ASEAN launches biodiversity report at COP 15
MONTREAL, Canada – The ASEAN, composed of ten member states, namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam, launched the third edition of its biodiversity report called the ASEAN Biodiversity Outlook (ABO 3) at the margins of the UN 2022 Biodiversity Conference.
For two weeks, environment ministers, international organisations, and representatives from various sectors gather at the second part of the Fifteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-COP 15) to finalise the newest set of global biodiversity targets. The ABO 3 launch was part of the ASEAN Strides Toward the Achievement of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, a CBD-COP 15 side event organised by the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), the European Union, the Federal Government of Germany through GIZ and KfW, and Pew Charitable Trusts.
In line with the COP 15 theme, Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth, this side event engaged key policymakers from ASEAN Member States (AMS) to highlight progress in achieving biodiversity goals in the ASEAN region, including challenges and innovative solutions to contribute to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF).
“At least 50 per cent of the AMS have indicated ‘on track’ progress in achieving the majority of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets,” said Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim, ACB executive director, as she presented how the ASEAN region has fared in the achievement of the previous set of global biodiversity goals. She added that one AMS even exceeded meeting Aichi Target 1 for increasing awareness on biodiversity and another AMS in increasing the coverage of protected areas or Target 11.
H.E. Ekkhaphab Phantavong, Deputy Secretary-General of the ASEAN for Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) of the ASEAN Secretariat, lauded the AMS for its conservation efforts at the national and regional levels, as reflected in ABO 3. He likewise highlighted the need for a multi-stakeholder, participatory approach to achieve global biodiversity targets, and the need to implement nature-based solutions to environmental challenges such as biodiversity loss and climate change.
In preparation for the impending post-2020 GBF, key recommendations from major regional biodiversity conferences were presented by Dr. Khairul Naim bin Adham of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Malaysia and Dr. Badiah Achmad Said of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia. Atty. Ernesto Adobo, Jr., Undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Philippines; Dr. Lena Chan of National Parks Board (NParks) of Singapore; and Dr. Benchamaporn Wattanatongchai from the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), Thailand, shared their national priorities and strategies in promoting a more resilient and sustainable future. Ms. Masha Kalinina of Pew Charitable Trusts shared about the Blue Nature Alliance and the 30×30 initiative, which aims to conserve 30 per cent of terrestrial and marine habitat by 2030. Ms. Clarissa Arida of the ACB provided a brief summary of the ABO 3.
The detailed report of the ASEAN on how it contributed to the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 is presented in the ABO 3, which will be made available through www.aseanbiodiversity.org. The publication’s highlights are presented in a video produced by the ACB.
