USING the ecosystem-based approach in conserving Southeast Asia’s rich, yet highly, threatened biodiversity will be a major topic at the Second Asean Conference on Biodiversity (ACB2016) from February 15 to 18 in Bangkok, Thailand. The event is organized by the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and hosted by the Thai government.
With the theme “Biodiversity for Sustainable Development,” ACB2016 is expected to draw some 500 delegates from Asean national governments; private-sector companies; international, regional and national institutions; non-governmental organizations; academic, science and research community; students; media; and ACB partner countries and organizations.
The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) defines the ecosystem-based approach as “a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way.” The approach, which recognizes that humans are an integral part of ecosystem functions, underscores the inclusion of human interactions, and the use of science and appropriate technologies in sustaining biodiversity conservation. The ACB2016 session on ecosystem-based approach will highlight institutions and programs at the regional, subregional, national and subnational scales that demonstrate good practices and case studies on ecosystem-based approaches to protected-area management, species conservation, and to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, in general.
The session will focus on the linkage and interface between science and policy as an effective means to ensure the sustainability of ecosystem-based initiatives.
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment emphasized that humans have been mainly responsible for the deterioration of our natural environment. With increasing human population, the corresponding demand for basic services also rises and exerts more pressure over resources derived from biodiversity. This led to unprecedented changes in ecosystems and losses of biodiversity over the past 50 years. The Asean Biodiversity Outlook has validated the issue that has affected the Asean region, as well. This predicament can still be reversed and addressed through appropriate interventions at the policy level and by changing the behavior of people toward the environment, among others.
Specifically, the session on ecosystem-based approach will cover both the regional and national perspectives through various programs presentations. From the regional perspective, these programs will include the Asean Heritage Parks Programme, Coral Triangle Initiative, Heart of Borneo Initiative, Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion, Greater Mekong Subregion Program and the Asean Peatlands Programme.
From the national perspective, selected Asean member-states will present case studies on ecosystems-based approaches. Representatives from the secretariats of various multilateral environmental agreements, such as the CBD Programme of Work on Protected Areas, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance and the Convention on Migratory Species, will also participate and present global mandates and experiences. Each session topic will feature panelists from the government, academe and civil-society organizations in the Asean region.