29-30 January 2025 | Philippines
WELCOME REMARKS
CLARISSA C. ARIDA
Acting Executive Director, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity
Distinguished guests,
Mr. Ryo Mabuchi,
Biodiversity Center of Japan, Ministry of the Environment, Japan
Prof. Hiroyuki Muraoka,
Co-chair, Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Observation Network (APBON);
Group Leader, Biodiversity Collaborative Research Group, Biodiversity Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, NIES, Japan
Data Integration and Analysis System (DIAS) Project, funded by MEXT Japan (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology;
Dr. Severino Salmo III,
Associate Professor, Institute of Biology, University of the Philippines Diliman
Colleagues from the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, in particular our team from Biodiversity Knowledge Management Department, distinguished scientists, dear partners, and special guests;
Good morning! Mabuhay!
I am honoured to welcome you all to the 16th Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Observation Network (APBON) Workshop! We are delighted to be your host and be part of this important gathering of like-minded conservation practitioners and scientists.
Welcome to Los Baños, where our humble headquarters is located, in the middle of the Mount Makiling Forest Reserve, an ASEAN Heritage Park. Here, we are inspired and refreshed by the beauty of nature. We hope that you’ll feel the same during your two-day stay here in Los Baños, here in our green headquarters.
Today and tomorrow, we will have opportunities to discuss the various data-sharing challenges and biodiversity observation gaps across the region. You have a full agenda ranging from the identification of gaps, ecosystem mapping initiatives, and on to the preparation of strategies that would align the network activities with different global frameworks. The challenges we face regarding biodiversity observation, data collection and sharing in the region are daunting. Through this AP BON network workshop, we hope to identify other areas of collaboration within the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM GBF) and further translate findings into actions and positive impacts.
This workshop takes place at a crucial time, four years after the world has adopted the KM GBF—the landmark international treaty that sets out an ambitious pathway to reach the global vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We hope to streamline APBON activities towards the KM GBF, including the CBD Protocols (the Kyoto Protocol on ABS and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety).
With the development and adoption of the KM GBF, a number of platforms are also emerging to support the achievement of the global biodiversity targets by 2030 – the Global Knowledge Support Service for Biodiversity or GKSSB; and the selection of technical and scientific cooperation (TSC) support centres for KM GBF. We are pleased that the ACB has been selected as one of the regional and sub-regional TSC centres to support the KM GBF implementation in Asia. We hope to continuously and closely work with APBON in addressing the biodiversity data and knowledge challenges in the region towards a more robust biodiversity monitoring and better-informed policymaking, towards the implementation of the ASEAN Biodiversity Plan.
At the end of the workshop, I expect that we will have a clear understanding of the key biodiversity data gaps and challenges in the ASEAN region and have identified concrete ideas for actions to address issues on modelling for biodiversity trends, tracking and monitoring effectiveness of biodiversity programme through biodiversity indicators and engagement for national biodiversity observation networks in the region. With all of you present, we will be able to conduct an engaging workshop that will deliver optimum results.
I wish to acknowledge our invaluable partners from the academe, particularly the University of the Philippines Diliman – Institute of Biology; and our host, the UPLB and our partner, the Makiling Centre for Mountain Ecosystem, also hosting the Makiling Forest Reserve, a declared ASEAN Heritage Park – for their cooperation and support. I also thank our dedicated ACB colleagues, who have all worked hard to organise this workshop so that we can continue to move forward and address the challenges we face.
Thank you again to all APBON partners and would-be partners. Let us continue forging stronger regional collaborations, adopting new tools for sharing data on biodiversity, and building capacities that will arm institutions in this collective journey towards safeguarding our precious web of life!
Thank you for your participation, and I look forward to a productive conversation and collaboration here in Los Baños.
