Hosted by Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the National Parks Board (NParks) of Singapore
The Business Mirror 29 Mar 09;
Southeast Asia occupies only 3 percent of the earth’s surface but contains more than 20 percent of all known plant, animal and marine species. Three of the world’s mega-diverse countries are in the region: Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. This richness makes the region a crucial component of global environmental sustainability.
What is the current status of biodiversity in the region? What are the challenges facing Southeast Asia’s flora, fauna and other natural resources, and how do these affect the lives of more than 500 million people? What can we do to conserve biodiversity for us and for future generations?
These and more questions will be addressed at the Asean Conference on Biodiversity (ACB 2009) from October 21 to 23 in Singapore.
The conference, with the theme “Biodiversity in Focus: 2010 and Beyond,” will be hosted by the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the National Parks Board (NParks) of Singapore.
ACB 2009 is envisioned to be one of the most important gatherings of key biodiversity stakeholders and players in the Asean region who will discuss emerging trends, issues and concerns on biodiversity conservation and management. About 250 of Southeast Asia’s key personalities from academia the research and scientific community, government and high-level policymakers will come together for 2009’s most awaited event in the environment arena.
“In 2002 the participants to the World Summit on Sustainable Development committed themselves to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national levels as a contribution to poverty alleviation, and for the benefit of all life on Earth. As 2010 draws near, the targets set in the 2002 Summit need to be assessed and progress made has to be reported to the global community,” ACB executive director Rodrigo Fuentes explained.
The ACB, he added, will provide a forum for exchanging perspectives on initiatives that address biodiversity issues in the region, and discussing steps forward in advancing the Asean biodiversity agenda with the context of meeting the 2010 Biodiversity Target.
The plenary will feature key conference papers on the state of Southeast Asia’s biodiversity, as well as conservation efforts of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The conference will also have parallel sessions on “Biodiversity and Climate Change,” “Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity—the Asean Region’s Contribution” and “Access to Genetic Resources and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising Out of Their Utilization.”
