Theme: A Decade of Partnerships: Achieving Sustainable Impacts on Conservation and Livelihood
8 October 2024
OPENING MESSAGE
Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim
Executive Director, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity
To our guests:
Ms. Martina Duerto, Director, Department of Climate and Natural Resources, GITEC-IGIP GmbH
Ms. Jenny Choo, Chief Technical Adviser of SGP, GITEC-IGIP GmBH;
Ms. Niken Wuri Handayani, Forest Ecosystem Specialist, Directorate of Biodiversity Conservation Species and Genetic-Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia;
Dr. Kyaw Sein Win Tun, Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division-Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation and Forestry, Myanmar;
Esteemed partners from the Gunung Leuser National Park and Way Kambas National Park in Indonesia; Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary and Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary in Myanmar, our Service Providers and grantees from Indonesia, Myanmar, and Viet Nam, and our ACB colleagues,
Good morning! On behalf of the Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim, please allow me to officially welcome you to this partners’ meeting and sustainability forum of the ACB’s Small Grants Programme to celebrate a decade of strong partnerships for sustainable livelihood and biodiversity conservation.
When we first started collaborating with the Federal Government of Germany in 2014 through the KfW Development Bank, we had a clear vision of helping the communities living in and around select ASEAN Heritage Parks in Indonesia and Myanmar, with an initial seed grant of 10 million Euros. We knew that investing in people is the wisest investment that we could do to enhance biodiversity protection of the region.
Ten years later, what was initially a financial cooperation programme expanded and grew to become an effective sustainability model that supports important conservation activities such as general park management, habitat and species management, law enforcement, wildlife research and monitoring, community development and outreach, ecotourism, and policy development.
I am very pleased that despite the formidable challenges and circumstances beyond our control such as the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues in some AHPs, together we have remained—and have gained much. Our partnership flourished and launched over 60 biodiversity-based products and services, with hundreds of locals trained under various livelihood and conservation initiatives. I am happy to report that one significant achievement of the Small Grants Programme is the development of Collaborative Management Plans (CMPs) through multi stakeholder consultations involving various sectors supported by the SGP. This Plan is the result of a consultative and inclusive process that is more responsive to threats that need longer-term solutions. It reflects strategies for protected area management, and reconciles with the economic and social needs of communities. Now, it serves as the basis for succeeding interventions in the parks and demonstrates close collaboration and joint decision-making and action between park authorities and local communities.
I am sure you will hear more about the other highlights of the programme later during the sharing of our partners but I would say that overall, the past 10 years with SGP 1 have been marked with meaningful and lasting impacts for local communities.
At this point, I would like to sincerely thank all of you for journeying with us for the past decade. Truly, our SGP experience is a collection of unforgettable and satisfying memories that will be immortalised through communication and knowledge products that we will disseminate and display in the #ExploreASEAN Knowledge Hub which will be launched as part of the project’s culminating events. To our partners—GTEC, the service providers, grantees, park managers and staff, and to our collaborator, the KfW – the German Development Bank, you deserve all the accolades for your hard work, dedication, and commitment to inspire participatory community-based management and putting people first in our crusade to safeguard the region’s natural resources. Because of you all, the role of the ACB in promoting regional cooperation for biodiversity has become even more relevant. My sincere appreciation to all of you for sticking with us, through all the challenges and milestones of this project!
As we close this beautiful chapter, let us take a moment to reflect on the time and effort we have invested to achieve our objectives. The true measure of our success lies in the communities we have worked alongside. It is their growing appreciation of their deep connection to nature—and their recognition that their lives and livelihoods depend on the health of the environment—that ensures our impacts are lasting and meaningful. Together, we have fostered a legacy of shared responsibility that will see us through the next phase of our partnership.
Enjoy the rest of the forum and congratulations, everyone!
