EU hikes support to Asean biodiversity conservation
LOS BAñOS, Laguna—The envoy of the European Union (EU) to the Asean expressed his support to the agenda of the regional bloc in protecting and preserving biodiversity, amid challenges, and threats of environmental degradation and climate change.
Ambassador Igor Driesmans and his official delegation visited the Asean Centre for Biodiversity at the University of the Philippine Los Baños campus, where they were briefed on the sustainable programs for Asean’s 49 heritage parks, as well as other programs and projects on biodiversity conservation and management of protected areas.
“For us, Southeast Asia is a very critical region in terms of biodiversity, [as 18 percent of the world’s plant species are located in this part of the world, (covering) only 3 percent of the globe’s entire landmass]. The financial support that we have been giving over the years is absolutely well spent. This visit shows our continuing support,” Driesmans said in a media interview.
He explained the EU program’s objective is to support and build capacities among Asean member-states to manage well the bloc’s heritage parks, the number of which is still growing.
“We’re not doing this just because we love the birds, the bees and the beautiful species out there. We are very altruistic in protecting biodiversity in the interest as a whole, because it has an impact not just in health or the economy, but also on climate change,” Driesmans pointed out.
‘Green’ economy
THE Asean envoy said the EU has a global strategy on biodiversity, which seeks to halt the degradation of the global ecosystem by 2020 and restore it to transition to a “green” economy.
“We back that strategy with substantial financial resources—as the first donor worldwide, by far—in trying to protect, preserve and sustainably manage biodiversity,” he assured.
According to Driesmans, the Asean region has some worrying trends, but at the same time some, carries bright spots that the EU wants to support and nurture. He pledged for the bloc’s continuing support, and expressed hope that the project inspires more ideas to protect the environment.
The ambassador said programs on smart cities would be launched next year, which has a “very important environmental component.”
‘Toward transformative change’ MEANWHILE, Asean Centre for Biodiversity Executive Director Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim expressed her appreciation to the EU as a partner in improving protected area management and in curbing biodiversity loss through the Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in Asean, or the BCAMP program.
“Now that we are faced with an unprecedented rate of species decline, we have further intensified our efforts toward transformative change… [It] entails a system-wide change in attitude, values, goals and ways of living that would lead to the conservation, restoration, [as well as the] sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources,” Lim said.
The EU delegates also walked through the Mount Makiling Botanical Gardens— one of the features of the mountain’s forest reserve—considered as the 33rd Asean heritage park. Saul Pa-a/PNA