News
ASEAN to develop long-term strategic plan to save biodiversity
Environment
officials from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian
(ASEAN) nations met at the Dusit Hotel in Makati City to guide the Philippine-based
ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) in preparing a strategic plan to save
the region’s rich but highly endangered biodiversity. From April 28 to
30, the ASEAN environment officials identified core concerns and issues
on biodiversity conservation which will serve as basis for setting a long-term
framework of action of ACB.
Addressing the regional workshop, Roger de Backer, charge’ d’ affaires of the Delegation of the European Commission to the Philippines, called on ASEAN Member Countries to support ACB by working towards a speedy ratification of the Centre’s Establishment Agreement.
He stressed that ACB’s long-term strategic plan will have to deal with newly emerging issues closely related to biodiversity. These include climate change and the balance between bio-fuels and food security, on top of current issues such as community-based natural resources management, the boom in eco-tourism, the issue of extraction of non-timber forest products, and the challenge of social and environment-friendly sustainable mining.
The European Union has been a long-time ally of the ASEAN in its biodiversity
conservation efforts and has provided initial funding for the operations
of ACB.
ACB Executive Director Rodrigo U. Fuentes said that more than just a problem
of conservation, the ASEAN has established its inextricable link to the
well being of multicultural societies in the ASEAN.
“Biodiversity resources have been the primary source of resources that have propelled many of our economies to where it is now. But years of misuse and utter disregard threaten the resources sustainability. And the pressure is anticipated to continue and will further intensify. As the region now moves toward becoming a major economic bloc, we must also move in that direction of ensuring the sustainability of the rich biodiversity resources. This is the key mission of ACB: ensuring that the biodiversity resources of ASEAN will continue to provide immense benefit even for next generations,” Director Fuentes emphasized.
Director Fuentes said the draft of the ACB long-term strategic plan,
to be presented to the ACB Governing Board for comments and approval,
will reflect the overall vision and efforts of ASEAN in significantly
reducing biodiversity loss in the region.
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