OPENING REMARKS
By Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim
Executive Director, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity
Distinguished guests,
Mr. Mervyn Tan, Director, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Conservation Division, National Parks Board,
Head of Delegation and representatives of ASEAN Member States and Timor-Leste,
The delegation from the ASEAN Secretariat,
Various partners, esteemed members of the ASEAN Heritage Parks Committee, partners, and ACB colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning!
First, allow me to extend our appreciation to the host—the Republic of Singapore, for warmly welcoming us to the beautiful “Lion City” of Southeast Asia. I am very pleased to be with you today and be able to officially welcome you to the 11th Committee Meeting of the ASEAN Heritage Parks or AHPs.
For the past four decades, the AHP Programme has served as a flagship initiative of the ASEAN to recognise outstanding natural sanctuaries that hold high conservation importance as habitats for the unique and highly diverse web of life in the region. These model protected areas—now composed of 57 globally important parks and nature reserves, covering 8.5 million hectares of terrestrial and 2.5 million hectares of marine and inland waters throughout the region, have significantly contributed to the success of the ASEAN in achieving Target 11 of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, the 2020 global biodiversity targets.
Over the course of the AHP Programme, the ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity have demonstrated strong commitment and collaborative management in the protection of the common natural and cultural heritage of Southeast Asia. The AHP is now a recognised brand world-wide, for regionally important protected areas, which has attracted more funding partners supporting the programme.
Today, we convene to discuss updates on the preparations for the Eighth AHP Conference, which will take place next year in Viet Nam, new AHP sites and nominations, institutional strengthening of the AHP Programme, new partnerships, and the AHP Regional Action Plan for 2023-2030 and how it will contribute to the KMGBF, among others.
Despite the milestones we have had in the past, there still remain challenges that need to be addressed to further build up the network and expand the scope of coverage of our protected areas. I am glad that new opportunities are presented to include additional coastal and marine protected areas as part of the AHP network, as well as efforts to intensify transboundary management of ecologically interconnected AHPs.
The outcomes of this meeting will provide significant inputs to the development of the ASEAN Biodiversity Plan—which identifies common priority areas of the AMS under the UN Biodiversity Plan for a more harmonised implementation of the global biodiversity goals and targets at the local, national, and regional levels.
I commend the AHP Secretariat and the host country, Singapore, through the National Parks Board, for your early preparations leading to this meeting as well as today’s excellent arrangements.
As Secretariat to the AHP Programme, the ACB remains steadfast in its goal to promote and advance sustainable development by facilitating regional cooperation on biodiversity and amplifying the invaluable roles of protected areas in climate change adaptation and mitigation, in food security and livelihoods, and in poverty reduction. To realise our objectives, we shall seize every opportunity to reinforce our efforts in engaging more partners and beefing up sustainable financing for a more robust and effectively managed network of ASEAN Heritage Parks.
We stand ready to uphold the ideals of AHPs in addressing biodiversity loss, and as nature based solutions to the increasing intensity of climate change impacts in the region, and look forward to another successful ASEAN Heritage Parks Committee Meeting. Thank you very much.
