ASEAN Centre for Biovidersity

Global agreements are crucial to resolving international issues and concerns, and thisis particularly important in environmental conservation. Loss of species and habitats,wetlands conservation, wildlife trade, pollution, and climate change are concerns requiring concerted global effort to be effectively addressed.

When talking about invasive alien species, what comes to mind is how a few years ago, the janitor fish caused alarm in Laguna Lake in the Philippines. It started as a pet for cleaning up aquariums. When the fi sh was released into the Laguna waters, its population rapidly grew and eventually disrupted the ecosystem. Fishermen complained about the pet that turned into a pest. The janitor fish not only gobbled up the algae in the Lake and deprived other fish with food, it also destroyed fishing nets with their sharp fins.

Three years after its establishment in 2005, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) has moved on from a rough start and is well on its way towards achieving its goal as a regional centre of excellence in biodiversity conservation. With guidance from Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as from the ASEAN Secretariat, ACB hopes to truly support the ASEAN by providing regional approaches or strategies in conserving biodiversity and helping reduce biodiversity loss.

What is ecotourism?  How does this booming million-dollar industry affect Biodiversity and the environment? What can be done to effectively manage tourism in protected areas? These are some questions addressed in the latest issue of the ASEAN BIODIVERSITY MAGAZINE, a quarterly international publication of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity’s (ACB).

Biodiversity and Climate Change. The region’s rich biodiversity is heavily under threat. Out of 64,800 known species, two percent or 1,312 are endangered. Without a concerted effort to protect and conserve biodiversity, the ASEAN region’s 567 million people and the entire human race would be in danger.