|
ACB celebrates Year 3
The ASEAN Centre
for Biodiversity (ACB) marks its third
anniversary in September 2008 with greater
efforts to engage more sectors and stakeholders
in the quest to save the region's rich but
highly threatened biodiversity.
The consensus to
protect Southeast Asia's thinning natural
treasures moved the ASEAN, with funding support
from the European Union, to establish the ASEAN
Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation
(ARCBC) project. From 1999 to 2004, ARCBC
facilitated collaboration among ASEAN Member
States for biodiversity-related initiatives. A
year later in 2005, the ASEAN and EU agreed to
establish the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity to
carry on the work of the completed ARCBC
project.
Acknowledged as the
first regional initiative to save ASEAN's
biodiversity, ACB is an intergovernmental
regional centre of excellence tasked to
facilitate cooperation and coordination among
the members of ASEAN, and with relevant
governments and institutions on the conservation
and sustainable use of biological diversity,
guided by fair and equitable sharing of benefits
arising from the use of such biodiversity.
A major activity
lined up for the Centre's anniversary month is
the ASEAN-EU Ambassadors' Day on 30 September at
the ACB Headquarters in Mount Makiling,
Philippines. There will be a tree planting
activity in line with the Green Wave campaign of
the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological
Diversity; premier showing of Saving ASEAN’s
Natural Treasures video documentary; and
launch of ACB’s redesigned Website and first
issue of the ASEAN Biodiversity Updates
electronic newsletter. The occasion will provide
an opportunity for heads of missions of EU and
ASEAN Member States to discuss ways to further
enhance international cooperation to conserve
biodiversity in Southeast Asia.
Back to top
ACB and SCBD strengthen ASEAN efforts on
biodiversity conservation
The ACB and the Secretariat of the Convention on
Biological Diversity (SCBD) are collaborating to
strengthen the capacity of ASEAN Member States
to comply with their commitments to the
Convention on Biological Diversity. ACB and SCBD
recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding
that will enable them to conduct joint
programmes in the areas of biodiversity
research, capacity building and training, public
education and awareness, exchange of
information, policy development and
coordination, and technical and scientific
cooperation.
SCBD Executive Secretary Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf
recently visited the ACB Headquarters in the
Philippines to discuss with ACB Executive
Director Rodrigo U. Fuentes their organizations'
joint work plan. The plan includes assisting
ASEAN Members States to prepare their 4th
National Biodiversity Reports and assess
progress made to achieve the 2010 biodiversity
target; celebration of the International Year
for Biodiversity 2010; and preparations for the
Nagoya Biodiversity Summit in 2010.
Back to top
ACB
Governing
Board holds 7th meeting
 Members of the ACB Governing Board (GB),
representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat, and
the ACB management team convened on 02-03 August
2008 at the Meritus Mandarin Hotel in Singapore
for the 7th GB Meeting.
Among matters discussed in the biannual meeting
were: update on the ratification of the ACB
Establishment Agreement and Host Country
Agreement, ACB's draft long-term organizational
strategic plan, the ACB work programme for
2008-2009, and the sustainable financing
mechanism and resource mobilization plan. ACB is
managed by a Governing Board, composed of the
ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment
(ASOEN) and the Secretary General of the ASEAN.
The Board has overall responsibility and
accountability for the operations of the Centre,
and is chaired by the Chairman of the ASOEN.
Back to top
Regional
workshop discusses biodiversity indicators
 Planning officers, scientists, information
management experts, and ACB National Contact
Points from the ASEAN Member States gathered in
Siem Reap, Cambodia on 25-27 August 2008
for a "Regional Workshop on Biodiversity
Indicators and Data Bases Uses and their
Applications."
The regional workshop identified suitable
indicators, as well as available information
that countries can share with each other to
assist them in preparing their 4th
National Biodiversity Report to the CBD
Secretariat in 2009.
Cambodia's Secretary of State, H.E Prach Sun,
addressed the workshop's opening programme and
emphasized that biodiversity information sharing
is an important mechanism to aid decision making
in ensuring sustainable biodiversity management
in the region.
Organized by ACB in cooperation with Cambodia’s
Ministry of the Environment, the workshop
provided participants with an opportunity to
discuss biodiversity indicators and its
databasing; identify issues, concerns and gaps
in their use; and present possible biodiversity
indicators applicable for ASEAN.
The workshop reviewed indicators for assessing
biodiversity in the ASEAN region; validated
results of previous sub-regional workshops on
mechanisms for data sharing and harmonization;
and adopted a minimum set of biodiversity
indicators.
Back to top
ASEAN
countries join world biodiversity meet in
Bonn, Germany
ASEAN Member States participated in the 9th
Conference of the Parties (COP 9) to the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on
19-31 May 2008. The CBD is the key international
instrument for the conservation and sustainable
use of biological diversity, and the fair and
equitable sharing of benefits arising from use
of genetic resources.
The Conference of the Parties is the governing
body of the Convention, and advances
implementation of the Convention through the
decisions it takes at its periodic meetings. To
date, there are 191 parties to the Convention,
10 of which are ASEAN Member States. All
countries have committed to reducing
biodiversity loss by 2010.
To prepare for the COP 9 in Bonn, the ASEAN
Member States met in Manila on 01-02 May 2008 to
review key issues that are of common interest to
the region. Organized by ACB, the Manila
workshop discussed COP 9 issues on agricultural
and forest biodiversity; island and
marine/coastal areas biodiversity; biodiversity
and climate change; incentive measures and
access and benefits sharing; programme of work
in protected areas; technology transfer,
strategic plans and clearinghouse mechanisms;
and monitoring, assessment and indicators. For
more information about COP 9 and the Convention
on Biological Diversity, log on to
http://www.cbd.int.
Back to top
ACB
hold 2nd NCP Meeting
 Delegates
from Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, Vietnam, the ASEAN Secretariat, and
representatives from the Delegation of the
European Commission to the Philippines
participated in the Second Meeting of National
Contact Points hosted by the ASEAN Centre for
Biodiversity on 19-20 September 2008 held in
Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay City, Philippines.
The two-day meeting highlighted the importance
of ASEAN Member States’ contributions,
determination of eligible costs, and the
implementation of the Centre’s programme of
activities for 2008 to 2009.
The EC Delegation presented ACB’s Financing
Arrangements with the European Commission and
ASEAN
Member States, highlighting the need for AMS to
concentrate their efforts on the ratification of
the Establishment Agreement and the continuous
funding of ACB from AMS and international
community.
Also presented in the meeting were the implementation of the
Centre’s Technical Assistance Guidelines
on Joint Research/Initiatives; process for the
preparation of the Fourth National Reports to
the Convention
on Biological Diversity; implementation of ACB’s
biodiversity information sharing mechanisms; the
ASEAN Biodiversity Conference; and various
public affairs matters such as contributions to
the ASEAN Biodiversity Magazine and the
promotion of Communication Education and Public
Awareness (CEPA)
in the region.
Back to top
ASEAN partnership
 ACB officials (from left): Networking,
Partnership and Resource Mobilization Director
Gregorius Wisnu Rosariastoko, Programme
Development and Implementation Director Clarissa
Arida, and Executive Director Rodrigo Fuentes
recently met with ASEAN Foundation Executive
Director Dr. Filemon Uriarte in Jakarta,
Indonesia to explore collaboration in organizing
the First ASEAN Youth Camp and Forum on
Biodiversity. The project is a capacity building
programme for young ASEAN leaders on
biodiversity conservation and advocacy. Dr.
Uriarte presented Director Fuentes with a copy
of ASEAN Quest, a computer game developed by the
Foundation to promote awareness of ASEAN among
the youth. The collaboration between the two
organizations is expected to strengthen efforts
in Southeast Asia to promote biodiversity
conservation and advocacy among the youth.
Back to top
ACB
to join ISEAS
global
network
 To
generate a greater awareness for biodiversity
conservation worldwide, the ASEAN Centre for
Biodiversity will join the global network of
Singapore-based book publisher Institute of
Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS).
In a meeting with ISEAS Managing Editor and
Singapore Book Publishers Association President
Triena Ong at ACB’s headquarters on 08
September, ACB Executive Director Rodrigo U.
Fuentes, Public Affairs Head Rolando A. Inciong,
and Capacity Development Specialist Dr. Monina
T. Uriarte discussed effective strategies for
marketing the Centre’s magazines, books, and
other publications regionally and globally.
ISEAS’ network of over 20,000 subscribers
worldwide and its innovative marketing
mechanisms are expected to boost the Centre’s
efforts to deliver its key messages to a wider
audience.
Back to top
ASEAN
countries draft action plan to conserve transboundary protected areas
 Scientists, experts, managers and staff working
on protected areas in the ASEAN region
participated in a workshop on 21-26 July 2008 in
Jakarta, Indonesia to draft guidelines for the
effective management of terrestrial and marine
transboundary protected areas. The workshop was
organized by ACB in cooperation with the
Indonesian Ministry of Forestry's Directorate
General of Forest Protection and Nature
Conservation.
The participants shared experiences, lessons
learned, and best practices on transboundary
activities and challenges; and identified
opportunities and constraints in the management
and governance of terrestrial and transboundary
protected areas. Participants included Brunei
Darussalam, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Back to top
ACB
hosts 3rd
Special AWGNCB Meeting
 The
ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity’s draft Third
Progress Report and Fourth Annual Work Plan were
discussed in the Third Special Meeting of the
ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservation and
Biodiversity (AWGNCB) held in Tagaytay City,
Philippines on 22-23 September 2008.
Attended by delegates from Brunei Darussalam,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the ASEAN
Secretariat, the meeting was chaired Dr.
Kasemsun Chinnavaso, Secretary-General, Office
of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy
and Planning, Ministry of Natural Resources and
Environment, Thailand, and the Chairperson of
AWGNCB.
The representatives of ASEAN Member States noted
ACB's presentations on the draft 3rd Progress
and Financial Report of ACB, as well as the
draft 4th AWP, with some revisons.
The AWGNCB also considered and approved the five
project proposals submitted by the AMS to ACB
for funding under the Centre’s Joint
Research/Initiatives Programme for 2008. The
proposals which will be submitted to the
Governing Board for endorsement include:
Conservation of Peatland Biodiversity (Global
Environment Centre); Development of the Asian
Zingiberaceae Information Centre (The Herbarium,
Singapore Botanic Gardens); Management of
Invasive Alien Species (Vietnam Environmental
Protection Agency); Payment for Ecosystem
Services (Cambodia); and Regional Plan of Action
for the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral
Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (Philippines
– Department of Environment and Natural
Resources).
Back to top
Safety
in biotechnology discussed at ASEAN workshop
 Technical experts involved in regulatory
assessment and biosafety compliance activities
from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao
PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam met
in Siem Reap, Cambodia on 22-24 June 2008 for a
workshop on "Risk Assessment of Genetically
Modified Organisms (GMOs)/Living Modified
Organisms (LMOs) and Enforcement of Biosafety
Regulations."
The three-day workshop, organized by ACB in
cooperation with the Cambodian Ministry of
Environment, provided a venue for sharing
up-to-date scientific information on biosafety
and risk assessment, enhancing national and
regional capacity to address biosafety issues,
and strengthening cooperation in the ASEAN
region.
Biosafety is the term coined to describe efforts
to reduce potential risks from biotechnology and
its products such as GMOs and LMOs. It was
identified as a critical issue by the Convention
on Biological Diversity in 1992.
Back to top
Southeast
Asian countries share biodiversity information
to enhance conservation
 ASEAN Member States, through ACB, are working
together to share information that will
strengthen efforts to conserve the region's rich
biodiversity.
On 09-11 June 2008, ACB conducted the "Second
Sub-Regional Workshop on Mechanism for
Biodiversity Data Sharing and Harmonization" in
Lao PDR to establish effective ways to share the
region's wealth of biodiversity information
among ASEAN Member States. The first
sub-regional workshop was held in Hanoi, Viet
Nam on 11-14 March 2008.
The sub-regional workshop in Luang Prabang
served as a follow-up to a regional workshop on
Biodiversity Data and Information Harmonization
conducted by ACB in Vientiane, Lao PDR in
November 2007. Central to the Luang Prabang and
future sub-regional workshops are discussions on
the Clearing House Mechanism (CHM), a knowledge
management tool designed to facilitate the
exchange of biodiversity information. ACB is
promoting the use of CHM as a tool to share
biodiversity information, and as an aid to
effectively implement national biodiversity
strategies and action plans of each country.
Back to top
French Embassy officials discuss possible
collaboration with ACB
 Officials from the Embassy of France in the
Philippines visited ACB's headquarters in Los
Baños, Laguna on 18 June 2008 to discuss
possible areas for collaboration with the
Centre's directors and staff. ACB Executive
Director Rodrigo U. Fuentes briefed Counselor
for Cooperation and Cultural Affairs
Georges-Gaston Feydeau, Scientific Attache lnes
Loge, and Academic Exchanges Attaché Marie
Aurousseau on ACB’s core objectives, focus areas
for intervention, products, services, and
partnership schemes.
"We are in search of a strong international
alliance within the region and at the global
level to address the issue of saving the
region's biodiversity," Director Fuentes told
the French delegation. Mr. Feydeau, for his
part, suggested that ACB look into the EU-Asia
programme which seeks to foster working
relationships among scientists in Europe and the
ASEAN region through joint research projects. He
emphasized that there are a number of programmes
and opportunities that would enable ACB and the
French government to work as partners.
Back to top
Building businesses from biodiversity
 ACB recently met with the Biodiversity-Based
Economy Development Office (BEDO), a public
organization in Thailand, to discuss potential
networking, linkage, and future projects. The
two organizations explored joint programmes on
developing the economic potential of
biodiversity and addressing the gaps between
biodiversity and socio-economic issues;
developing viable ASEAN biodiversity products;
and establishing a roster of experts who can
provide biodiversity-based business solutions.
In photo are (clockwise) BEDO Bio-Resources
Specialist Dr. Schwann Tunhikorn; President of
the Board of Directors Mr. Petipong Pungbun Na
Ayudhya; Executive Director Mr. Apiwat
Sretarugsa; Assistant Director Mrs. Suchada
Chayamporn; ACB Director Gregorius Wisnu
Rosariastoko; Environment Undersecretary
Demetrio L. Ignacio; and ACB Directors Clarissa
Arida and Ma. Consuelo Garcia.
Back to top
EC
Delegation visits ACB
 Officials
from the Delegation of the European Commission
in the Philippines visited the ASEAN Centre for
Biodiversity’s (ACB) headquarters in Los Baños,
Laguna on 13 August to discuss with the Centre’s
directors and staff various operational issues
including ACB’s accomplishments, work programme,
realignment of the contribution agreement, and
updates on the ratification of the Establishment
Agreement. The delegation also conducted
routine financial discussions with ACB’s Finance
and Administration Unit.
The delegation was composed of Nick Taylor,
Deputy Head of Operations; Holger Rommen, Head
of Contracts and Finance; Juan Echanove,
Environment and Sustainable Development
Programme Officer; and Chie Alvarez, focal point
for ACB in the Contracts and Finance Department.
Back to top
ACB popularizes biodiversity through exhibits
 To generate a greater awareness for biodiversity
conservation, ACB displayed panels on Southeast
Asia's rich biodiversity, the factors that
drives biodiversity loss, and the ASEAN action
to prevent the further degradation of the
region's biodiversity in various exhibits in
July.
ACB participated in the National Science and
Technology Week Exhibit at the Philippine World
Trade Centre from 07-13 July; SyenSaya Science
Exhibit at the University of the Philippines Los
Baños from 16-18 July; and the Forestry
Development Center's 30th Anniversary
Policy Forum on 30 July.
Flyers and magazines that highlight the
importance of saving ASEAN's rich but threatened
biodiversity were distributed to exhibit
visitors. The video documentary, "Saving the
ASEAN Dream," which shows vignettes of the
region's various species and the threats they
face, captured the interest of children and
adults alike. Exhibits are part of ACB’s to
boost public awareness on the values of
biodiversity.
Back to top
Radio and TV feature ACB
NBN
Channel 4's "One Morning" programme interviewed
ACB Executive Director Rodrigo U. Fuentes on
14 August 2008. Director Fuentes discussed with
hosts Bobby Yan and Claudine Trillo the work of
ACB and the ASEAN in protecting Southeast Asia's
rich but highly threatened biodiversity. The
programme was aired simultaneously over RPN 9
and IBC 13. In another NBN Channel 4 programme,
"Pilipinas Ngayon Na," Press Undersecretary
Robert Rivera of the Philippines interviewed
Director Fuentes on 23 August 2008.
Director Fuentes was also featured in radio stations
DZRH on 06 September and DZMM on 21 September.
These interviews form part of ACB’s programme to
generate a greater awareness for biodiversity
protection and conservation among various
sectors of society. Back to top
FEATURE
Ride the Green Wave!
 The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological
Diversity (SCBD) recently launched the Green
Wave, a multi-year tree-planting campaign for
children and youth around the world leading up
to 2010 - the International Year of
Biodiversity. This was announced by ACB
Executive Director Rodrigo U. Fuentes. ACB is
SCBD’s partner in promoting biodiversity
conservation in Southeast Asia.
Students and teachers around the world started
planting trees beginning May 22, 2008, the
International Day for Biodiversity, thus,
setting in motion a global “green wave.” The
Green Wave is an opportunity for children and
the youth to make a difference one step at a
time. Children around the world can join this
collective action that aims to raise awareness
about biodiversity and the need to reduce its
loss. Local action is encouraged and any
contribution of this nature provides support to
other global advocacies, such as the United
Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Plant for
the Planet BillionTree Campaign.
 “This campaign of the SCBD is a fun and exciting
way to encourage students to learn about trees
and biodiversity, to acquire event planning
skills, and to work with members of the
community. It’s also an opportunity to tell the
world about a school’s biodiversity initiatives
and to connect with like-minded individuals
around the world,” Director Fuentes said.
In participating schools, students plant a
locally important tree species, ideally
indigenous, in or near their schoolyard.
Students and teachers can upload their tree
planting activities, stories and pictures and
track other initiatives on greenwave.cbd.int.
People around the world can then view all the
Green Wave trees through Google maps.
“Though teachers, students and the youth are the
primary targets of this campaign, everyone else
is encouraged to participate in the Green Wave.
People can donate seedlings, and experts can
give talks at local schools. Members of the
local media can help promote Green Wave
activities. Government officials, celebrities,
corporations and NGOs can endorse, organize and
fund Green Wave activities.
“Since the main activities of the Green Wave
started on May 22, the rest of the year should
be enough time for people who care about the
environment to prepare for the next Green Wave
toward 2010, the International Year of
Biodiversity. Hopefully more schools, children,
organizations and governments can get involved
and ride the Green Wave so we can dramatically
increase our gifts to nature,” ACB Director
Fuentes explained.
Back to top
Biodiversity and food security: Understanding
the threat
 ACB Executive Director Rodrigo U. Fuentes has
warned of the growing evidence of the decreasing
biological biodiversity base for food production
in Southeast Asia and in other parts of the
world.
Citing statistics from the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), Director Fuentes said the
pressure to produce food to meet the world’s
increasing demand has intensified over the past
100 years. “As a result, the natural functions
of ecosystems and the variability of genes,
species, and populations is now severely
affected,” he told his audience in a seminar on
“Biodiversity and Food Security: Are we really
understanding the threat?” held recently in Los
Baños, Laguna, Philippines.
“Over the millennium, we have relied on over
10,000 various plants species for food. Now, we
have barely 150 species under cultivation. Even
livestock diversity, according to FAO, is
likewise significantly under threat. The first
global assessment of livestock biodiversity
indicated that 643 breeds are at risk of
extinction, 45 of which are in Asia,” Director
Fuentes added.
“Are we really understanding the impact of
biodiversity loss on the environment’s capacity
to continue to provide us with food sources?”,
he asked the close to 100 participants who
attended the lecture hosted by the Southeast
Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and
Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). The lecture is
part of the Agriculture and Development Seminar
Series (ADSS) – a weekly scientific and policy
forum which provides a venue for the
presentation and discussion of development and
research issues, as well as their implications
to agricultural and rural development.
The biodiversity expert mentioned deforestation,
habitat destruction, large-scale mining, poverty
traps, inappropriate agricultural policies,
industrialization, and pollution as the usual
culprits that cause massive biodiversity loss.
The emerging influences include liberalization
and globalization of production, urbanization,
invasive alien species, climate change, and
shifting consumption patterns.
“We are all parties to the loss of biodiversity
because of our consumption patterns,” he
stressed.
The challenge that we now face, Director Fuentes
said, is how to increase agricultural yield
while conserving biodiversity ecosystems. “We
have a menu of available options for sustainable
agriculture which involves mixed farming
systems, integrated pest management, crop
rotation, organic agriculture, recycling of crop
and animal wastes, cover cropping, and other
mechanisms,” he said.
He, however, pointed to the very limited
adoption rate of these options. “The
international regime is unable to touch the
heart of the issues. The heart of the issues is
in within us. We have to examine our way of
consuming resources, and know that in our little
ways, we can do a lot to curb biodiversity and
food insecurity,” Director Fuentes emphasized.
He urged the students among the audience to
develop a passion for taxonomy. “How could we
conserve biodiversity if we do not know what is
there to conserve?”
Director Fuentes also underscored the need to
develop and expand the knowledge base from the
scientific arena, and all practical means of
using biodiversity resources. “We also have to
recognize the importance of building alliances
to address the issue of food security,” he said.
“Understanding the threat is good, but not good
enough. If we acknowledge that biodiversity loss
has implications on food security, and recognize
that everyone is entitled to access to food, as
philosopher Onora O’Neill has said, then let us
also start to define who will do what, for whom
and when,” Director Fuentes concluded.
Back to top
AROUND THE REGION
Mining project
endangers pristine forest
Residents in Kaeng Krachan district have
protested a move by the government to approve a
new mining project near Kaeng Krachan forest in
Thailand, which will be proposed as a World
Heritage site. The mining firm wants to dig for
dolomite deposits near the Kaeng Krachan
national park. The pristine tropical forest,
which covers the Kaeng Krachan national park and
a wildlife sanctuary in Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi
and Prachuap Khiri Khan, has been declared a
heritage site for Southeast Asia. Dolomite,
which contains magnesium, is used for soil
adjustment in farming or in drug production.
Bangkok Post
Viet Nam launches program to combat
desertification
Thousands of hectares of land and about 20
million people are being threatened with
desertification in Viet Nam, according to the
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development. A survey conducted by the Food and
Agriculture Organisation and UNESCO revealed the
country has 462,000 hectares of sand along its
coasts, more than 419,000 hectares of which is
concentrated in 10 central coastal provinces. In
the past 40 years, about 10 to 20 hectares of
agricultural land have been annually encroached
by sand. To combat the issue, the Viet Nam
government launched a national action programme
to fight desertification funded by the World
Bank, Global Environment Fund and Tropical
Forest Fund. The country has already invested
about VNDl trillion ($55.6 million) in growing
200,000 hectares of forest per year. As a
result, forest coverage increased from 28.3
percent in 1995 to 38 percent in 2007.
Vietnam News Service
Saving Cambodia's Great Lake
Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in
South East Asia and is known to Cambodians as
the Great Lake. It is an area of extraordinarily
rich biodiversity and a key breeding ground for
fish, which migrate upstream from the Mekong to
spawn in seasonally flooded forest areas.
However, the lake faces threats from over
exploitation and illegal fishing, destruction of
key wildlife habitats, pollution, and
deforestation. The Asian Development
Bank-financed Tonle Sap Environmental Management
Project (TSEMP) has been leading efforts to
address the lake’s environmental concerns. TSEMP
is helping villages create community fisheries
to protect and preserve their own resources,
develop
alternative livelihood activities to reduce
stress on the environment, and promote
ecotourism so that visitors may enjoy the
various species that live in the lake. BBC
Cyclone Nargis and its impact on biodiversity
Environmentalists are concerned about the status
of biodiversity in Myanmar in the aftermath of
Cylocne Nargis. The Wildlife Conservation
Society says that Myanmar is probably the most
biodiverse country in Southeast Asia, and large
areas of habitats still remain to be explored.
Conservationists warn that the human needs
resulting from the disaster could have a
devastating impact on forests and wildlife, as
hunting, non-forest product extraction, and
logging are likely to increase. Critically
endangered animals in Myanmar include endemic
species of rhinos and bats, as well as Asian
elephants, red pandas, capped leaf monkeys, and
the world's largest tiger reserve. Populations
of estuarine lrrawaddy dolphins, saltwater
crocodiles, and nesting olive ridley sea turtles
are also vulnerable. The fates of rare
spoon-billed sandpipers, which are down to only
200-300 pairs, are also unknown. National
Geographic News
Palm oil wiping out key orangutan habitat in
Indonesia
The Centre for Orangutan Protection in lndonesia
warned that one of the biggest populations of
wild orangutans in Borneo will be extinct in
three years without drastic measures to stop the
expansion of palm oil plantations. Over 30,000
wild orangutans live in the forests of
Indonesia's Central Kalimantan province, or more
than half the entire orangutan population of
Borneo island, which is shared between
Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Experts believe
the overall extinction rate of Borneo orangutans
is 9 percent per year, but in Central Kalimantan
they are disappearing even faster due to
unchecked expansion of palm oil plantations.
Orangutans are found only on Borneo and Sumatra
and are listed as endangered by the World
Conservation Union. It says the ape population
has fallen by well over 50 percent in the past
60 years as a result of habitat loss, poaching,
and the pet trade. Agence France-Presse
Philippines launches food security programme
The Philippines will have to continue importing
rice until 2011 after years of under-investment
in farming and failure to modernize the
agricultural industry. The Philippines imports
10 percent of its annual rice requirement, and
last produced enough rice for domestic
consumption in 1994. President Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo recently unveiled a $1.05 billion master
plan for food security that involves more
funding for fertilizer, seeds, irrigation and
better roads and post-harvest facilities.
Reuters
Funds generated to preserve Asia’s Coral
Triangle
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said the Global
Environment Facility (GEF) and the ADB will
jointly support the preservation of Asia's Coral
Triangle, with the GEF committing $63 million to
fund conservation of this area known as 'the
Amazon of the seas'. Under ADB's leadership, the
GEF contribution will catalyze at least $425
million of co-financing for the Coral Triangle
Initiative to introduce sustainable fisheries
management and conserve coral ecosystems while
reducing poverty. The Coral Triangle, which
crosses Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea,
Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste,
has the highest marine biodiversity in the
world. Thomson Financial News.
Researchers find rare giant turtle in Viet Nam
After three years of searching, biologists have
identified a soft-shell giant turtle of cultural
significance in northern Viet Nam that was
believed to be extinct in the wild. The turtle,
identified as Rafetus swinhoei and is the
only known living specimen of its kind, was
found in a lake west of Hanoi. The search was
funded by the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in the
United States through its Asian Turtle Program.
Swinhoe's turtle is one of the most critically
endangered species of turtle in the world and
has a legendary status among the people of Viet
Nam, where its appearance is believed to be a
portent of an extraordinary event. Only three
other specimens of the turtle are known to
scientists, two at zoos in China, and one in the
storied Hoan Kiem Lake (The Lake of the
Returned Sword) in the centre of Hanoi. The
turtles can weigh up to 136 kg (300 pounds) and
live more than 100 years. They have become
virtually extinct because of hunters who kill
them for food, loss of nesting habitats and
pollution. Reuters
Rice terraces should be protected as critical
watershed
Government officials are promoting the Banaue
rice terraces as a tourist and economic
development zone but local officials said the
world's "Eighth Wonder" needed to be promoted as
a critical environment area. Though considered
as one of the Philippines’ premier tourist
destinations, the rice terraces must be viewed
as part of a watershed that needed to be
nurtured and protected in light of the threats
of climate change. Activities that threaten the
life of the terraces must be disallowed since it
will affect the environment and culture of the
people of the Ifugao province. There is no rice
shortage in Ifugao, and the rice terraces alone
could sustain the province's need for two
months. Philippine Daily Inquirer
Malaysia rejects coal project in Borneo
rainforest
Malaysia has rejected a $408 million coal-fired
power plant near a protected rainforest area in
Sabah, on the island of Borneo. The Sabah
cabinet has decided that they would rather not
risk the welfare of the community in the area
including their health and any adverse impact on
the environment. The government also announced
the need to look for more environmentally
friendly sources of energy. The project could
have adversely affected Sabah's nature-based
tourism industry. The government of Sabah is
putting increased emphasis on the state's
natural attractions including world-class
diving, biodiverse tropical rainforests that
house the orangutan, and other endangered
species, and Mt. Kinabalu, Southeast Asia's
highest peak. mongabay.com
Philippines to make climate change part of
school curriculum
The Philippine government directed its
Department of Education, other state agencies,
and the private sector to prepare lesson guides
on global environmental issues for public school
teachers in elementary and secondary schools.
Education Secretary Jesli Lapus emphasized the
importance of "intergovernmental cooperation" in
reducing the effects of climate change. Experts
said the Philippines will suffer from greater
incidence of diseases like dengue and lower
levels of fresh water due to global warming.
AFP
Frog with no lungs found in Indonesia
Researchers found a frog in a remote part of
Indonesia that has no lungs and breathes through
its skin, a discovery which could provide
insight into what drives evolution in certain
species. David Bickford, an evolutionary
biologist at the National University of
Singapore, said the aquatic frog, Barbourula
kalimantanensis, is the first frog known to
science without lungs, and joins a short list of
amphibians with this unusual trait, including a
few species of salamanders and a wormlike
creature known as a caecilian. The frog has been
called “evolutionarily unique”, and scientists
surmised that the frog had evolved to adapt to
its difficult surroundings, in which it has to
navigate cold, rapidly moving streams that are
rich in oxygen. Associated Press
THE WORLD
Looming tropical disaster needs urgent action
A major review published in the Ecological
Society of America's journal Frontiers in
Ecology and the Environment showed that the
world is losing the battle over tropical habitat
loss with potentially disastrous implications
for biodiversity and human well-being. Research
revealed that up to 15 million hectares of
tropical rainforest are being lost every year
and species are being lost at a rate of up to
10,000 times higher than would happen randomly
without humans present. The majority of the
world's population lives in the tropics; at
stake is the survival of species that pollinate
most of the world's food crops, purify our water
systems, attenuate severe flood risk, sequester
carbon and modify climate. The review 'Tropic
turmoil: a biodiversity tragedy in progress' can
be found at www.frontiersinecology.org.
University of Adelaide
UN set for IPCC-type panel on biodiversity
A scheme to set up an independent authority on
species loss on the lines of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
was approved in principle by a committee vote at
the 10th Conference of the Parties to
the Convention on Biodiversity in Bonn.
Biodiversity advocates have struggled for
decades to sound alarms about the accelerating
rate of species extinction, and its potentially
dire consequences for mankind. Calls to action
however have been largely-ignored. The IPCC
report played a major role in raising awareness
on climate change and is a very strong model
that could be emulated for any assessment on
biodiversity. An authoritative panel would lend
scientific credibility and underscore the
urgency of biodiversity issues. Agence
France-Presse
Ecosystem destruction costing hundreds of
billions a year
The new Economics of Ecosystems and
Biodiversity, a review of the costs and benefits
of forests, rivers and marine life, state that
the steeply accelerating decline of the natural
world is already costing hundreds of billions of
dollars a year. The report warns of severe
consequences to all economies if forests
continue to be felled, seas overfished, and if
land is turned to intensive farming. The report
says that the world has lost 40 percent of its
forests in 300 years, and half its wetlands in
just 50 years. More than one third of mangroves
have disappeared in just 20 years and there is
increasing soil loss, as well as severe erosion,
and growing water scarcity. Details on how to
estimate the costs associated with this
environmental degradation will come in the final
report, due by 2010. - Guardian
Our dying planet
The Living Planet Index, produced by World
Wildlife Fund, the London Zoological Society,
and the
Global Footprint Network tracks 4,000 species
including nearly 241 fish, 83 amphibian, 40
reptile, 811 bird, and 302 mammal species. The
report reveals that almost a third of the
world's wildlife has been lost in the past 35
years. The number of animals per species fell an
average 27 percent between 1970 and 2005; with
land animals down 25 percent, marine 28 percent,
and freshwater 29 percent. The main threats to
species are pollution, habitat destruction,
over-exploitation, invasive species, and climate
change. The expansion of humankind, however,
posed the biggest threat. The global population
is up to 6.5 billion from 4 billion and people
are using 25 percent more resources than can be
replaced. Mirror
Global warming changes behavior of plants and
animals
Scientists from the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration say there are now over
27,000 examples of how nature has responded to
warmer temperatures around the world since the
early 1970s. They range from earlier springs in
Britain and the movement north of insects and
birds in Europe to avoid warmer weather, to
changes in the hunting behavior of polar bears
at the North Pole because of melting ice. Only
life in the Antarctic appears to be largely
unaffected by the warmer climate. Researchers
say the study, which covers nearly 30,000 pieces
of research and published in the science journal
Nature, is the first global picture that
demonstrates the effect of human-induced climate
change. Daily Mail
Human health depends on biodiversity
A new book called “Sustaining Life” provides a
comprehensive view on the impact of species
extinctions and biodiversity loss on a new
generation of antibiotics and medical
treatments. The natural world holds secrets to
the development of new kinds of safer and more
powerful pain-killers, anti-cancer medicines,
and possibly ways of re-growing lost tissues and
organs. Experts warn that we may lose many of
the land and marine-based life forms of economic
and medical interest before we can learn their
secrets, or, in some cases, before we know they
exist. The book demonstrates that although
extinction is alarming in its own right, many
species can help save human lives. “Sustaining
Life” provides more justification for action to
conserve species, and offers dozens of dramatic
examples of both why and how citizens can act in
ways that will conserve species that enrich our
lives. IUCN
Sri Lanka launches mangrove protection program
Sri Lanka launched the Mangroves for the Future
(MFF) initiative with the International Union
for Conservation of Nature and the United
Nations Development Program to conserve coastal
mangroves that were affected by the 2004 Indian
tsunami. The tsunami killed 31,000, displaced a
million, and flooded coastal regions. The
mangroves that were along the coast in some
parts of the island took the brunt of the wave,
reducing the damage to inland structures and
vegetation. Mangroves play an important role in
the lives of coast dwellers as it is a breeding
ground for fish, prawns and shrimp. Mangroves
also promote nature tourism which helps local
communities get additional employment and
income. Lanka Business Online
Google Earth to highlight endangered species
Google has launched the Google Earth Outreach
programme which uses Google Earth and Maps to
enable conservationists to raise awareness of
their activities with endangered species across
the globe. The programme will allow
organizations to highlight their work by
plotting points that can be accessed to provide
written, audio and video information in what is
known as a "layer". These can then be seen by
millions of users. Organizations working with
the Google Earth Outreach Programme include
Wildscreen, a charity that raises awareness of
the world's biodiversity. Wildscreen is
currently working with ARKive project, a
collection of thousands of films and photographs
of endangered species, to create "layers" that
highlight critically endangered species.
telegraph.co.uk
Change in farming can feed world
Sixty countries backed the International
Assessment of Agricultural Science and
Technology for Development [IAASTD] which states
that the world produces enough food for
everyone, yet more than 800 million people go
hungry. The report called for radical changes in
world farming to avert increasing regional food
shortages, escalating prices, and growing
environmental problems. The report - the first
significant attempt to involve governments, NGOs
and industries from rich and poor countries -
took 400 scientists four years to complete. The
present system of food production and the way
food is traded around the world has led to a
highly unequal distribution of benefits and
serious adverse ecological effects and was now
contributing to climate change. Science and
technology should be targeted towards raising
yields but also protecting soils, water and
forests. Investment in agricultural science has
decreased yet there is an urgent need to develop
sustainable ways to produce food. Governments
must focus on agriculture that is less dependent
on fossil fuels, favors the use of locally
available resources and explores the use of
natural processes such as crop rotation and use
of organic fertilizers. Guardian.co.uk
About ACB
The ASEAN Centre
for Biodiversity
(ACB) is an intergovernmental regional centre of excellence
that facilitates
cooperation and
coordination
among the
members of
ASEAN, and with
relevant
governments and
organizations on
the conservation
and sustainable
use of
biological
diversity.
Protecting
Southeast Asia’s
rich but highly
threatened web
of life is its
main goal.
Vision
Biodiversity is protected, conserved, managed
and sustainably used, and its benefits are
fairly and equitably shared for the social,
economic and environmental well-being of ASEAN
Member States.
Mission
ACB champions biodiversity conservation in the
region and enhances its global standing as a
center of excellence for biodiversity
conservation.
Components
1.
Programme development and policy coordination
2.
Human and institutional capacity development
3.
Biodiversity information management
4.
Public and leadership awareness of biodiversity
values
5.
Sustainable financing mechanism.
Back to top
Contact Us
Public Affairs
Unit
ACB
Headquarterss
3/F ERDB
Building
Forestry Campus
College, Laguna
4031
Philippines
Tels: +6349
536-2865
+6349 536-1044
Website:
www.aseanbiodiversity.org
http://acbsite6.aseanbiodiversity.org/bio_joomla
General Inquiry:
contact.us@aseanbiodiversity.org
Back to top |
