SIEM REAP, 4 June 2018 – Representatives from the Cambodian government, ASEAN Secretariat, and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) celebrated the 25th anniversary of the International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The officials were joined by youth participants and representatives of the media and other sectors at the Wat Bo Primary School to celebrate the milestone and reiterate their commitment to biological diversity conservation.
The Cambodian government was represented by top officials of the Ministry of Environment and the Siem Reap administration, while ASEAN Secretariat was represented by the head of Environment Division. The event was hosted by Secretariat of Cambodia’s National Council for Sustainable Development of the Ministry of Environment.
Executive Director of ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim said in her remarks that challenges in biodiversity conservation were far from over. “As we continue to accomplish significantly in the forefronts of environmental concerns, problems continue to arise and persist—with this, a lot still needs to be done,” she said. Dr. Lim added that “as we speak, the trash isles or garbage patches in the North and South Pacific oceans continue to increase in size; killing aquatic life and endangering the marine food chain which includes, us, humans in the process. The rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by experts to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate. Our population number puts so much pressure on the environment that its carrying capacity is at the brink of collapse.”
In highlighting the actions that have been taken by ACB and the ASEAN Member States to actively promote biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources, ACB held an exhibition featuring the Second Edition of the ASEAN Biodiversity Outlook, a publication on the progress of the AMS in achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and the ASEAN Biodiversity Heroes—ten outstanding individuals from each Member States who have contributed significantly to biodiversity conservation.
Other highlights of the International Day for Biological Diversity 2018 celebration was the Sixth ASEAN Heritage Parks Committee Meeting and the European Union-ASEAN Youth Video Competition Awards Ceremony.
With biodiversity as the overall theme, the video competition aimed at showcasing the importance of preserving the rich biodiversity of Southeast Asia and to strengthen joint actions for protecting the environment. Krittin Laohawarutchai of Thailand emerged as the grand prize winner who won an all-expense-paid trip for two to an ASEAN Heritage Parks. ASEAN Heritage Parks are the best of the best national protected areas in the ASEAN region in terms of biodiversity and ecological richness.
The International Day for Biological Diversity 2018 also coincided with the silver anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on Biological Diversity. May 22 was proclaimed by the United Nations as the International Day for Biological Diversity to raise awareness and understanding of the public about biodiversity issues.
Another commemorative activity for this year’s celebration was the staging of the “Zooming in on Biodiversity,” an ASEAN-wide photo contest that aimed to promote biodiversity conservation and appreciation through powerful photographs. Details about the contest can be accessed at www.aseanbiodiversity.org/zoomingin.
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