User:Aseanbiodiversity

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The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity Visit ACB website

The Southeast Asian region is of great importance to global biodiversity because it contains the natural habitat of up to 40% of all species on Earth. It includes three mega-diversity countries (Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines); several biogeographical units (e.g., Malesia, Wallacea, Sundaland, Indo-Burma and the Central Indo-Pacific); and numerous centers of concentration of restricted-range bird, plant and insect species. Species richness by area is higher in several ecosystem types (e.g., lowland rain forest, coral reefs) than anywhere else on Earth, and overall species richness is known to be very high although most species are little-studied and unknown to science. These biodiversity resources have evolved and existed in the context of natural ecosystems, and cannot survive if those ecosystems are ruined. There is an emerging awareness of a biodiversity sector that has distinctive investment needs and attributes, while also being interactive with other sectors. The biodiversity sector includes everything to do with saving biodiversity, studying biodiversity, teaching about biodiversity and using biodiversity. Valuable biodiversity resources are, however, under extreme threats from human activities and the natural beauty and diversity of the entire Southeast Asian region has substantially degraded in recent years.

In response to this, regional governments have undertaken several measures to conserve and protect our biodiversity resources. One of these was the establishment of the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC) in 1998 in pursuance to the Hanoi Plan of Action. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines, on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), implemented the activities of ARCBC. It was a joint cooperation project of the ASEAN and the European Union (EU). From 1999 to 2004, ARCBC had successfully established a network of biodiversity institutions thus fostering stronger collaboration among the ASEAN Member Countries in addressing biodiversity related issues such as the signing of the Declaration on the ASEAN Heritage Parks. ARCBC had likewise formulated the ASEAN Guide on Occupational Standards for Protected Areas Jobs, which was duly endorsed by ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN) to be used by the ASEAN in the development of training programs and for prescribing performance standards in protected area management. Furthermore, it had funded research in biodiversity, which resulted in the discovery of more than 100 new species of flora and fauna in the region. The research grant also sponsored scholarships in taxonomy (plant and invertebrate) for ASEAN young scientists in European universities, thereby enhancing the capacity of ASEAN while at the same time fostering long term relationships between ASEAN and European partner institutions. ARCBC had developed the Biodiversity Information Sharing Service (BISS), that analysed bulk biodiversity data and made such data readily accessible though the web. It had translated conservation guides and manuals from English to major ASEAN languages thereby making such publications easily available in their respective languages to biodiversity workers and professionals. And the ASEAN Biodiversity Magazine was initiated by ARCBC and was circulated not only in ASEAN but also in 60 other countries around the globe. After many reviews of ARCBC, there was a general consensus that an ASEAN institution of this type is an important contribution to the future of the biodiversity sector in the region and that attention should be given to designing specific measures to safeguard the institution’s future after the end of ARCBC. Thus, during the 9th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment in December 2003, the Environment Ministers decided to continue the activities of ARCBC by establishing an institution with a distinct legal entity to be known as the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB). The ACB therefore is a continuation and development of the ARCBC.

The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) is now an intergovernmental and international regional centre of excellence of the ASEAN for policy formulation, capacity development, awareness raising and links with the international donor community for the sustainable use of biodiversity, access and equitable sharing of benefits from biodiversity, and the conservation of biodiversity for the present and future generations of the citizens of the ASEAN Member Countries. The ACB was officially established in September 2005 as an autonomous ASEAN organization with its own legal identity. The ASEAN Member Countries now have their own fully-fledged regional organization for the promotion and protection of biodiversity in the region.

The ACB is located in Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines at the foot of the legendary Mt. Makiling inside the campus of the University of the Philippines.

Institutional Arrangement

ACB’s Steering Committee is composed of the Members of the Governing Board (GB) and representatives from the ASEAN and EU. The key officers of ACB are the Executive Director, the Director for Networking, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization, the Director for Program Development and Implementation, and the Director for Biodiversity Information Management, all reporting to the ACB GB. The GB is composed of the members of the ASOEN or their representatives, and the Secretary General of the ASEAN or his representative.

Host Country Agreement The Host Country Agreement (HCA) between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity was signed on 8 August 2006 in Manila by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and the Chair of the ACB Governing Board. The HCA provides that the Philippines shall be the Host Country for ACB. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo forwarded the HCA to the Senate of the Philippines for ratification.

ACB Member Countries: • Brunei Darrusalam • Cambodia • Indonesia • Lao PDR • Malaysia • Myanmar • Philippines • Singapore • Thailand • Vietnam

Project Goal:

The goal of ACB is to facilitate cooperation and coordination through the establishment of linkages to networks of institutions in the ASEAN and other parts of the world.

Project Overall Objective:

The overall objective of ACB is to encourage and enable the ASEAN region to meet the call by the World Summit on Sustainable Development to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.

Project Components:

Component 1 : Policy Development and Coordination

This project component will encourage the formulation, development and coordination of policies on conservation, sustainable use, access and equitable sharing of benefits from biodiversity at the ASEAN level. This will also provide an avenue for the formulation of common ASEAN positions on biodiversity issues in international conventions.

Component 2 : Human and Institutional Capacity Development

The component will promote the adoption of the ASEAN Guidelines on Competence Standards on Protected Area Jobs in the management of the protected areas of ASEAN. This is intended to enhance the competence of staff and improvement of performance standards on the job; design and implement training courses; develop instructional materials and teaching tools; provide exchange visits and study tours and other measures to promote confidence of protected areas staff.

Component 3: Digital Knowledge Management Capacity Enhancement

This component intends to enhance the capability of ASEAN Member Countries to conduct regional data analysis; formulate data sharing strategies and develop a uniform reporting scheme, monitoring indicators and early warning system; and facilitate reporting to national, regional and international needs and commitments.

Component 4: Promotion of Awareness on Biodiversity Values for the ASEAN Leaders and the Public

Under this component, ACB will conduct a market survey to identify the messages and medium of the information materials that will enhance the capacity of ASEAN leaders to appreciate the values and importance of biodiversity by formulating and distributing relevant messages through diverse and effective channels. It will likewise continue to publish the ASEAN Biodiversity Magazine. It will also produce video presentations, translate and publish conservation guides to major ASEAN languages as well as develop pamphlets and posters containing messages on the principles of biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and access, and sharing of benefits from biodiversity.

Component 5 : Sustainable Financing Mechanism

This component will plan, establish and manage an endowment fund for the sustainable financing of the ACB operation.