The partnership, which culminated this year, brought a positive impact on institutional strengthening efforts of conserving natural resources, the development of the operations manual of the ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHPs) Program, advancing ASEAN position in international environment agreements and mainstreaming biodiversity in the development sector.
ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity executive director Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim highlighted that the program has helped ASEAN member-states better respond to meeting globally agreed biodiversity goals and targets and has improved community participation in protecting national parks and species conservation.
“Through ISB II, mainstreaming action plans for the tourism, fisheries, and infrastructure sectors, as well as e-learning modules on mainstreaming biodiversity in the agriculture sector were developed,” Lim explained.
Through the coaching programs and capacity-development sessions, some tourism and nature workers benefited from the ISB II which has given them an additional source of income.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) believes that the 14-year partnership contributed significantly to the ASEAN region as it promoted best practices, experiences, and lessons applicable to strategies for biodiversity conservation.
“As the lead agency in implementing conservation measures and the preservation of our precious natural resources for the benefit of our people and the planet, the DENR highly welcomes pioneering initiatives of the ACB and GIZ to mainstream biodiversity in key development sectors and other non-traditional allies of the environment to make their contribution,” Marcial Amaro, Jr., Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and OIC-Director of the DENR-BMB said.
Amaro believes that the dialogues and workshops on mainstreaming biodiversity held by the ACB and GIZ, particularly in agriculture, fisheries, health, tourism, and business sectors in the country were beneficial for the national government’s program to reach out to grassroots communities.
Amaro added: “The formal integration of nature-based solutions into strategic priorities of different sectors, particularly the business sector, is one notable achievement in regional biodiversity mainstreaming,”
The ACB assured that the contribution of ASEAN member states, including the Philippines as the center’s host country, will be further sustained and developed.
Lim affirms: “I believe that the coming days will not signal the end of a successful partnership but will only mark the beginning of more collaborative efforts for ASEAN biodiversity. Let this series of events allow us to reflect on how far we have achieved together, and explore how we can further collaborate for the sustainable management of ASEAN biodiversity.”
The ACB and ASEAN member states now set their sights on implementing initiatives and goals under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by 2050, adhering to the Sharm-el-sheikh Plan of Action of the UN Climate Convention, and other multilateral environmental agreements. (CH/PIA-Laguna)
