However, manual data labelling for model training limits their use for rapid responses. Open-source foundation models such as the Meta AI Segment Anything Model (SAM) can facilitate the manual digitalization of high-resolution images. This pre-trained model can assist in extracting features of interest in a diverse range of images. Here, we evaluated the performance of SAM through the Samgeo package, a Python-based wrapper for geospatial data, as it has not been applied to analyse remote sensing images for epidemiological studies. We tested the identification of two land cover classes of interest: water bodies and human settlements, using different UAV acquired imagery across five malaria-endemic areas in Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. We employed manually placed point prompts and text prompts associated with specific classes of interest to guide the image segmentation and assessed the performance in the different geographic contexts. An average Dice coefficient value of 0.67 was obtained for buildings segmentation and 0.73 for water bodies using point prompts. Regarding the use of text prompts, the highest Dice coefficient value reached 0.72 for buildings and 0.70 for water bodies. Nevertheless, the performance was closely dependent on each object, landscape characteristics and selected words, resulting in varying performance. Recent models such as SAM can potentially assist manual digitalization of imagery by vector control programs, quickly identifying key features when surveying an area of interest. However, accurate segmentation still requires user-provided manual prompts and corrections to obtain precise segmentation. Further evaluations are necessary, especially for applications in rural areas.

Potential of Bioresource Usage in The Tropical Area of Southeast Asia for Human Mental Well-Being

Human health and well-being depend on lifestyle, and current unhealthy lifestyles cause many health problems, including mental health problems. Therefore, people are searching for natural remedies to overcome such well-being problems. Medicinal plants have been used as a primary source of health care and treatments for many diseases. However, the recent search for valuable plants concentrates on human physical well-being. This attention needs to shift to mental well-being as the current limited and poor diet and modern lifestyle adversely affect people's mental health. Southeast Asia consists of tropical countries with abundant bioresources for potential medicinal plants and various food crops. Many underutilized plants have vast marginalized medicinal potentials and have yet to be fully exploited. The traditional knowledge of the application of medicinal plants for mental well-being and in superstitions and healing rituals in Southeast Asia is described in this paper. Scientific exploration of many traditional healing and magic practices in Southeast Asia will benefit in understanding the application of medicinal plants. The incorporation of advanced technologies in detecting beneficial plant compounds from such traditional practices in Southeast Asia will aid humans in finding remedies for modern health problems. This review focuses on the usage of potential plants available in Southeast Asia for human mental well-being and the application of herbals in superstitions and healing rituals.

A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Rapid urbanisation, population growth, economic development, and changing consumption patterns have increased waste generation worldwide. In many urban areas of Southeast Asia, waste is the most visible environmental issue, as waste generation has increased rapidly over the last decade. Effective implementation ensures that the outcomes correspond to policy goals. Most Southeast Asian countries have policies and regulations on solid waste management (SWM). However, the policies lack efficient implementation processes and enforcement. (1) political systems influence SWM effectiveness, (2) adequate resources, (3) appropriate technology, and (4) public awareness and participation. Even though many studies have been conducted on SWM implementation, very few focused on the Southeast Asian region. A systematic literature review of research articles retrieved from the Web of Science and Scopus databases was conducted. This study analysed 17 articles from 598 articles initially retrieved to answer the research questions. The analysisfound that multiple stakeholders participated in the SWM system, and a set of challenges revealed the leading causes of policy failure. The analyses served as guidelines to plan for the effective implementation of SWM policies.

On the balance beam: facing the challenges of neurosurgical education in the third millennium.

Neurosurgery is one of the most complex and challenging areas of medicine, and it requires an ongoing commitment to education and expertise. Preparing young neurosurgeons with comprehensive education that can allow them to achieve high professional standards is a pivotal aspect of our profession. This paper aims to analyze the current scenario in neurosurgical training identifying innovative methods that can guarantee the highest level of proficiency in our specialty. Given the inherent high-stakes nature of neurosurgical procedures, there is a significant burden of responsibility in ensuring that neurosurgical training is of the highest caliber, capable of producing practitioners who possess not just theoretical knowledge but also practical skills and well-tuned judgment. Providing high-quality training is one of the major challenges that the neurosurgical community has to face nowadays, especially in low- and middle-income countries; one of the main issues to implementing neurosurgery worldwide is that the majority of African countries and many areas in Southeast Asia still have few neurosurgeons who encounter enormous daily difficulties to guarantee the appropriate neurosurgical care to their population.

Characterization of merozoite-specific thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (MTRAP) in Plasmodium vivax and P. knowlesi parasites.

Plasmodium vivax, the most widespread human malaria parasite, and P. knowlesi, an emerging Plasmodium that infects humans, are the phylogenetically closest malarial species that infect humans, which may induce cross-species reactivity across most co-endemic areas in Southeast Asia. The thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP) family is indispensable for motility and host cell invasion in the growth and development of Plasmodium parasites. The merozoite-specific TRAP (MTRAP), expressed in blood-stage merozoites, is supposed to be essential for human erythrocyte invasion. We aimed to characterize MTRAPs in blood-stage P. vivax and P. knowlesi parasites and ascertain their cross-species immunoreactivity. Recombinant P. vivax and P. knowlesi MTRAPs of full-length ectodomains were expressed in a mammalian expression system. The MTRAP-specific immunoglobulin G, obtained from immune animals, was used in an immunofluorescence assay for subcellular localization and invasion inhibitory activity in blood-stage parasites was determined. The cross-species humoral immune responses were analyzed in the sera of patients with P. vivax or P. knowlesi infections. The MTRAPs of P. vivax (PvMTRAP) and P. knowlesi (PkMTRAP) were localized on the rhoptry body of merozoites in blood-stage parasites. Both anti-PvMTRAP and anti-PkMTRAP antibodies inhibited erythrocyte invasion of blood-stage P. knowlesi parasites. The humoral immune response to PvMTRAP showed high immunogenicity, longevity, and cross-species immunoreactivity with P. knowlesi. MTRAPs are promising candidates for development of vaccines and therapeutics against vivax and knowlesi malaria.

TRANSPORT POLICIES, TRANSIT-ORIENTED AND DEVELOPMENT REDISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION IN PERI-URBAN: LESSONS FROM KUALA LUMPUR AND JAKARTA METROPOLITAN AREA

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is the representation of a compact land-use management strategy relying on a mixture of land use and transport concepts to manage urban sprawl and population. The concept promotes high-density housing, mixed land use, and integrated mobility. Therefore, this article aims to discuss the incorporation process of TOD concept into urban policies and transport planning in Southeast Asian metropolitan cities. The effects of the policies on population movement patterns are examined, specifically in peri-urban areas, which are the most difficult parts of cities. In addition, the case studies include Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, representing two of the most rapidly developing metropolitan areas in Southeast Asia where TOD has been progressively adopted. Data and information are collected from documentary reviews and interviews. The results show that the duration of TOD policy implementation gives rise to distinct trajectories in peri-urban population redistribution experiences within the two metropolitan areas.

Potential of Underutilized Sago for Bioenergy Uses

Sago is a plant that grows naturally in some areas in Southeast and South Asia. Despite having multiple advantages, the usage of the sago palm is primarily from its starch content and is commonly used as an alternative replacement for white rice and wheat flour, the two most prominent staple foods, in several regions. Additionally, people are now more aware of how the total area of sago forests has decreased as monoculture, cash crops, or other food crop development have replaced it. This condition may endanger the ecology and the sustainability of food diversity. To support the bioeconomy principles, various utilizations of sago by turning it into higher value-added biomass need to be explored. The paper aims to review the potential utilization of sago as biomass and bioenergy as a value-added product after processing it for food. A literature review method in Scopus and PubMed databases was used to answer the research objective. Sago palm can be converted into bio-energy resources like biomass-biogas, bioelectricity, bioethanol, and biohydrogen. Together with the advancement in the processing of sago starch, sago waste from bark, pulp, fiber, or hampas is transformed into different products, e.g., plywood and particle board, sago craft from sago bark and fiber; thus, sago waste or sago hampas is a prospective bioenergy commodity. In conclusion, sago provides advantages beyond food diversity, such as lowering household food insecurity and promoting sago's use for biomass and bioenergy.

Predicting the Future Distribution of Leucobryum aduncum under Climate Change

Leucobryum aduncum is a moss species reported in many Southeast Asian regions, often found in forests with a high humidity. Climate change may impact the future distribution of this species. This study aimed to model the current distribution and predict the impact of climate change on L. aduncum distribution in the next 50 years across Southeast Asia. In the process, relevant climate variables in the distribution of the species were also identified. The occurrence data of this species with current and future climate models from CMIP6 under moderate (SSP2) scenarios were used to predict current and future L. aduncum distributions. Under the current climate, the predicted suitable areas for L. aduncum included most mountainous areas. However, many Southeast Asian areas showed a lower probability of finding this species in the next 50 years. The distribution area of this species will dramatically decrease by 50.16% in the current area. The most important ecological variables included the “mean temperature of the driest quarter” and the “annual temperature range”. This study suggests the possible impacts of an increased temperature and the scale of climate change on the distribution of sensitive plants like bryophytes.

Blue Waqf Framework for Blue Forest Sustainability: A Conceptual Framework

Blue forests are areas that protect the coastline from flooding and erosion. They harbor wildlife and provide a sustainable livelihood for communities. One of the blue forest types is mangrove forest. Indonesia has the most expansive mangrove forest area in Southeast Asia, but nearly 25% has been deforested. Maintaining the sustainability of mangrove forests is one of the sustainable development goals (SDG) 14. Therefore, to achieve this goal, financing is needed to support the needs in maintaining the sustainability of mangrove forests. This paper is a conceptual framework that provides an Islamic social finance-based funding model for the blue forest sector. This program is called Blue Waqf. In order to implement this program, Indonesian Waqf Board and registered nazir are needed as the program’s coordinators. In addition, a colossal campaign needs to be conducted. The involvement of the surrounding community as a social adaptor is also vital. Last, waqf management through blue waqf requires protection from takaful/project guarantees. It has to be done to minimize the economy. The impact will be sustainable for the economy, society, and the environment. The profits obtained from blue waqf will be distributed to beneficiaries.
 Keywords: Blue Waqf, sustainable, Blue Forest, conceptual framework

Expansion of winter ENSO‐associated rainfall affected area in Southeast Asia under warmer climate

AbstractThis paper examines the changes of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) associated winter rainfall relationship in Southeast Asia (SEA) in the historical period (1981–2010) and future period (2071–2100) based on the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models simulations. Twenty general circulation models (GCMs) are chosen from the Scenario Model Intercomparison Project (ScenarioMIP) highest emission scenario—Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) 5‐8.5. This study focuses only on the GCMs that have been able to replicate the consistent associated patterns observed, referred to as “teleconnection‐consistent models” (TCMs). During historical period, ENSO has significant negative association with SEA winter rainfall, particularly over Indochina mainland, Maritime Continent (MC) and northern Borneo. The significant negative‐associated teleconnection affected area has increased under future climate, particularly over southern part of South China Sea (SCS). The weakening of south westerlies at Western North Pacific (WNP) centred near 20°N reduces the moisture transport from Indochina into south of China, increase the negative correlated affected area in the SEA regions above equator. The northeasterlies/easterlies that prevailed from the WNP anticyclone (AC) brings significant moisture flux into southern Borneo, causing increment of significant positive‐associated moisture flux convergence to that region. The weakening of upward motion in TCM results in less warm and moist air rising over SEA MC, reducing the rainfall availability. The 1° eastward expansion of WC downward branch eastern edge leads to suppression of convective activities, increasing the dry affected area. The results suggest that the ENSO has a larger influence on the negative‐associated SEA rainfall and atmospheric circulation in the December–January–February (DJF) late‐21st century when compared to the 1980–2010.