The ASEAN Member States and the ACB launched the ASEAN Biodiversity Plan during the COP 16 held in Cali, Colombia.
This year, Lao PDR successfully chaired the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with the theme Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience, hosting several significant regional events in its capital city, Vientiane, including the Meeting of the Governing Board of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the Project Steering Committee on 29 July 2024.
As 2024 concludes, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) looks back to the year’s significant achievements and milestones accomplished with the ASEAN Member States (AMS), development partners, and other like-minded institutions in advancing biodiversity conservation in the region. These are some highlights of what we have done together in the past 12 months.
- Under the ASEAN Business and Biodiversity Initiative (ABBI), a partnership with the ASEAN Business and Advisory Council (ASEAN BAC), the ACB collaborated with many private sector organisations and ASEAN member states to conduct the following milestone events: ABBI work programming workshop consultation with ASEAN BAC and business and biodiversity stakeholders; a validation workshop on Natural Capital integration in Southeast Asia and to catalyse further collaboration in designing the ASEAN Natural Capital Roadmap and Platform; and the ASEAN Business and Biodiversity Forum (ABBF). On 10 October, former Executive Director of the ACB ED, Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim, was among the experts’ panel on food security and agriculture at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) in Laos PDR, where she emphasised the key link between biodiversity and food security. At COP 16 in Cali, Colombia, the ACB, with various partners, organised the following events: a roundtable discussion which focused on integrating business roles in ASEAN National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plans and with the UN CBD Secretariat and the Global Partnership for Business and Biodiversity (GPBB); and the launch of the Positive Incentives Collaborative Project‘s report, which includes 27 global case studies, four from the ASEAN region, demonstrating the private sector’s role in achieving KM GBF targets.
- During the Fourth Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation, held from 13 to 18 May in Nairobi, Kenya, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity announced that the ACB was among the 18 regional and subregional support centres worldwide chosen to implement the Biodiversity Plan.
- The five-year marine conservation project, Effectively Managing Networks of Marine Protected Areas in Large Marine Ecosystems in the ASEAN Region (ASEAN ENMAPS) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), was successfully launched last June in Metro Manila. The ACB, through the ASEAN ENMAPS project, has partnered with the PEMSEA Resource Facility to enhance stakeholder capacities in gender-responsive integrated coastal management, marine spatial planning, and ecosystem approach to fisheries management. The ASEAN ENMAPS also took centre stage at high-profile global events, including COP 16 and the East Asian Seas Congress. This ASEAN initiative, supported by the United Nations Development Programme and the Global Environment Facility, fostered new partnerships and committed to integrating biodiversity conservation into the ocean economy while advancing marine protected area governance in ASEAN.
- In line with the implementation of the ASEAN One Health Joint Plan of Action (OH-JPIA) and the ASEAN OH Network launched on 19 June 2024 in Jakarta, ACB co-organised with the ASEAN Secretariat and GIZ, a Technical Forum on One Health that brought together key actors responsible for biodiversity, wildlife, environment, forestry, and natural resources, and representatives from the animal and public health sectors that identified recommendations to promote collaborative engagement among the key One Health stakeholder groups, including measures to enhance the limited interaction between the animal, environment, public health, and other relevant sectors, and form collaborative mechanisms to advance OH approaches to address triple planetary crises in the ASEAN.
- Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam made history by making the first head of state visit to the ACB Headquarters on 17 August 2024. In her opening message, ACB Executive Director Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim remarked that the visit reflects Singapore’s shared commitment with the ACB to sustain the rich natural heritage in the ASEAN region. The ACB is currently working with Singapore to protect migratory birds and their wetland habitats through the ASEAN Flyway Network and to promote urban greening and city biodiversity. The ACB has also partnered with Mandai Nature in developing a conservation action plan for the region’s threatened species.
- The first phase of the Small Grants Programme by the ACB (SGP I) held a Closing Ceremony back-to-back with a Sustainability Forum on 8-11 October 2024 in Metro Manila and in Los Baños. In addition to being a platform for the SGP partners to celebrate the achievements and milestones of the 10-year programme implementation in Indonesia and Myanmar, the events also offered an opportunity to identify strategies to sustain the grant projects in their respective AHPs. Meanwhile, SGP II awarded micro and small grants to 17 new grantees in Viet Nam. Alongside these national-level initiatives, the programme supported efforts that improved AHP management and networking, youth-led interventions, and communication, education, and public awareness strategies at the regional level.
- The ACB launched the #ExploreASEAN Knowledge Hub. Conceptualised as the centre’s first high-technology and interactive learning resource facility, the Knowledge Hub aims to reach out to all kinds of learners and audiences from different social backgrounds to raise awareness of the importance of the megadiverse natural wealth in the ASEAN region. It also produced three episodes of Biodiversitalks, featuring talk shows in various formats on different topics related to biodiversity conservation. Furthermore, the 7th edition of the Zooming In on Biodiversity (ZIOB) photo and video contest with the theme Biodiversity in Action received thousands of entries from the 10 AMS. This year marks the most participated ZIOB so far and is also the first time the contest included Tiktok entries.
- At the 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference, or COP 16 held in Cali, Colombia, from 21 October to 1 November 2024, the ACB set up the first ASEAN Pavilion, which showcased regional efforts and ongoing initiatives in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM GBF). The ASEAN Biodiversity Plan was also formally launched to the press, and side events were conducted on business, biodiversity, and youth empowerment.
- On October 30, the United States Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s International Technical Assistance Program are partnering with the ACB and the AMS to strengthen the management of ASEAN-protected areas with the most significant emissions reduction potential. This partnership also supports the implementation of the ASEAN-U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the ASEAN-U.S. Environment and Climate Work Plan. The two-year project aims to advance the collective efforts in the ASEAN region on protected area management, ecosystem restoration, and nature-based climate solutions through capacity-building and technical assistance for the ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHPs). By building the capacities of a network of AHP managers and staff, the project will be able to demonstrate regional restoration practices and actions for emissions sequestration and/or reduction in AHPs and other ASEAN priority landscapes.
In November, the ACB, through its Scientific Advisory Committee and in partnership with the Asia Research Institute – National University of Singapore, organised the 2nd Biodiversity Science Forum at the National University of Singapore with the theme, “Habitats of Heritage: Peatlands, Mangroves, and Freshwater Swamps in Southeast Asia.” As part of its biodiversity and knowledge management initiatives, the ACB also won awards at the International Scientific Conference on Biodiversity for poster presentations on “A+BIGNet: The ASEAN Biodiversity Information Generators Network “ and the “Status and Distribution of Threatened Mammals in the ASEAN Heritage Parks.” During the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) 10, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) States recognised the ACB as an established regional Network Hub and has committed to strengthening capacity-building activities in the Asia Pacific Region through the ACB and the Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Observation Network (APBON).
- At the UN Climate Change Conference or COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the ACB delivered a statement at the resumed high-level segment. Acting Executive Director Ms Clarissa Arida emphasised the interlink between climate change and biodiversity loss and the critical need for integrated climate and biodiversity strategies. Ms. Arida called for global unified efforts to optimise resources effectively to address the interconnected crises and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and the KM GBF.
- Six new ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHPs) were added to the list of outstanding protected areas and nature reserves in the ASEAN region, expanding the current network from 57 to 63 sites. Three parks are in the Philippines, two in Lao PDR, and one in Thailand. These new AHPs are Phuo Xieng Thong National Protected Area, Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park, Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary, Apo Reef Natural Park, Nam Poui National Protected Area, and the Royal Thai Army Nature Education Center (Bang Pu).
- The ACB earned distinction from the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), winning 3rd place in the first edition of the JAIF Visibility Award. The winners were chosen from the JAIF partners or implementing agencies who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to promoting JAIF’s vital work in the ASEAN region. ACB won third place for its visually stunning videos and website showcasing the diverse ecosystems of the ASEAN region. The Centre’s collaborations with partners and creative merchandise production have effectively increased JAIF’s visibility.
This year has been marked by significant achievements but, more importantly, by the collective commitment among the AMS and many like-minded organisations to protect the region’s natural wealth. As we look forward to the new year, we invite everyone to work with us to pave the way for an inclusive and sustainable future.
