Sabah Hosts 2nd Asia Parks Congress
The 2nd Asia Parks Congress opened at the Sabah Convention Centre in Kota Kinabalu. It brings together more than a thousand delegates from 45 countries to set the agenda for the region’s protected and conserved areas for the next 10 years.
The conference’s theme is “Parks for Nature and People” to highlight the many benefits that protected and conserved areas provide to society. The first Asia Parks Congress was held in Sendai, Japan in 2013. Event organizers said the staging of the second congress in 2022 is timely as countries are expected to adopt a new Global Biodiversity Framework later in the year. A new framework is needed to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, halt biodiversity loss by 2030, and achieve recovery by 2050.
“This is the only known planet with life on it. Now is the moment to ensure a dignified existence for ourselves and future generations by preserving and protecting the global commons, which include the atmosphere, oceans, and ecosystems that support us,” said Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor, Chief Minister of Sabah in his keynote speech during the launching ceremony of the 2nd Asia Park Congress.
Sabah’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment and its agency, Sabah Parks, are hosting the event in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).
The 5-day event is being held in hybrid format (on-site and online) and features six thematic groups:
* Nature-based solutions for health and wellbeing,
* Governance of protected and conserved areas,
* Connectivity and transboundary conservation,
* Effective protected and conserved areas,
* Economic and financial sustainability of protected and conserved areas, and
* Urban conservation and a new generation.
Organizers said the congress is a forum for sharing expertise and experience, learning from indigenous wisdom and perspectives, embracing new approaches, and seeking insights from youth leaders.
For more information, visit https://2nd-asia-parks-congress. sabahparks.org.my/.