ASEAN member countries to jointly tackle the challenges of biodiversity conservation

Speech by Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education, at the Opening of the ASEAN Conference on Biodiversity 2009 on Wednesday, 21 October 2009 at 10.45 am, Republic Polytechnic
Ministry of National Development, Media release 21 Oct 09;

Your Excellency Dato’ Misran Karmain
Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN

Your Excellency Ambassador Holger Standertskjöld
Head of Delegation of
the European Commission to Singapore

Your Excellency Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf
Executive Secretary of
the Convention on Biological Diversity

Mr Rodrigo Fuentes
Executive Director of
the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to join you this morning at the opening of the inaugural ASEAN Conference on Biodiversity. I would like to extend a warm welcome to our colleagues from ASEAN and beyond.

Rich Biodiversity in ASEAN Region

2 The ASEAN region is home to rich and unique biodiversity. Though occupying only 3% of the Earth’s surface, Southeast Asia houses over 20% of all known flora and fauna. It is also regarded as the global centre for tropical marine biodiversity as it has around a third of the world’s coral reefs by area. Three of the world’s seventeen mega-diverse countries characterised by species richness and endemism are located in Southeast Asia, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

3 The rich biodiversity in Southeast Asia is an important source of food, livelihood and shelter to over 500 million people in the region. The multitude of ecological services provided by healthy and bio-diverse ecosystems are essential for human well-being. Rainforests purify our air and water, provide food and fuel, and are a rich source of plants and herbs with medicinal value. Mangroves play an important role in protecting our shorelines and buffer coastal settlements from the effects of hazards like tsunamis. Beyond delivering such environmental benefits, biodiversity also contributes significantly to the economy, supporting industries like agriculture, pharmaceuticals, eco-tourism and recreation.

Threats to ASEAN’s Biodiversity

4 The value of biodiversity is tangible and real. We, in Southeast Asia, are fortunate to be blessed with such rich natural heritage. However, our biodiversity is increasingly threatened by urban developments and pressures from a growing population. Out of 64,800 known species in the region, it is estimated that around 2% or about 1,300 species are now endangered due to deforestation, wildlife hunting, climate change, pollution and other causes.

5 To ensure that the benefits of biodiversity can continue to be enjoyed by all of us, and our future generations, we need to act responsibly and respond urgently to the challenges of biodiversity conservation.

Local Action, Global Collaboration

Holistic Biodiversity Plans at Local Level
6 Within the ASEAN community, there is much that member countries can do to conserve the region’s rich biodiversity. Individually, ASEAN member countries have formulated their own National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans as part of their commitment to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Such action plans lie at the heart of our biodiversity conservation efforts. The successful implementation of these plans at the local level is critical to reversing the rate of biodiversity loss in the region.

7 In formulating and implementing biodiversity conservation plans, countries need to adopt a holistic approach that balances the needs of nature conservation with other competing demands on their resources. It is therefore important that agencies responsible for biodiversity conservation work closely with agencies in charge of areas such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, urban development, trade, industry and tourism. This would ensure that biodiversity considerations are factored into the work of the other sectors.

8 As a small city-state of just 700 square kilometres, Singapore faces the challenges of managing the trade-offs between conservation and development very acutely. Recognising our constraints, we have adopted a long-term and integrated approach towards land use planning and nature conservation. Through legislation protecting nature reserves, judicious land use, careful urban planning and sensitive development, we have been able to retain rich biodiversity in Singapore despite rapid urbanisation over the past four decades.

9 In addition, our dedicated greening efforts have yielded almost half of our small island under a green cover today. Singapore is home to some 2,300 species of plants, 360 species of birds, 280 species of butterflies and a large variety of animals. In addition, we have a third of the world’s hard coral species and half the number of seagrass species in the Indo-Pacific region.

Regional Collaborations in ASEAN
10 Effective local strategies and action, while important, are not enough. I encourage ASEAN member countries to come together and pool their resources, expertise and experience to jointly tackle the challenges of biodiversity conservation. Just as the value of biodiversity transcends national boundaries, the threats to regional biodiversity and impact of biodiversity loss are shared across the entire ASEAN community.

11 Conferences such as this serve as important platforms for ASEAN member countries to deepen their networks for the sharing of knowledge and collaboration on joint projects. I am told that this morning’s gathering is the largest that the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity has organised to-date, and involves government officials, scientists and non-governmental participants. I hope that this inaugural conference will present you with opportunities to forge new partnerships, reaffirm old ties, engage in meaningful dialogue and collectively develop bold action plans to address the biodiversity challenges in this region.

Global Partnerships Beyond ASEAN
12 The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity has not only been actively facilitating cooperation amongst ASEAN member countries, but also played a significant role in establishing partnerships between ASEAN and other international organisations and governments at the global level. In this regard, I am pleased to see many of our partners from beyond ASEAN here with us today. This is a testament to the strong ties that have been established between ASEAN and the broader international community.

13 With our rich biodiversity in the region, there is much that ASEAN can contribute to the international effort in terms of expertise and experience. At the same time, there is also much that we can learn from others.

14 Singapore is committed to playing its part in the international arena. With more than half of the world’s population living in cities today, urban areas around the world are experiencing unprecedented rates of biodiversity loss. As the trend of urbanisation continues, the conservation of biodiversity in cities is emerging as an important challenge that demands critical attention.

15 Leveraging on our experience as a Garden City, Singapore is now working with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and other partner cities to develop the Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity. This will be a self-assessment tool for cities to evaluate their own biodiversity conservation efforts. Such a measure would be useful to help cities benchmark the success of their efforts over time, and hopefully, enhance urban biodiversity in the longer term. The draft Singapore Index is currently being tested by various cities including Brussels, Curitiba, Edmonton, Joondalup, Montreal, Nagoya and Singapore. We welcome cities who are interested to join us in fine-tuning the index for endorsement at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in October next year.

Conclusion

16 The other day, my youngest son asked me, "Mummy, will Planet Earth be destroyed by global warming?" I looked at him, and his eyes showed a sense of anxiety, fear and discomfort. As a mother, I replied to him, I said, "Son, I believe that we human beings will have the intelligence and the creativity to do something before that happens to us." He went on, he's quite a persistent fellow, and asked, "What happens if we don't act fast enough?" I said that well, we will have to do something about it. We have some time and I hope that we can do something quick to reverse the trend. He was assured for the time being. But I think as a mother, as a law maker, as a leader, many of you probably would have been asked the same questions by your children, by your fellow countrymen. I hope that all of us will have the intelligence, the creativity, and the foresight to do something as leaders, as parents, as spouses, as scientists, to do your part to give the assurance to our children that this world will be there for them, and they deserve the national environment that they need to grow up in.

17 Next year will be significant as it marks the International Year of Biodiversity. In 2002, the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity had set a target to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national levels by 2010. I encourage all ASEAN member countries to further your biodiversity conservation efforts at the local level, and to leverage on your partnerships to actively seek opportunities for collaboration within and beyond ASEAN.

18 On this note, I wish all of you a fruitful conference; and to our foreign guests, I hope that you will have an enjoyable experience in Singapore.

19 Thank you.