ASEAN Biodiversity Vol. 11 No. 1 January-April 2012

VOL. 11 NO. 1 JANUARY-APRIL 2012

CONTENTS

JANUARY - APRIL 2012 ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 3

Failing to account for the value of biodiversity and ecosystems loss could lead to wrong choices and decisions in addressing sustainable development challenges. The wealth of biodiversity in the ASEAN region and its continuing loss must be valued and appreciated in order to effect appropriate policy changes and solutions.

Photo by Angie Metin

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SPECIAL REPORTS6 Valuing biodiversity and

ecosystem services9 Economic methods for valuing

ecosystem services13 Learning from the UK

experience TEEB – The UK National

Ecosystem Assessment16 Ecosystems and biodiversity in

the Heart of Borneo: Building blocks for a green

economy21 Valuing ecosystems and

biodiversity in the ASEAN: The GIZ Approach24 Rising to the challenge of

making nature’s value visible27 Mainstreaming the Economics of Nature: The ASEAN Experience

SPECIAL SECTION – GIZ30 Climate change and marine biodiversity Saving our ocean’s

web of life under threat

SPECIAL SECTION – ASEAN-WEN33 Viet nam’s top legislator meets

AIPA SG, wildlife advocate34 Private sector to take active

role in saving Indonesia’s natural heritage

36 Asia’s police and customs strengthen cross-border cooperation against wildlife traffi cking

37 Exchange meetings connect South and Southeast Asian regional efforts to fi ght wildlife crime

SPECIAL SECTION – ASEAN CHAMPIONS OF BIODIVERSITY38 BusinessMirror: Initiating little activities with

extraordinary impacts39 ASAPHIL-UP: Promoting green architecture41 Chevron Philippines Incorporated: Promoting healthy marine

ecosystems

www.aseanbiodiversity.orgASEAN BIODIVERSITY JANUARY - APRIL 20124

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FEATURES43 World Wetlands Day,

February 2 Save wetlands with

sustainable tourism44 Status of wetlands in the

ASEAN region45 International Women’s Day,

March 8 Empower rural women

– end hunger and poverty46 World Water Day, March 22 Water and food security47 Earth Day, April 22 Mobilize the earth50 World Malaria Day,

April 25 Invest in biodiversity and

keep malaria at bay51 Unraveling the natural

wonders: The 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition

53 Multi-billion illegal wildlife trade threatens Southeast Asia’s biodiversity

PROFILES55 Viet Nam Tam Dao National Park58 Indonesia Savu Marine National Park

BOOKMARKS61 ACB announces new Governing Board chair61 CBD has new executive

secretary61 GBIF has new secretary61 International organizations

renew alliance to conserve SE Asia’s marine biodiversity

62 ACB and Myanmar hold workshop on biodiversity information management

62 Asian countries act to save dying profession of taxonomy

62 ASEAN holds taxonomy workshop in Indonesia

63 ASEAN countries to update biodiversity strategies

63 Search for best biodiversity and climate change reporting is on

64 GBIF reports successes in access to biodiversity data

64 Global meeting adopts Manila Declaration for protection of marine environment

65 Green investments in marine sector can bring economic and social benefi ts

65 International Year of Forests closes with awards ceremony

65 Viet Nam designates fourth Ramsar site

66 World ocean summit set in December 2012

67 BIODIVERSITY NEWS SOUTHEAST ASIA

74 FOCUS

55 72

Publisher Rodrigo U. Fuentes

Editor-in-ChiefRolando A. Inciong

Managing EditorLeslie Ann Jose-Castillo

Head Writer and ResearcherSahlee Bugna-Barrer

Designer, Graphic and Layout ArtistNanie S. Gonzales

Circulation AssistantAngela Rose Crissie A. Metin

Editorial BoardClarissa C. AridaRodrigo U. FuentesRolando A. InciongWilfredo J. ObienMonina T. UriarteSheila G. Vergara

ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB)

Headquarters3/F ERDB Building, Forestry CampusUniversity of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna, Philippines

Telephone: +6349.536-3989

Telefax: +6349.536-2865

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.aseanbiodiversity.org

ACB AnnexNinoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife CenterNorth Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City 1156Philippines

Disclaimer: Views or opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent any offi cial views of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The authors are responsible for any data or information presented in their articles.

Letters, articles, suggestions and photos are welcome and should be addressed to:

The Editor-in-ChiefASEAN Biodiversity MagazineASEAN Centre for Biodiversity College, Laguna

E-mails: [email protected]@aseanbiodiversity.org [email protected]


About the Contributors

Ms. Clarissa Arida is currently Director of Programme Development and Implementation at the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB). Ms. Arida joined ACB in May 2008 and is responsible for the overall management of programme portfolio of the ACB particularly to assist in fulfi lling the commitments of the ASEAN Member States to the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity and related multilateral environmental and ASEAN regional agreements in the areas of policy development, and capacity building

on biodiversity. Ms. Arida has substantial experience in policy, programme and project development, management and monitoring on environment and natural resources management. She has a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science and Technology from the Institute for Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering in Delft, The Netherlands and a B.S. degree in Biology (Major in Ecology) at the University of the Philippines in Los Baños.

Luke Brander has a background in environmental economics. He obtained his Masters degree in Environmental and Resource Economics at University College London (1997-1998). From April 2000 to September 2010 he worked as a researcher at the Institute for Environmental Studies, VU University Amsterdam. He obtained his doctoral degree in environmental economics from the VU University Amsterdam in 2011. His main research interests are in the design of economic instruments to control

environmental problems and the valuation of natural resources and environmental impacts. He has worked on the valuation of wetlands, forests, grasslands, mangroves and coral reefs through meta-analyses of the ecosystem valuation literature. He is currently working as a freelance environmental economist based in Hong Kong.

Lucy Emerton is the Chief Economist of the Environment Management Group, an association of experts providing technical support in environmental sustainability to the corporate sector, governments and international agencies. She was a contributing author to “TEEB Ecological and Economic Foundations” and reviewer for “TEEB for Local and Regional Policy Makers Report” chapters. She currently works as a consultant on Biodiversity and Economy for GIZ.

Philipp Gassner is a cross-disciplinary environmental scientist with an international track record in project management, research, consultancy, and science communication. He has a B.Sc. degree in Geoecology and Ecosystem Management, with technical expertise and strong interest in both the science-policy and the development-environment interface. Philipp is an intern at the ACB-GIZ Biodiversity and Climate Change Project and currently working on a variety of projects, including economic valuation of ecosystems,

their biodiversity and services. In particular he is supporting an ASEAN-wide TEEB study.

Chris Greenwood is the International Communications Manager for the Heart of Borneo Global Initiative. Based in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, on the island of Borneo, he manages a team of local communications staff and international consultants. A former journalist, Chris has worked in Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam with WWF and before that worked with an Australian communications consultancy for 10 years in the agriculture, business and environmental sectors.

Anna van Paddenburg is the Sustainable Finance and Policy Strategy Leader for the Heart of Borneo Global Initiative. Based in Jakarta, Indonesia, she teams up with WWF Indonesia and WWF Malaysia staff to secure long-term fi nancial resilience to maintain the Heart of Borneo forested landscape. Her work explores a diverse set of sustainable fi nance sources, mechanisms, policies and incentives to encourage the local and national governments in the three countries and other stakeholders to conserve the HoB

forests and watersheds and sustain the area’s ‘Natural Capital’ while continuing a sustainable development pathway.

Agnes Pantastico - is the senior advisor for communications for the GIZ supported Biodiversity and Climate Change Project based in Los Banos, Laguna. Development of communication and public relations strategy and writing communication materials are part of her tasks. Prior to this, she worked as technical advisor for communications, public relations and results-based monitoring for GIZ initiatives on confl ict transformation and confl ict sensitive resource management in Mindanao for fi ve years. She holds a

degree in AB Communication Arts from UPLB.

John Pearson is Head of the British Government’s network on climate change in Southeast Asia. Based at the British High Commission in Singapore, he has held the position since September 2008. John joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Offi ce in 1990. He has held a variety of positions in London, including working in the FCO’s Non-Proliferation Department, United Nations Department and Environment Policy Department. His fi rst posting was to Madrid, from 1992-1994. From 1996-2000, he worked at the British

Embassy in Brasilia, where he covered human rights and environmental issues. From 2005-2008 he was Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Montevideo, Uruguay. Before arriving in Singapore he worked on climate change issues at the British Embassy in Jakarta. His fi rst degree was a BS in Geography from the University of Nottingham, where he specialized in coastal environments and air pollutants. He also has an MA in International Peace and Security from King’s College, London, where he wrote his dissertation on ‘Climate Change and the Implications for International Peace and Security’.

Mr. Norman Emmanuel C. Ramirez is a Programme Management Offi cer at the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity. He has more than 12 years of progressive experience in the fi eld of training and capacity building, as well as project management. Prior to joining ACB, he worked as Training Specialist from 1999 to 2002 under the Training and Extension Branch of ACB’s predecessor – the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC). He also worked with the Local Government Finance and Development

(LOGOFIND). He earned his bachelor’s degree in Forestry at the University of the Philippines-Los Baños and is now completing his Master in Management degree at the same university.

Adam Tomasek is WWF’s Leader of the Heart of Borneo Global Initiative. Based in Jakarta, Indonesia, he oversees a diverse team working in cooperation with the governments of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia as well as other partners. Adam began working with WWF in 2001 and since has worked on projects in 15 countries across Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Pacifi c. Prior to working with WWF, Adam worked in private consulting and with the U.S. Federal Government on environmental programs.

SPECIAL REPORT

f France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan and the United States are the world’s economic superpowers, Southeast

Asia, known as the ASEAN region, can be considered as the world’s “biodiversity super-power”. The region is home to three of the 17 known mega-diverse countries (Indonesia, Ma-laysia and the Philippines). These are countries that have less than 10 percent of the global sur-face, but supports more than 70 percent of the planet’s biological diversity. It has several bio-geographical units: Malesia, Wallacea, Sunda-land, Indo-Burma and the Central Indo-Pacific. These are areas supporting natural ecosystems that are still intact. Native species and com-munities associated with these ecosystems are well represented. They also have high diversity of endemic species. Based on global estimates, the ASEAN region has one-third, or 86,025 square kilometers, of all known coral reef areas in the world.

Such natural wealth sustains essential life support systems both for the region and the world, providing the much-needed water, food and energy. The region’s biodiversity and eco-

Valuing biodiversity and ecosystem services


system services sustain a wide range of eco-nomic activities and livelihoods for over 500 million people and contribute to global environ-mental sustainability.

Biodiversity and ecosystems, what are they?The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

defines biodiversity as the variety of life on Earth. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment defines biodiversity as the variability among living or-ganisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part. Biodiversity includes diversity within species, between species and between ecosystems.

An ecosystem is a dynamic complex of plants, animals and all other living organisms, along with their non-living environment, all interacting as a functional unit.There are four types of ecosys-tem services. First is provisioning, such as food, air and water, including air purification; regulat-ing, such as stabilization of climate, control of diseases, detoxification of wastes, creation of drainage systems;supporting, such as nutrient cycling, crop pollination, soil fertilization, pre-

By Rolando A. Inciong*

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The ASEAN region’s rich biodiversity provides food for close to 600 million people. Photo by Mari Rose Lim


Managing and investing in natural capital is the center of a study called The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB). The study aims to draw attention to the global economic benefi ts of biodiversity, highlight the growing costs of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, and draw together expertise from the fi elds of science, economics and policy to enable practical actions on conservation and management.

vention of soil erosion; and cultural, such as social, spiritual and recreational benefits. Economists have valued such serviceswithin the ASEAN region at over US$2 billion annually. This does not include the value of lost and degraded biodi-versity and ecosystems.

Managing and investing in natural capital

Biodiversity and ecosys-tem services contribute to a country’s economy. They are called natural capital. Like all other tangible capi-tal, biodiversity and eco-system services, including their continuing loss, must be valued and appreciated. Like all economic or busi-ness capital, biodiversity and ecosystem services must be properly used and sustainably managed. To ensure that our natural capital remains strong, we must invest in them through protection and conserva-tion measures.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Managing and invest-ing in natural capital is the center of a study called The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB). The study aims to draw at-tention to the global eco-nomic benefits of biodiver-sity, highlight the growing costs of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degrada-tion, and draw together expertise from the fields of science, economics and policy to enable practical actions on conservation and management.

TEEB is hosted by the United Nations Environ-ment Programme (UNEP) with financial support from the European Commission, Germany, the United King-dom, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Japan. The ini-tiative began at the meeting of the environment minis-

ters of the G8 countries and the five major newly indus-trializing countries that took place in Potsdam in March 2007. During the meeting, the German government proposed a study on ‘”The economic significance of the global loss of biologi-cal diversity” as part of the “Potsdam Initiative” for bio-diversity. The proposal was endorsed by G8+5 leaders at the Heiligendamm Sum-mit on June 6-8, 2007.

The study, led by Dr. Pa-van Sukhdev, founder-direc-tor of the green accounting project Green Indian States Trust (GIST) in India, is being conducted in three phases. Preliminary fi ndings from the fi rst phase were presented, in the form of an interim report, by Minister Gabriel, Commissioner Dimas and Mr. Sukhdev at the High-Level Segment of the Ninth Conference of the Parties to the CBD (COP-9) in Bonn, Germany, in May 2008.

Although TEEB was trig-gered by the German pro-posal, it was inspired by the results of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, which assessed the con-sequences of ecosystem change for human well-be-ing and the scientific basis for action needed to en-hance the conservation and sustainable use of those systems.

The Millennium Ecosys-tem Assessment concluded that the degradation of eco-system services could grow significantly worse during the first half of this century. It also concluded that irre-sponsible human activities are depleting Earth’s natu-ral capital. The assessment showed that with appropri-ate actions, it is possible to reverse the degradation of ecosystem services over the next 50 years.

Managing and investing in natural capital as ad-vocated by TEEB is a key to sustainable develop-

ment and most especially, to poverty reduction. The study highlights the insepa-rable link between poverty and the loss of biodiversity and ecosystems. TEEB pro-motes a better understand-ing of the true economic value of ecosystem services and offers economic tools that take proper account of this value. The study pres-ents the economic, societal and human value of the benefits of ecosystems and biodiversity, and the scale of the benefits lost. One of the ultimate goals of TEEB is to provide policy makers with the tools they need to incorporate the true value of ecosystem services into their decisions.

According to Dr. Push-pam Kumar, Chief of the Ecosystem Services Eco-nomics Unit of the Division of Environment Programme Implementation (ESE-DEPI) of UNEP, “The TEEB tries to provide a methodologi-cal approach to capture the benefi ts we get from biodiversity and ecosystem services because many of those benefi ts are not cap-tured in the decision mak-ing process. Such benefi ts should be internalized in the many strings of the deci-sion process. This means source allocation across the sector. It means taking them into designing of fi s-cal policy, one of the best ways to bring effi ciency in the economy.”

The TEEB study es-pouses that managing and investing in natural capital must earn recognition and understanding at the high-est level of political and eco-nomic leadership. When po-litical and economic leaders fail to account for the value of biodiversity and ecosys-tem losses, there could be a tendency to make wrong choices and decisions in addressing poverty reduc-tion and sustainable devel-opment challenges.

Dr. Kumar emphasized that natural capital or nat-ural resources should be treated the way man-made capital is treated. He added that TEEB recommends to capture the benefits from natural capital and to reflect them in general practices and policy formulation.

“There should be a com-prehensive accounting, measurement, and a mon-etary evaluation of natu-ral capital, the way we do for man-made capital. You cannot manage what you cannot measure. Measure-ment is really the corner stone for the management

SPECIAL REPORT


of any resources,” Dr. Ku-mar explained.

He added that if leaders can fully understand and appreciate the values of biodiversity, political sup-port can be mobilized to effect changes in the way biodiversity resources and ecosystem services are used and managed. Po-litical support can mobilize sufficient financial and hu-man resources to address the threats and drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem losses.

Targeting the key playersTEEB consists of a series

of reports targeting distinct key players in the sustain-able development process: ecologists and economists, policy makers, business leaders and citizens.

The report for ecologists and economists examines the global economic costs of biodiversity loss and the costs and benefits of ac-tions to reduce these loss-es. It synthesizes and pres-ents the latest ecological and economic knowledge to structure the evaluation of ecosystem services un-der different scenarios. The

report recommends appro-priate valuation methodolo-gies for different contexts.

The report for policy makers aims to develop guidance for policy makers at the international, regional and local levels in order to foster sustainable develop-ment and better conser-vation of ecosystems and biodiversity. This guidance includes a detailed con-sideration of subsidies and incentives, environmental liability, national income accounting, cost-benefit analysis, and methods for implementing instruments such as payments for eco-system services.

The report for the busi-ness leaders enables easy access to leading informa-tion and tools for improved biodiversity-related busi-ness practice – from the perspective of managing risks, addressing opportu-nities, and measuring busi-ness impacts on ecosys-tems and biodiversity.

The report for citizens aims to raise public aware-ness of the contribution of ecosystem services and biodiversity towards human welfare, of an individual’s

impact on biodiversity and ecosystems, as well as identifying areas where in-dividual action can make a positive difference.

Enormous economic value of biodiversity and ecosystem losses

Phase 1 of TEEB showed that the economic size of the losses in biodiversity and ecosystem services is enormous, including their impact on human welfare. Biodiversity and ecosystem losses are hindering the achievement of the Millen-nium Development Goals, specifically on ending ex-treme poverty by 2025. For the policy makers, the study emphasizes that bio-diversity must become the responsibility of everyone with the power and re-sources to act.

TEEB addresses the role of business within the con-text of biodiversity benefit and loss. The study is ex-amining how the context of business and biodiversity is changing; the business op-portunities in relation to bio-diversity and ecosystems; how business can measure and report impacts on bio-diversity; how business can improve its positive impact on biodiversity, and the risks of biodiversity loss and how business can manage such loss.

Phase 2 of TEEB gave recommendations on the following concerns: reward-ing the benefits of conser-vation; recasting today’s subsidies to meet the priori-ties of tomorrow; rewarding unrecognized benefits and taxing uncaptured costs of ecosystem services and biodiversity; accounting for the dependency of the world’s poor on natural public goods and measur-ing the “GDP of the Poor”; showing discounting as an ethical choice; and measur-ing what matters and what we manage.

*Rolando A. Inciong is head, communication and public affairs, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity.

Reference:

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity Reports

http://www.teebweb.org/

Phase 3 is focusing on facilitation and support for national, regional, local and sectoral studies being initi-ated around the world.

ChallengesWhile the TEEB study

addresses the complexity of putting economic values to biodiversity, ecosystem ser-vices and losses, it is fac-ing an enormous challenge of convincing the “uncon-vinced”. As natural capital is not as tangible as money, buildings, people and other economic resources, it will take great efforts and re-sources to convince the top echelons of the eco-nomic and political sectors to mainstream biodiversity in the overall development process. Complicating this challenge is the need to strengthen the interaction and cooperation between science, economics and policy.

The TEEB is not a one-shot deal. It is a continuing and long process aimed at mainstreaming biodiversity. Thus, the challenges do not solely rest on the shoulders of the study leaders and staff of TEEB. Target stake-holders – ecologists and economists, policy makers, business leaders and citi-zens – who have read the initial reports of the TEEB may send feedback from the field. Contact the TEEB Headquarters. Tell them your ideas and stories. Contact: TEEB Media and Communications, E-mail: [email protected].

Photo by Michael Caballes

Biodiversity and ecosystems services contribute to a country’s economy.


SPECIAL REPORT

Economic methods forvaluing ecosystem services

By Dr. Luke M. Brander*

t is well established that human well-be-ing is dependent upon ecosystem ser-vices provided by nature. The concept

of ecosystem services covers the broad range of connections between the environment and hu-man well-being, including: supporting services (e.g. nutrient cycling, soil formation), provision-ing services (e.g. food, fresh water), regulating services (e.g. climate regulation, flood control), and cultural services (e.g. recreational, spiritual, aesthetic).

Many of these ecosystem services have the characteristics of ‘public goods’ such that the people who benefit from them cannot be excluded from receiving the service provided (e.g. downstream flood control provided by up-stream forests); and that the level of consump-tion by one beneficiary does not reduce the level of service received by another (e.g. rec-reational opportunities provided by a protected area). Due to these characteristics, markets for such services often do not exist and the incen-tives for individuals to sustainably manage eco-system services are weak. In economic jargon, there is a ‘market failure’ and, by their inherent nature, ecosystem services will be under-sup-plied by the market system.

As a consequence, ecosystem services are often undervalued in both private and public decision-making relating to their use, conserva-tion and restoration. The lack of understanding ofthe value of ecosystem services has generally led to its omission in public decision making. In-formation on the economic value of ecosystem

services can be used in cost-benefit analyses of conservation programs or development proj-ects that affect ecosystems; setting compen-sation fees for environmental damage; estab-lishing payments for ecosystem services; and raising awareness of the importance of natural capital to the economy.

In response to the lack of information on the value of ecosystem services, there has been a large effort within the field of economics to de-velop methods to estimate monetary values for ecosystem services. It is the aim of this article to introduce some of these methods and ex-plain which services can be used to value.

Production-based valuation methodsThe most straightforward and commonly

used method for valuing any good or service is to look at its market price (i.e. how much it can be bought or sold). In a competitive mar-ket without distortions (e.g. taxes or subsidies), price is determined by the relative demand for and supply of the good or service in question, and reflects its marginal value (i.e. the value of a small change in the provision of that good or service). Market prices are therefore useful for valuing ecosystem goods and services that are directly traded in markets, for example, prod-ucts such as timber, fuel wood, fish and other food.The major disadvantage of this method is that many ecosystem services are not traded directly in well-functioning markets and so readily observable prices are not available for them.

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Market prices can be used to value some ecosystem services that are directly traded in markets.

Market prices:the money value of forest products such astimber can be observed directly in markets.

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SPECIAL REPORT

The production func-tion method estimates the value of a non-marketed ecosystem product or ser-vice by assessing its con-tribution as an input into the production process of a commercially marketed good. A production func-tion describes the relation-ship between inputs and outputs in production. For example, the production of a fishery that is supported by the habitat and nursery service provided by man-groves may be described as a function of hours spent fishing and the area and quality of the mangrove.

Cost-based valuation methods

The replacement cost method estimates the val-ue of ecosystem services as the cost of replacing them with alternative man-made goods and services. For example, the value of a lake that acts as a natural reservoir can be estimated as the cost of constructing and operating an artificial reservoir of a similar capac-ity.

The replacement cost method assumes that the costs incurred in replacing lost environmental assets with man-made alterna-tives can be interpreted as an estimate of the value of the goods and services received from the environ-mental asset. It is assumed

Production function approach:The fi shery value of a mangrove can be calculated by estimating the lost value of the catch in a degraded or

destroyed mangrove area.

The production function method can be used to value ecosystem inputs in production.

that the amount of money society spends to replace an environmental asset is roughly equivalent to the lost benefits that asset provides to society.The re-placement cost method is particularly useful for valu-ing ecosystem services that have direct man-made or artificial equivalents, such as water storage or waste water processing.

The replacement cost method does not, howev-er, produce a strictly cor-rect measure of economic value, as it is not based on people’s preferences for the goods and services being valued. Instead, this meth-od assumes that if people pay to replace a lost ecosys-tem service, then that ser-vice must be worth at least the cost of replacement. Therefore, this method is

most appropriately applied in cases where replacement expenditures have been, or will be, made.

Ecosystems frequently provide protection for other economically valuable as-sets. The damage cost avoided method uses ei-ther the value of property and assets protected, or the cost of actions taken to avoid damages, as a measure of the benefits provided by an ecosystem. For example, if an upstream forest reduces the occur-rence of downstream flood-ing, the value of the flood protection service of the forest may be estimated as the damages avoided or by the expenditures avoided by downstream residents to protect their properties.

The damage cost avoided method is partic-

ularly useful for valuing eco-systems that provide some form of natural protection. A potential weakness of the method is that, in most cases, estimates of dam-ages avoided remain hypo-thetical. They are based on predicting what might oc-cur under a situation where ecosystem services decline or are lost. Even when valu-ation is based on real data from situations where such events and damages have occurred, it is often difficult to relate these damages to changes in ecosystem status, or to be sure that identical impacts would oc-cur if particular ecosystem services declined.

Revealed preference methods

Revealed preference methods are based on ac-tual consumer or producer behaviour and identify the ways in which a non-mar-keted good influences ac-tual markets for some other good. Preferences and val-ues are ‘revealed’ in com-plementary or surrogate markets.

The hedonic pricing method can be used to estimate economic values of ecosystem services that directly affect the price of marketed goods. The basic idea underlying the hedonic pricing method is that the

The replacement cost method can be used to value ecosystem services that have man-made equivalents.

Natural Man-made

Replacement cost:The value of a natural reservoir can be estimated as the cost replacing

it with a man-made reservoir.


SPECIAL REPORT

price of a good is related to its characteristics, including its environmental charac-teristics. The hedonic pric-ing method is often used to value environmental ameni-ties that affect the price of residential properties. For example, a house that is close to an attractive natu-ral area may be worth more than a similar house that is further away. Such differ-ences in house character-istics and prices may be used to identify the value of natural amenities using sta-tistical methods.

The travel cost method is used to estimate the value of ecosystems or sites that are used for recreation. The premise behind this method is that the travel expenses that people incur to visit a site represent the “price” of access to the site. Travel expenses include the actual travel costs (e.g. price of us-ing public transport, petrol and maintenance for travel by private car, aeroplane ticket etc.), time costs, and admittance fees. With this information, peoples’ will-ingness to pay to visit a site should be estimated based on the number of trips that they make at different travel costs. For example, for a forest that is used for rec-reation, information on the number of people that visit the site and the time and cost they spend travelling to reach it can be used to esti-mate the economic value of the recreational service that is provided.

Stated preference methods

Stated preference meth-ods use surveys to ask people to state their pref-erences for hypothetical changes in the provision of ecosystem services.This information on preferences is then used to estimate the values that people at-tach to the services in question.

Damage cost:the monetary value of up-stream water retention by forests can be estimated

as the avoided damage to property downstream.

The damage cost method can be used to value ecosystems that provide natural protection from storms and fl oods.

The hedonic pricing method can be used to value environmental amenities and disamenities associated with the location of houses.

The travel cost method can be used to value the recreational use of natural areas.

Travel cost: the value of a recreational site can be estimated from the number of visitors and the cost of travelling there.


SPECIAL REPORT

The contingent valua-tion method involves direct-ly asking people, in a survey, how much they would be willing to pay for specifi c ecosystem services. The contingent valuation method can be used to estimate economic values for all types of ecosystem service. The term “contingent” denotes that valuation is based on a specifi c hypothetical sce-nario and description of the environmental service. For example, in the case that a wetland provides habitat for a popular species of animal, respondents to a survey might be asked to state how much additional tax they are willing to pay to preserve the wetland in order to avoid a decline in the population of that species. In some cases, people are asked for the amount of compensation they would be willing to ac-cept to give up a specifi c environmental service rather than their willingness to pay to avoid its loss.

A major advantage of the contingent valuation method is that it can be ap-plied to estimate values for all types of environmental goods and services, includ-ing non-use values (the val-ue that people place on the existence and preservation of biodiversity, unrelated to

any direct or indirect use) and also changes in eco-system services that have not yet occurred. Because contingent valuation does not rely on actual markets or observed behaviour, it can in theory be applied to any situation, good or ser-vice.

A weakness of this meth-od is that responses to will-ingness-to-pay questions are hypothetical and may not reflect true behaviour. Hypothetical scenarios de-scribed in contingent valu-ation questionnaires might be misunderstood or found to be unconvincing to re-spondents, leading to bi-ased responses.

Choice modelling or choice experiments is also

Contingent valuation: the monetary value of environmental

services can be estimated by asking survey respondents for their

willingness to pay for them.

Contingent valuation can be used to value most ecosystem services.

a stated preference method and is similar to contingent valuation in that it can be used to estimate economic values for virtually any eco-system good or service. It is also a hypothetical method – it asks people to make choices based on a hypo-thetical scenario. Choice modelling is based on the idea that any good can be described in terms of its at-tributes or characteristics. Changes in attribute levels essentially result in a differ-ent good, and choice mod-elling focuses on the value of such changes in attributes. Values are inferred from the hypothetical choices or trade-offs that people make between different combina-tions of attributes. Choice

modelling is different from contingent valuation in that it asks respondents to se-lect between a set of alter-natives, rather than asking directly for values. Values can be derived from the responses by including a money indicator (e.g. price of the good) as one of the characteristics.

Value transferThe valuation methods

described above have been used to estimate values for virtually all ecosystem ser-vices provided by almost every biome. Thousands of value estimates for eco-system services have been published in economic re-ports and journals.Conduct-ing new valuation research, however, is time intensive and expensive since it gen-erally involves collecting new data or fielding public surveys. For this reason, methods have been devel-oped for transferring esti-mated values from existing valuation studies to inform other policy contexts.

Value transfer (or benefit transfer) is the procedure of estimating the value of an ecosystem service of current policy interest (at a ‘policy site’) by assigning an existing value estimate for a similar ecosystem (from a ‘study site’).

Value transfer methods can be divided into three broad categories: unit value transfer (values are transferred without or with adjustments, usually for income differences); value function transfer (values are transferred using a value function from an individual primary study); and meta-analytic function transfer (values are transferred using a value function estimated from the results of multiple primary studies).

*Dr. Luke Brander is a freelance environmental economist based in Hong Kong.Choice modelling can be applied to value most ecosystem services.

Choice modelling:the monetary value of environmental services can be estimated from the trade-off people make between

environmental attributes and income.


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TEEB – The UK National Ecosystem Assessment

By John Pearson*

he UK National Ecosystem Assess-ment (NEA) was carried out from 2009 to 2011. It cost around £1.3 million

(or about US$2 million) and involved some 500 natural scientists, economists, social scientists and policy makers. Although produced with the support of the UK Government, it was a fully independent report.

The NEA was in part a UK response to The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) project, which the UK had also sup-ported. The UK Government thought that TEEB was a groundbreaking work – and that it would be worth carrying out a similar assessment on a national scale.

The report is the most comprehensive as-sessment of the UK’s natural environment and resources ever undertaken. It assessed the status and trends of UK ecosystems and their services looking back 60 years and looking for-ward 50 years using six plausible future sce-narios. This was used to assess the economic values and shared social values of ecosystem services, and to evaluate a set of response op-tions.

The key finding from the NEA was that the benefits that we derive from the natural world and its constituent ecosystems are critically important to human well-being and economic prosperity – but they are consistently under-valued in economic analysis and decision-mak-

ing.The report found that many factors have

driven changes in UK ecosystem services dur-ing the past 60 years. These include the con-version and intensification of natural habitats, e.g. semi-natural grasslands to farmlands; the exploitation of natural resources, especially ma-rine fish; invasive alien species, e.g. tree pests and animal diseases; air and aquatic pollution, especially from nitrogen, sulfur and phospho-rus; and climate change, e.g. increased air and sea temperatures.

These changes have largely been influenced by demography (with an increasing and age-ing population), the economy (e.g. sustained economic growth and trade liberalization), and technological advances (e.g. increased mecha-nization and use of agrochemicals). These have collectively placed a greater demand on the goods and services provided by UK ecosys-tems, and influenced the way we manage our natural resources.

Despite recent improvements, just over 30 percent of ecosystem services in the UK are declining and many others are in a reduced or degraded state (Figure 1). A growing popula-tion, which will increase the demand for food and other basic services, coupled with climate change, will place significant future pressures on many ecosystems and their services. There-fore, the need to manage our ecosystems is

T

Learning from the UK experience

Figure 1. Trends in UK Ecosystem Services (physical measures): 1945 to presentgoing to become more pressing, not less.

We therefore will need more resilient ways of managing eco-systems, and a better balance between produc-tion and other ecosystem ser-vices. Indeed, one of the major challenges is to increase food production, but with a smaller en-vironmental foot-print.


How ecosystem services affect human well-being

Society in general directly benefi ts from a wide range of ecosystem services. For example, the increase in food production (crops and live-stock) has resulted in a wider selection of food at a reduced cost for everybody. Carbon sequestration by soils and woodlands limits human-in-duced climate change. Eco-systems also positively affect physical and mental health and the quality of life in gen-eral, often through access to the wider landscape and through the use of parks and gardens. Ecosystems also act as a catalyst for behavioral change by encouraging the adoption of healthier lifestyles; and reduce air pollution.

Changes in ecosystem services have impacts on human well-being. For ex-ample, the conversion of salt marshes for farming results in increased agricul-tural production, but locally it leads to loss of habitat for recreation and has implica-tions for coastal defense against storm surges.

The economic value of ecosystem services

The benefits that we de-rive from ecosystem servic-es are critically important to human well-being and the UK economy, and each should be considered when evaluating the implications of changes. However, the values of most ecosystem services are currently omit-ted from national economic frameworks and local deci-sion making, even though a range of economic tech-niques can be used to as-sess the value of different ecosystem services. This includes assessing adjust-ed market prices, contri-bution to output, avoided costs, observed behavior and stated preferences. Effective conservation and sustainable use of ecosys-tems are critical for human

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well-being and a future thriving and sustainable green economy. Failure to include the valuation of non-market values in de-cision making results in a less efficient allocation of resources.

How ecosystems and their services might change in the UK under plausible future scenarios

In order to understand what the future might hold, a range of plausible scenari-os was developed. Some of these emphasized environ-mental awareness and eco-logical sustainability, while others stressed national self-sufficiency or economic growth and the removal of trade barriers. These plau-sible futures show that there is a huge range of potential outcomes for the state of the nation, its people and its ecosystems in the com-ing decades. Decisions that we make now and in the immediate future will have a major impact on these out-comes.

Six storylines employing very different policy priorities were developed (Figure 2). A Green and Pleasant Land, assumes a preservationist attitude to UK ecosystems. Nature at Work assumes ecosystem services are pro-moted through the creation of multifunctional land-scapes.Local Stewardshipis where society strives to be sustainable within its im-mediate surroundings, while Go with the Flow assumes that current trends will con-tinue. National Security has a reliance on greater self-suffi ciency and effi ciencies, while under World Markets, the goal is economic growth and the elimination of trade barriers.

Storylines that empha-sized environmental aware-ness and ecological sustain-ability resulted in signifi cant gains in the output of a broad range of ecosystem servic-es, in contrast to storylines that emphasized national self-suffi ciency or economic growth. Land use change and pollution are projected

to continue to be major driv-ers of change for biodiversity and ecosystem services, although by 2060 climate change is also predicted to be a signifi cant driver of ecosystem services and of losses and gains of species throughout the UK.

The economic implications of the different plausible futures

Applying the economic values derived for eco-system services (using the conceptual framework shown in Figure 3) to these scenarios shows that there is a huge range of pos-sible outcomes. Each of the scenarios was assessed in terms of the changes they would introduce. Assess-ments examined five major ecosystem services: (i) ag-ricultural food production; (ii) the net change in green-house gases from land use; (iii) open-access recreation; (iv) urban green space ame-nity; and (v) biodiversity (as-sessed using birds as indi-cator species).

Figure 2. Plausible Future Scenarios – How might UK ecosystems and their services change under plausible scenarios? What would be the effect of such changes?

Nationalsecurity

Worldmarkets

Localstewardship

Go withthe fl ow

Nature atwork

Green and pleasant land


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Even recognizing the limitations of the UK NEA study (e.g. not all goods and services are valued), the analyses demonstrate that simple reliance upon market prices will prob-ably give an inaccurate assessment of the overall economic value of differ-ent scenarios to society. If market values only are taken into account then storylines that emphasized national self-sufficiency or economic growth resulted in the largest economic gains in the short- to medi-um-term due to increased agricultural production. Conversely, if all values are taken into account then the storylines that emphasized environmental awareness and ecological sustainabil-ity resulted in the largest economic gains to society, much of which is available over the long run.

Therefore, a key chal-lenge will be to get the eco-nomics right. Contempo-rary economic techniques allow us to consider the monetary and non-mone-tary values of a wide range of ecosystem services. These techniques need to be adopted in everyday

decision-making practice. Failure to do so will result in a less efficient allocation of resources, with negative consequences for social well-being. Full recogni-tion of the value of ecosys-tem services would allow the UK to move towards a more sustainable future, in which the benefits of eco-system services are better realized and more equitably distributed.

How we can secure and improve the continued delivery of ecosystem services

No issue (e.g. air and water quality) has ever been suc-cessfully addressed with-out an appropriate enabling framework – which needs a mix of regulations, technol-ogy, fi nancial incentives and behavioral changes. A move to sustainable development will require changes in indi-vidual and societal behavior and adoption of a more inte-grated approach to ecosys-tem management.

Responding to the pres-sures to provide food, water and energy security, while at the same time conserv-ing biodiversity and adapt-

*John Pearson is Head of the British Government’s Network on Climate Change in South East Asia.

ing to rapid environmental change, will require getting the valuation right, creating functioning markets for eco-system services, improving the use of our resources and adopting new ways of managing those resources.

The Natural Choice – Securing The Value of Nature

The National Ecosys-tem Assessment was an independent report, and it had a lot of impact. Given this, the UK Government decided that it needed to respond with some policy measures. As a result, it is-sued a White Paper – The Natural Choice: Securing The Value of Nature, soon after the NEA came out. This acted as a statement of government policy on the natural environment.

In this White Paper, the UK Government recognizes that nature operates as a complex system – and that the functioning of this sys-tem is of fundamental im-portance to the economy and the well-being of the UK population. The Paper sets out 92 commitments and actions designed to

make this a reality. The overall ambition is that we should be the first genera-tion to leave the natural en-vironment in a better state than we found it.

There are several new initiatives. One is the over-all aim to encourage more landscape-scale, integrat-ed approaches to manag-ing biodiversity and other aspects of the natural environment. There were also some steps designed to incorporate the value of nature more firmly into economic decision making.Some of these affected the way the UK Government works, such as the foun-dation of a Natural Capital Committee reporting to the Treasury (Finance Depart-ment) and the inclusion of natural capital in the UK En-vironmental Accounts.

Others are aimed at the private sector, including pro-viding further guidance on possible environmental im-pacts, exploring in partner-ship with business the op-portunities for new markets for ecosystem services, and looking at the new business opportunities arising from managing ecosystems more proactively and sustainably.

In conclusionThe bottom line is that

we already have enough in-formation to start managing our ecosystems more sus-tainably and good evidence of the benefits of doing so. The excellent work carried out by the TEEB study has allowed the UK to assess these issues in more detail. We hope that the National Ecosystem Assessment, and the White Paper The Natural Choice: Securing The Value of Nature will al-low us to implement a more integrated approach to sus-tainable development.

Figure 3. Approach. From ecosystem services to their value


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Ecosystems and biodiversity in the Heart of Borneo: Building blocks for a green economyBy Adam Tomasek, Anna van Paddenburg and Chris Greenwood*

hrough an historic Declaration made in 2007, the governments of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia

committed to conserve and sustainably man-age 200,000km2 of contiguous tropical forest on the island of Borneo, an area now known as the Heart of Borneo (HoB).

The HoB is one of the most biologically di-verse places on Earth. In the past 15 years alone, more than 500 new species of flora or fauna have been discovered, at a rate of more than three species per month.One of Asia’s last great rainforests, it is home to the charismatic but threatened orangutan, pygmy elephant, clouded leopard and the critically endangered Sumatran rhino.

Despite the significance on the global stage of this transboundarytropical forest sanctuary,

it is currently under intense threat from unsus-tainable and sometimes illegal logging, forest clearing for oil palm plantations, mining and wildlife hunting.

The threat is growing despite the tremen-dous benefits that the HoB provides in ecosys-tem services.

In 2010, WWF brought together several partners to design a program to support the governments to invest in natural capital as they transition towards a green economy.

What is a green economy for the HoB?For a forested region like the HoB, a green

economy is one that values natural capital where governments, business and communities pursue green growth by recognizing the eco-nomic, ecological and social values of forests.

T

Photo by Engelbert Dausip – WWF-Malaysia


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It also involves investing in sustaining these values to mitigate climate change, ensure food and water se-curity, and maintain crucial ecosystem services.

The momentum to build a global green economy is growing. There is a need to curb greenhouse gas emis-sions, use resources more efficiently, provide long-term sustainable increases in standards of living, and value the natural assets and the goods and services they provide that have un-derpinned economic suc-cess over the centuries.

These pressures go

hand in hand with oppor-tunities for green jobs, new products and innovations, cost reductions and the long-term benefits of a low-carbon economy.

In many ways, the HoB Declaration was the fi rst step taken by the governments of Brunei Darussalam, Indone-sia and Malaysia to invest in nature for a green economic future. Recognizing the value of the HoB’s forested and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity will help them deliver environmental and economic sustainabil-ity, while generating needed green growth.

The Heart of Borneo Declaration is the ideal platform from which to in-vest in natural capital and pursue green growth. A growth which has policy and regulatory support to guide more efficient use of natural and social assets, and one which gains sup-port from multiple sectors to realize conservation and development that can be sustainable and inclusive.

However, a green econ-omy in Borneo will only be realized if the values of the HoB’s natural capital become part of prevailing economic development

plans. The value of natural capital is still under-appre-ciated in land use and pol-icy decision making, as is the interconnectedness of the economy and nature.

The economy-nature disconnect

Even though nature is ul-timately the most essential resource underpinning any economy, standard eco-nomics and business-as-usual policies both fail to take into account the value of nature to the economy.

In today’s economy in Borneo, rapid economic growth prevails at the cost

Photo by Raymond Alfred – WWF-Malaysia

Elements of the Green Economy (GE) Scenario

of many people’s well-be-ing. The way in which the economy operates under current accounting and in-centive schemes depletes natural stocks. This, in turn, has an impact on the value of natural capital as a whole and consequently on the quantity and quality of eco-system goods and services that nature provides, ulti-mately affecting both pro-duction and consumption. The critical contribution of nature to people’s well-be-ing is largely ignored.

For example, forest clear-ance for commodities such as timber or oil palm results in pollution downstream and increases the risk of landslides and erosion. The causes of deforestation and environmental deterioration vary, but at a fundamental level they share a common

underlying cause – the dis-connect between economy and nature.

HoB’s ecosystems and biodiversity value to the current economy

An example of the im-portance of the HoB to the economy can be found in water security, providing as it does, a large proportion of water to Kalimantan’s three main river basins.

This value, however, is being eroded at huge cost to society. With current economic activities, water pollution from excessive or improper use of fertilizers, pesticides and palm oil mill effluent, as well as mercury, cyanide and acidic mine tailings from irresponsible mining, has forced cities to construct pipelines to extract water further up-

stream at an additional cost of over US$10 million. The additional cost for pumping is estimated at US$2 to 2.5 million per year.

Fire and haze pollution provides another example. During the 1997-1998 for-est fires, the total dam-age directly resulting from haze was calculated at US$1,012 million for Indo-nesia, US$310 million for Malaysia, and US$104 mil-lion for Singapore.

At a more local scale, though no less important, in West Kalimantan, as a consequence of the forest fires in 1997, loss of wild bee honey production was estimated at US$67-84,000 per group of gatherers.

The HoB has many val-ues. Some are more easily expressed in costs to so-ciety while others are less

tangible, though arguably, more important. For exam-ple, the rich culture of the Dayak people, so closely linked to the forests and rivers, has economic, sub-sistence and sacred value.

HoB and climate change mitigation

One other extremely important value that the HoB provides to the glob-al economy and people’s well-being is moderation of the impacts of climate change through climate regulation and increased resiliency. While some can be expressed as ‘costs’ or ‘damage to society’, some of these values can never be expressed in monetary terms. As virtually all eco-nomic sectors are linked to the environment in one way or another, ecosystem re-

Theme Green Economy (GE)

Spatial Planning Coherent land use plans including category for degraded land, expanding community forests and implementation of watershed protection.

Forestry Reduced impact logging and international sustainable forest management certification.

Concession management is improved, and there is no degradation of inactive concessions.

Forest restoration concessions are implemented to restore large areas of natural forest.

Palm oil Plantation Oil palm plantations do not expand in any area of natural forest. Land swaps for permits granted on natural forest, to ensure expansion on degraded land.

Roundtable for Sustainable Oil Palm ensures that management practices are improved. Reduced fertilizer and pesticide application.

Mining Mining follows international good practice guidelines. Improved waste management treatment, improving water quality.

Agriculture Sustainable agriculture practices are implemented to support and restore soil quality. The use of chemical fertilizers is reduced, improving water quality. A larger biodiversity gene bank provides wild varieties that may be hybridized to ensure greater resilience to pest and diseases.

Energy Energy efficiency is prioritized to reduce domestic consumption, especially of fossil fuels. Higher efficiency, which also includes fuel switching, reduces costs, natural resource use and health issues.

Investments in non-hydro renewable energy power plants are implemented to decentralize power generation, reduce the consumption of coal for electricity supply and lower GHG emissions.

Biodiversity-basedenterprises

Sustainable biodiversity products from legal community forests (NTFP and agro-forestry) to support soil quality, minimize erosion and sedimentation, secure forest carbon by reducing pressure to convert forests. Added value generated in region and markets accessible.

InnovativeGreen Sectors

New business models build local economies from effectively utilizing �waste products� of current industries in the HoB.

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silience supports the wider economy by creating buf-fers. Economies are more capable of withstanding change when they are di-versified. Standing forests in the HoB alongside the flow of clean rivers from the HoB will support resilience in the economies on the is-land of Borneo.

Modeling the Green Economy

In order to utilize the green economy concept in informed decision mak-ing, an assessment was carried out on the basis of five dimensions of green growth. These dimensions include elements of clas-sical economic growth combined with values of ecosystems and inclusive social development. While the assessment is focused on natural capital, these dimensions clearly present the importance of a holis-tic approach to measure progress.

Based on this framework and various spatial and economic tools, a quantita-tive estimation of different future paths [Green Econ-omy (GE) versus Business as Usual (BAU)] was devel-oped and applied through a pilot study for Kalimantan in the Indonesian part of Bor-neo.

While the HoB as a whole covers 22 million hectares, the modeling was only ap-plied to Kalimantan’s four provinces, with an empha-sis on the value of the HoB. However, the results and the per capita values may be roughly applicable to Malaysia and Brunei, as-suming that the contribution of nature (including ecosys-tem services) to economies is comparable across the HoB. The following impacts have been determined un-der a GE scenario.

• Impacts on growth – According to the findings of the as-

FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GREEN GROWTH


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sessment, an alter-native future which fully recognizes the value of natural capital would help to reduce poverty, build local economies and sup-port climate change mitigation. In the long term, gross domestic productgrowth will in-crease more rapidly in a GE scenario, where natural capital is sus-tained.

• Impacts on equity – Under the BAU sce-nario, the total value of natural capital de-clines and shortly af-ter 2020 becomes a

‘natural cost’ rather than an asset, with the costs related to impacts of reduced environmental servic-es.

• Impacts on natural capital – In contrast, conservation and im-proved management of natural capital in the GE scenario en-hances natural stocks and the flow of goods and services.

Looking at the mul-tiple benefits of the Green Economy compared with the BAU, there are not only net biophysical ben-efits, but that the transition

within a social cost-benefit framework suggests that the benefits outweigh the costs.

An economic policy package to deliver Green Growth and value Nature

The scenario analysis indicates that, in the long term, a Green Economy has environmental, social and economic advantages. However, for a Green Econ-omy to develop, a shared green vision and initiatives by civil society, businesses, consumers, and other sec-tors are required. These efforts can bring about an economic transformation,

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provided an enabling eco-nomic environment is estab-lished by HoB governments. It is up to governments to give meaning, content and, finally, concrete substance to this vision.

The most essential en-abler of a transition to a green economy is there-fore a structural one: the economic infrastructure. A carefully designed set of synergetic cross-sectoral policy changes at the na-tional and local levels can help lead the change of behavior by providing in-centives for environmentally sustainable economic ac-tivity and penalize actions that lead to environmental degradation.

Economic policies and related instruments will not work in isolation; a pack-age is necessary to ensure synergies and to distribute costs (short-term burdens), as well as to encourage a fair distribution of future benefits.Based on these policies, economic instru-ments could be designed and implemented to incen-tivize biodiversity-based industries and other green sectors to secure important natural stocks, as well as to promote the use of de-graded land for cultivation and other forms of develop-ment. In addition, conver-sion and poor management of forest ecosystems would be disincentivized.

Mobilizing domestic public finance in support of such green policy interven-tions is essential for jump-starting a green economic transition. Ministries of Fi-nance play a crucial role. Important decisions would need to be made to elimi-nate perverse incentives and reallocate national and local budgets to this end. In the medium and longer term, funds could also be raised through imposing charges on ‘bad’ (unsus-tainable) behavior.

International fi nance (in-cluding REDD+ fi nance), as well as businesses and pri-vate investors and house-holds, can and should sup-port governments in their transition to a green econ-omy.

Critical stepsThe work carried out so

far in the HoB is only prelim-inary in nature, but it dem-onstrates that an alterna-tive economic approach is indeed feasible and that the HoB landscape is an area worth investing in. Indeed, the HoB has the potential to be a prime example in the region to demonstrate that a green economy ap-proach to achieve the HoB governments’ vision of con-servation and sustainable development in the HoB will indeed benefit people and economies of Brunei, Ka-limantan, Sabah and Sar-awak.

Road to Rio 2012The Rio+20 Summit in

June 2012in Brazilpresents a unique global opportunity to showcase the relevance of the Heart of Borneo to developing green economy

approaches.By presenting a Green

Economy Roadmap,the three member countries can capture input, support and commitment from stra-tegic local and international partners to integrate natu-ral capital values into eco-nomic development plans and business practices in the HoB.

.As part of the lead-up to the Rio+20 Summit, WWF and key partners are work-ing to assist the three gov-ernments and stakeholders to:

• Integrate HoB plans and priorities into na-tional development frameworks;

• Develop key interven-tions necessary to support the transi-tion towards a green economy;

• Stimulate relevant policies and incen-tives (for the business and public sectors) which could be put in place to deliver green growth;

• Identify and explain the values of the HoB’s ecosystems and natu-ral capital; and

• Support learning ex-changes with peers who are doing/have done the same thing.

In addition, WWF is working with the private sector through its HoB Green Business Network to ensure it understands the positive role it can play and the incentives available to become a driving force for sustainability in the HoB.

The Green Economy Roadmap will guide a mul-titude of stakeholders to demonstrate political, finan-cial and technical support for the Heart of Borneo. The results are expected to be brought to the Rio+20 Summit to highlight con-crete policies and practices to invest in natural capital and recognize the value of ecosystem services in or-der to support poverty alle-viation and lasting inclusive growth.

*Adam Tomasek is WWF’s Leader of the Heart of Borneo Global Initiative (HoBGI).Anna van Paddenburg is the HoBGI’s Sustainable Finance and Policy Strategy Leader, while Chris Greenwood is the International Communications Manager for the HoBGI.


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Valuing ecosystems and biodiversity in the ASEAN: The GIZ approachBy Lucy Emerton, Agnes Pantastico and Philipp Gassner*

cosystem degradation is threaten-ing human development. As the recent study on “The Economics of Ecosys-

tems and Biodiversity” (TEEB) found out, just one year’s worth of biodiversity loss will end up costing the global economy more than 1 trillion– close to the combined gross domestic products of all ten ASEAN Member States. It has become increasingly evident that, without tackling biodi-versity loss, we run the risk of undermining the very asset base of economies, which assures the well-being and livelihoods of millions of South-east Asians.

TEEB aims to bring attention to the economic benefi ts of biodiversity, highlight the growing cost of ecosystem degradation, and draw to-gether expertise from science, economics and policy to support the mainstreaming of these considerations in policymaking. It had its gen-

esis in the March 2007 meeting of G8 environ-ment ministers in Potsdam, Germany. TEEB is hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and supported by various donors including the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. The fi ndings of TEEB’s fi rst two phases were released in 2010 via a series of reports, targeted at different audiences: ecolo-gists and economists, international and national policy makers, local and regional policy mak-ers, business, and citizens (summaries can be downloaded from http://www.teebweb.org). It is now moving into a third phase, which focuses on supporting national and sectoral activities in partner countries. Governments in Brazil, Geor-gia, Germany, India, Norway, and the European Commission have already committed to under-taking national and regional TEEB studies.

E

Photo by Angie Metin

Accounting for the value of ecosystems and biodiversity is crucial in addressing poverty reduction and sustainable development challenges.


SPECIAL REPORTYou cannot manage what you do not measure

How can TEEB serve as a tool to help in identifying more sustainable, equitable and effi cient development paths? TEEB tells us that we must recognize biodiver-sity and ecosystem values fi rst, and demonstrate them accordingly. Environmental or “green” accounting and ecosystem valuation are in-creasingly being used by Asian governments to help guide their policy, planning and management decisions. China, Cambodia, India and Viet Nam are all in the pro-cess of developing green growth strategies. The pri-vate sector is also starting to look at the way in which na-ture presents risks and op-portunities to their business operations.

The next step is captur-ing these values. The aim is to make it more profi table for people to conserve biodi-versity in the course of their economic activities than to degrade it. For example, vari-ous provisions now exist in Malaysia’s laws and policies which offer tax exemptions, low-interest loans, reduced land rent charges and taxes, preferential export credits and import duty exemptions for environmental investment. Creating or improving mar-kets for sustainably-sourced

products and services is an-other tool that enables pro-ducers to take up new op-portunities and technologies – such as organic agriculture, ecotourism or certifi ed timber production. One example is the “Green Choice” label in the Philippines. This is awarded to products manu-factured using environmen-tally sound policies, practices and norms.

In addition to these incen-tive structures, Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) is rapidly gaining ground in the region. Under PES, the aim is to reward organizations or companies for the provision of valuable services such as watershed catchment protection, fl ood control or habitat conservation. They charge the benefi ciaries (e.g. downstream hydropower schemes, industries, water utilities or tourism opera-tors), and channel the funds to the land and resource us-ers whose actions serve to conserve ecosystems. In Viet Nam, a country-wide policy on Forest PES was intro-duced in 2010. Similarly, for-est carbon fi nance schemes have recently emerged as a market-based mechanism for rewarding sustainable land and resource manage-ment practices as seen in the Oddar Meanchey Re-ducing Emissions from De-

forestation and Forest Deg-radation (REDD) pilot project in Cambodia.

The GIZ ApproachGIZ** has been a key play-

er in the TEEB initiative from the start. At the global level, it has recently put together guidelines and a training course on “Integrating Eco-system Services (IES) into Development Planning”. IES is a relatively new tool based on TEEB, providing detailed steps towards the imple-mentation of the Ecosystem Services concept in the plan-ning of development inter-ventions. The fi rst Training of Trainers (ToT) was conducted on January 23 to 26, 2012 in Frankfurt, Germany.

In Asia, the Biodiversity and Climate Change Work-ing Group of the GIZ Sector Network Natural Resources and Rural Development Asia has continued to be a forum for exchange and inspiration among its members. In 2011, the sub-working group on TEEB was organized to pro-mote the results of the study within Asia, encourage im-plementation at the regional and national levels, as well as serve as a platform for exchange and knowledge transfer. Dr. Berthold Seibert, Project Director of the ACB-GIZ Biodiversity and Climate Change Project (BCCP), is

the coordinator of the sub-working group.

BCCP’s continuing involvement with TEEB

At the ASEAN level, GIZ and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) are implementing the BCCP. The project supports the ASEAN Member States in the elaboration of policies and practices to appropri-ately address the interface between biodiversity and climate change. It has two components: (1) Biodiver-sity and Ecosystems, which enhances the understanding of the interrelation between biodiversity and ecosystems in a changing climate; and (2) Biodiversity and Econo-my, which supports policy and action for valuing biodi-versity in the context of eco-system services.

Through Component 2, the BCCP aims to apply TEEB approaches to help governments, businesses and local communities to better benefi t from and cap-ture the value of biodiversity and ecosystem services. BCCP has been support-ing ACB in this endeavour through the participation of staff and representa-tives from ministries and other counterpart organiza-tions in the ASEAN Member States in international fora, as well as through conduct of workshops and trainings. These include dialogues, workshops and trainings on TEEB, Access and Ben-efi t Sharing, and PES for the ASEAN Member States.

Since March 2010, BCCP has been engaged in a combi-fi nancing agreement with the European Union for the implementation of the project “Enhancing the Economics of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Thailand/Southeast Asia (ECO-BEST).” The project aims both to effect tangible on-the-ground changes in biodiversity, ecosystems and Photo by Michael Caballes


*Lucy Emerton is the Chief Economist of the Environment Management Group. Agnes Pantastico is the technical advisor for communications of the GIZ Biodiversity and Climate Change Project, while Philipp Gassner is an intern in the ACB-GIZ Biodiversity and Climate Change Project.

**The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a non-profit cooperation enterprise for sustainable development and operates in more than 130 countries worldwide. Most of the activities are commissioned by the German Government. GIZ works closely with the public and private sector as well as civil societies to carry out results-oriented international cooperation. Its considerable experience with alliances in partner countries is a key factor for successful projects.

economic conditions, as well as to generate capac-ity, learning and best prac-tices, which can be shared and replicated nationally and at the regional level in other ASEAN and Greater Mekong Sub-region countries.

Furthermore, BCCP has facilitated the participation of ACB in the establishment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Under the

auspices of UNEP, IPBES is currently emerging to be an in-terface between the scientifi c community and policymakers that aims at building capacity for and strengthen the use of science in policymaking. For further information see http://www.ipbes.net/.

From July 2011 to March 2012, ACB was engaged in the project “Disseminating the Values of Ecosystems and Biodiversity to Enhance Cli-mate Change and Biodiver-

sity Strategies in Southeast Asia” supported by the British Foreign Commonwealth Of-fi ce through the British High Commission in Singapore. Through this project, further trainings and workshops were also conducted.

Towards an ASEAN-wide TEEB

Although the TEEB ap-proach attracts increasing interest in the region, the project recognizes the limit-

ed scientifi c and operational capacities of the ASEAN in this sector. To address these shortcomings, GIZ uses a multilevel approach, aiming to support policies and ac-tions for valuing biodiversity in the context of ecosystem services, raising awareness, and integrating ecosystem services into sustainable de-velopment planning.

BCCP plans to engage in activities that will advance the TEEB initiative in the ASEAN by conducting a TEEB ToT for the ASEAN Member States. This concept will build upon the vast experience gained by ACB and BCCP from train-ings, fora and conferences. Moreover, ACB is organizing a TEEB study in the ASEAN with the aim of localizing approach-es for easier implementation and adoption by the ASEAN Member States. These ac-tivities are envisioned to create opportunities for a wider imple-mentation of TEEB and related approaches in the ASEAN towards biodiversity conserva-tion, ecosystem management, and climate change adapta-tion and mitigation.

After all, we still have a lot to learn about the value of nature.

Our TEEB Timeline


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Rising to the challenge of making nature’s value visibleBy Clarissa C. Arida, Leslie Ann Jose-Castillo and Norman Emmanuel C. Ramirez*

iodiversity, the web of life, has a very high economic value. It offers a host of prod-ucts and services to people across the

world. Unfortunately, these benefi ts are often not recognized nor given an economic value.

“At the heart of this complex problem is the lack of market prices for ecosystem services and biodiversity, which means that the benefi ts we derive from these goods, which are often public in nature, are usually neglected or undervalued in decision-making. This in turn leads to actions that not only result in biodiversity loss, but also impact on human well-being,” Mr. Rodrigo U. Fuentes, executive director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, said.

He underscored that if policy makers fail to account for the value of ecosystems and biodi-versity, they will make the wrong choices in re-sponding to these and other challenges. “Under-standing and capturing the value of ecosystems can lead to better informed and possibly different decisions. Accounting for such value can result in better management. Investing in natural capi-tal can yield high returns. Sharing the benefi ts of these actions can deliver real benefi ts to those worst off in society. Clearly, making the benefi ts of biodiversity and ecosystem services visible to economies and society is necessary to pave the way for more effi cient policy responses,” the bio-diversity expert explained.

In the ASEAN region, efforts are being under-taken to encourage government agencies to use The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study as a platform to encourage stron-ger implementation of environmental laws and policies. The TEEB study is a major international initiative to draw attention to the global economic benefi ts of biodiversity, to highlight the growing costs of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degra-dation, and to draw together expertise from the fi elds of science, economics and policy to enable practical actions moving forward.

From July 2011 to March 2012, ACB and the British Foreign and Commonwealth Offi ce (UK-FCO), through the British High Commission in Singapore, jointly implemented the project, Dis-seminating the Values of Ecosystems and Biodiversity to Enhance Climate Change and Biodiversity Strategies in Southeast Asia. The project sought to engage policy and decision

makers in recognizing the economic benefi t and values of ecosystems and biodiversity, under-standing the costs of biodiversity loss, and taking action towards incorporating these values into national plans and budget.

“A better understanding of this issue can gen-erate support to change policies, and mobilize fi nancial resources to address biodiversity loss and ecosystems degradation,” says Mr. John Pearson, Head, Southeast Asia Climate Change Network, British High Commission in Singapore, said.

Regional Policy DialoguesPolicy dialogues were convened to engage se-

nior government offi cials from the environment, fi -nance and economic planning sectors. ACB and the UK-FCO organized two policy dialogues. The fi rst one, dubbed Southeast Asia Regional Policy Dialogue on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Transforming Policies into Actions, was held in Manila, Philippines on January 25 to 26 for Cluster 1, which included Brunei Darus-salam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. For Cluster 2, which covered Thailand, Cam-bodia, Viet Nam, Lao PDR and Myanmar, the

B

H.E. Stephen Lillie, British Ambassador to the Philippines, addresses participants of the TEEB dialogue in Manila.


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dialogue entitled Regional Workshop on Mainstream-ing Ecosystem Services Ap-proaches into Development: Application of Economic Valuation for Designing In-novative Response Policies was held on February 8 and 9 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Key experts from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), as well as economic valuation and TEEB experts from NGOs and academic and research institutions from UK, India and Southeast Asia partici-pated in the dialogues.

According to Mr. Fuentes, the policy dialogues “pro-vided venues for introducing the TEEB initiative, com-municating new perspec-tives and opportunities that highlight the benefi ts of eco-systems and biodiversity for economic development, and

raising the awareness of par-ticipants on the importance of integrating the values of ecosystems and biodiver-sity into national planning processes. Through the dia-logues, we also provided a venue for deliberating and prioritizing programs and policies on biodiversity and climate change, as well as promoting synergy among different sectoral programs and policies in the context of TEEB and climate change.”

These events, Mr. Fuentes added, generated keen inter-ests on the TEEB initiative and provided insights and recom-mendations from participants on practical approaches to consider TEEB in national planning processes.

Regional WorkshopA major component of the

project was a regional train-ing workshop organized on March 29 to 30 in Tam Dao, Viet Nam. The two-day ac-tivity was held to raise the awareness and build the ca-pacity of technical-level of-fi cials from ASEAN Member States who are implement-ing programs and policies related to biodiversity and ecosystem services. The workshop was designed to demonstrate various tools and methodologies for bio-diversity and ecosystems assessment and valuation, discuss lessons learned from programs and policies on biodiversity and climate change that relate to TEEB, and share insights on possi-ble future directions on TEEB at the national, regional and global levels. Over 30 repre-sentatives from the ASEAN Member States and resource persons from UNEP, WWF, World Bank, the United Na-tions Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacifi c (UNESCAP), GIZ and UK-FCO participated.

Communicating TEEBSince communication is

a crucial component of the

Dr. Mike Christie from the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences of Aberystwyth University provides an overview on valuation methods.

Participants exchange insights during a short exercise on valuation of ecosystem services

Dr. Pushpam Kumar of UNEP discusses the importance of TEEB.


TEEB initiative, the project developed and disseminated information, education and awareness (IEC) materials on TEEB as part of its campaign to disseminate the econom-ic values of ecosystems and biodiversity. Printed materials or fl iers were distributed to participants of the dialogues and workshop. A dedicated website for the TEEB project also was developed as part of ACB website.

“We also reviewed and analyzed existing commu-nication, education, and public awareness (CEPA) documentation from the ASEAN Member States, as an intervention to iden-tify information and process gaps and to determine the

best approach to enhance national CEPA action plans and strategies from a TEEB perspective,” Mr. Fuentes said. This activity, she add-ed, attempted to underscore the linkages of TEEB with other biodiversity concerns of equal importance such as taxonomy, access and benefi ts sharing, and climate change, among others.

Building Capacity on TEEBUnder the regional proj-

ect, ACB and its partners initiated the development of a training module on TEEB for technical level offi cials from the ASEAN Member States. “Our goal is to sus-tain capacity building for ASEAN Member States on

TEEB. The module includes topics such as the identifi ca-tion of ecosystem services, valuation tools and method-ologies, and basic economic analysis. We plan to pilot-test the training module in 2013,” Mr. Fuentes said.

The Centre also initiated the conduct of an ASEAN TEEB Scoping Study to fur-ther pursue the mainstream-ing process of TEEB. The scoping study carried out the assessment and valu-ation of key ecosystems and ecosystem services in Southeast Asia. Results of the scoping study are ex-pected to be presented by ACB, UNEP, GIZ and UK-FCO in a side event during CBD COP11 in India in Oc-tober 2012 to engage nego-tiators on policy discussions on TEEB. The same results will also be used as basis for a full ASEAN TEEB Study.

Lessons LearnedIn assessing the outcomes

of the project, Mr. Fuentes reported that “Despite the challenges faced in the re-gion, the project was able to ascertain ways on how to move the TEEB agenda forward, one of which is the proposed ASEAN TEEB study.” He highlighted that further collaboration and en-gagement of stakeholders

from the private sector, the academe, scientifi c institu-tions, local authorities and communities, and other gov-ernment sectors is crucial to facilitate knowledge sharing and data gathering. “We need to strengthen partner-ships and synergies with these stakeholders to foster a better understanding of the intricacies of biodiversity and climate change, and facili-tate an integrated approach to mainstream TEEB.”

Mr. Fuentes also under-scored the importance of identifying TEEB champions from the executive and leg-islative branches of govern-ment who can engage other politicians and decision-mak-ers to set up enabling con-ditions for mainstreaming TEEB. “Enhancing the politi-cal aspects of the TEEB pro-cess will encourage buy-in of policy- and decision-makers. Inclusion of natural capital in national accounts would be feasible along these lines,” he said.

* Clarissa C. Arida is ACB’s director for programme development and implementation. Leslie Ann Jose-Castillo is the organization’s development communication consultant and Norman Emmanuel C. Ramirez is programme development officer.


Mainstreaming the economics of nature: The ASEAN experienceBy Sahlee Bugna-Barrer*

Is there a price tag for clean air and wa-ter? How do we value coral reefs that provide habitats for fi sh and other marine

life? What is the cost of maintaining healthy man-groves that serve as breeding areas for marine species and protect coasts from wave surges? What is the dollar value of forests that clean air, fi lter water and provide habitats for endangered species? In short, what is the value of nature and its services? “Priceless” would be the common answer, but for years, policy makers have posed these questions to conservationists as a basis to design and implement policies to protect the environment. Various economic approaches have since been developed to answer these questions, one of which is The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study.

TEEB is a major international initiative that draws attention to the global economic benefi ts of biodiversity, highlights the growing costs of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, and draws together expertise from the fi elds of science, economics and policy to produce practical actions in conservation. Experts from around the world evaluated the costs of biodiversity loss and the associated decline in ecosystem services and compared these with costs if effective conservation and sustainable use. TEEB intends to raise awareness among governments, local and regional policy makers, the business sector and the general public on the value of biodiversity and ecosystem services and facilitate the development of effective policy and concrete action.

In ASEAN, efforts are being undertaken to en-courage government agencies to use TEEB as a platform to encourage stronger implementation of environmental laws and policies. In 2011, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) established a partnership with the British Foreign and Common-wealth Offi ce (UK-FCO) to jointly undertake a proj-ect on “Disseminating the Values of Ecosystems and Biodiversity to Enhance Climate Change and Biodiversity Strategies in Southeast Asia”.

In some ASEAN Member States (AMS), bio-diversity conservation is already part of the eco-nomic agenda and has been incorporated in national development plans and budgets. In In-donesia, national policies on biodiversity include the Indonesia Biodiversity Action Plan (IBSAP); Mission no. 6 of the National Medium Term De-velopment Plan 2010 – 2014; and the National Action Plan for Mitigation (RAN-GRK). Other bio-diversity conservation actions have been incor-porated in Reducing Emissions from Deforesta-tion and Forest Degradation (REDD+) projects. Funding for reforestation and biodiversity is also available through the Reforestation Fund and the Special Allocation Fund for Forestry.

The Reforestation Fund aims to accelerate the rehabilitation of critical forests to enhance the economic and social well being of forest commu-nities. The fund has been in force since 1989 and is funded by volume-based levies paid by forest concessionaires. For over 20 years, the Refores-tation Fund has generated revenues of approxi-mately US$ 5.8 billion, making it the largest sepa-rated pooling fund from the forestry sector.

I

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Special Allocation Fund for Forestry funds rehabili-tation activities in protected forests, forest parks, urban forests, community forests as well as the rehabilitation of swamps, peat, mangrove areas and beaches.

Year Special Allocation Fund for Forestry(Budgeted in US$ million)

2008 11

2009 11

2010 27

2011 44

2012 50

In the Philippines, sus-tainable development is mainstreamed in the Phil-ippine Development Plan (PDP) and the Public In-vestment Program (PIP) for 2011-2016. The PDP is anchored on President Benigno Aquino III’s “Social Contract with the Filipino People” and translates the commitment into effec-tive, efficient and inclusive government interventions that would result in an im-provement in the quality of

life of all Filipinos. The Plan envisions a country that has achieved an inclusive growth, which is character-ized as high, sustained and broad-based.

Chapter 10 of the PDP focuses on the Conserva-tion, Protection and Reha-bilitation of the Environment and Natural Resources and envisions an environment that is healthy, ecologi-cally-balanced, sustainably productive, climate-change resilient, and provides for the present and future generations of Filipinos. An integrated and commu-nity-based ecosystems ap-proach to environment and natural resources manage-ment will be used. It will be anchored on the principles of shared responsibility, good governance, partici-pation, social and environ-mental justice, inter-gener-ational space, and gender equity. The people shall be at the core of conservation, protection and rehabilita-tion, and developmental initiatives.

A conservation initiative that is currently implement-

ing TEEB is the Heart of Borneo (HoB) Initiative. The Heart of Borneo is a conser-vation agreement initiated by the World Wide Fund for Nature to protect a 220,000 km² forested region on Bor-neo island. The agreement was signed by the govern-ments of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia on 12 February 2007.

TEEB is being imple-mented to provide political, institutional and financial support to deliver the Heart of Borneo Declaration and aims to create the political platform and a partners fo-rum to support the devel-opment of, and investment, in a HoB Green Economy; engage private sector lead-ers to drive sustainable practices and business in-vestments for low-carbon and green development; and develop green growth model(s) based on ecosys-tem values including the creation of long-term

In Lam Dong, Viet Nam, the Asia Regional Biodiver-sity Conservation Program (ARBCP) of Winrock Inter-national, with support from

USAID/Regional Develop-ment Mission for Asia, sup-ported the Government of Viet Nam in implementing the successful pilot pro-gram of Payment for For-est Environmental Services (PFES). Lam Dong is part of the Southern Highlands Province, bordering the provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan and Khanh Hoa. Lam Dong has a total area of 977,220 hectares, where 601.474 hectares are forested. Lam Dong also lies upstream of nine provinces of Dong Nai river system.

Because of the natural values of the area, those who benefit from Lam Dong’s natural resources pay for the forests’ envi-ronmental services. These include 18 hydroelectric power plants, 10 factories, 17 resorts as well as the lo-cal tourism industry.

The PFES has improved livelihoods of over 40,000 rural poor while promot-ing biodiversity conserva-tion in Lam Dong Prov-ince and across Viet Nam. By December 2010, PFES payments totaling 87,067,200,000 Vietnam Dong (VND; US $4.46 mil-lion) were made to 22 For-est Management Boards and forestry businesses, as well as to 9,870 house-holds, 6,858 of which are ethnic minorities. PFES activities have resulted in enhanced protection of 209,705 hectares of threatened forestland. In 2010, the average annual payment per household was 10.5-12 million VND (US $540-615), represent-ing an almost 400 percent increase over previous for-est protection payments by the Government of Viet Nam. Based on information in logbooks maintained by patrol teams, forest pro-tection patrols supported by PFES payments have

Photo by Lee Shan Khee, WWF Malaysia

The Heart of Borneo is home to endangered species such as the rhinoceros.


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resulted in a 50-percent decrease in the number of reported cases of illegal logging and wildlife poach-ing in the Da Nhim water-shed area.

The implementation of the project in Lam Dao has strengthened the capac-ity of technical staff of the province in the manage-ment of forest resourc-es. There is also greater awareness of the value of forests at all levels, from the communities industries, since the economic value of forests have been clearly demonstrated through pay-ments, income and im-proved living conditions. There is also greater appre-ciation for the investments in forest protection since these support sustainable production of hydropower, irrigation, tourism and wa-ter for production and hu-man consumption.

On September 24, 2010, the successful implementa-tion of the pilot PFES policy

References

Indonesia Policies and Challenges in Preserving Biodiversity. Presentation by Irfa Ampri, Director of Climate Change Financing and Multilateral Policy, Fiscal Policy Office, Ministry of Finance of Republic of Indonesia at the South East Asia Regional Policy Dialogue on the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB): Transforming Policies into Action, 25-26 January 2012, Manila.

Investing in natural capital for a future green economy: Lessons learned

in Lam Dong Province culmi-nated in an announcement from the Prime Minister of Viet Nam that a National PFES Decree had been ap-proved. The PFES Decree transforms the way forests are viewed and managed in Viet Nam, providing a mea-sure of assurance that criti-cal forests, and the ecosys-tems services they provide, will be protected into the future through the scale up of PFES nationwide.

The efforts made by In-donesia and the Philippines, as well as the implementa-tion of TEEB in the Heart of Borneo and PFES in Viet Nam may provide models for replication in other coun-tries in the region. These national and regionally sig-nificant achievements may provide incentives for other ASEAN Member States that are struggling to find eco-nomically viable approaches to support biodiversity con-servation while addressing the needs of communities

that directly depend on nat-ural resources. These cases provide the economic bas-es for biodiversity conser-vation as a matter of policy, and will hopefully pave the way for the mainstreaming of conservation and man-agement of natural resourc-es in national budgets and in long-term development plans.

Sahlee Bugna-Barrer is ACB’s publications consultant.

Photo by David Bonnardeaux

PFES-contracted farmers patrol forests in Da Chais commune in the Da Nhim watershed, deterring illegal logging and encroachment of agricultural plots in return for payments of up to 350,000 VND/ha/year.

and experiences to date. Presentation by Adam J. Tomasek, Leader, WWF Heart of Borneo Initiative at the South East Asia Regional Policy Dialogue on the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB): Transforming Policies into Action, 25-26 January 2012, Manila.

Mainstreaming Sustainable Development in the 2011-2016 Philippine Development Plan. Presentation at the South East Asia Regional Policy Dialogue on the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB): Transforming Policies into Action, 25-26 January 2012, Manila.

Payment for Forest Environmental Services: A Case Study on Pilot Implementation in Lam Dong Province Vietnam from 2006 - 2010, Winrock International, 2011.

Sharing of Experiences on the implementation of Policy on Payments for Forest Environmental Services in Lam Dong. Presentation at the Southeast Asia Regional Training-Workshop on the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity on 29-30 March 2012, Tam Dao, Viet Nam.


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Climate change and marine biodiversity

Saving our ocean’s web of life under threatBy Philipp Gassner

Imagine a refreshing dip in the ocean during your

weekend get away to the beach. The sun is shining, no cloud in the sky, and the water temperature is some cozy 45°C. A bit too warm for you? Animals of the Or-dovician, 480 million years ago, thought so, too, when marine water temperature was that hot, due to a “su-per greenhouse effect” with very high CO2 levels in the atmosphere. It took another 40 million years and a tem-perature drop of 15°C for complex living organisms to develop in the sea, similar to the ones in present day equatorial waters. This ex-ample from fossil records shows just how strongly cli-

mate change affects marine biodiversity.

A recent study on the distribution of 11,000 ma-rine species in relation to water temperature supports that the current human in-duced climate change has huge consequences for our marine ecosystems. And a 15°C change is not even necessary. In the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, a 0.05-0.1°C temperature anom-aly proved to be already enough to significantly alter its biodiversity - the variabil-ity among living organisms and their habitats, including the diversity within species, between species and within ecosystems. Biodiversity is essential for human well-being, as it provides valu-

able services, such as food, medicines or clean air. At the same time, it is under threat from exposure to environmental degradation, pollution and unsustainable resource exploitation, like overfishing. Climate change poses a new challenge as it often exacerbates the im-pacts of other pressures.

Climate change means ocean change

Rapidly rising green-house gas concentrations

are driving ocean systems toward conditions not seen for millions of years, with an associated risk of fun-damental and irreversible ecological transformation. Oceans absorb more than 90 percent of the global warming (Figure 1) and are thus particularly affected. A grim example of what we have to expect is the 1998 El Niño event, when excep-tionally high temperatures caused the bleaching and death of 16 percent of all

“Climate change poses a new challenge as it often exacerbates the impacts of other pressures”

Figure 1. Infographic on where global warming is going.

Source: John Cook, SkepticalScience.com, January 20, 2011

Ocean93.4%

Atmosphere2.3%

Continents2.1%

Glaciers & ice caps0.9%

Arctic sea ice0.8%

Greenland Ice Sheet0.2%

Antartic Ice Sheet0.2%

GIZ


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corals worldwide. Mass coral bleaching is triggered by elevated water tempera-tures, as witnessed during the last 50 years’ increase by 0.7°C around the world (Figure 2).

Experts agree that under current scenarios, 90 per-cent of coral reefs will have dramatically changed or dis-appeared by mid-century. If, and when they go, they will take with them about one-third of the world’s ma-rine biodiversity, causing a domino effect on other ecosystems. Moreover, higher temperatures favor the spread of alien species, such as virulent green algae affecting water quality, spe-cies richness and fisheries.

However, direct im-pacts of climate change on oceans are in no way lim-ited to elevated sea tem-perature. It also includes ocean acidification, due to more dissolved CO2, and sea level rise, due to melt-ing ice masses. Today, wa-ter is about 30 percent more acidic than in pre-industrial times, depleting carbonate ions - the building blocks for many marine organisms; while 30 percent of coastal wetlands are threatened by the increasing sea levels.

Likewise, accompanying impacts such as changes in salinity, dissolved oxy-gen, circulation patterns, frequencies of extreme weather events, increased thermal stratification and reduced upwelling change our oceans and their eco-systems fundamentally. One consequence is the decline in phytoplankton, a critical part of our planetary

life support system, which produces half of the oxygen we breathe. In this fashion, dead zones or areas too low in dissolved oxygen to sup-port life, which were rare 40 years ago, now number several hundred and threat-en global ecosystems and fisheries.

At the same time, over a billion people rely on marine ecosystems as a source of food and over half a billion people are dependent on oceans and coasts for their livelihoods. Ocean biodiver-sity is also of utter most im-portance for the resilience and stability of ecosystems. In 1983, a sudden collapse of the Caribbean coral reefs occurred, following several centuries of over fishing the diverse herbivores, leaving the control of algal cover almost entirely to a single species of sea urchin. When this species disappeared, the reefs shifted irreversibly with huge economic losses, illustrating how vulnerable the system had become. This makes the case for the high insurance value in

biologically diverse ecosys-tems and the importance of conservation, especially under climate change sce-narios.

What does this mean for Southeast Asia?

The ASEAN region, well known as the coral triangle (Figure 2), is mega-diverse: It supports 75 percent of global coral species, six of the world’s seven marine turtle species and 51 of the 70 mangrove species worldwide, with many spe-cies endemic to the region. The annual estimated val-ue of ecosystem services from coral reefs comes to $112.5 billion, mangroves account for $5.1 Billion. At the same time the region is highly vulnerable to the ef-fects of climate change, in combination with other hu-man activities, leaving e.g. 98 percent of Philippine coral reefs at risk.

Intact biodiversity pos-es immense opportuni-ties for climate protection and adaptation to climate change, particularly true in

the ASEAN region. Con-served or restored habitats can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Eco-system-based adaptation, which integrates the use of biodiversity and ecosys-tem services into an overall adaptation strategy, can be cost-effective and generate social, economic and cul-tural co-benefits and con-tribute to the conservation of biodiversity. Neverthe-less, this tangible value to society has not yet been fully appreciated. National development strategies consider only some aspects of biodiversity conservation and sustainable develop-ment, scientific knowledge remains sparse and the general awareness about the issue limited. These common regional challeng-es call for a joint approach. Only if national efforts are effectively coordinated, do we stand a chance to con-serve the region’s unique marine biodiversity and the services it provides to us, also under climate change scenarios.

“Over a billion people rely on marine ecosystems as a source of food.” Modifi ed from World Fish Centre ReefBase Project, undated.

Figure 2. Coral Reefs of South East Asia and the Coral Triangle.


SPECIAL SECTIONA regional framework to address climate change and marine biodiversity

One answer to this need is the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), based in Los Baños, Laguna, Philip-pines. As a regional inter-governmental organization, it coordinates national and regional efforts on biodi-versity conservation and sustainable management in South East Asia.

Since September 2010, GIZ, the German devel-opment cooperation arm, through the Biodiversity and Climate Change Proj-ect (BCCP), supports the institutionalization of ACB’s core program on biodi-versity and its links with climate change. In doing so, the project focuses on the elaboration and imple-mentation of ASEAN-wide strategies, employing two components. The Ecosys-tem Management approach aims at enhancing the un-derstanding of the close interrelation between bio-diversity and ecosystems in

a changing climate, and its importance for sustainable development. The focus on Biodiversity and Economy supports policies and ac-tions for valuing biodiversity in the context of ecosystem services, raising awareness and integrating ecosystem services into sustainable de-velopment planning. In this context, the project has a strong emphasis on marine topics, including ‘blue car-bon’, the role of oceans as carbon sinks, and networks of marine protected areas.

The international community’s answer

As the challenges dis-cussed above are of a glob-al nature and not confined to one region, an interna-tionally operant mechanism is a prerequisite to design sustainable solutions. Such a mechanism is provided by the Convention on Bio-logical Diversity (CBD), an international legally bind-ing treaty since 1992. This year’s CBD Conference of Parties (COP 11) in Hyder-

abad, India and the Inter-national Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May 2012 underpin the importance of marine biodiversity in a global warming context. In the International Youth Fo-rum ‘Go4 BioDiv’ to be held at COP 11, young messen-gers from five continents will send wake-up-calls to the world to act univocally in protecting marine eco-systems with all their social and economical dimen-sions. Both ACB and GIZ through the BCCP support these initiatives in numer-ous ways.

Similarly, this year’s Future Policy Award is dedicated to oceans and coasts, emphasized by Ahmed Djoghlaf, former CBD Executive Secretary: “Ocean ecosystems har-bor an incredible diversity of life. Policy-makers have a critical role to play in pre-serving this biodiversity, as poor management of ma-rine and coastal environ-ments is a main cause of biodiversity loss and deg-radation of these vital eco-systems.”

The road aheadDespite the complex na-

ture of the connection be-tween climate change and biodiversity, particularly in the marine context, solu-tions are at hand. Priority must be given to reducing non-climatic stresses, such as pollution, over-exploita-tion, habitat loss and frag-mentation and invasive alien species. This relies on a wider adoption of con-servation and sustainable use practices, strengthen-ing of protected area net-works and facilitating adap-tive management through improved monitoring and evaluation systems. In Southeast Asia, 646 ma-rine protected areas cover only an estimated 8 percent of the coral reefs and only 14 percent were rated as effectively managed. The Biodiversity and Climate Change Project’s agenda recognizes that this situa-tion needs to be urgently improved, since recovery of marine ecosystems can take decades.

Ultimately, to conserve our oceans’ diversity, functionality and heritage we need to address the root cause of climate change. Without swiftly cutting greenhouse gas emissions, we will soon find ourselves taking a swim in much hotter and emptier oceans.

“Policy-makers have a critical role to play in preserving marine biodiversity, as poor management is a main cause of biodiversity loss”

Photo by Joel Forte


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Viet Nam’s top legislator meets AIPA SG, wildlife advocate

Viet Nam National Assembly Chairman His Excellency Nguyen Sinh Hung (second from left) shakes hands with AIPA Secretary General Antonio Cuenco following their meeting in Ha Noi. With them is Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Traffi cking (ARREST) Chief of Party Steven Galster (left) and Committee on Science, Technology and Environment Vice Chairman Phung Duc Tien (right).

Viet Nam National As-sembly (NA) Chairman

Nguyen Sinh Hung this month welcomed ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assem-bly (AIPA) Secretary Gener-al Antonio V. Cuenco, who visited to drum up support for wildlife protection.

Mr. Steven R. Galster Director of FREELAND Foundation and Chief of Party of Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking (AR-REST) was with Secretary General (SG) Cuenco dur-ing the courtesy call.

His Excellency (H.E.) Hung told his visitors Viet Nam’s NA is ready to part-ner with the AIPA Secre-tariat, and hoped that it (Secretariat) would cease-lessly perfect and improve its operations to meet heightened demand in the context where both AIPA and ASEAN are making ef-forts to build the ASEAN Community by 2015.

CooperationH.E. Hung wished that

the AIPA Secretary General will continue to act as a conduit between the Viet-nam NA and AIPA mem-bers, as well as with the AIPA observers. For his part, SG Cuenco requested the Vietnam NA to actively engage in placing coop-eration in preventing wild animal trafficking onto the agenda of the upcoming 33rd AIPA General Assem-bly (GA) in September. SG Cuenco said he believed that with Vietnam’s sup-port, the cooperation will reap more effective results in ASEAN. He likewise hoped that Vietnam and ASEAN members will en-gage in stronger actions in establishing agencies that

oversee and prevent wild animal trafficking, contrib-uting to protecting nature.

Joint regulationIn the same meeting,

H.E. Hung applauded F R E E L A N D / A R R E S T ’s proposals in drafting a joint ASEAN regulation on the prevention of wild ani-mal trafficking. He affirmed Viet Nam’s support for the effort, adding that the NA has come up with concrete and strict regulations and took part in related interna-tional conventions on wild-life trafficking prevention. Mr. Galster was thankful for the meeting and the Secretariat’s assistance.

“AIPA has opened a big door for us to work at the top level of such an impor-tant country for conserva-tionists. ARREST will now follow up, while looking forward to more collabora-tion with AIPA in other key countries,” he said.

Legislative reformARREST and the ASEAN

Wildlife Enforcement Net-work (ASEAN-WEN), an ASEAN intergovernmental law enforcement network, is seeking to introduce the issue before the 33rd AIPA GA in Lombok, Indonesia for the body to consider developing a statement for legislative reforms. AR-

REST is a private-public partnership program with non-government orga-nizations, which include Conservation International and Mr. Galster’s FREE-LAND Foundation; inter-national organizations; and the ASEAN governments (ASEAN-WEN).

Specifically, ARREST would like AIPA Member Parliaments to enhance national laws to curb illegal wildlife trade and to sup-port the creation of a com-mon ASEAN regulation on the international trade of endangered species of flora and fauna.

(with a report from www.talkvi-etnam.com)

ASEAN-WEN


SPECIAL SECTION

Private sector to take active role in saving Indonesia’s natural heritageRepresentatives from

the private sector, non-government organizations, intergovernmental organiza-tions, and the Governments of the United States and Indonesia have rolled out a ideas, concepts and plans to combat the depletion of Indonesia’s natural heritage – its unique wildlife and for-est resources. The plan was launched at the “Indonesia Endangered Species Fo-rum” held on January 10, 2012 at Kempinski Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The forum, which focused on the role of the private sector in species and habitat protection, was organized by Eco-dynamics Ltd., an orga-nization whose mission is to promote cooperative pro-grams between the private, nonprofi t and public sectors through corporate responsi-bility and environment-relat-

ed programs, together with the Bakrie Group, one of In-donesia’s foremost corpora-tions with business interest in infrastructure, telecom-munication, and plantations.

Indonesia is famous for its great biodiversity. An estimated 300,000 animal species inhabit its many ecosystems. This equates to 17 percent of worldwide fauna species concentrated in 1.3 percent of the world’s total landmass. Indonesia has more species of mam-mals (515) than any other nation. It also has 1,539 bird species, as well as 50 percent of all the world’s species of fish.

However, Indonesia also is home to the most endan-gered species of any nation in the world, including the iconic symbol of Indone-sia’s conservation efforts, the Orangutan. According

to IUCN, Indonesia has 147 endangered mammal spe-cies, 114 endangered bird species, 91 endangered fish species, and two billion endangered invertebrate species. Major conservation efforts will be necessary to avoid near-term extinction.

“I am proud to announce the launch of what we call simply the Bakrie Environ-mental Initiative. We be-lieve that in embarking on this new endeavor, we are keeping true to the principle of my grandfather - the fl ora and fauna of this nation be-long to the people and are for the benefi t of the peo-ple,” said Ms. Adinda Bak-rie Ong, Executive Director of the Bakrie Untuk Negeri, Bakrie Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility arm.

She recalled that “in 2005, a program called ASEAN Wildlife Enforce-

ment Network (ASEAN-WEN) was established in Bangkok under the aegis of the United States Agency for International Develop-ment (USAID), through the FREELAND Foundation. We at the Bakrie Environmen-tal Initiative are committed strongly to supporting the work of FREELAND’s latest regional efforts at stemming the flourishing trade in ille-gal wildlife that robs us of our heritage.”

One of the private sector partnership’s leading goals in support of the forum is to collaborate with the USAID-funded ARREST Program (Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking) implemented by FREELAND Foundation. ARREST, a five-year pri-vate-public partnership pro-gram, aims to reduce illegal wildlife trade and consump-

Cohen


SPECIAL SECTIONASEAN-WEN

tion through strategic cam-paigns, law enforcement capacity, and supporting the ASEAN-WEN and other similar platforms.

“The private sector cre-ates jobs and the govern-ment regulates”, said former US Defense Secretary Wil-liam Cohen, who encour-aged stronger collaboration between the government and the business communi-ty as a sensible and ethical move to balance economic development and conser-vation. He noted the strong interest and ongoing sup-port of the US to Indonesia in developing tools and op-portunities in conserving the nation’s natural heritage. Secretary Cohen, Chairman of the Cohen Group and a US-ASEAN Strategy Com-missioner, also recognized the role of the ASEAN-WEN in combating wildlife crime in the region. Mr. Cohen also served as US Senator and Congressman prior to his appointment as Secre-tary of Defense (1997-2001) during the administration of US President Bill Clinton.

At a public lecture at the ASEAN Secretariat a day before the “Endangered Species Forum”, Secretary Cohen urged Indonesia to work toward a greater com-munity with more unity of actions, especially in issues related to human rights, freedom and democracy. He said that with challenges of fighting terrorism, piracy and human, animal and drug trafficking, America and ASEAN should share techniques and technology.

Addressing the forum, former Indonesian Vice Pres-ident Jusuf Kalla said, “Cor-porate social responsibility must be optimized or we’re just stuck here talking at meetings at hotels like this. The issue of orangutans is a symptom. What we’re try-ing to do here is not to talk about the symptom, rather why that symptom appears.

The threat to the country’s endangered orangutan population is a symptom of unchecked resource exploi-tation. Their forest is gone. The same thing with us hu-mans, for instance, in Ja-karta; if we don’t have any parks or green spaces, we too become restless. Their lives are threatened be-cause their habitat is disap-pearing.”

Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Sec-retary-General of the Asso-ciation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), stressed

the need for a new global awareness to conserve bio-diversity. He lauded the on-going private sector initia-tives of the organizers and forum partners as a contri-bution to ASEAN govern-ments’ efforts in protecting the region’s rich biodiversity. The Secretary-General not-ed the contributions made by the USAID to ASEAN in providing technical support to combat wildlife depletion and habitat destruction.

The forum event also showcased National Geo-

graphic Channel’s “Crime Against Nature” episode on the illegal trade of exotic pets in Thailand with links to an Indonesia smuggling syndi-cate. The Crime Against Na-ture Series highlights private sector support to Thailand’s Wildlife Enforcement Net-work (Thai-WEN) –ASEAN-WEN’s National Task Force – in combating wildlife crime in Thailand and across its borders. The TV series was produced by ARREST Part-ners FREELAND and Asia-Works TV.

Pitsuwan

Adinda


SPECIAL SECTION

Asia’s police and customs strengthen cross-border cooperation against wildlife traffi ckingDuring February 13-14,

2012, the heads of police and customs from 13 Asian countries were briefed on the USAID-sponsored ARREST (Asia’s Regional Response to En-dangered Species Traf-ficking) Program at an INTERPOL environmental crime seminar in Bang-kok. Top officials agreed to tighten controls and im-prove cross-border coop-eration to curb trafficking of tigers and other criti-cally endangered species. Multi-national action points and cooperation strategies were developed during the seminar, following discus-sion of national priorities, challenges and best prac-tices. ARREST partners including the ASEAN Wild-life Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) and inter-national NGOs joined the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the World Customs Organi-zation (WCO), the Conven-tion on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat and the World Bank in support

On 15 February 2012, six countries from ASEAN-WEN met during a

side-event of the 23rd Meeting of the INTERPOL Wildlife Crime Working Group which was hosted by the Royal Thai Police and chaired by Deputy Director General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant

Ad hoc meeting on wildlife enforcement matters in ASEAN at the 23rd Meeting of the INTERPOL Wildlife Crime Working Group, Bangkok

Conservation (DNP). The group dis-cussed sharing of information in ASEAN-WEN on hotspots of illegal trade in Southeast Asia, cross-bor-der cooperation among ASEAN-WEN Member agencies and inter-regional-cooperation on specific CITES issues and Proposals for CITES COP 16 in

of the seminar and result-ing accord. The Royal Thai Government through Dep-uty Prime Minister Chalerm Ubamrung highlighted the role of ASEAN-WEN and their national Thai-WEN (Thailand Wildlife Enforce-ment Network) stressing that in 2005, Thailand took

the lead in pursuing the es-tablishment of the regional ASEAN Wildlife Enforce-ment Network in the South-east Asian region as an im-portant step to improve law enforcement in the region through better networking nationally and regionally, and adding that Environ-

mental Crime has become a critical issue and threat to the security and welfare of the global community, requiring more concerted and committed efforts from different government and non-government sectors and stronger political will by governments.

2012 in Thailand, and exchange of in-formation and intelligence in ASEAN. The ad hoc meeting also met with the representative of the UN University-developed WEMS or Wildlife Enforce-ment Monitoring System to explore national or regional use of this plat-form.


ASEAN-WEN SPECIAL SECTION

Exchange meetings connect south and Southeast Asian regional efforts to fi ght wildlife crime

A customs offi cer at the Suvarnabhumi Airport shows a SA-WEN offi cer seized contraband and demonstrates new smuggling technique used by wildlife traffi ckers.

Members of the new South Asia Wildlife

Enforcement Network (SA-WEN) visited their counter-parts at the ASEAN Wild-life Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) in January 2012, bringing together the world’s two largest law enforcement efforts dedi-cated to stopping the il-legal wildlife trade for the first time.

Two members of SA-WEN’s Secretariat in Ne-pal are participating in a

three-day observer trip to Bangkok, hosted by ASEAN-WEN’s Program Coordination Unit (PCU). The visit provides an im-portant opportunity to ex-change best practices and improve cooperation in the front-line battle each network is waging against wildlife traffickers in their region. The Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking Pro-gram (ARREST) Program, implemented by FREELAND

Foundation, is sponsoring the visit.

“South Asia and South-east Asia are both crucial regions in the global effort to stop the poaching and trafficking of endangered species, including tigers, elephants and rhinos,” said ARREST Senior Program Officer OnkuriMajumdar. “Law enforcement from both region’s have differ-ent strengths and experi-ences to contribute, and exchanges like this will help

strengthen Asia’s overall re-sponse to wildlife crime.”

ASEAN-WEN was the world’s first regional wild-life enforcement network, started in 2006. ASEAN-WEN’s success in strength-ening enforcement and bringing down major wild-life traffickers has spurred the development of sev-eral other regional networks around the world using it as a model, including the re-cently launched SA-WEN. As part of the visit, SA-WEN is also meeting with numer-ous agencies working with ASEAN-WEN in Thailand, including Thailand’s nation-al wildlife crime task force: Thai-WEN, Royal Thai Cus-toms, and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

“As a young network in South Asia, we are keen to learn more about ASEAN-WEN and its na-tional task forces, particu-larly here in Thailand,” said SA-WEN Chief Enforce-ment Coordinator Krishna Archarya,“Thai-WEN shows that national commitments are essential for the suc-cess of a regional enforce-ment network. Interagency coordination should always be a cornerstone of en-forcement work. Wildlife criminals are organized, and the enforcement com-munity should be too. ASEAN-WEN’s regional and national interagency net-work is a good model and SAWEN is proud to benefit from this exchange.”

ARREST is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and coordinates with ASEAN-WEN and SA-WEN.

BusinessMirrorInitiating little activities with extraordinary impacts

Media Category Champion: 3rd Place Nominated by: Mr. Joel Paredes, President, Initiatives for Farm Advocacy and Resource Management

3rdPLACE

Stocks, economic indica-tors, insurance, trade

and fi nance – these are the usual topics headlining busi-ness papers. Because of this, many editors do not see how biodiversity fi ts into their pages.

With BusinessMirror, a Philippines-based daily newspaper which targets business people and poli-cymakers, biodiversity is considered a crucial busi-ness issue. Bringing out the business angle in biodiver-sity issues, the newspaper features stories on the eco-nomic value of biodiversity, the impact of biodiversity loss on livelihood, as well as the equitable sharing of bio-logical resources.

“The BusinessMirror’s editorial policy to give premi-um attention to biodiversity stories has been valuable and effective in allowing its readers to appreciate and understand how biodiversity loss impacts on health; how

progress affects biodiversity; the economic value of bio-diversity; and how biodiver-sity could mitigate climate change, among others,” Mr. Joel Paredes, president of the Initiatives for Farm Ad-vocacy and Resource Man-agement, said.

Asked what inspired the paper to give a special fo-cus on biodiversity, Ms. Lyn Resurreccion, Business-Mirror’s science editor and president of the Philippine Science Journalists’ Asso-ciation, Inc., said “The paper appreciates the importance of biodiversity conservation because it sees it as not just a concern of scientists and environmentalists; rather, biodiversity is an anchor for the economy – supporting agriculture, pharmaceuti-cals, business and ecotour-

ism, among others. Thus, the newspaper supports the conservation and protection of biodiversity by publish-ing across all sections and pages, and by uploading also in its web site, articles that tackle the issues and problems, solutions to these and initiatives on biodiversity conservation.”

Making Biodiversity a ‘Sexy’ Topic

Its effort to report on bio-diversity, however, is not without challenges. “When we started focusing on bio-diversity issues, we faced the unique challenge of making it a ‘sexy’ topic, which could hook readers and generate public support. Our report-ers and editors also had to be constantly encouraged to embrace the subject and ap-

“In much the same way that BusinessMirror made a commitment when its fi rst issue came out to present the public with a ‘broader look at today’s business,’ BusinessMirror is committed to promote biodiversity conservation through its day-to-day reportage as well as special reports, through its evaluation and presentation of stories across all sections, and through its interface with our sister media outlets (radio, online). We believe that biodiversity as a subject doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s part and parcel of much of everyday life, especially those relating to our business constituencies. You could say that we continually seek to promote biodiversity as no less than the business of living.”

– Lourdes Molina- Fernandez,

Editor in Chief, BusinessMirror

preciate the seamless con-nection between biodiversity, climate change and the very stake of human survival. It’s not exactly a simple topic to handle; some biodiversity-related issues are complex and can’t be written simplis-tically, or without careful re-search and extensive inter-views with multidisciplinary experts,” Ms. Resurreccion said. BusinessMirror editors


SPECIAL SECTION ASEAN Champions of Biodiversity

SPECIAL SECTION

ASAPHIL-UPPromoting green architecture

Youth Category Champion: 3rd Place Nominated by: Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim, Director, Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippines

3rdPLACE

Over recent years, green architecture has become

a buzzword among property owners and developers. True advocates of this movement equate green architecture with sustainability. For them, it involves construction de-signs that are energy effi cient and environmentally sensi-tive.

In the Philippines, a group of university students are us-ing the concept of green ar-chitecture in their campaign to promote wetlands con-servation. Known as criti-cally important ecosystems, wetlands provide signifi cant ecological, economic and social benefi ts. Wetlands in the ASEAN region, however, are under extreme pressure from human activities such as urban expansion, wet-lands conversion and pollu-tion.

Conserving WetlandsTo contribute to wetlands

conservation, the Architec-tural Students’ Association of the Philippines – Univer-sity of the Philippines Dili-man Chapter (ASAPhil-UP) joined hands with the So-ciety for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands, Inc. (SCPW) in 2005 for a design competition dubbed “De-signing the Lumban Delta as an Ecotourism Site.” The

pioneering design contest sought to create awareness among college students on sustainability in the fi elds of architecture, tourism, and the environment.

The winning entries were turned over to the Munici-

“ASAPhil-UP aims to help raise awareness on the conservation of natural resources through programs and projects promoting sustainable architecture. Through the years, ASAPhil has conducted two design competitions that were geared towards educating the youth on biodiversity conservation and wise use of wetlands. The organization currently takes an active stance towards the development of managed forestry in the Philippines in the vision of a

harmonious natural and built environment.”

– Mary Grace Montemayor, Project Manager for Wetland Center Design Projects, ASAPHIL-UP

pality of Lumban for imple-mentation. By promoting the Lumban Delta as an eco-tourism site, it is expected that there will be an increase in economic activity in its catchment area, alleviating the local inhabitants’ poverty


Architecture students present their plan for the Candaba Wetlands Center.

and increasing the capabil-ity of the community to help preserve, protect, conserve, sustain and limit stress on the catchment area.

In 2009, ASAPhil-UP and SCPW conducted another contest, the Candaba Wet-lands Center Design Com-petition, to provide a venue for Filipino architecture stu-dents to showcase their ar-chitectural talents while con-tributing to the greater cause of advocating the wise use of wetlands.

The winning design for the wetlands center will be implemented in 2011. Envi-sioned to be an educational gateway to the Candaba Marsh in Pampanga, Philip-pines, the Candaba Wet-lands Center will rise at the edge of a 3,000-hectare system of freshwater marsh-es that is a major staging ground for thousands of mi-gratory birds.

Ms. Stanie Soriano, manager of the Philippine Convention and Visitors’ Corporation of the Tour-ism Department, lauded the students’ initiative, say-

ing the wetlands center will help boost ecotourism by promoting the Candaba Wetlands as a premiere destination for bird watch-ing.

Young Architects Committing to Conservation

According to Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim, director of the Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Protected Ar-eas and Wildlife Bureau, the design contest shows the commitment of the archi-tectural profession to natu-ral resources conservation. “ASAPhil-UP deserves to be the considered an ASEAN Champion of Biodiversity because of the relevance of its projects to biodiversity conservation, its innova-tions in integrating activities to their academic course, and the commitment of the organization that resulted in increasing the awareness on biodiversity conservation of more than 300 architecture students and professors,” she said.


SPECIAL SECTION


Chevron Philippines IncorporatedPromoting healthy marine ecosystems

Business Category Champion: 3rd Place Nominated by: Mr. Buenaventura Maata, Jr., National Director, Project Seahorse Foundation for Marine Conservation, Inc.

3rdPLACE

Did you know that the Philippines is home to

the only double barrier reef in Southeast Asia? Danajon Bank, which straddles the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Southern Leyte, is one of the world’s six double barrier reefs – very rare geological phenomena built by coral growth.

A known breeding area for fish, Danajon Bank is the main source of food and livelihood for many commu-nities living along its coast-lines. It also protects near-by islands from typhoons and storms. Like many rich marine ecosystems, how-ever, Danajon is a target of illegal fishers. This poses a significant threat to the lives of thousands of people who depend on the area’s bounty.

To save the Danajon Bank, Chevron Philippines, Inc. (CPI), marketer of Cal-tex brand of quality fuel and lubricants, joined hands with the Project Seahorse Foundation for Marine Con-servation, Inc. in 2007 to establish the “Sustainable Marine Protected Areas as Catalysts to Enhancing Inter-Sectoral Collabora-tion on Marine Resource Conservation in Danajon

“Protecting people and the environment is a core value at Chevron that underlies the work we do to conserve biodiversity in association with our projects and operations. A healthy ecosystem impacts Chevron’s business in two ways: fi rst, it allows an environment that supports the drawing and creation of energy from nature in a sustainable and respectful way and; second, providing for the well-being and progress of local communities will ultimately contribute to the health of the

economy. Biodiversity is integrated into our business decision-making and management through our Operational Excellence (OE) management system. Biodiversity projects will always be part of how Chevron operates.”

– Mr. Jim Meynink, Country Chairman,

Chevron Philippines Inc.

A diver explores the marine sanctuary.

Double Barrier Coral Reef.” Also known as Project Seahorse, the initiative re-sulted in the creation of the Minantaw Marine Park and Sanctuary (MMPS), a pio-neering 214.6-hectare in-novative multi-use marine zone. MMPS encompasses a fishing zone, an ecologi-cal seaweed farming zone, an ecologically sustainable use zone, and a 50-hectare strictly no-take zone.

The project focuses on community organizing, ca-pacity building, and the es-tablishment, monitoring and maintenance of the sanctu-ary. Environmental educa-tion is also a key project component.

Project Seahorse’s strength lies on the part-nerships it has generated among the local govern-ment, the community sur-rounding Danajon, and the business sector. Key stake-holders such as the City Government of Lapu-Lapu, Barangay Caubian, and the

United Fishers of Caubian or NAMACA are active partici-pants in the project’s imple-mentation. Inspired by the commitment of CPI and the local government unit, 21 fi shing communities formed a regional fi shers’ alliance in Danajon Bank. Known as KAMADA, the alliance now helps other fi shing com-munities establish their own marine protected areas.

According to Angelie C. Nellas, senior biologist of Project Seahorse Founda-

tion for Marine Conserva-tion, “since the creation of the sanctuary, local fish-erfolk organizations, fish wardens and village leaders observed the fish popula-tion increasing inside the MMPS. Bird species that disappeared years ago are coming back and flocking near pumpboat docking ar-eas. Barracudas and sting-rays have started to appear every afternoon.”

Apart from drastically reducing the number of ille-

gal fishers, the project has encouraged the communi-ties near Danajon to take responsibility in protecting their environment. The resi-dents of Caubian, for ex-ample, now understand the value of the marine sanctu-ary. This understanding re-sulted in greater participa-tion in patrolling and other community activities.

For these achievements, the Caltex-Project Sea-horse Foundation bagged the “Most Promising Cor-porate Social Responsi-bility” award at the 2009 CSR Excellence Awards of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philip-pines. The partnership also received the prize in the Environment category of the 45th Anvil Awards. The Anvil is the symbol of ex-cellence in public relations in the Philippines, awarded by a distinguished multi-sectoral jury to outstanding public relations programs and tools.


SPECIAL SECTION

Project Seahorse’s guard house and research station at the Minantaw Marine Park and Sanctuary

FEATURE


World Wetlands Day (February 2)

Save wetlands with sustainable tourism Lakes, rivers, mangroves,

coral reefs and other wetlands have long been the cornerstone of human-ity, providing the necessary physical, cultural and spiri-tual sustenance to ensure the survival of people and communities. Today, how-ever, threats such as pol-lution, habitat destruction, siltation, and encroach-ment for business and hu-man settlement, among others, have caused the widespread degradation of these important and fragile ecosystems.

Wetlands play a vital role as they provide fundamental ecological services – they-provide food and clean wa-ter; control erosion; regulate water regimes and climate; maintain biodiversity, as well as constitute a resource of great economic, scientifi c, cultural, and recreational value for the community.The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands seeks to bring at-tention to the sustainable and wise use of wetlands by spearheading the global cel-

ebration of World Wetlands Day each year on February 2, which marks the signing of the convention.

World Wetlands Day is an opportunity for govern-ments and conservation-ists to bring attention to the plight of wetlands and urge cooperation to ensure their protection. The theme for World Wetlands Day 2012 is Wetlands and Tourism, which highlights the natural beauty and biodiversity of wetlands as ideal locations for tourism. Sustainable tourism is increasingly be-

coming a significant funding resource for the conserva-tion of many of the world’s protected areas. Millions of people pour tourism dollars into trips to wetland areas, and sustainable tourism, or tourism that protects the environment, encompasses environment-friendly servic-es, and supports the local economy while providing a pleasurable experience to visitors, may provide the long-term solution to ensur-ing wetland health and local livelihoods.

According to Rodrigo U. Fuentes, executive direc-tor of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, there are a number of significant wet-land areas in ASEAN Heri-tage Parks (AHPs) that are already prime areas for sus-tainable ecotourism.

Tasek Merimbun Heri-tage Park in Brunei Darus-salam features the black Tasek Merimbun Lake, the largest lake in the country. The lake harbors a wealth of biodiversity, and is black because a major segment

of water that flows into the lake passes through peat swamp forest.

In Malaysia, visitors can enjoy boat rides through Taman Negara National Park, which also has a sanctuary for the endan-gered kelah fish (Malaysian mahseer).

In Myanmar, the Indaw-gyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary has the largest inland lake in Southeast Asia, while the wetland at Inle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary is so closely en-twined with the local com-munity that they have cre-ated a unique agricultural system with floating islands planted with tomatoes, cu-cumber, cabbage, peas, beans and eggplant.

In the Philippines, a num-ber of marshlands such as the Candaba Wetlands Bird Sanctuary and Agu-san Marsh Wildlife Sanc-tuary are havens for local and migratory birds. Agu-san Marsh is also recently known for the capture of a massive 21-foot, 2,370-pound crocodile. Among the country’s AHPs, Mt. Apo Natural Parkprotects several mountain lakes-named Agco,Venado, Ma-ag and Jordan.

Wetland tourism benefits both people and wildlife by creating stronger econo-mies, sustainable liveli-hoods, healthy people and thriving ecosystems. Cul-tural aspects of wetlands also highlight the impor-tance of wetlands and add value to visitor experience. Participation in sustainable tourism to wetlands thus saves the environment, supports economic growth, and protects traditional cul-tures.

For more information on World Wetlands Day 2012, log on to www.ramsar.org.

Photo by Sahlee Bugna-Barrer

The Tasek Merimbun Heritage Park in Brunei Darussalam


Wetlands, as one of the most biologically pro-

ductive natural ecosystems, are comparable to coral reefs in vibrancy. These are areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, per-manent or temporary, with water that is static or flow-ing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water, the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters.

Wetlands are areas where water primarily controls the environment and its as-sociated flora and fauna. They serve as a habitat for myriad plants and animals, including many endangered and threatened species. The presence or absence of water in wetlands during seasonal changes impacts considerably on the life cycle of native organisms. Scientists now realize the value of this ecosystem in moderating global climate, as it naturally stores carbon within plant communities and the soil.

Due to an increasing awareness and under-

standing of the wetlands’ multiple roles and benefits to humanity, national and global initiatives have been intensified to restore the lost or degraded hydro-biological functions of wet-lands. The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention) of 1971 has set the stage for globally recognizing the value of the wetlands ecosystem. The Ramsar Convention is “an intergovernmental treaty that embodies the com-mitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their Wetlands of International Importance and to plan for the wise use, or sustainable use, of all of the wetlands in their territories.”

In the ASEAN region, eight of the ten member states are parties to the Ramsar Convention and have given due recognition to the special attributes of wetlands. From 26 Ramsar sites in 2005, three more wetlands from Malaysia and Indonesia were added to

the list. As of 2008, Ramsar sites within the ASEAN Member States numbered up to 29, with a total area of 13,204 square kilome-ters. Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines are the top three countries with the most number of Ramsar sites in the region. In terms of total area, however, In-donesia has the largest, at 6,565 square kilometers; followed by Thailand with 3,706 square kilometers; and Malaysia with 1,342 square kilometers.

Through the years, the establishment of Ramsar sites has been sporadic. Southeast Asia began es-tablishing Ramsar sites from a total of 120 square kilometers in 1988 to 1,627 square kilometers in 1992. A lull in establishing new sites was experienced from 1995 to 1998, dur-ing which only a mere five square kilometers were ad-ditionally recognized. From 1999 to 2008, Southeast Asia increased its Ramsar sites to 29, covering a to-tal of 13,000 square kilo-meters.

FEATURE

Status of wetlands in the ASEAN region

Wetlands in the ASEAN region are under extreme pressure by factors origi-nating from human activi-ties. Urban expansion, wet-lands conversion, pollution, sedimentation and siltation are among the most com-mon factors affecting wet-land ecosystems.

Global warming and cli-mate change have become the immediate global threat. Changing climate patterns have reduced rainfall in many wetlands, resulting to lower water levels, even to the point of parchment of some areas. Other areas experience excessive rain-fall, resulting to higher water levels and fl ooding. Either way, the life cycles and re-productive patterns of many organisms are affected. In higher latitudes in Asia, the migration of avifauna has been commencing unchar-acteristically earlier, and the early onset of reproduction has likewise been observed. The timing of the nesting season vis-à-vis the period of food availability is also becoming a problem for more and more species.

Still, the largest threat to the resilience of intertidal wetlands to climate change is the presence of barriers that would prevent its land-ward migration. Barriers to the landward migration of intertidal communities may be imposed by natural fea-tures (e.g., steep slopes). However, urbanization, ag-riculture, and other human activities that build berms, bunds, seawalls and roads on coastal plains impose significant threats on inter-tidal communities such as mangroves, salt marshes and salt flats. Barriers also reduce connectivity be-tween ecosystems and overall productivity.

By Dr. Filiberto Pollisco, Jr.

The Candaba Wetlands in the Philippines Photo courtesy of ASAPHIL-UP

FEATURE


By Dr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias Executive Secretary Convention on Biological Diversity

This International Wom-en’s Day is one of in-

spiration and celebration. This day serves to connect women from all walks of life in all parts of the world.

However, according to some estimates, women represent 70 percent of the world’s poor. These women are particularly dependent

International Women’s Day (March 8)

Empower rural women – End hunger and poverty

on biodiversity for their live-lihoods, and in some cases, their survival. This year’s theme “Empower Rural Women – End Hunger and Poverty” is particularly rel-evant to the first and third Millennium Development Goals which call for the eradication of extreme hun-ger and poverty as well as the promotion of gender equality and empowerment. This cannot be done with-out special attention to the world`s biodiversity without which we would all be eco-nomically, socially and cul-turally poorer.

The current rate of biodi-versity loss is severe. So se-vere in fact that we are ex-acerbating the detrimental impacts of climate change and risk initiating further conflicts over limited natural resources and accelerating widespread poverty. The Convention on Biological Diversity is strongly com-mitted to recognizing and

promoting the integral yet distinct roles that women and men play in conserv-ing, sustainably using, and sharing biodiversity. For ex-ample, the Convention has recognized the vital role of women in its preamble, and the Conference of the Par-ties has adopted a Gender Action Plan, included wom-en’s needs into the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, em-phasized the importance of mainstreaming gender into all the programs of work under the Convention, and called for the full support of women in the implementa-tion of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. Additionally, the Conference of the Parties has promoted national-level biodiversity management by request-ing that gender be main-streamed into Parties’ na-tional biodiversity strategies and action plans.

In December 2011, the first Expert Meeting on Bio-

diversity for Poverty Eradi-cation and Development was held in Dehradun, In-dia. This Expert Group pro-duced recommendations on the integration, valua-tion, capacity development, and monitoring of how to mainstream biodiversity and ecosystem services into poverty eradication and development process-es. One of the conclusions of the Expert Group was that the Convention pro-cess needs to ensure that women,indigenous and lo-cal communities, and the poor and vulnerable are able to understand as well as benefit from initiatives for conserving, using and valuing biodiversity.

As the world celebrates this year’s International Women’s Day, we at the Convention Secretariat are proud to be doing our part in ensuring that this goal will be met and that all citi-zens of the planet, without exception, can benefit from biodiversity and contribute to a sustainable future.

I wish all women of the world a memorable and meaningful celebration of this International Women’s Day.

Photo courtesy of Green Community


FEATURE

By Ban Ki-moon Secretary-GeneralUnited Nations

Over the coming de-cades, feeding a grow-

ing global population and ensuring food and nutrition security for all will depend on increasing food produc-tion. This, in turn, means ensuring the sustainable use of our most critical finite resource – water.

The theme of this year’s World Water Day is water and food security. Agri-culture is by far the main user of freshwater. Unless we increase our capacity to use water wisely in ag-riculture, we will fail to end

World Water Day (March 22)

Water and food securityhunger and we will open the door to a range of other ills, including drought, famine and political instability.

In many parts of the world, water scarcity is increasing and rates of growth in agricultural pro-duction have been slowing. At the same time, climate change is exacerbating risk and unpredictability for farmers, especially for poor farmers in low-income countries who are the most vulnerable and the least able to adapt.

These interlinked chal-lenges are increasing competition between com-munities and countries for scarce water resources, aggravating old security di-

lemmas, creating new ones and hampering the achieve-ment of the fundamental human rights to food, water and sanitation. With nearly 1 billion people hungry and some 800 million still lacking a safe supply of freshwater, there is much we must do to strengthen the founda-tions of local, national, and global stability.

Guaranteeing sustainable food and water security for

all will require the full engage-ment of all sectors and ac-tors. It will entail transferring appropriate water technolo-gies, empowering small food producers and conserving essential ecosystem servic-es. It will require policies that promote water rights for all, stronger regulatory capacity and gender equality. Invest-ments in water infrastructure, rural development and water resource management will be essential.

We should all be encour-aged by the renewed politi-cal interest in food security, as evidenced by the high priority given to this issue by the agendas of the G8 and G20, the emphasis on the nexus of food, water and energy in the report of my Global Sustainability Panel, and the growing number of countries pledging to Scale Up Nutrition.

On this World Water Day, I urge all partners to fully use the opportunity pro-vided by the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. In Rio, we need to connect the dots between water security and food and nutrition security in the context of a green economy. Water will play a central role in creating the future we want.

Check out our website for information materials on biodiversity conservation in ASEAN! The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity produces a number of public awareness materials on biodiversity in the region, including the quarterly newsmagazine ASEAN Biodiversity, as well as profi les of ASEAN Heritage Parks and endangered species.

Proceedings on workshops organized by ACB focusing on issues such as marine gapanalysis, multilateral environmental agreements, and business and biodiversity, among others are already available. The Policy Brief Series focuses on ASEAN actions and recommendations on issues such as community conserved areas, ecotourism, and invasive alien species.

Visitors can access the Biodiversity Information Sharing Service (BISS) to check species lists and protected area network data in ASEAN. Links to biodiversity information in other ASEAN Member States can be accessed here as well.

ACB has also produced videos on ACB and its work in ASEAN, as well as the values and the need to protect our treasured natural resources.

For more information log on to www.aseanbiodiversity.org.

Biodiversity information at your fi ngertips!

Photo by Charlie Batin


FEATURE

By Leslie Ann Jose-Castillo

Earth Day (April 22)

Mobilize the earth

People all over celebrate Earth Day every April 22.

But did you know how this global celebration started?

Forty-three years ago in 1969, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin had a light bulb moment after witnessing how the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California rav-aged the environment. He thought of holding a “na-tional teach-in on the en-vironment” for the national media. According to Earth Day Network, Nelson “real-ized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerg-ing public consciousness about air and water pollu-tion, it would force environ-mental protection onto the national political agenda.”

Armed with his bright idea and wide network of friends, allies, and like-minded individuals, he led over 20 million Americans marching to the streets to demonstrate for a healthy,

sustainable environment on April 22, 1970. The mas-sive protest, the Earth Day Network said, “achieved a rare political alignment, en-listing support from Repub-licans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmen-tal Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and En-dangered Species Acts.

By 1990, the Earth Day movement became viral. More than 200 million peo-ple in 141 countries par-ticipated in the global cam-

paign. Earth Day 1990 shored up re-cycling efforts, pav-ing the way for the 1992 United Na-tions Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Today, Earth Day is one of the most popular global en-

vironmental celebrations that concerned organiza-tions and individuals look forward to year after year. For Earth Day 2012, more than one billion people around the globe are ex-pected to participate in the campaign dubbed “Mobilize the Earth.” “The Earth Day 2012 campaign is designed to provide people with the opportunity to unite their voices in a call for a sus-tainable future and direct them toward quantifiable outcomes, using vehicles such as petitions, and the Billion Acts of Green cam-paign,” said the Earth Day Network.

According to the group, “Earth Day 2012 will act as a launch pad for growing the environmental movement and will put forth a bold dec-laration demanding imme-diate action to secure Re-newable Energy for All and a sustainable future for our planet. The movement will be comprised of individuals of every age from all corners of the Earth, and will call upon local, national, and in-ternational leaders to put an end to fossil fuel subsidies, embrace renewable energy technology, improve energy effi ciency, and make energy universally accessible.”

In the ASEAN region, a good number of groups and individuals are contribut-ing their share in the global campaign of conserving mother earth. With South-east Asia being a biodiver-sity-rich region, some ac-tivities have been focused on conserving flora, fauna, and their habitats.

Photo courtesy of Palawan Conservation Society


FEATUREBrunei Darussalam Princess Rashidah Young Nature Scientist Award

The Princess Rashidah Young Nature Scientist Award (PRYNSA) was launched in 1997 to provide secondary school students an opportunity to experience close con-tact with nature. It is a project jointly implemented by the Forestry Department, the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, and Brunei Shell Petroleum Sdn Bhd, with the Princess Hajah Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah as patron. Every year, organizers invite secondary school students to submit research proposals that inculcate love for the forest and the natural environment among the young generation. One is chosen as the awardee. PRYNSA is more than just a mere competition. It is seen as a means of boosting the students’ competence to become science-based professionals, who will eventually lead their country in conservation efforts.

Indonesia Sahabat Alam

Sahabat Alam or “Friends of the Nature” is an educational program and action for young people designed specifically to enhance their love of nature and their environment. The

promotion of awareness and commitment of youth to love nature and the mobilization of environmental actions related to biodiversity form part of founder Adeline Tiffanie Suwa-na’s goals and commitments. Activities of Sahabat Alam include planting coral reefs, freeing hawksbill turtle (Eret-mochelys imbricata), breeding fish, planting mangroves, promoting ecotourism, cleaning up marine debris, planting native Indonesian plants, freeing native Indonesian birds, conserving butterflies, organizing biodiversity exhibitions, producing biodiversity films and conducting school semi-nars on biodiversity conservation.

Lao PDR Community Outreach and Conservation Awareness Program

In Lao PDR (Laos), the Watershed Management and Pro-tection Authority (WMPA) conducts its Community Out-reach and Conservation Awareness Program at Nakai Nam Theun National Protected Area. The WMPA staff, with the help of the village headmen, discuss with the village folks ways to improve conservation methods in the protected area. To make the learning process interactive and informa-tive, games, demonstrations and role playing are applied. Colorful and easy-to-understand posters and brochures are distributed to people about key species found in the area and the importance of conserving them. They also have a school education program where children are encouraged to learn about biodiversity at an early age so that they can grow up to be protectors of the environment.

Philippines Dalaw-Turo program

The Dalaw-Turo (Visit and Teach) Program in the Philip-pines illustrates how biodiversity education works in the non-formal setting. Launched in 1989 by the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Pro-tected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (DENR-PAWB) as an in-formation, education and communication tool, Dalaw-Turo teaches various stakeholders, particularly upland dwellers about the need to conserve biodiversity. The program uses street theater, creative workshops, exhibits, games, and ecological tours to stimulate creative thought and moti-vate learners to act on environmental issues. Trainers from DENR-PAWB conduct school and community extension

Young nature scientists and their PRYNSA award

Lao children perform a native dance

Sahabat Alam founder Adeline Suwana plants mangroves with volunteers


FEATURE

activities; train other prospective trainers; and distribute IEC materials to forest occupants, local leaders, students and teachers.

Singapore TeamSeagrass

TeamSeagrass is a volunteer-based monitoring program established in November 2006 and employs methods es-tablished by Seagrass-Watch, a global scientific, non-de-structive, seagrass assessment and monitoring program. It is a partnership activity among the National Parks Board (NParks), Seagrass-Watch, Schering-Plough, Raffles Girls’ School, Ria Tan and Siti Maryam Yaakub. TeamSeagrass volunteers come from all walks of life, mostly young working adults caring for Singapore’s intertidal habitats. The team regularly monitors seagrass sites at Chek Jawa Wetlands, Pulau Semakau, Cyrene Reef and Tanjong Rimau on Sentosa, gathering data that will help better understand and manage Singapore’s seagrass meadows. In addition to monitoring, the Team has also ventured into Outreach and Public Awareness and has managed to in-crease the knowledge and awareness of seagrass habitats and their importance through various mediums such as exhibiting at local, regional and international roadshows and workshops.

Thailand Sirinath Rajini MangroveEcosystem Leaning Center

The Sirinath Rajini Mangrove Ecosystem Learning Center was built by PTT Public Company over a once-abandoned shrimp farm that has been turned into a lush mangrove area. At the learning center, visitors can discover the story of how the area was revitalized. A one-kilometer long natural trail enables visitors and the local community to learn about the importance of mangroves. Visitors learn mangrove management through lectures, study tours, in-ternational forums, interactive exhibits, and IEC materials. PTT has also joined hands with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature to empower the Sirinath Rajini community committee to manage the area’s resources, share the lessons learned from rehabilitating the man-grove, and develop biodiversity site-specific management. The officers and staff of the mangrove learning center also share their know-how on mangrove management through lectures, study tours and international forums.

Bring Team and Seagrass together

ASEAN Centre for Bio-diversity executive director Rodrigo U. Fuentes lauds the people behind these projects. “These groups and individuals are at the forefront of contributing their share for the billion acts of green campaign un-der the Earth Day banner. It is our hope that they will inspire more people to take action now, especially in the effort to conserve biodiver-sity – the web of life.”

“Unfortunately,” Fuen-tes said, “not many people know what biodiversity means exactly. Even fewer grasp its significance es-pecially now that human beings are becoming in-creasingly cut off from na-ture. As a result, the major-ity of the population does

not appreciate the fact that biodiversity is their ul-timate source of well-being – the provider of their food, medicine, fresh air and water, lumber for shelter, as well as livelihood. This estrangement from nature makes it difficult for people to see the dangers inher-ent in the ongoing loss of biodiversity.”

He urged the public to support the Earth Day cel-ebration by performing simple acts that could go a long way in conserving bio-diversity. “A key step is to mobilize all relevant stake-holders to address the pri-mary drivers of biodiversity loss,” Fuentes said.

Know more about Earth Day at http://www.earth-day.org.

Dalaw-Turo volunteers teach Filipino students about biodiversity conservation through interactive activities.

Young volunteers help plant mangroves


FEATURE

World Malaria Day (April 25)

Invest in biodiversity and keep malaria at bay

Malaria, a disease that is part of human history,

unfortunately continues to remain prevalent in the world. In 2010, about 3.3 billion people - almost half of the world’s population - were at risk of malaria. Ev-ery year, this leads to about 216 million malaria cases and an estimated 655,000 deaths. People living in the poorest countries are the most vulnerable.

April 25 marks World Malaria Day and was es-tablished to recognize the global effort to provide ef-fective control of malaria. It also provides an opportuni-ty for affected countries to learn from each other’s ex-periences and support each other’s efforts, create new partnerships, and show-case scientific advances in the fight against malaria. The theme for World Malaria Day 2012 – Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malar-ia – calls for greater invest-ments in malaria control as

this has created a momen-tum and led to remarkable decreases in malaria cases around the globe.

Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodi-um, which is transmitted via the bites of infected Anoph-elesmosquitoes. In the hu-man body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells.Transmission also depends on climatic conditions that may affect the number and survival of mosquitoes, such as rainfall patterns, temper-ature and humidity. In many places, transmission is sea-sonal, with the peak during and just after the rainy sea-

son. Malaria epidemics can occur when climate and other conditions suddenly favor transmission in areas where people have little or no immunity to malaria.

Malaria control will thus benefit from investments in biodiversity conserva-tion. Widespread changes to terrestrial ecosystems have led to the reemergen-ceof a number of infectious diseases such as malaria. A number of studies have shown the interrelation be-tween ecosystem changes and diseases, and spe-cifically the correlation be-tween forest quality and the incidence of malaria.

First, deforestation changes the ecology of a disease vector and its op-tions for hosts. For exam-ple, cleared lands are gen-erally more sunlit and prone to the formation of puddles with more neutral pH, which can favor specific anoph-eline larvae development. Second, deforestation can

negatively impact biodiver-sity that favor proliferation of malaria-related species by eliminating species such as dragonflies that prey on anopheles larvae. Third, deforestation can change local climate and thereby affect the spread of disease by raising ground tempera-tures, which can increase the rate at which mosqui-toes develop into adults, the frequency of their blood feeding, the rate at which parasites are acquired, and the incubation of the parasite within mosquitoes. Fourth, forest degradation is often the beginning of a variety of land use changes that may not only result in mosquito populations that have higher rates of ma-laria transmission, but may also lead to increased hu-man contact and transmis-sion. Finally, deforestation is accompanied by migra-tion that aids transmission. Not only do migrants have little previous exposure and lower natural immunity, it is difficult to administer health services to transient popu-lations.

Rodrido U. Fuentes, executive director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodi-versity, said investments in forest protection and bio-diversity conservation will contribute to reduced cas-es of malaria.

“Biodiversity conserva-tionmay not provide direct and immediate relief, but it should be considered as part of long-term solutions and cost-effective interven-tions. Governments and businesses, and the health sector must invest in biodi-versity conservation tohelp sustain malaria control ef-forts,” Director Fuentes em-phasized.


FEATURE

Unraveling the natural wonders: The 2011 Philippine Biodiversity ExpeditionBy Pamela Reblora

Though a lot of species have already been discovered through scientific explorations and studies, it is believed that 90 percent of life on the planet is yet to be known.

Though Earth is just a pinprick of a planet in the universe, it is the only known planet that supports life. Humans, the most intel-ligent form of life, have been struggling to identify other life forms through scientific explorations. The Philip-pines, being considered as one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world, has been a treasure trove of new species dis-coveries.

The 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition

Aiming to conduct the fi rst “comprehensive survey of both terrestrial and ma-rine diversity” in the Philip-pines, scientists, biologists, taxonomists, science edu-cators and students from the University of the Philip-pines (UP) and the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) conducted the 2011 Philip-pine Biodiversity Expedition which explored the forests of Mt. Makiling, Mt. Banahaw, Mt. Isarog, the freshwater of Taal Lake, the shallow wa-ters of marine ecosystems of the Verde Island Passage in Mabini and Anilao, Batangas and the deep sea around Lubang Island, Mindoro. The expedition was funded by a generous $500,000 gift from Margaret and Will Hearst III, as well as resources from the University of the Philippines.

From April 26 to June 8, 2011, the 94-member expedition team, including

a group of American and Filipino journalists, docu-mented the sites’ biodiver-sity and discovered new species. Dr. Terrence Gos-liner, Dean of the CAS, led the American team while Dr. Perry S. Ong, Director of the UP Diliman Institute of Biology and Dr. Edwino S. Fernando of the UP Los Banos College of Forestry and Natural Resources, led the Filipino contingent.

The expedition was a baptism of fire for the then newly installed administra-tion of UP President Alfredo E. Pascual, who was able to mobilize the university’s resources to be actively in-volved in undertaking this international research col-

laboration on an extremely urgent environmental issue, that of biodiversity conser-vation. The 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition is a reflection of the priorities of what the university intends to pursue in the coming years.

On February 9, 2012, Dr. Gosliner presented a follow up report on the results of the expedition at a forum held in UP Diliman. “We were inspired to conduct the study here in the Philip-pines not just because of its biological richness but also because of the enthusiasm and receptivity to conser-vation recommendations expressed by our Filipino partners,” said Dr. Gosliner.

DiscoveriesComprised of more than

7,000 islands, the Philip-pines is home to a wide variety of species. This was reaffirmed by the 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Ex-pedition with the discovery of approximately 500 new species found in rainfor-ests, coral reefs, and the ocean floor.

According to Dr. Gos-liner, among the interesting species discovered include a deep-sea, shrimp-eating shark that inflates its stom-ach with water to bulk up and scare off other preda-tors; a cicada that makes a “laughing” call; three new lobster relatives that squeeze into crevices in-

Photos courtesy of the California Academy of Sciences


FEATURE

stead of carrying shells on their backs; a worm-like pipefish that hides among colonies of soft coral; a starfish that only eats sunk-en driftwood; and a crab with needle-like teeth on its pincers.

To confirm that these species are indeed new to science, scientists will pro-ceed to the next stage of exploration, using micro-scopes and DNA sequenc-ing complete species iden-tification and ultimately to publish these results.

RealizationsThe expedition did not

just unveil new species but also validated the existence of environmental problems such as the continuous dumping of human wastes in different bodies of water

and the destruction of coral reefs caused by human ac-tivities.

According to Dr. Gos-liner, the expedition made them realize the importance of biodiversity and research, science and environmen-tal education, especially for children; connecting people to nature; individual actions; making education locally relevant; long-term sustainability versus short-term profit; partnerships; and integration of educa-tion, research, public policy and economics.

“We’re doing all these not just for the sake of knowl-edge but more importantly, for future generations. We are trying our very best to come up with best environ-mental conservation efforts so as to ensure that our

children will also experience the benefits from nature that we are enjoying now,” said Dr. Gosliner.

According to Dr. Perry Ong, “The discoveries made during this expedition reinforced the stature of the Philippines as a mega-diverse country and as the hottest of the biodiversity hotspots. The importance of taking action now can-not be overemphasized. UP as the national university is taking on this challenge head on. Lest it be forgot-ten that most of Philippine biodiversity are endemic, and thus represents part of global patrimony. The re-sponsibility of keeping them from becoming extinct lies not only with the Filipino people, though we should take the lead, but the global community as well. Thus, we appreciate all the help that we can get from the international research and conservation community such as the CAS, in part-nerships and in the spirit of mutual respect and coop-eration.”

Dr. Edwino Fernando ex-pressed his willingness to be part of future scientific explorations. “I believe that there’s still a lot to discover in the country, even in Mt. Makiling alone. We are more

than willing to participate in expeditions like this in the future. This is also a great opportunity for academic institutions to engage their students in this kind of work for them to appreciate the beauty of nature and even-tually help conserve biodi-versity,” said Dr. Fernando.

RecommendationsAfter the discoveries, the

expedition team came up with the following recom-mendations for marine con-servation: reduce marine debris and sedimentation; place more moorings at popular dive sites; enforce marine protected areas (MPAs) and increase their sizes; and establish new MPAs in unique habitats.

“It is unfortunate that Philippine forests and ma-rine ecosystems have been continuously destroyed by human activities. Protected areas should be expanded and deforestations should be stopped,” said Dr. Gos-liner.

The 2011 Philippine Bio-diversity Expedition was able to demonstrate that environmental concern can be reinforced, not just by imagining life without all these natural wonders but also by appreciating what we still have.

Shrimp-eating Shark Nudibranch Snail

Giant Pillbug

The explorers


FEATURE

Multi-billion illegal wildlife trade threatens Souheast Asia’s biodiversityBy Leslie Ann Jose-Castillo

Aviation Security person-nel seized a box con-

taining 58 pounds (26.5 kilo-grams) of Philippine pangolin or anteater meat on January 4 at the Puerto Princesa City airport. The cargo was about to be smuggled to Manila via a Cebu Pacifi c fl ight as goat meat.

The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development announced it will pursue the case against the con-signer, the buyer, and oth-ers involved in the shipment in compliance with Repub-lic Act 9147 also known as the Wildlife Resources and Conservation Act.

Also in January, airport authorities seized several boxes containing anteater scales and turtle scutes at the Puerto Princesa City air-port. The shipment, bound

for Cebu, was declared as dried fish with an estimated value of P1 million.

The two incidents form part of the spate of crimes committed against wildlife not only in the Philippines, but also in the rest of the bio-diversity-rich ASEAN region.

The ASEAN region has long been targeted by illegal wildlife traders as a hotspot in the lucrative, multi-billion dollar global trade of wild-life, in which both live and processed goods of most species are traded, ranging from tigers and elephants to rare orchids and indigenous medicinal herbs, from rare marine species to endemic reptiles and songbirds.

“The illegal wildlife trade has esoteric economic im-plications for the region, in-volving broad and complex

networks of sourcing and marketing. It engages a di-verse range of actors includ-ing rural harvesters, profes-sional hunters, and an array of traders from wholesalers to retailers, up to the fi nal consumers,” Mr. Rodrigo U. Fuentes, executive direc-tor of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), said.

While all ASEAN Member States are signatories to the Convention on Interna-tional Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the poaching, trafficking and illegal con-sumption of wildlife parts and products remain ram-pant. “The scale of illegal wildlife trade is alarming. Due to the illicit nature of the trade, it has been hard to obtain exact figures, but experts estimate the value

of illegal wildlife trade at USD10 to 20 billion annu-ally,” Fuentes.

Data from the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Net-work (ASEAN-WEN) show the rich biodiversity of Indo-nesia, Malaysia and Myan-mar as being particularly targeted. Smugglers have been frequently caught uti-lizing transport links through Thailand and Viet Nam. However, poaching, tran-sit and consumption occur in all countries in varying degrees. A significant pro-portion of wildlife trafficked through the ASEAN region is purchased by wealthy consumers from outside the region, i.e., China, Europe and the United States.

Almost all wild spe-cies, including illegally cut timber, birds, reptiles and

Pangolin

mammals, are traded in the ASEAN region. ASEAN-WEN estimates that 13,000 metric tons of turtles are shipped to China every year from ASEAN coun-tries, where approximately three-quarters of fresh-water turtle species are already considered threat-ened. Illegal wildlife traders have also exported snakes in large numbers to China from Viet Nam, resulting in an explosion of the local rat population in the latter, which subsequently affect-ed crop production.

Fuentes warns that ille-gal wildlife trade will result in massive and irrevocable biodiversity loss if left un-checked. The ASEAN-WEN cites that, “If trends con-tinue, scientists predict that 13 to 42 per cent of the region’s animal and plant species could be wiped out this century. At least half of those losses would repre-sent global extinctions.”

In June 2010, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) declared that the illegal exploitation of natural resources and the trafficking

in wildlife from Southeast Asia are disrupting fragile eco-systems and driving species to extinction.

“In the web of life, all species of animals and plants are crucial in keep-ing the ecological balance. If they suddenly become decimated from the food chain, there could be trou-ble,” warned Fuentes.

He emphasized that “ASEAN Member States must adopt effective legisla-tion on wildlife law enforce-ment, implement the laws strictly, conduct research and capacity building on conservation of species and sustainable management of biological resources, and conduct public education and information campaigns if we are to save species like the pangolin for the sur-vival of humankind.”

In the Philippines, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Protected Areas and Wild-life Bureau (DENR-PAWB) is implementing the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act which mandates that, “Any person

or persons caught in the trading of wildlife, collect-ing, hunting or possessing wildlife, their by-products and derivatives, maltreating and/or infl icting other inju-ries and transporting wildlife, will be meted with the cor-responding fi nes and pen-alties.” DENR-PAWB is the chairperson of the ASEAN-WEN for 2011-2012.

In the ASEAN region, au-thorities are strengthening inter-agency and interna-tional cooperation on law enforcement to address il-legal trading of wildlife spe-cies. The ASEAN-WEN is one of the key regional insti-tutions leading the regional response in Southeast Asia to address illicit trans-na-tional trade in protected species, which threatens to drive many endangered species to extinction and endangers public health. National efforts are also being heightened through the support by ASEAN-WEN, FREELAND Founda-tion, TRAFFIC International, and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity for continued training and capacity devel-

opment of institutions and individuals involved in com-bating this big business of illegal wildlife trade.

ACB and the ASEAN-WEN are working together to arrest illegal wildlife hunt-ing in Southeast Asia. Un-der the ACB-ASEAN-WEN collaboration, a series of capacity building activities enhanced the understand-ing by ASEAN Member States of CITES policy and helped developed national regulations and policies on wildlife trafficking, particu-larly in engaging other sec-tors and agencies outside of environment ministries.

In 2011, the United States Agency for International De-velopment (USAID)-funded ARREST (Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking) pro-gram was launched to fight trafficking in illegal wildlife in Asia in three ways: re-duce consumer demand; strengthen law enforce-ment; and strengthening regional cooperation and anti-trafficking networks. ARREST partners include the ASEAN-WEN, FREE-LAND Foundation, the ASEAN Centre for Biodi-versity, ACRES, AsiaWorks TV, Conservation Interna-tional China Program, Edu-cation for Nature Vietnam (ENV), GreenEyes China, IFAW, INTERPOL, JWT, National Geographic, MTV-Exit, Wildlife Alliance, US Department of State, US Department of Justice, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser-vice, and the U.S. Forest Service.

“Citizens of ASEAN are also encouraged to contrib-ute their share in the fight against illegal wildlife trade. Let’s stop patronizing food and accessories produced from the illegal trade, espe-cially of endangered spe-cies. Let’s also be vigilant. We can help report cases wildlife trading,” Fuentes said.


FEATURE

Photo by Hazel LaudeTiger

• Viet Nam

Tam Dao National Park is located about 70 kilometers north of Hanoi, Viet Nam. It extends 80 kilometers in the northwest and

southeast direction, bordering the provinces of Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang and Vinh Phuc. Established as a National Park in March 1996, the park covers 36,883 hectares and is one of the largest national parks in Viet Nam. It is also one of the last natural areas close to urban Hanoi, which has not been transformed into agricultural land.

Tam Dao National Park


VIET NAM

PROFILES

Photo by Sahlee Barrer


PROFILES

Situated on the northern fringe of the Red River Delta, Tam Dao National Park forms a unique ecological island, combining dense tropical rainforests with species from the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, the temperate forests of southern China and the alpine forests of the eastern Himalayas. The highest summit is Tam Dao North with an altitude of 1,592 meters. Three other peaks with beautiful scenery are Thien Thi at 1,375 meters, Thach Ban at 1,388 meters and Phu Nghia at 1,300 meters.

HabitatsThe natural forest of Tam

Dao is of two main types: lowland evergreen forest and lower montane evergreen forest. Lowland evergreen forest is distributed at elevations between 700 and 800 meters, and is heavily degraded. The diversity of tree species in this forest type is high, with the Fabaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Meliaceae, Burseraceae, Myrtaceae and Anacardiaceae families being well represented. Lower montane evergreen

forest is distributed above 800 meters. This forest type is dominated by species in the Fagaceae, Lauraceae, Magnoliaceae, Aceraceae, Theaceae, Hamamelidaceae, Sapotaceae and Ericaceae families. A number of conifer species are also present, such as Decussocarpus fl euryi, Amentotaxus argotaenia, Podocarpus imbricatus and Fokienia hodginsii. In addition to the two main forest types, Tam Dao National Park supports elfi n forest, dominated by species in the Ericaceae and Theaceae families.

WildlifeThe rich fl ora of the parks

consists of 490 species belonging to 344 genera and 130 families. Rare and valuable fl ora such as Sam bong Po mu (Fokienia hodginsii), Kim giao (Polocarpus fl euryi), Lat hoa (Chukrasia tabularis), Lim xanh (Erythrophlocum fordii), Do quyen (Rhododendron simmi), Sen mat (Madhuca pasquieri), and Thong tre (Podocarpus nerlifolius) have been recorded in Tam Dao.

The National Park is a habitat of diversified fauna, with 281 species

belonging to 80 families and 26 orders. Eleven of these species are endemic to Tam Dao National Park including the snake species Amphiesma angeli and Boiga multitempolaris, the amphibian Paramerotriton deloustali and eight species of insects. Twenty-two (22) species are endemic to North Vietnam including nine bird species, four reptiles, three amphibians and six species of insects, while six are endemic to Viet Nam (five bird species and one species of amphibian). Some of the birds that have been recorded in the park include Chinese francolin, yellow-legged buttonquail, red-headed trogon, Asian koel, Asian palm swift, Asian paradise-flycatcher, rufescent prinia, and chestnut bunting.

Conservation Programme

In 2003, over 190,000 people, belonging to six different ethnic groups, live in the immediate surroundings of the national park. These communities rely on the resources of the park as grazing land for livestock,

as well as source of firewood and bamboo, and edible and medicinal plants. They also hunt wild animals, and collect water in the area for drinking and irrigation. Balancing the needs of the community as well as the goals of conserving the wildlife resources of the park was a challenge for protected area managers. At the time, there was a lack of instruments for balancing the competing demands of local usage and government-supported efforts to develop agriculture, industry and tourism, and a lack of strategies for the sustainable protection and management of the natural resources.

A project on the Management of Tam Dao National Park and Buffer Zones was thus established with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), which would be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and relevant People’s Committees from 2003 to 2009. The project aimed to improve the management of the Tam Dao National Park; guarantee the protection and conservation of biodiversity; and enhance the livelihoods of the population living in the park’s buffer zones.

The project resulted in the introduction of more than 80 village-based resource-use plans in all provinces encompassing the park. There is also greater understanding among stakeholders of environmental and resource-conservation issues. Models for forest rehabilitation, including the re-introduction of indigenous trees, have


PROFILES

been introduced and implemented.

Tam Dao National Park is also home to the Moon Bear Rescue Center, which is operated by Animals Asia Foundation (AAF). Hailed as one of the most successful conservation stories in Viet Nam, the sanctuary is currently home to 99 sun bears and moor bears. The bears were confi scated from bile farms or voluntarily given up by pet owners. On bear farms, the animals are kept in cages with catheters in their gall bladders, allowing bile to drip into a container. The bile is then sold as a traditional medicine. Sun bears, the smallest of the bear family, and moon bears, which have a distinctive white “V” on their chests, are both threatened species. The center will eventually house 200 to 250 bears, mostly

animals that have suffered for years on bile farms.

EcotourismTam Dao is popular with

tourists since it provides a cool refuge during the warm summer months and is only an hour and a half away from Hanoi. The park is frequented by birdwatchers and popular birding routes include trails from Tam Dao town to Rung Rinh, the walk up 500 steps to the television tower above the town, and the walk through the forest from behind the park headquarters to Nung Village.

Visitors can also visit the Moon Bear Rescue Center and help support efforts to rescue endangered sun and moon bears from bile farms.

Aside from the national park, visitors can go to Tam Dao town, which was

References:

Animals Asia Foundation (www.animalsasia.org)

Birding in Vietnam (http://birdlifeindochina.org/birdlife/birdwatch/tamdao.html)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (http://www.gtz.de/en/themen/umwelt-infrastruktur/10064.htm

Vietnam Beauty (http://www.vietnam-beauty.com/top-destinations/vietnam-national-parks-a-nature-reserves/26-vietnam-national-parks-a-nature-reserves/149-tam-dao-national-park-a-unique-tourist-site.html)

Vietnam.com (http://www.vietnam.com/listing/tam-dao-national-park.html)

Vietnam National Parks (http://www.vietnamnationalparks.org/vietnam-national-parks/north-eastern-area/tam-dao-national-park.html)

originally developed as a hill station by the French colonialists in the early 20th century. In recent years, the town has been re-established as a site for tourism, and now receives thousands of domestic and foreign tourists each year. Tam Dao is nestled in a valley covering only three sq km. Attractions include a number of cafes, some villas and buildings built by French colonists, Thac Bac (the Silver Fall) and Rung Rinh peak. The town also has the Tay Thien Quoc Mau Temple (Temple of East Heaven National Mother) and several pagodas.

How to get thereTam Dao National Park

can be reached following National Road No.2 to Vinh Yen Town (Vinh Phuc Province) where you should

turn right in to National Road No.2B and go further about 13 kilometers.

Black-throated Laughingthrush Short-tailed Parrotbill

Chestnut Bulbul Moon bear

• Indonesia

In 2009, Indonesia launched Savu Sea Marine National Park, Southeast Asia’s

biggest marine park, at the World Ocean Conference in

Savu Sea Marine National Park

Manado, Sulawesi. Savu Sea is located in the province of Nusa Tenggara Timur and borders the west coast of East Timor. Covering 3.5 million hectares, the Savu Sea Marine National Park was established with a primary aim to better manage rapidly increasing pressures on cetaceans and other large marine life, to safeguard their associated habitats, and to develop sustainable fi sheries for local communities – an estimated total of 4.5 million people are dependent on the seas in this region. The initiative will also boost the representation of ‘dee-sea yet near shore’ habitats for the marine protected area (MPA) networks in the Coral Triangle.

INDONESIA


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MAY - AUGUST 2011 ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 59

HabitatsThe Savu Sea lies

at the intersection of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its deep ocean trenches (which can extend downward to more than 6,500 feet) are a highway for migrating cetaceans and turtles and are used by 14 species of whale, including the blue whale. These areas also act as nurseries and feeding grounds for whales and dolphins, which are attracted to these highly productive waters. And sea turtles surf on the exceptionally strong currents of the Indonesian throughflow to reach favored beaches for nesting.

The combination of strong currents and steep underwater cliffs make the Savu Sea ideal for these migrating endangered species. But just as importantly, they cause cold-water, nutrient-rich upwellings that serve two purposes. First, they keep the corals cool and protect them from bleaching during periods of increased water temperature. Second, the nutrients make marine habitats more productive, helping them support large populations of fish such as tuna and making the Savu Sea the “bread basket” of the Lesser Sunda.

As a result, the Savu Sea is one of the most resilient and adaptive tropical marine ecosystems in the world in terms of future climate change impacts, particularly sea temperature rise. If properly protected, the Savu Sea will become a refuge for coral reefs, large marine life and productive fi sheries amid global climate change.

Biodiversity Savu sea waters is

located in the Coral Triangle, which has the

highest coral reef and other sealife biodiversity level in the world. It includes Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and the Solomon Islands. Recorded biodiversity in the Savu Sea Marine National Park include 500 species of corals, 11 species of mangrove, 31 species of marine mammals (18 species of whale, 12 species of dolphins, one species of dugong), and six species of turtles.

Some of the sea mammals found in the Savu Sea include the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata), killer whale (Orcinus orca), short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrohynchus), Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus), pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata), spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris), rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis)

and bottlenosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). The six (out seven total) turtle species found in the marine park are the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), green turtle (Chelonia mydas), leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), loggerhead turtle (Carreta carreta), and flatback turtle (Natator depressus). Several turtle nesting beaches have been identified but further study is necessary to plan for sea turtle conservation in Savu Sea.

Other marine resources in the Savu Sea includes small pelagic fish, which mainly consists of tiny fish such as mackerels, tiny sea fish, flying fish, bloatfish, spanish mackerel, and sailfish, among others. The small pelagic fish are marketed for local consumption, regional markets and as baits for large pelagic fishing. Large pelagic fish (found mostly in deep

waters) consist of skipjack, tuna, madidihang tuna, large-eyed fish, albacore and marlin. Almost all kinds of tuna can be found in the waters of Nusa Tenggara Timur, except for northern blue-fin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) and southern blue-fin tuna (Thunnus atlanticus). Demersal fish (groups of fish living on the bottom/near the bottom of the waters) include grouper, bambangan, white pomfret, snapper, marlin, gerot-gerot fish, sea sponge, tonguefish, kapas-kapas, wangi batu and kipper.

Threats Pressures on the

environment in the Savu Sea Marine National Park include pollution, poor law enforcement, unsustainable fishery harvests to satisfy increasing demands for fish, and illegal fishing practices such as the use of explosives and cyanide. Endangered species such

Blue whale

Risso’s dolphin

Killer whale

Green Turtle

PROFILES


as whales and turtles also suffer as bycatch in fishing. These and other threats, including climate change, damage marine systems and spoil coastal habitats.

Conservation ProgrammeThe Savu Sea

Marine Protection Area Development Project was initiated by the Department of Marine and Fishery of Indonesia to develop the largest marine conservation area in the Coral Triangle. The Nature Conservancy-Savu Sea MPA Development Project (TNC-Savu Sea Project) supports the Government in its attempts to plan, develop and establish Savu Sea Marine National Park in Savu sea territory as one of the comparison location for developing the Lesser Sunda Eco-region marine conservation area network in cooperation with the East Nusa Tenggara provincial government and Tim Pengkajian, Penetapan dan Perancangan Pengelolaan Kawasan Konservasi Perairan Laut Sawu (Tim P4KKP Laut Sawu).

The German Government, through the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, is supporting the Savu Sea Marine National Park in East Nusa Tenggara in accordance with the

Indonesian government’s commitment to enlarge its marine conservation area to 20 million hectares in 2020 and to help achieve the goals of the Coral Triangle Initiative for Coral Reefs, Fishery and Food Sustainability (CTI-CFF). The German Government support is channeled through the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety’s (BMU) International Climate Change Initiative. It helped facilitate the establishment of the Savu Sea Marine National Park in May 2009 and has been instrumental in facilitating active participation and engagement of all key stakeholders in the management of the marine park - from the national government to the provincial and community levels. It also included local NGOs, community c organizations, fi shery industries, universities and other stakeholders. The project built and supported the capacity of the Tim P4KKP Laut Sawu (Team for the Study, Determination and Management Planning of the Savu Sea MPA), a multi-stakeholder forum established through a provincial government decree to support establishment and management of the marine park.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is also providing assistance in managing the reserve and is contributing to efforts to stamp out illegal practices and develop ecotourism.

EcotourismDue to the areas rich

marine biodiversity, divers from around the world flock to see the spectacular marine life of the Lesser Sundas and the Savu Sea. Surfing is also another popular activity among visitors.

In Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT), villagers from Lamalera and Lamakera on Lembata and Solor Islands respectively have a tradition of whale-fishing that dates back a hundred years. This forms part of subsistence whaling fishery (that also takes toothed whales, manta rays and dolphins) that has been allowed to continue. Subsistence whaling includes the use of traditional fishing tools (made from local materials), which can only be carried out by the local population (specifically from villages in Lamalera) where the catch is to be used for domestic needs, and not for commerce or trade. While there is great respect for traditional practices, this can also be an opportunity to introduce new wildlife ecotourism ventures.

References:

Coral Triangle Initiative (http://www.coraltriangleinitiative.org/news/german-government-supports-multi-stakeholder-participation-savu-sea-mpa)

Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/05/14/us-indonesia-marine-idUSTRE54D1T820090514)

Savu Sea Marine National Park (http://tnplautsawu.net/html/)

Stacey, Natasha; Johanna Karam; Mark G. Meekan; Samuel Pickering; and Jotham Ninef. 2012. Prospects for whale shark conservation in Eastern Indonesia through bajo traditional ecological knowledge and community-based monitoring. Conservation and Society. Vol. 10, Issue 1, Pages 63-75. (http://www.conservationandsociety.org/article.asp?issn=0972-4923;year=2012;volume=10;issue=1;spage=63;epage=75;aulast=Stacey)

The Nature Conservancy (http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/asiaandthepacific/indonesia/placesweprotect/savu-sea.xml)

This will help conserve threatened marine species as well as provide economic benefits to local communities. Development of ecotourism operations based on interactions with whale sharks could provide a potential conservation and management strategy as well as provide considerable income to local communities.

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ACB announces new Governing Board ChairDana A. Kartakusuma of Indo-nesia is the new chairperson of the ASEAN Centre for Bio-diversity’s (ACB) Governing Board, succeeding Mr. Vann Monyneath of Cambodia. Composed of the ASEAN Se-nior Officials on the Environ-ment (ASOEN), the Governing Board has overall responsibil-ity and accountability for the operations of ACB.

Mr. Kartakusuma is the as-sistant minister for economy and sustainable development and acting assistant minister for global environment of In-donesia’s Ministry of the Environment. He is the chair of ASOEN-Indonesia and the chair of the ASOEN from 2011 to 2014. Mr. Kartakusuma is also the Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) operational focal point and a member of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Govern-ing Board for the period of 2012-2013, representing the Group of Asia.

Between 1978 and 1989, he worked with the Ministry of Public Works, Directorate of Planning and Programming of the DG Water Resource Development before transferring to the Bureau for Planning, where he also served as the Sec-retary of The EIA Technical Team. From 1989 to 2006, he held various posts with the Ministry of Environment.

Mr. Kartakusuma holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), a Bachelor in Management degree from the University of Indonesia, and Master of Science degree in Environment Management from Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Collabora-tion with the University Paris XII.

CBD has new executive secretaryUnited Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon an-nounced on January 20 the appointment of Braulio Fer-reira de Souza Dias, a Brazil-ian, as Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Conven-tion on Biological Diversity, at the Assistant Secretary-General level. Mr. Dias will succeed Ahmed Djoghlaf, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his continued commitment and contribution to the Convention on Biologi-cal Diversity (CBD) in his capacity as Executive Secretary.

Mr. Dias brings to this position extensive experience in policymaking and in coordinating the implementation of biodiversity policies, programs, and projects at the national and international level. Currently the National Secretary for Biodiversity and Forests at the Brazilian Ministry of the

Environment, Mr. Dias is directly responsible for oversee-ing several multi-institution programs and the work of four institutions attached to the Ministry. He has been deeply involved with the negotiations and implementation of the CBD since its origin. He also participated, as a member of the Brazilian delegation, in the Intergovernmental Negotiat-ing Committee of the CBD.

Mr. Dias was previously a Member of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facil-ity, Vice-President of the International Union of Biological Sciences, and the Steering Committee Coordinator of the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network. He holds a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences from the Uni-versity of Brasilia and is a trained scientist, with a doctorate in zoology from the University of Edinburgh. Born in 1953, Mr. Dias is married and has one child.

GBIF has new secretaryThe new Executive Secretary of the Global Biodiversity In-formation Facility, Donald Hobern, has taken up his post and set out his vision for the direction of the or-ganization in coming years. Hobern, former director of the Atlas of Living Australia, succeeds Nicholas King as director of the GBIF Secre-tariat based in Copenhagen.

GBIF was set up by gov-ernments in 2001 to encour-age free and open access to biodiversity data, via the Internet. With a secretariat in Co-penhagen, its participants include national governments and international organizations. More than 320 million primary biodiversity records (records of the occurrence of named or-ganisms) have been mobilized via the GBIF data portal (http://data.gbif.org), from more than 9,000 datasets held by over 300 data publishers. The data are used in a variety of scien-tifi c and policy applications, including predicting the spread of invasive alien species, projecting the impacts of climate change, maintaining the genetic diversity of crops and identi-fying priority areas for conservation. GBIF Secretariat

International organizations renew alliance to conserve SE Asia’s marine biodiversityTwo international organizations have renewed their alliance to help conserve Southeast Asia’s dwindling marine biodiver-sity. The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the Part-nerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) have signed a letter of commitment (LOC) renewing their cooperation to promote the conservation and sustainable use of coastal marine biodiversity. The LOC was signed by Rodrigo Fuentes, Executive Director of ACB, and Raphael Lotilla III, Executive Director of PEMSEA.

The renewed alliance will continue the two institutions’ partnership in the areas of information exchange, capacity

Hobern

Kartakusuma

Dias

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development, policy advocacy, and public awareness. The first LOC was signed on August 27, 2009.

The first joint activity for 2012 will be ACB’s participation in the East Asian Seas Congress being organized by PEM-SEA. The congress will be held from July 9 to 13 this year in Changwon City, Republic of Korea. ACB and PEMSEA will co-convene a workshop on achieving the Aichi Biodi-versity Targets, the new global targets in reducing the rate of biodiversity loss. The Strategic Plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity, known as Aichi Targets, addresses the underlying causes of biodiversity loss through global action to reduce the pressures on biodiversity, safeguard biodiversity at all levels, enhance the benefits provided by biodiversity, and provide for capacity-building.

ACB and Myanmar hold workshop on biodiversity information managementThe ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and information management experts from Myanmar recently conducted a workshop on biodiversity information management to en-hance the country’s capacity to manage its biodiversity re-sources.

The workshop, which was held at capital city Nay Phi Taw from February 6 to 10, enabled Myanmar to enhance its capacity for the management of biodiversity clearing-house mechanism (CHM) and establishment of species and protected areas (PA) database.

Dr. Sheila Vergara, director of ACB’s biodiversity infor-mation management unit, said the workshop specifically helped Myanmar to digitize species and PA information; organize species and PA information into summaries use-ful for species and ecosystems management; map spe-cies and habitats based on available information; establish and manage Myanmar’s CHM focusing on defining roles of stakeholders, CHM managers and CHM focal points; es-

tablish and maintain its website using Joomla!; and upload contents and other website enhancements.

Participants to the workshop included CHM managers and staff, PA and park managers and staff, GIS staff and mappers, information technology staff, museum curators, staff of NGOs, and researchers from academic institutions with biodiversity data.

Asian countries act to save dying profession of taxonomy

The dying profession of taxonomy received a boost in the arm when representatives of ten ASEAN Member States and Japan met in Hanoi on March 5 and 6 to plan for a proj-ect that will enhance the taxonomic capacities of countries in Southeast Asia and East Asia.

The workshop planned the activities for the second year implementation of a project on Taxonomic Capacity Build-ing and Governance for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity being implemented by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and funded by the ASEAN-Japan Inte-gration Fund (JAIF).

The project’s inception and planning meeting coincided with a planning workshop of the East and South East Asia Biodiversity Information Initiative conducted by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan as its Secretariat. Participants were national focal points of the Global Taxonomy Initiative of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), members of the ACB-JAIF Project Steering Committee; and members of the ACB Scientific Advisory Committee.

Taxonomy is the science of naming, describing and clas-sifying plants, animals and microorganisms. The CBD has recognized that the diminishing numbers of taxonomists all over the world and the lack of capacity of countries to do taxonomic work have contributed to the failure of the global community to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss.

ASEAN holds taxonomy workshop in IndonesiaTo boost the capacity of the ten ASEAN Member States to use taxonomy as a tool to conserve and sustainably man-age biodiversity resources, ACB in partnership with Japan’s Ministry of Environment and CSC-LIPI in Bogor Indonesia, conducted a Training Workshop on Taxonomy of Terrestrial Plants on March 15 and 16 in Bogor, Indonesia.

Mr. Fuentes (seated, left) and Mr. Lotilla (seated, right) sign the LOC while Mr. Adrian Ross of PEMSEA and Ms.Clarissa Arida of ACB witness the signing.

Ms. Clarissa C. Arida, ACB director for programme development and implementation, address participants of the taxonomy workshop.

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Held at Herbarium Bogoriense, Research Centre for Biology, CSC-LIPI, the workshop was attended by repre-sentatives of governments and the academe from ASEAN Member States, Japan, China, Korea and Mongolia, with background on botany, plant ecology and related fields. Participants learned about the general biology of terrestrial plants, especially Pandans, Palms and Orchids, and ad-vanced methodologies in the areas of morphological obser-vation, collecting, processing, managing, and databasing these terrestrial plants.

The workshop was fourth in a series of activities under a project on Taxonomic Capacity Building and Governance for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity fund-ed by JAIF.

ASEAN countries to update biodiversity strategiesRepresentatives of ASEAN Member States held a three-day workshop in Tam Dao, Viet Nam on March 25-28 to learn and discuss ways to align their current National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the new global biodiversity targets.

Participants were representatives of government agen-cies, NGOs and academic institutions who are involved in updating their respective countries’ NBSAPS. The partici-pants learned about the requirements in setting new nation-al targets and indicators and gained new ideas, inspiration and opportunities for NBSAP updating from the experience of other countries in the region.

In October 2010, the Tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP10) adopted a new Strategic Plan for Biodiversity from 2011 to 2020 to enable the global community to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss, sustainably manage biodiversity re-sources, and ensure access to genetic resources and shar-ing of benefits from such natural treasures. The new global Strategic Plan has set specific targets, also known as the Aichi Targets, covering all biodiversity concerns.

To ensure that the new targets are met, the new Stra-tegic Plan asks Parties to the CBD to update their NB-SAPs with the Aichi Targets. Parties have been asked to include reporting on their adopted national targets at the CBD COP11 to be held in India in October 2012. The initial outcomes of their new national strategies will be reported during COP12.

The Tam Dao workshop was co-convened and co-host-ed by the United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and Na-tureServe, in cooperation with the Biodiversity Conservation Agency of Viet Nam and ACB. The workshop was designed in co-ordination with the Secretariat of the CBD, and is an activity of the Biodiversity Indicators Partnership.

Search for best biodiversity and climate change reporting is on

The hot issue of biodiversity and climate change received a much-needed public awareness boost when the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German Agency for In-ternational Cooperation) or GIZ, and the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) launched the special award on “Best in Bio-diversity and Climate Change Reporting” at the 16th Na-tional Press Forum on April 24 at Traders Hotel Manila. The launch of the special award was announced at the press forum by Rolando Inciong, head of ACB’s Communication and Public Affairs.

“The relationship between biodiversity and climate change cannot be translated into a gut issue that the man on the street will understand without the help of media, es-pecially the newspapers. GIZ and ACB recognize media’s significant role as a partner in demystifying biodiversity and promoting the link between biodiversity and climate change and highlighting their importance to humans,” Dr. Berthold Seibert, Project Manager of the ACB-GIZ Biodiversity and Climate Change Project, said.

Taxonomy expert Dr. Edwino Fernando oversees the workshop

Mr. Rolando A. Inciong, ACB’s head of communication and public affairs, announces the launch of the best in biodiversity and climate change reporting award

Workshop participants

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In recognition of media’s key role in generating a great-er awareness of biodiversity, ACB and GIZ are partnering with the PPI for the special award, which will be part of the 2012-2013 Civic Journalism Community Press Awards. Hosted by PPI and The Coca-Cola Export Corporation, the awards is an annual event that aims to recognize commu-nity papers excelling in the field of civic journalism in the Philippines.

“By opening this special category, ACB, GIZ and PPI will recognize the efforts of community journalists who have taken the initiative to educate more people about biodiver-sity and climate change,” Mr. Rodrigo U. Fuentes, executive director of ACB, said.

GBIF reports successes in access to biodiversity dataIn its 2011 annual report released this month, the Global Biodiversity In-formation Facility (GBIF) highlights current achieve-ments and compares them with the original aims of the body. The re-port features the growing use of data mobilized by GBIF’s global network of participant countries and organizations, in a wide range of peer-reviewed scientific studies.

GBIF successes in-clude: being cited as the source of data for more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers in 2011, making available more than 300 million individual records; new incentives for publishing biodiversity data with the introduction of the “data paper” describing datasets in a peer-reviewed schol-arly journal; regional training events and mentoring grants, enabling the publication of several biodiversity datasets, portals and decision-making tools in African countries; and making available information on invasive alien species un-der a new joint work program for the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

In Asia, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity is a regional partner.

Global meeting adopts Manila Declaration for protection of marine environment

Over 300 delegates, including 17 environmental ministers from 65 governments and the European Commission ad-opted the Manila Declaration on Furthering the Implementa-tion of the Global Programme of Action (GPA) for the Protec-tion of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities. The declaration was made during the Global Conference on Land-Ocean Connections (GLOC) and the Third Intergov-ernmental Review (IGR3) Meeting on the Implementation of the Global Programme of Action (GPA) for the Protection of the Marine Environment.

The Philippines’ Envi-ronment Secretary Ra-mon Paje said that the adoption of the Manila Declaration reaffi rms the commitment of mem-ber countries to step up their efforts, particularly on priority areas identi-fi ed in the GPA, such as the reduction, control, and prevention of ma-rine litter, wastewater, and pollution from fertil-izers. He stressed that while the conference output is non-binding, “what is binding is our responsibility to our people who depend on our ma-rine resources for employment, income and subsistence.”

The Manila Declaration contains 16 provisions centering on programs to be undertaken for the period 2012-2016 at the international, regional, and national levels, and within the framework of integrated coastal management, on GPA’s priority areas such as marine litter, wastewater, pollution from fertilizer, and biodiversity loss.

The Declaration also calls on member countries to en-gage and step up their efforts to develop strategies and policies on the sustainable use of nutrients as to improve nutrient use efficiency with attendant economic benefits for all stakeholders, including farmers, and to mitigate negative environmental impacts.

A free iPhone application, named UNEP Carbon Calculator, was launched in December 2011 at the offi cial opening of the One UN Pavilion at the Eye on Earth Summit in Abu Dhabi.

Developed by GRID-Arendal for the United Nations En-vironment Programme (UNEP), this application allows us-ers to access information on UNEP’s work on Blue Carbon and Reducing Emissions for Deforestation and Degradation (REDD);learn about coastal and forests ecosystems that are featured in the Application; and calculate the carbon dioxide emissions of air and road travel in terms of equivalent area in hectares of coastal (seagrass, mangroves, saltmarsh) and terrestrial (tropical humid and miombo) ecosystems.

The application also provides information on specifi c ac-tions that the users can take to minimize their carbon foot-print and conserve carbon sinks. Available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Japanese, Russian and Spanish, the ap-plication can be downloaded from the Apple store. UNEP

DENR Secretary Ramon Paje

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Green investments in marine sector can bring economic and social benefi ts

Healthy seas and coasts would pay healthy dividends in a green economy, ac-cording to a report re-leased by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners on January 25. The report highlights the huge potential for economic growth and poverty eradication from well-managed ma-rine sectors.

The report, Green Economy in a Blue World, argues that the ecological health and economic productivity of marine and coastal ecosystems, which are currently in decline around the globe, can be boosted by shifting to a more sustainable economic approach that taps their natural potential - from generating renewable energy and promoting eco-tourism, to sustainable fisheries and transport.

The report was produced by UNEP in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Maritime Organization (IMO), United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), WorldFish Center and GRID-Arendal.

The report highlights how the sustainable management of fertilizers would help reduce the cost of marine pollution caused by nitrogen and other nutrients used in agriculture, which is estimated at US$100 billion per year in the Euro-pean Union alone.

With five months to go before world governments meet at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Brazil, Green Economy in a Blue World presents a case to stimulate countries to unlock the vast potential of the ma-rine-based economy in a paradigm shift that would signifi-cantly reduce degradation to our oceans, while alleviating poverty and improving livelihoods.

The synthesis report also examines how Small Island De-veloping States (SIDS), such as those in the Asia-Pacific and Caribbean regions, can take advantage of green econ-omy opportunities to reduce their vulnerability to climate change and promote sustainable growth. UNEP News

International Year of Forests closes with awards ceremonyThe International Year of Forests 2011 (IYF) came to an end with closing speeches and an awards ceremony held at UN Headquarters in New York on February 9. The closing event included: announcement of the winners of the 2011 Univer-sal Postal Union’s international letter-writing competition, in which children imagined themselves as trees writing to

people, as well as the winners of the 2011 International Children’s Art Contest to “Celebrate the Forests;” a screen-ing of film clips from the award-winning International Forest Film Festival, organized with the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival; and the launch of the “Forest for People” book, with contributions from 75 authors from 35 countries.

In addition, the Forest Heroes Awards were presented, recognizing regional forest heroes for their energy and vi-sionary approach. The awardees were: Paul Nzegha Mzeka (Cameroon), Shigeatsu Hatakeyama (Japan), Anatoly Leb-edev (Russian Federation), Paulo Adario (Brazil) and Rhian-non Tomtishen and Madison Vorva (United States).

Through activities held worldwide throughout 2011, the IYF promoted awareness of the issues confronting the world’s forests and the people who depend on them, and the vital role of people in the sustainable management of all types of forests. Several governments, regional and in-ternational organizations and Major Group members sup-ported activities related to IYF 2011. UN DESA News

Viet Nam designates fourth Ramsar siteThe Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands of Interna-tional Importance (Ramsar Convention) has announced that the Government of Viet Nam has designated the country’s fourth Wetland of International Importance, bringing the to-tal number of Ramsar Sites globally to 2,000. The designa-tion coincided with the celebration of World Wetlands Day 2012.

According to Ramsar, Tram Chim National Park is one of the few places in the region where the Brownbeard Rice communities survive. It supports nine bird and five fish spe-cies that are globally threatened, over 20,000 waterbirds in the dry season, and more than one percent of population of six waterbird species. The site acts as a natural buffer against floods and droughts. Activities carried out on the wetland include tourism and fishing. Ramsar News

BOOKMARKS


For in-depth information and news on biodiversity across Southeast Asia, check out the ASEAN Biodiversity Newsmagazine, the international publication of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB)!

ASEAN Biodiversity features special reports on biodiversity-related themes in the ASEAN context, such as climate change, ecotourism, transboundary protected areas, and ASEAN Heritage Parks. Profi les on protected areas provide information on the status of habitats and wildlife, and interesting activities in the parks. A pull-out section on specifi c species can be interesting reference materials for researchers and students. The magazine also features ongoing programs and activities of ACB that assist ASEAN Member States in addressing various biodiversity conservation issues.

ACB welcomes contributions from volunteer writers and photographers who want to help popularize biodiversity. Interested parties may contact Mr. Rolando Inciong, Editor-in-Chief of ASEAN Biodiversity at [email protected], or Ms. Leslie Castillo at [email protected], or call ACB at (+632) 928-3210 and (+632) 929-4147.

For more information visit the ACB website at www.aseanbiodiversity.org.

ASEAN Biodiversity magazine online

The World Ocean Council’s second “Sustainable Ocean Summit” (SOS) will be held December 3-5 in Washington D.C. to further advance leadership and collaboration among the diverse ocean business community in addressing ma-rine environment and sustainability challenges.

The SOS is the only international, cross-sectoral ocean sustainability conference designed by and for the private sector. The 2012 event builds on the highly successful SOS 2010, held in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which drew together more than 150 representatives from a wide range of ocean industries.

The conference will address priorities for cross-sec-toral industry leadership and collaboration in ocean

sustainability, including: ocean policy, regulations and governance; marine spatial planning; the role of indus-tries in ocean and climate observations; biosecurity and invasive species; fisheries and aquaculture interaction with other industries; cross-sectoral collaboration in re-sponsible use of the Arctic; port waste reception facili-ties and marine debris; marine mammal interactions; and the role of finance, insurance and legal sectors in ocean sustainability.

Limited opportunities are available for speakers to ad-dress the themes above. Experts interested in being con-sidered as speakers are encouraged to contact the WOC: [email protected]. WOC News

World ocean summit set in December 2012


BIODIVERSITY NEWS SOUTHEAST ASIA



Brunei Darussalam

Designation of protected waters by mid-2012 eyed. The Fisheries Department announced its plan to establish marine protected areas (MPAs) on Brunei waters by middle of 2012. The MPAs are part of enforcement strategies under the National Plan of Action in combating Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported Fishing. A new patrol boat was also purchased to enhance the department’s monitoring, control and surveillance operations to curb illegal maritime activities.

The Brunei Times

Environmental preservation is vital. Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar of the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR) stressed the significance of the environment in a talk on “The Malay Islamic Monarchy and the natural green environment” at Universiti Brunei Darussalam. He added that although some studies may show that Bruneians are more interested economic development, the MIPR would not allow development that would lead to massive habitat loss and the extinction of species. Laws and programs have been introduced to protect forests and wildlife, including the Heart of Borneo initiative, which was formed due to concerns over the deterioration of the forests of Borneo. YB Pehin Dato Hj Yahya added that as part of efforts to carry out the government’s responsibility towards the forests and resources, MIPR would continue to educate the public of the importance of protecting the natural environment.

The Brunei Times

HRH: Unite to preserve the environment. His Royal Highness Prince Haji ‘Abdul ‘Azim supported the call for increased awareness on environmental conservation during a dialogue with 200 youths at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. The dialogue, themed “Volunteerism and Empowering Young Leaders of Youth”, included a session where the youth shared their concerns on education and the environment. Some of the

environmental issues raised involved tougher penalties for improper trash disposal; cleanliness and solid waste management; and the creation of a network of school organizations to push for environmental goals. The Brunei Times Brunei ranked 26th in ‘Green’ Index. Brunei Darussalam ranked 26th in the world in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), only second behind Malaysia in the region and fourth in Asia. The EPI was developed in 2002 by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with the European Commission and the World Economic Forum. Brunei ranked 26th out of 132 countries, which were ranked on environmental health; effects on human health of air and water; ecosystem effects of air and water resources; biodiversity and habitat; agriculture; forests; fisheries;and climate change and energy. In ASEAN, Malaysia is ranked 25, Thailand 34, Philippines 42, Singapore 52 and Indonesia 74.

BruDirect.com

Cambodia

Sun bear caretaker earns global prize. Chuon Vuthy, country program manager of Free the Bears, became the first Cambodian to win the Future for Nature Award at a ceremony in the Netherlands. Free the Bears works to rescue endangered bears and educate

people about the need to protect them and their environment. The 50,000-euro award will be used to help fund three projects run by the NGO, which cares for 118 sun bears and Asiatic black bears at the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre in Takeo province. The Future for Nature Award is a global award given to three outstanding young conservationists who were having a real impact in protecting endangered species. Free the Bears in Cambodia now cares for 118 sun bears, and is described as the world’s biggest sanctuary for the world’s smallest bear species.

The Phnom Penh Post

Community forestry inches closer to trade carbon credits The Cambodian For many years, Buddhist monks and villagers in Oddar Meanchey have been leading the fight to protect the forests in this northwestern part of Cambodia from illegal logging and concessions. Against all odds and pressures they have met in their mission, their efforts are now about to pay off. Thirteen community forestry sites – including the well-known Monks’ Community Forestry which is led by Buddhist monk Venerable Bun Saluth – are well on their way to begin offering carbon credits to sell to investors.With the financial support from the United Nations Development Programme, villagers are now back in the protected forest sites to survey 100 biomass plots to measure how much carbon has been sequestered, said Amanda Bradley, Community Forestry Programme Director at Pact, an international non-governmental organization in Cambodia. Pact is working with community forestry groups in the province to help them preserve the forests and biodiversity on which they depend for sources of livelihood. UNDP Cambodia

Hun Sen issues permanent ban on industry fi shing at Tonle Sap lake. Prime Minister Hun Sen extended indefinitely a ban on commercial fishing in Tonle Sap lake, citing ongoing illegal fishing to the detriment of local villagers. Despite government restrictions, illegal fishers continued to burden Chuon Vuthy with a rescued sun bear



surrounding communities, often harassing villagers and using equipment that threaten the sustainability of the area. The newly extended ban covers 600,000 hectares of fishing waters in five provinces – Battambang, Siem Reap, Pursat, Kampong Thom and Kampong Chhang provinces. The area produced about 445,000 tonnes of fish in 2011, a jump from 400,000 in 2010, although government revenues from fishing had decreased because of illegal fishing.

The Phnom Penh Post

Endangered turtle released into Cambodian river. The southern river terrapin, one of the world’s most endangered turtles, has been released into a Cambodian river and will be tracked by satellite to see how it navigates through commercial fishing grounds and other man-made hazards. The terrapin is one of only about 200 adults remaining in the wild. Once the sole property of Cambodia’s kings, the 34-kilogram terrapin has been decimated along with other species by traffickers who cater to the demand for exotic wildlife in China. The Wildlife Conservation Society says the terrapin only survives in Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia. NZ Herald

Indonesia

Kalimantan palm plantations threaten last pygmy elephants. WWF Indonesia states that with no more than 80 Borneo pygmy elephants left in Indonesia, the massive clearing of forests to make way for palm oil plantations poses a major threat to the survival of the species. A four-year survey showed that all of the elephants were in northern East Kalimantan on the border with Malaysia’s Sabah state.

Expanding plantations were driving the elephants out of their natural habitat and forcing them into more frequent conflict with villagers in Nunukan district. WWF called for support for human-elephant conflict mitigation and the protection of remaining populations of pygmy elephants through sound forestry management activities. The Jakarta Globe 100 orangutans estimated lost in Indonesian fires. Conservationists warned that fires raging in the Tripa swamp forest in Aceh province may have killed a third of the rare Sumatran orangutans living there and all of them may be lost this year. About 200 critically endangered Sumatran orangutans still live there out of a world population estimated at 6,600. Cloud-free images from December 2011 show only 12,267 hectares of Tripa’s original 60,000 of forest remains. The rest has been broken up and degraded as palm oil companies drain the swamp. A prolonged drought and fires would endanger the survival of many other endangered species, such as tigers and sun bears. Associated Press

No database for sea of biological wealth in Indonesia. The head of the Environment Ministry’s Genetic Resources Management Program said that the country might lay claim to being the country with the second-highest level of biodiversity in the world after Brazil, but the government has no database to catalogue that wealth. There used to be a database with the full data from 2005-10 on the medicinal properties of plants, but this was taken down

pending negotiations for the Nagoya Protocol. All the government has is a clearing house with limited information on resources such as plant and animal species. The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) has been assigned to make a comprehensive database of the country’s biodiversity, given that it already had its own database and research. As of 2010, LIPI said it had identified and catalogued at least 2.5 million specimens of fauna and 2 million specimens of plants but efforts to build up a comprehensive database were held back by a lack of government attention and old, crashing computers. Biodiversity issues have also been set aside in favor of more popular issues such as climate change. The Jakarta Globe

‘Extinct’ monkey rediscovered in Indonesia jungle. Using camera traps, scientists working in the jungles of Indonesia have rediscovered Miller’s grizzled langur, which was previously thought to be extinct. An extensive field survey in 2005 found no evidence of the species. The cameras recorded Miller’s grizzled langur in Wehea forest, on the eastern tip of Borneo island, an area well outside the monkey’s previously recorded home range. The monkey once roamed the northeastern part of Borneo, as well as the islands of Sumatra and Java and the Thai-Malay peninsula. Much of their habitats have been destroyed by fires, human encroachment and conversion of land for agriculture and mining. In the past, grizzly langurs were hunted to near extinction for their meat and the bezoar “stones” that

Southern river terrapin Orangutan

Miller’s grizzled langur



can, on occasion, be found in their guts. Bezoars are believed by some to neutralize poison. The next step for scientists will be to return to the 38,000-hectare forest to try to determine the population of the grizzly langurs. The Guardian

Lao PDR

Communal land titles could save more than forests. With pressure on natural resources increasing in Lao PDR, the first community land titles granted to five villages in Vientiane Province could provide a national model for environmental protection while safeguarding the livelihoods of villagers. The communal land titles can give communities the right to access and harvest natural resources, and overcome land concessions to companies. The title deeds cover an area of 2,189 hectares of bamboo-producing forest. Giving ownership of more of the land to the villagers who earn their living from it could be critical to the government’s stated ambition of restoring forest cover to 65 percent of the country by 2015. EC-FAOFood Security Programme

ACRES And Lao Zoo open fi rst wildlife rescue center in Vientiane. ACRES, Lao Zoo and the Love Wildlife Foundation, announced the establishment of the ACRES Wildlife Rescue and Education Center (AWREC) in Vientiane, Lao PDR. In recent years, Lao PDR has emerged as a source country in Asia’s illicit wildlife trade, which may threaten its rich biodiversity and those that depend on it. AWREC will provide a sanctuary to animals rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, primarily bears, and serve as a landmark educational facility to create wareness on the wildlife trade, environmental protection and a host of animal protection issues. ACRES will be providing technical assistance for the operation and management of the Lao Zoo. A new Wildlife Crime and Rescue Hotline will also be set up to help combat the illegal wildlife trade. ACRES and the Lao Zoo will work in close collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Division of the Department of Forestry Conservation

of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for all project activities. AsianScientist

Japan eyes support for Lao forest protection. Forest cover in Lao PDR declined from more than 70 percent in 1940 to only 42 percent in 2002 due to rapid population growth and economic development. The Lao PDR government has been trying to promote forest conservation through the Forestry Strategy 2020, aiming to restore forest cover to 70 percent by 2020. It has been promoting Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) as a measure against climate change, and as a useful means to support farmers who rely on forests for their livelihood. In support of these goals, the government of Japan has committed to providing various forms of Official Development Assistance to Lao PDR’s forestry sector. This support includes the Forestry Sector Capacity Development Project, which focuses on capacity development for implementation of the Forestry Strategy 2020 and other forestry related issues; the Participatory Land and Forest Management Project, a field level project that aims to reduce deforestation at the local level; and the Programme for Forest Information Management, which includes construction of a forest resource information centre, development of a forest base map, and capacity building for forest information management.

Vientiane Times

Women’s groups confi rm the importance of biodiversity conservation in Beung Kiat Ngong wetlands. The Mekong Water Dialogue’s work in Champassak Province, Lao PDR includes a study on women’s groups and their traditional use of natural resources. Part of local women’s daily work is the collection of fish and aquatic plants in Nong Takoat swamp within the wetlands using tools that the women make themselves, such as scoop nets, scoop baskets, and bamboo tube traps for eels, frogs and others. The food collected from the swamp is a

main part of the local families’ diets and the daily collection can usually support a family’s needs despite the growing local population.

IUCN Lao PDR

Malaysia

Malaysia to restrict trade in big-eyed sugar gliders. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) announced that Malaysia would tighten controls on the trade in sugar gliders, a big-eyed gliding possum increasingly popular in the pet trade in Southeast Asia and the United States. Perhilitan will move to protect sugar gliders under Malaysia’s Wildlife Conservation Act. Currently sugar gliders are subject to quotas in Malaysia, but the 225 annual harvest limit appears to be grossly exceeded. mongabay

Pangolin poachers busted. In its second pangolin bust in six months, the Perak Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) arrested two local men and saved 18 live Pangolins. Perhilitan officers from Ipoh and Gerik patrolling the Gerik-Jeli highway spotted the car of a known poacher and gave chase until they caught up with the suspects. Though small, the seizure and arrests are significant in light of its proximity to protected areas and trafficking routes between northern Malaysia and southern Thailand. The case is being investigated under Section 68 of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010. Perhilitan also confirmed that the seized pangolins have been released into the wild. WWF Malaysia

Concern over rare rhino rouses clean energy drive. Potential threats to the rare Sumatran rhino, coral reefs, and other fragile animals

Sugar glider

helped galvanize a highly publicized campaign in 2011 to stop a coal-fired plant from being built on the east coast of Sabah, Malaysia. The coal plant was planned along Sabah’s coastline, 19 kilometers from the border of the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Malaysia’s largest animal park and one of the last remaining habitats for the Sumatran rhinoceros. The world’s smallest rhinoceros at only about 4.3 feet tall, the Sumatran rhino is one of the most critically endangered species on Earth, with only 200 remaining in areas of Indonesia and Malaysia. Poachers and encroaching habitats have trimmed the number of rhinos on Borneo to an estimated 30 to 50. The Tabin reserve also includes pygmy elephants, Bornean orangutans, sun bears, and leopards. Protesters were armed with evidence that renewable energy such as hydropower, geothermal, and waste from the region’s abundant oil palm mills could compete with coal in costs. Environmentalists won the impassioned battle when government officials killed the plant in February 2011. Instead, a 300-megawatt natural gas plant is slated to ease Sabah’s power crunch.

National Geographic

Borneo’s most elusive feline photographed at unexpected elevation. Although known to science for 138 years, almost nothing is actually known about the bay cat (Pardofelis badia). This reddish-brown wild feline, endemic to the island of Borneo, has entirely eluded researchers and conservationists. The first photo of the cat wasn’t taken until 1998 and the first video was shot in 2010. A new camera trap

study, however, in the Kelabit Highlands of the Malaysian state of Sarawak has added to the little knowledge scientists have by photographing a bay cat at never before seen elevations. The bay cat was photographed in Pulong Tau National Park, which unfortunately has no budget or infrastructure for conservation operations. Thought to be naturally rare, the bay cat is also imperiled by deforestation due to logging and palm oil plantations on the island of Borneo. The camera trapping expedition also recorded several other endangered species including the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi), marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata), banded civet (Hemigalus derbyanus), sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), sambar (Rusa unicolor), bearded pig (Sus barbatus), pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina), Hose’s langur (Presbytis hosei), tufted ground squirrel (Rheithrosciurus macrotis), and Bulwer’s pheasant (Lophura bulweri). The existence of these species highlights the need to strengthen the protection of Pulong Tau National Park. mongabay.com

Myanmar

Environment law deterrents not strong enough: activists. Environmentalists warn that fines and jail terms specified in a new law designed to safeguard the

country’s natural environment may not be strong enough to deter foreign and local businesses. While individuals who violate the law face a jail term of up to five years, fines range from just K100,000 to K2 million (about US$2500). Though the Environmental Law was designed to deal with large projects implemented by local and foreign investors, the amount of the fine is minimal compared to the size of the investment. The Environmental Law contains 14 chapters that define the rights and responsibilities of the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry, environmental standards, environmental conservation, management in urban areas, conservation of natural and cultural resources, process for businesses to apply for permission to engage in an enterprise that has the potential to damage the environment, prohibitions, offences and punishments. Myanmar Times

Project to protect rare monkey gets new funding. A project led by Fauna and Flora International (FFI) to help protect the rare Myanmar snub-nosed monkey is one of 33 to get a share of £8.5m of funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in the United Kingdom. The project will try to establish how many of the monkeys are left and



Sumatran rhino

Bay cat

how best to protect them. The new funding will pay for fieldwork to find out more about the species including distribution, behavior and threats. That will involve a community-based monitoring scheme. Conservationists will use the information to set up an action plan to protect the species. BBC News

Myanmar snub-nosed monkey caught on camera. First described scientifically from a dead specimen collected by a local hunter in 2010, the Myanmar snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri) has now been photographed living in the wild for the first time. The discovery was made by a joint team from Fauna & Flora International, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association, and People Resources and Conservation Foundation. The images were taken using camera traps, triggered by infra-red sensors, placed in the high, forested mountains of Burma’s northerly Kachin state, bordering China. The species has black fur, prominent lips and wide upturned nostrils that fill with water when it rains, causing the monkeys to sneeze. It differs from other snub-nosed monkey species found in Viet Nam and China and has not been found outside Kachin State. Experts estimate that there are about 330 individuals left in the wild. Some of the females were carrying babies, signifying a new generation of Myanmar’s rarest primate. However, hunting and habitat loss mean that the species is likely to be classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The camera traps set up by the team also captured images of other rare animals, including the red panda, takin, marbled cat and Malayan sun bear. NewScientist

Philippines

Endangered eagle hatched in Philippines. A Pinsker’s hawk-eagle chick hatched at the Philippine Eagle Foundation wildlife center in the Philippines is the first example of the species to be born in captivity. The Pinsker’s hawk-eagle, a genus of eagles found mainly in tropical Asia and in the Philippines, is considered endangered due to the loss of its natural habitat of subtropical lowland forest. Pinsker’s hawk-eagles are slender-bodied, medium-sized birds with rounded wings, long feathered legs, barred wings and crests and are usually found in forest habitats. UPI

Loggers target Pangasinan’s last rainforest. Environment officials state that Pangasinan’s largest remaining rainforest in Mangatarem town is threatened by illegal logging after roads were built deep into the forest for easier hauling of logs. A team from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Mangatarem government and the military inspected the forest and discovered signs of illegal logging. From the main artery, the government inspection team discovered a network of smaller roads and trails that go deeper into the forest. The team saw felled trees, stumps and lumber ready for hauling. The area where illegal loggers had been operating was part of the 13,863.61-hectare old growth tropical rainforest of Mangatarem town, which comprises 44.7 percent of the town’s total

land area. It is Pangasinan’s largest remaining forest and is considered as an important biodiversity area by the DENR. Philippine Daily Inquirer

A turtle success story in the Philippines. In 2011, green sea turtles laid a staggering 1.44 million eggs on just one island in the Philippines, breaking all previous records. The graceful and enigmatic green turtle faces a variety of threats globally, and as a result is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Since 1984, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has kept records of nesting activity on Baguan Island in southern Philippines, one of nine islands forming the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area (TIHPA), a unique sanctuary jointly managed by Malaysia and the Philippines. The DENR reported that a grand total of 14,220 green turtle nests were counted in 2011, breaking the previous record of 12,311 set in 1995. The development presents great hope for boosting green turtle populations. With an average of 90 percent hatching success and 1 percent survival rate up to sexual maturity, Baguan in 2011 alone could contribute up to 13,000 to the adult turtle population.

Environmental News Network

DENR to nominate Puerto Princesa Underground River as Ramsar Site. After its proclamation as one of the World’s Seven Wonders of Nature, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is set to nominate the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) in Palawan as a Ramsar Site. Among PPUR’s many features is a spectacular limestone or karst landscape that contains an 8.2 kilometer-long underground river that flows directly to the sea. PPUR National Park encompasses various interconnecting ecosystems from the mountain to the sea, including eight types of forests such as ultramafic and limestone; inland wetlands like rivers and fresh swamp; karst ecosytems; and coastal wetlands such as tidal flats and seagrass beds. The Philippines currently has four Ramsar Sites: Olango Wildlife Sanctuary in Cebu; Tubbataha Reefs in Palawan; Naujan



Pinsker’s hawk eagle

Snub nosed monkey

Lake in Mindoro Oriental; and Agusan Marsh in Agusan del Sur.

DENR

Singapore

Ayes all round for Singapore eye in the sky. Since May 2011, X-Sat, which hovers 800 kilometers above ground, has taken and beamed back more than 1,000 satellite images, including Sumatra’s forest fires and the Bangkok floods, from space to help researchers on the ground monitor the effects of environmental changes. The National Environment Agency and environmental consultancy Sentinel Asia have benefited from X-Sat’s images since the red-and-black photographs beamed by the satellite - with red denoting vegetation and black representing bodies of water - can be used to measure soil erosion, sea pollution and environmental changes within an area of 50 kilometers by 30 kilometers.

Wild Singapore

Singapore green labeling scheme completes 20 years. The Singapore Environment Council (SEC) commemorated the 20th anniversary the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme (SGLS). The scheme has played a signifi cant role in business and the environment and helped consumers make informed decisions about their purchases; opened new opportunities and markets for businesses; and facilitated a shift towards green construction. SEC plans to expand the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme into the region by fi rst reaching out to companies in countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia where the scheme already enjoys considerable success. The next step would be to work with another group of countries with untapped expansion potential, such as Viet Nam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR.

Singapore Environment Council

Green Mark hits 1,000th landmark. The sun louvres on the facade of the recently opened Pasir Ris Sports and Recreation Centre look brand-new, but they were actually made from timber benches from the old National Stadium. The use of the recycled materials and other environmentally friendly

features has won the complex the Building and Construction Authority’s green certification, known as the Green Mark. The sports complex is also the 1,000th building in Singapore to attain the Green Mark, a milestone for the scheme that started with just 17 buildings in 2005. The Straits Times

Singapore raises sea defenses against tide of climate change. Singapore covers 715 squaree kilometers and has already reclaimed large areas to expand its economy and population - boosting its land area by more than 20 percent since 1960. Now, a 15-kilometers stretch of crisp white beach is one of the key battlegrounds in Singapore’s campaign against rising sea levels linked to climate change. In 2011, the government decided the height of all new reclamations must be 2.25 meters (7.5 feet) above the highest recorded tide level - a rise of a meter over the previous mandated minimum height. The decision highlights the problem facing other low-lying island states and coastal cities and the need to prepare. Aside from sea live rise, Singapore also has to contend with more intense rainfall has caused fl oods in the city center. The country is also one of the most energy intensive in Asia since it needs massive resources to power its industries and airconditioned malls and offi ce towers.

The Times of India

Thailand

Thailand wins three PATA Awards 2012, all in Environment and Heritage categories. A community-based homestay project



located in Sukhothai province was one of three Pacifi c Asia Travel Association (PATA) awards picked up by Thailand at the annual PATA conference held in Kuala Lumpur. The “Ban Na Ton Chang Community” project won a PATA Gold Award in the Heritage category. The other two were the PATA Grand Award won by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for its environmental project, “7 Greens Concept” and another Gold Award won by the Organic Agriculture Project, Sukhothai Airport, in the Environment Ecotourism Category. This is the fi rst time that TAT and the Thai tourism industry won PATA awards in the environmental and heritage categories.

Tourism Authority of Thailand

TREES – a new mark of Thailand’s greenness. The Thai Green Building Institute launched TREES, a Thai scheme that provides green building certification. A green building certificate provides a certification of owners’ care in terms of efficiency in energy, water and other resources; protecting occupants’ health and improving employee productivity; and reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation. TREES covers eight areas – energy conservation, indoor environmental quality, location and landscape, materials and resources, building management, water conservation, innovation and environmental protection. About 30 percent of TREES criteria come from the LEED environmental assessment system, with the remainder modified to fit Thailand’s environment.

CSR Thailand

Pasir Ris Sports and Recreation Centre



NGO says Thailand must list rosewood under CITES. In order to save its remaining forests, Thailand must list the rosewood under the Convention on the international Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) according to a report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). Illegal logging and smuggling of rosewood is being driven by increasing demand in China since rosewood is used to produce high-end luxury furniture known as “Hongmu.” EIA adds that loggers are targeting two species, Thailand rosewood (Dalbergia cochinchinensis) and Burmese rosewood (Dalbergia bariensis), both of which are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. There is a nationwide ban on the logging of rosewood but this would be strengthened if the species were protected by CITES. mongabay.com

Poaching for meat poses new extinction risk to Thai elephants. Thailand’s revered national symbol is being poached not just for its tusks but also for its meat. Two wild elephants were found slaughtered in December 2011 in a national park in western Thailand, alerting authorities to the new practice of consuming elephant meat. Consuming elephant meat is not common in Thailand, but some Asian cultures believe consuming animals’ reproductive organs can boost sexual prowess. The authorities report that the elephant meat was ordered by restaurants in Phuket. Poaching elephants is banned, and traffi cking or possessing poached animal parts is also illegal. Elephant tusks are sought in the illegal ivory trade, and baby wild elephants are sometimes poached for inclusion in talent shows. The quest for ivory remains the top reason poachers kill elephants in Thailand. Thailand has less than 3,000 wild elephants and about 4,000 domesticated elephants, according to the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department. The Guardian

Viet Nam

Sea level rise threatens Mekong rice. With Viet Nam’s fertile Mekong delta threatened by rising sea levels and saltwater

ingress, the country’s future as a major rice exporter depends critically on research underway in the Philippines. Scientists at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) are working with Vietnamese counterparts to develop a new strain of rice that can withstand submergence for over two weeks and also resist salinity. A flood-tolerant variety, dubbed ‘scuba rice’, which has the submergence (SUB 1) rice gene, already offers half the solution. The Mekong delta accounts for nearly 50 percent of the 42 million tonnes of unmilled rice produced in Viet am - the world’s second largest rice exporter after Thailand - with three annual harvests. In 2011, Vietnam exported a record seven million tonnes of rice, mainly to the Philippines and other Asian markets. IPS

Serow released from trap in Saola Nature Reserve, Viet Nam. Forest guards patrolling the Saola nature reserve in Thua Thien Hue Province, Viet Nam, found a serow, a species of goat-antelope, trapped in a snare set by poachers. After successfully removing the snare, the serow sprang up and disappeared into the forest. There are six species of serow, with the mainland serow (Capricornis milneedwardsii) native to China and Southeast Asia. The mainland serow is quite large and has been known to grow to be six feet long and three feet high at the shoulder, and an adult typically weighs over 150 kg. The mainland serow is territorial and lives alone or in small groups. It usually stays in a small area of only a few square miles where it grazes on grass, shoots and leaves from along beaten paths. It is most active at dawn and dusk, and spends the rest of the day in thick vegetation. The Saola nature reserve forest guard team removed more than 8,000 snares and 90 illegal hunting and logging camps during a six-month period in 2011. Management approaches in the reserve, which is home to the critically endangered saola, include an innovative forest guard model, management information system (MIST) and law enforcement activities that aim to tackle rampant poaching and illegal trade in wildlife. WWF

70 percent of lakes in Hanoi are polluted, need urgent solutions. According to the Center for Environment and Community Research, 71 percent of the 100 lakes in the six districts of the inner Hanoi city have incurred organic pollution from domestic wastewater and rubbish thrown into the lakes. Organic pollution is the source of phosphorus and nitrates, which lead to the increase the floating plants and algae. When the plants die they accumulate at the bottom of the lakes and reduce water volume. Algae decomposition also needs oxygen, which decreases the amount of oxygen in the water, thus affecting the life of aquatic animals. The pollution is also causing serious health issues for local communities. Government environment agencies are currently working on plans to address the issue. Vietnam Environment Administration

Irrawaddy dolphins sighted. A school of about 20 Irrawaddy dolphins has been sighted around the Ba Lua Archipelago in the protected Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve. The population was discovered by a group of researchers from the Centre for Biodiversity and Development run by the Institute of Tropical Biology and HCM City University of Natural Sciences. Little research on the Irrawaddy dolphin has been conducted in Viet Nam and they are not listed in the country’s Red Book of endangered species. The researchers will work with the International Union for Conservation of Nature to work out a detailed plant to protect the dolphins. In the meantime, the Centre for Biodiversity and Development has joined hands with local fishermen to track the population of dolphins in the Ba Lua Archipelago.

Viet Nam News

Irrawaddy dolphins

ASEAN BIODIVERSITY JANUARY - APRIL 201274

According to Final Frontier: Newly Discovered Species of New Guinea (1998—2008), a report by the Worldwide Fund for Nature, the damselfish (Chrysiptera cymatilis) is one of 1,060 new species found on or near the island of New Guinea. Found in 1999, the “striking” blue fish lives in the pristine Coral Triangle, a region that supports the most diverse marine ecosystems on Earth. The Coral Triangle covers the coastal waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste, and is home to 3,000 species of fish and nearly 500 reef-building coral species – an amazing 75 percent of all known coral species – while its shores provide nesting grounds for six of the world’s seven species of sea turtles.

The striking damselfish is marked by its brilliant deep blue color. It has lighter blue eye-like markings on the head and breast, and a black spot or blotch at the base of posterior dorsal rays. The damselfish also has tubed lateral line scales and its caudal fin is emarginate or has a shallow notch at

the tip, similar to petals.

The species is marine and reef-associated, and live in depths ranging from 3 to 20 meters. Adults are found in sheltered seaward coral reefs and lagoons and presumably feed on zooplankton. They are oviparous (egg laying) and eggs are deposited near the bottom, where they adhere to the substrate. Males guard and aerate the eggs. The striking damselfish will grow to a maximum total length of 3.6 centimeters.

Striking damselfi sh (Chrysiptera cymatilis)

References:

Encyclopedia of Life (http://eol.org/pages/210418/details)

FishBase (http://www.fishbase.org/summary/speciessummary.php?id=60765)

National Geographic (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/06/pictures/110627-new-species-rare-animals-papua-new-guinea-wwf/)

Thompson, Christian; Neil Stronach, Eric Verheij, Ted Mamu, Susanne Schmitt and Mark Wright. 2011. Final Frontier: Newly discovered species of New Guinea (1998 - 2008). World Wide Fund for Nature Western Malenesia Programme Office.

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Also known as Freycinet’s Epaulette shark, the Indonesian speckled carpet shark (Hemiscyillum freycineti) has beautifully patterned skin that resembles the coat of a leopard. Rust-brown hexagonal spots, with paler centers, are closely packed over the body. Smaller dark spots cover the snout, and large, dark ‘epaulettes’ (shoulder patches) are situated just behind the pectoral fins. The two dorsal fins and the anal fin are placed far back on the extremely long, thick tail.

There is very little information on the biology of the Indonesian speckled carpet shark. During the day it hides in coral crevices or under overhangs, and at night the carpet shark becomes more active, and can be found using its pectoral fins to ‘walk’ along the sea bottom, hunting prey such as bony fishes and invertebrates. It is oviparous (egg laying) and may grow to as long as 72 centimeters.

The species appears to be restricted to the Indonesian province of Papua Barat (West Papua), around the western peninsula of the island of New Guinea in the Western Central Pacific.

The Indonesian speckled carpet shark occurs in shallow waters on coral reefs, and sandy and

grassy substrates. Given its habitat, this species is very susceptible to habitat destruction via dynamite fishing and other illegal fishing practices. Since it is a very attractive and hardy species the carpet shark may be sought for the aquarium trade.

Indonesian speckled carpet shark (Hemiscyillum freycineti)

References:

Encyclopedia of Life (http://eol.org/pages/208200/details)

FishBase (http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=5904)

Kyne, P.M. & Heupel, M.R. 2011. Hemiscyllium freycineti. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 May 2012.

Marine Species Indentification Portal (http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=sharks&menuentry=soorten&id=271&tab=beschrijving)

Shark Foundation (http://www.shark.ch/Database/Search/species.html?sh_id=1056)


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The fl asher wrasse (Cirrhilabrus cenderawasih) is one

of several fl asher wrasses discovered in Indonesia in

2006. Discovered in the marine environment of the

Vogelkop region of Papua, the species is endemic

to Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia.

The fish is named for their brilliantly coloured

displays, which the normally drab males flash to

entice females to mate. The live colour pattern

features of males include a pink overall coloration

with a broad, irregular yellow stripe or rectangular

blotch on the middle of its side, and a series of

4-5 large, irregular black blotches along back.

Females are mainly reddish pink with pupil sized

black spot on upper caudal peduncle, or the

narrow part of the body to which the tail attaches.

This species inhabits sheltered rubble substrates

at the base of slopes. It is common on sheltered

seaward reefs, primarily on the inner and eastern

portions of the Cenderawasih Bay at depths

between about 22 to 60 meters, although it is

more abundant below about 35 meters. The fish

often travel in groups of about 10 to 20 individuals,

including one to five males. It apparently feeds on

zooplankton, which is typical for the genus, at a

short distance above the bottom.

There are no known major threats to this species,

although it is occasionally seen in the international

aquarium trade.

Flasher wrasse (Cirrhilabrus cenderawasih)

References:

FishBase (http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?ID=63948&genusname=Cirrhilabrus&speciesname=cenderawasih)

Rocha, L. 2010. Cirrhilabrus cenderawasih. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 10 May 2012.


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ASEAN BIODIVERSITY JANUARY - APRIL 201276

One of the remarkable discoveries in New Guinea is the unexpected discovery in 2005 of a new species of dolphin called the snub-fi n. The snub-fi n is the fi rst new dolphin species found anywhere in at least three decades. Originally thought to be a member of the Irrawaddy dolphins, researchers later determined that snub-fi ns are their own species, with a different coloration, skull shape, and fi n and fl ipper measurements.

Similar in appearance to its close relative the Irrawaddy dolphin, the snub-fi n dolphin is a robust dolphin with a round melon and almost no beak, which gives its head a blunt appearance. A neck crease may be visible behind the head. It has a small triangular or falcate dorsal fi n, giving it its name of snub-fi n, and large spatulate fl ippers with rounded tips. The fl ukes are relatively small with pointed tips. The color of the snub-fi n dolphin runs from slate to blue-grey. There is generally a darker cape on the dorsal side of the dolphin, with a lighter band of grey or brownish-grey on the side, and the belly is a lighter almost whitish grey. Calves are born a somewhat darker and more uniform grey and lighten with age. Adult size reaches 2.3 meters in females and 2.7 meters in males, and body mass reaches 130 kilograms. In terms of reproduction the calving season of the species is not well known. Gestation may last approximately 14 months. Maturity seems to be reached at 4-6 years of age and longevity is around 30 years.

Snub-fi n dolphins appear to be opportunistic-generalist feeders, eating a wide variety of fi sh and cephalopods associated with coastal-estuarine waters, including bottom-dwelling and pelagic fi shes.

Snub-fi n dolphins are discontinuously distributed mostly in the coastal, shallow, brackish, or fresh turbid waters at the mouths of rivers. The species occurs in Northern Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

Threats to snub-fi n dolphins include habitat degradation and being accidently caught in fi shing and anti-shark nets. Other conservation problems include loss of prey from over-fi shing and destruction of fi sh habitat, vessel disturbance, pollution and maybe direct killing.

Snub-fi n dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni)

References:

Convention on Migratory Species (http://www.cms.int/reports/small_cetaceans/data/O_heinsohni/O_heinsohni.htm)

National Geographic (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/06/pictures/110627-new-species-rare-animals-papua-new-guinea-wwf/#/papua-new-guinea-new-species-wwf-snub-fin-dolphin_37041_600x450.jpg)

Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (http://www2.wdcs.org/species/species.php?sp=Orcaella_heinsohni)

World Wide Fund for Nature (http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/australia/projects/index.cfm?uProjectID=AU0102)

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The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) is an intergovernmental regional centre of excellence that facilitates cooperation and coordination among the

ten ASEAN Member States and with relevant national governments, regional and international organizations on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefi ts arising from the use of such natural treasures.

ACB’s goals are:• To serve as an effective coordinative body to

facilitate discussion and resolution of cross-country biodiversity conservation issues;

• To provide a framework and mechanism for sharing information, experiences, best practices and lessons learned for effi cient access of ASEAN Member States;

• To implement a pro-active approach in monitoring and assessing biodiversity conservation status as a strategic approach towards identifying critical issues and future trends;

• To deliver/facilitate conduct of capacity-building services and technology transfer through engaging relevant and appropriate expertise;

• To enhance common understanding of biodiversity conservation issues, strengthening ASEAN regional positions in negotiations and in compliance with relevant multilateral environmental agreements;

• To promote public awareness to develop champions and enhance support at different stakeholder levels on biodiversity concerns; and

• To undertake innovative resource generation and mobilization measures to pursue high-impact activities that will enhance biodiversity conservation in the region.

ACB supports ASEAN Member States in the following thematic concerns that are of global and regional importance: Agriculture and food security, including food certifi cation and biodiversity; Access to, and fair and equitable sharing of benefi ts from biological and genetic resources; Climate change and biodiversity conservation; Ecotourism and biodiversity conservation; Payment for ecosystems services and valuation of biodiversity; Wildlife enforcement; Managing invasive alien species; Peatland management and biodiversity; Support to the Global Taxonomy Initiative; Support to the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Programme of Work on Protected Areas; Managing biodiversity information and knowledge; and Business and biodiversity.

For more information, log on to www.aseanbiodiversity.org.

ACB Headquarters3/F ERDB Building, Forestry CampusCollege, Laguna 4031, PhilippinesTelephone/Fax: +6349 536-3989 / +6349 536-2865

The ASEAN Centre for BiodiversityConserving Southeast Asia’s Biodiversity

for Human Development and Survival

Documents

ASEAN Biodiversity Vol. 11 No. 1 January-April 2012