HANOI, Viet Nam—Environment leaders and key stakeholders from across Southeast Asia convened in the 36th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity (AWGNCB) and other related meetings from 1 to 5 June 2026 to discuss biodiversity issues and updates and to strategise for the upcoming UN Biodiversity Conference in October 2026 in Armenia.
The AWGNCB convenes annually to strengthen regional coordination and cooperation on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, as guided by the ASEAN Biodiversity Plan.
This year’s AWGNCB Meeting was hosted by the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Viet Nam, in coordination with the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB). The two-day meeting was held back-to-back with the Small Grants Programme by the ACB II Partners’ and Sustainability Forum; the 13th ASEAN Heritage Parks Committee Meeting; the Consultation Workshop on the ASEAN Joint Statement to the 17th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17), which will be vetted through the ASEAN process and procedures; and the Advancing ASEAN Dialogue on the Global Biodiversity Framework, Nature-based Solutions and Biodiversity Projects, organised by the Technical Assistance Facility to the Green Team Europe Initiative (TAF-GTEI).
In his opening remarks, Dr. Bui Chinh Nghia, Director General of the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Agency, Viet Nam, highlighted the importance of the AWGNCB. “The AWGNCB is one of the most important regional cooperation mechanisms in the field of nature conservation and biodiversity. It enables ASEAN Member States to exchange experiences, strengthen capacities, mobilise resources, and advance collaborative initiatives to address transboundary challenges,”.
Chaired by Viet Nam, key discussions focused on updates and plans related to regional flagship initiatives and projects. The Meeting was divided into clusters: (i) reducing threats to biodiversity, which includes protected areas and ecosystem restoration initiatives; (ii) sustainable use and access and benefit sharing; and (iii) tools and solutions for implementation and mainstreaming biodiversity, which also covers capacity development, knowledge management and communication, and engaging the youth, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and other key stakeholder groups.
One of the Meeting’s highlights is the endorsement of the nominations of two new ASEAN Heritage Parks for consideration by the ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment. The two proposed AHPs are Mt. Balatukan Range Natural Park in Misamis Oriental, Philippines, a key biodiversity area and an Important Bird Area known for its high endemicity across various taxonomic groups, and Prek Toal Ramsar Site in Battambang, Cambodia, Southeast Asia’s largest waterbird breeding colony. The agenda likewise included the second call for nominations for the ASEAN Green Initiative and the opening of the call for nominations for the next set of ASEAN Biodiversity Heroes. The AWGNCB, ASEAN Secretariat, and the ACB, likewise, endorsed-in-principle the ASEAN Joint Statement for the CBD COP 17 in October this year.
According to the ACB Executive Director Jerome Montemayor, “As the region’s centre of excellence for biodiversity, the AWGNCB helps us in aligning and responding to the needs and interests of the ASEAN Member States, especially in relation to achieving their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans, the region’s ASEAN Biodiversity Plan, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.”
In addition to official representatives from the ASEAN Member States, the meeting also welcomed the participation of development partners and youth leaders. The series of meetings was supported by TAF-GTEI, the Enhancing Conservation and Restoration of Wetlands and Peatlands in ASEAN as Effective Sinks and Reservoirs of Greenhouse Gases project funded by the UK Mission to ASEAN through the ASEAN-UK Green Transition Fund, and the Small Grants Programme, the ACB’s long-standing programme on biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihood development supported by the Federal Republic of Germany through the KfW Development Bank.
