ASEAN Small Grants Programme for Biodiversity Conservation

Partner Organisation: KfW

Duration: 2014 – 2019

The ASEAN region is rich in biological diversity. The region occupies only 3 percent of the world’s surface yet it is home to approximately 19 percent of all known species. Indonesia shows the highest biodiversity worldwide, while Myanmar ranks second within the ASEAN region. Nevertheless, biodiversity is endangered due to rapid population expansion, persistent poverty and fast economic growth, as well as human intervention. Humans convert natural resources into resources that will satisfy their needs for survival, such as forests converted into graze land to raise animals for profit. Humans are important considerations in conserving biodiversity, and thus to keep them from relying solely on natural resources, humans need to have alternative sources of income. It is within these contexts that the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany through the KfW has provided financial support to the Small Grants Programme (SGP) of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB).

The first phase of the SGP is implemented in the AHPs of Indonesia and Myanmar, while the second phase is implemented in the AHPs of Viet Nam.