Partners: BMZ, GIZ, KfW
Duration: 2015 – 2019
Biodiversity is central to mankind. In the ASEAN region, more than 600 million people depend on biodiversity for their livelihood. Hence, the ongoing deterioration of natural resources and the decline of ecosystems as well the extinction of numerous animal and plant species constitute an ongoing threat for ASEAN’s sustainable development.
About 20% of the global biodiversity, approximately 35% of the global mangrove forests and 30% of the coral reefs are found in the ASEAN Member States (AMS). Indeed, the ASEAN region is host of more biological diversity than any other region of Earth.
The population of all AMS, and particularly rural and indigenous people depend on natural resources and ecosystem services for food, health and income. The decline of the biological diversity and the deterioration of natural resources are therefore a serious and persistent threat to the economic and political environment of the ASEAN Region.
In response to this, the ASEAN has created the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), an intergovernmental organization, with the aim to facilitate cooperation and coordination among the 10 AMS and with regional and international organizations on the protection and the sustainable use of biological diversity, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of such natural treasures.
Similar to other regions, though, the task to develop regional approaches is highly complex. Therefore, and in order to contribute to the sustainable development of the ASEAN region, the German Government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and its development organizations, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and KfW Entwicklungsbank support ACB in its above mentioned task and through the joint implementation of the Programme “Protection of Biological Diversity in the ASEAN Member States in Cooperation with the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity” or “CARE4BioDiv“.