This presentation will illustrate the unintended and counterintuitive interactions between the environment, people, and the economy at a regional scale by focusing on the luxury ornamental fish trade associated with the Super Red Arowana in Indonesia.

The Super Red Arowana is an Indonesian variety of the Asian Arowana fish that has become the most expensive aquarium fish in the world, with top specimens trading for hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is a recent development, as the Asian Arowana was considered a cheap food source throughout Southeast Asia. As a result of the fish's appreciation, entire regions of Indonesia and Southeast Asia have focused their economies on breeding and raising the fish. In Indonesia in particular, there is a large community dedicated to breeding top specimens. Driven by the informal sector of the Indonesian economy, commercialization of the arowana is occurring through a variety of techniques that establish the fish as a brand. As the presentation will show, this process of commercialization is ironically facilitated and encouraged by biodiversity conservation.

The presentation will conclude by suggesting that the regional level of analysis is the greatest strength of geographic research. By illustrating how global processes can lead to different regional outcomes, geographic research can demonstrate that space is a relevant variable for scientific concepts.