ACB tops UN CBD’s search for regional technical and scientific cooperation centres for biodiversity

At the recently concluded Fourth Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI 4) held in Nairobi, Kenya, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) announced the 18 regional and subregional support centres across the globe for the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan. 

Topping the list is the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), garnering 89 points out of the maximum score of 100. The ACB, along with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Asia Regional Office; IUCN Regional Office for West Asia; Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences; and the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia, will serve as the official support centres in Asia.

“This milestone will put the ACB in a better position to advance the interests and priorities of the ASEAN Member States related to the conservation and sustainable use of the region’s natural resources. It will also provide the region with more opportunities to leverage support from the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and their networks to mobilise conservation projects and programmes,” said Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim, executive director of the ACB.

The ACB is the sole ASEAN centre hosted by the Philippines. It is an intergovernmental organisation that is mandated to facilitate cooperation among the ASEAN Member States and other likeminded organisations in the mainstreaming and sustainable management of biodiversity in the region. 

The selected 18 regional and subregional centres are expected to boost the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan through science, technology, and innovation. These are:

• Africa: The Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC), the Ecological Monitoring Center (CSE), the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). 
• Americas: The Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute, the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD).
• Asia: ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB); IUCN Asia Regional Office; IUCN Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA); Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences (NIES); Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC).
• Europe: European Commission – Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC); IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation; IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECARO); Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences (RBINS).
• Oceania: The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

The above regional and subregional support centres will take the lead in the realisation of the global biodiversity goals and targets in their respective regions; serve as one-stop shops for scientific and technical support in the form of biodiversity data, resources, expertise, technologies, and capacity development opportunities; complement existing initiatives; and build on and amplify existing cooperation.