Delegates from the EU Asia-Oceania Working Party (COASI) visited the ACB Headquarters to discuss ongoing and potential areas for collaboration on biodiversity conservation.
Reaffirming its longstanding partnership on biodiversity conservation in the ASEAN region, delegates of the EU Asia-Oceania Working Party (COASI) led by its chair and the Deputy Head of Division for South Asia in the European Union External Action Service (EEAS), Ms. Monika Bylaite, visited the ACB Headquarters in Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines.
In her welcome remarks, the Acting Executive Director of the ACB, Ms. Clarissa C. Arida, emphasised the enduring partnership between the European Union and the ACB, highlighting the shared pursuit of achieving a sustainable and resilient region. “The EU has witnessed the growth of the ACB and has already been working with us even before the foundation of our Centre in 2005,” Ms. Arida shares.
Since then, the string of partnerships led to the development and implementation of the six-year Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in ASEAN project (BCAMP), which concluded two years ago. “This joint initiative has paved the way for a more enhanced and more effective management of protected areas in the region, empowering the youth and increasing public awareness of the need to conserve the rich web of life in Southeast Asia, which supports the livelihood of more than 680 million citizens throughout the region,” Ms. Arida explained.
In addition to BCAMP, under German Financial Cooperation since 2014, the KfW, or the German Development Bank, has been the ACB’s partner in implementing the Small Grants Programme I and II (SGP I and SGP II). These programmes have been providing financial assistance for biodiversity conservation initiatives within the ASEAN Heritage Parks in selected ASEAN Member States.
Building on the achievements of SGP I and II and anchored on the ASEAN-EU Plan of Action (2023-2027) and ASEAN-EU Cooperation, a third phase (SGP III) is being developed, which aims to strengthen biodiversity conservation and climate resilience through practical cooperation and policy integration. The third phase will focus on selected AHPs in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, and the Philippines, and will continue to support other parks in Indonesia and Viet Nam. It is expected to be implemented in 2026.
These initiatives reflect the shared aspirations of the ACB and the EU, specifically in climate change, green transition, and the blue economy. In addition, the focus areas of EEAS, which include Climate, Environment, Energy, and Science Diplomacy, are also aligned with the Centre’s priority programmes, specifically on AHPs and on Mainstreaming Biodiversity.
During the visit, Acting Programmes Department Director Corazon De Jesus, Jr. presented currently ongoing flagship initiatives of the ACB, including the Effectively Managing Networks of Marine Protected Areas in Large Marine Ecosystems in the ASEAN Region project (ASEAN ENMAPS). This regional initiative is designed to enhance the management of networks of marine protected areas and marine corridors within selected large marine ecosystems in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. It is implemented by the UNDP in Asia and the Pacific through the funding of the Global Environment Facility and with the ACB as the executing agency.
The visit also included a brief trip to Makiling Botanic Gardens, inside the Mount Makiling Forest Reserve, one of the 14 AHPs in the Philippines.
