MONTREAL, 14 December 2022 – ASEAN Member States (AMS) have adopted a roadmap to ensure the region’s rich biological resources are sustainably managed using the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF) as a guide.
Under the umbrella of the Fifteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 15) with the theme “Ecological Civilization-Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth”, a side event was held to engage key AMS policymakers to highlight progress towards the biodiversity goals in the ASEAN region. They also presented challenges and innovative solutions contributing to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF).
Theresa Mundita Lim, Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), emphasised to the participants that despite representing only 3% of the world’s total land area, the ASEAN region is home to almost 20% of all known species in the world and is endowed with close to 30% of the world’s coral reef species, 60% of the world’s tropical peatlands, and more than 40% of the world’s mangrove areas.
Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Ekkaphab Phanthavong, welcomed the progress of ASEAN and AMS in their conservation efforts as presented in the Third Edition of the ASEAN Biodiversity Outlook (ABO 3). In his remarks, he highlighted ACRF’s strategy in advancing towards a more sustainable and resilient future through the promotion of nature-based solutions. He reiterated the ASEAN Joint Statement to CBD COP 15 on the need for strengthening measures, improving communication, and scaling up actions for the continued provision of ecosystem services. He underscored the importance of a multi-stakeholder, participatory approach to strive for transformational change to address the drivers of biodiversity loss towards achieving the goals of building a future of life in harmony with nature. He thanked the ASEAN partners and welcomed continued cooperation among Member States to protect the biodiversity for many generations to come.
Khairul Naim bin Adham from the Malaysian Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources highlighted key objectives and outcomes of the Third ASEAN Conference on Biodiversity. He identified the documentation of the status of the biodiversity in the ASEAN region and the synthesis of the progress by AMS as a key conference objectives.
Meanwhile, Badiah Achmad Said of Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry shared key messages from this year’s ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP) Conference and provided insights on how they can contribute to achieving the GBF. She noted the theme of this year’s AHP cast a spotlight on the interconnectedness of human beings and nature.
Ernesto Adobo, Jr. of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources stressed that it is not possible to implement climate action and pandemic recovery and prevention without addressing the cross-cutting issue of biodiversity loss.
Lena Chan of the National Parks Board Singapore lauded the growth of the ACB and welcomed further cooperation for transformational change to achieve the GBF. She also highlighted the importance of the AHP, underlining the role of regional cooperation, as “biodiversity knows no bounds.”
Benchamaporn Wattanatongchai of the Thai Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning stressed the importance of mainstreaming biodiversity into agricultural practice and in ensuring coordination among agencies focused on conservation and sustainable use of agricultural resources while also remaining aware of the ways in which trade policies can present a barrier for this coordination.
Masha Kalinina of the Pew Charitable Trusts welcomed the commitment of the AMS to the High Ambition Coalition to support the 30X30 goal to conserve 30% of terrestrial and marine habitat by 2030. She also pointed to the Blue Nature Alliance whose goal is to catalyse the conservation of 18 million square kilometers of the ocean by 2030.
Clarissa Arida of ACB introduced the ABO 3 which puts together the collective, responsible, and pragmatic actions for biodiversity using the most recent available information, the progress on achievements to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and the areas for improvement on these targets in the ASEAN region. She stressed the importance of a proactive approach in calling for NbS for climate action, improved focus on regional capacity, knowledge platforms, and resources, and the engagement with national clearinghouse mechanisms, including the ASEAN Clearinghouse Mechanism, the ASEAN Biodiversity Dashboard, and the ASEAN Biodiversity Outlook.
Arida concluded with a video presentation of the ABO 3 which highlighted the message that biodiversity loss requires collective action within and beyond the ASEAN region as well as synergies with a range of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs).
The video also emphasised the need for urgent and ambitious action including the expansion of other effective conservation measures (OECMs), protected area expansion, and the establishment of ecological networks through transboundary networks, including through the AHP programme, that contribute to interconnected ecosystems across a larger landscape and seascape network.
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