SPECIAL REPORT - ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity

4740 International Yearof Forests 2011Protecting forests forpeople42 FAO launches 2011State of the World’sForests report43 World Wetlands Day,February 2Celebrating wetlands44 Water security dependson forests and wetlands45 International Women’sDay, March 8Women as custodiansof biodiversity46 World Water Day, March 22World focuses on waterand urbanization47 World Health Day, April 7Biodiversity ensures humanwell-being50 Earth Day, April 22A Billion Acts of Green5263PROFILES52 Cambodia:Phnom SamkosWildlife Sanctuary55 Viet Nam:Ke Go Nature Reserve59 Indonesia:Manusela National ParkBOOKMARKS62 ASEAN and RoyalThai foundation topromote biodiversityconservation62 ASEAN and Germanycooperate on biodiversityand climate change63 ACB launchestwo new books63 AWGNCB discussesACB work plan for 201164 Germany supportsASEAN in establishinga biodiversity fund64 Japan and ASEANboost taxonomiccapacities65 ACB in Photos65 Int’l confab links climatechange and biodiversity66 ABS protocol opensfor signature66 ASEAN presentsSoutheast Asia’sbiodiversity report card67 Philippines usesinformation managementto strengthen biodiversityconservation68 Workshop discussesREDD-Plus as tool vs.biodiversity loss andclimate change69 New internationaltreaty on LMOs opensfor signature69 Singapore startscomprehensive marinebiodiversity survey69 Makiling “Trekathon” held70 Raise the value of forests,says IUCN70 Biodiversity in FoodAwards now open70 UN-REDD releases fi rst5-Year strategy71 BIODIVERSITY NEWSSOUTHEAST ASIAFOCUS77 Bare-faced Bulbul78 Bukidnon Woodcock79 Limestone Leaf Warbler80 Wattled Smoky Honeyeater794ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

PublisherRodrigo U. FuentesEditor-in-ChiefRolando A. InciongManaging EditorLeslie Ann Jose-CastilloHead Writer and ResearcherSahlee Bugna-BarrerDesigner, Graphic and Layout ArtistNanie S. GonzalesCirculation AssistantAngela Rose Crissie A. MetinEditorial BoardClarissa C. AridaRodrigo U. FuentesRolando A. InciongWilfredo J. ObienMonina T. UriarteSheila G. VergaraASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB)Headquarters3/F ERDB Building, Forestry CampusUniversity of the PhilippinesLos Baños, College, Laguna,PhilippinesTelefax:+632.584-4247+6349.536-2865E-mail:contact.us@aseanbiodiversity.orgWebsite:www.aseanbiodiversity.orgACB AnnexNinoy Aquino Parksand Wildlife CenterNorth Avenue, Diliman,Quezon City 1156PhilippinesDisclaimer: Views or opinionsexpressed herein do not necessarilyrepresent any offi cial views of theAssociation of Southeast AsianNations (ASEAN). The authorsare responsible for any data orinformation presented in their articles.Letters, articles, suggestions andphotos are welcome and should beaddressed to:The Editor-in-ChiefASEAN Biodiversity MagazineASEAN Centre for BiodiversityCollege, LagunaE-mails:rainciong@aseanbiodiversity.orglavjose2@aseanbiodiversity.orgsbbarrer@aseanbiodiversity.orgAbout the ContributorsIllustration by Kevin Ray ValentinoDr. Ahmed Djoghlaf is the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Prior to hisappointment to CBD, he served as United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Assistant ExecutiveDirector and Director of Division of the Global Environment Facility in which he raised the profi le of UNEP.He has passionately been involved within the UN system and within CBD processes.Prof. Zulfi gar Yasin is a renowned marine scientist in Malaysia. Since 1988, he has been involved inresearch on Malaysian seas. He led the Malaysian team to Antarctica in 2003, working with the AustralianAntarctic Division. Writing from the rolling berth of the Aurora Australis, the journey was chronicled in aMalaysian national newspaper. In 2004, Prof. Zulfi gar initiated and led Malaysia’s largest scientifi c voyage– the ROSES Expedition (Research on the Seas and Islands of Malaysia) – through the Straits of Malacca and theSouth China Sea on board the scientifi c research vessel, the Allied Commander. The expedition documented andexplored the biological richness of the area, recognized as a marine biological hotspot. The voyage noted many fi rsttime records of organisms on Malaysia’s reefs and detailed location and the prevailing conditions of these outerreefs. To date, Prof. Yasin has received a total of 63 research grants with nine international and 15 national awards.Dr. Aileen Tan Shau-Hwai is an Associate Professor. Her research interest in marine science especially inthe fi eld of mariculture, biodiversity and conservation has earned her vast recognition both in the nationaland international arenas. She was the fi rst Malaysian who has successfully cultured oysters from eggsand sperms through artifi cial spawning. She has also extended her success on other invertebrates suchas giant clams, sea cucumber, nudibranch, pearl oysters and mussels. She is a pioneer researcher in maricultureinvolving invertebrates and has won several awards for her research on mariculture and biodiversity. Dr. Aileen haspublished over 100 articles in various scientifi c journals, monographs, proceedings, conferences and seminars.She is also involved in building human capacity where she was awarded the Best Woman Scientist for her work inguiding the women-folks in Johore Islands in earning their income through the giant clam conservation program.She is currently a faculty member at the Universiti Sains Malaysia based in Penang, Malaysia.Dr. Noriaki Sakaguchi is the Deputy Director for Wildlife Conservation of the Biodiversity Center of Japan,Naha Nature Conservation Offi ce, Ministry of the Environment. After receiving his Ph.D. in Science atKyushu University in 1994, he started his career in the Ministry of the Environment. From 1994 to 2001,he was an expert in Iriomote Wildlife Conservation Center working for the conservation of the Iriomote cat.Between 2001 and 2003, he was a long-term expert at the Biodiversity Conservation Project in Indonesia by JICAworking for research and conservation of the Javan leopard and other endangered species. He then became theAssistant Director at the Wildlife Division, Nature Conservation Bureau working for endangered species conservation,CITES and invasive alien species from 2003 to 2006. After that, he was appointed Deputy Director at theBiodiversity Center of Japan where he handled the monitoring of biodiversity in Japan and international cooperationthrough ESABII and Asia Pacifi c – Biodiversity Observation Network (AP-BON).Dr. Filiberto A. Pollisco, Jr. specializes in forest ecology and land management/land use planning;biodiversity conservation in genetic, species and ecosystems levels; and ecotourism. He was formerlyan Assistant Director/Supervising Science Research Specialist at the Philippine Council for Agriculture,Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) where he handled sloping landmanagement, solid waste management, organic agriculture, soil and water conservation, and project development.He presently works at the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity as Program Development Specialist.Anjo Alimario is a writer and researcher at BusinessMirror, a Philippine-based broadsheet. He is a magnacum laude graduate of the University of the Philippines - Diliman’s B.A. in Speech Communicationprogram. As a researcher and writer, he covers topics such as science, learning, business, and lifestyle,among others. His passion and interest in the fi eld of science earned him his fi rst journalism award in theJ. Burgos Biotechnology Journalism Awards, placing second in the Best Feature Story category.JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 5

SPECIAL REPORTCarl Linnaeusthe father of taxonomyCarl Linnaeus, alsoknown as Carl vonLinné or CarolusLinnaeus, is often calledthe Father of Taxonomyand was one of the mostinfluential scientists of histime. His systemfor naming, rankingand classifyingorganisms allowedfor clear and easydescriptions ofplants, animals andminerals, which isso straightforwardthat it is still usedby scientists today.Born in 1707 inRåshult, southernSweden, the youngLinnaeus showeda keen interest inplants and flowers.By the age of eight,he was given thenickname ‘the littlebotanist’. He studied medicine,first at the Universityof Lund and then at theUniversity of Uppsala. Medicineat his time was basedon herbalism so it meanthe also studied plants. Hethen became a lecturer inBotany. During this period,Linnaeus began to outlinethe theory of plant sexuality,which he would later useto construct his system ofplant classification.Linnaeus’ theoryof classificationIn the early 18th century,scientific names for specieswere already in Latin,but were often long andunwieldy. For example, thehumble tomato was calledSolanum caule inermi herbaceo,foliis pinnatis incisis,racemis simplicibus. Lin-naeus’ idea was to dividenature into groups basedon shared physical characteristics.Firstly, the threekingdoms of plants, animalsand minerals. Kingdomswere divided into classesand then into orders, whichwere divided into genera(singular: genus) and thenspecies (singular: species).Linnaeus gave all theplants known at that timea simpler Latin name intwo parts, known as a binomial.The first part wasthe genus, followed by thespecies. Using this system,the tomato became a moremanageable Solanum lycopersicum.He gave binomialnames to animals five yearslater and named thousandsof plants and animals in hislifetime. This binomial systemhas since become thestandard way of naming organisms.The professor of botany1n 1741, Linnaeus wasappointed Professor ofPractical Medicine at theUniversity of Uppsala andthen became Professor ofBotany, Dietetics and MaterialMedica in 1742. Aroundthe same time, the SwedishParliament wanted aninventory of all the naturalresources of the countrywhich led to the publicationof Flora Suecica and FaunaSuecica in 1745 and 1746.Linnaeus’ main focusremained his reform of botany.In 1751, he publishedPhilosophia Botanica,which dealt with the theoryof botany and the laws andrules the botanist must followin order to describeand name plants correctly.Species Plantarum followedin 1753, describing some6,000 plant species whichintroduced a new system ofnaming organisms, whichhe extended to animals inhis definitive updated SystemaNaturae in 1758.AchievementsLinnaeus is rememberednowadays primarily as thegreat biological name giverof the 18th century. The abbreviation“L.” for LinnaeusPhilosophia Botanicaappended to about 12,000scientific names of plantsand animals indicates theimmensity of his achievements,for such names attheir publication had to beassociated with descriptiveinformation derived fromhis study of specimens andearlier literature.Linnaeus’ binomial systemrapidly became thestandard system for namingspecies. Zoological andmost botanical taxonomicpriority begin with Linnaeus:the oldest plant namesaccepted as valid today arethose published in SpeciesPlantarum, in 1753, whilethe oldest animal names arethose in the tenth edition ofSystema Naturae (1758),the first edition to use thebinomial system consistentlythroughout. AlthoughLinnaeus was not the firstto use binomials, he wasthe first to use them consistently,and for this reason,Latin names that naturalistsused before Linnaeus arenot usually considered validunder the rules of nomenclature.Linnaeus identified ecologyas a distinct area ofinvestigation, emphasizingthe interrelationships innature as ‘the economy ofnature’. He was also one ofthe first naturalists to describefood chains. •References:The Linnaean Correspondence(http://linnaeus.c18.net/Doc/lbio.php)Natural History Museum(http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureonline/science-of-naturalhistory/biographies/linnaeus/index.html)6ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

SPECIAL REPORTTaxonomy –what is it?Taxonomy is the science of naming,describing and classifying organismsand includes all plants, animalsand microorganisms of the world. Usingmorphological, behavioral, genetic andbiochemical observations, taxonomistsidentify, describe and arrange species intoclassifications, including those that arenew to science.Taxonomy identifies and enumeratesthe components of biological diversityproviding basic knowledge underpinningmanagement and implementation of theConvention on Biological Diversity (CBD).Unfortunately, taxonomic knowledge is farfrom complete. In the past 250 years ofresearch, taxonomists have named about1.78 million species of animals, plants andmicro-organisms, yet the total number ofspecies is unknown and probably between5 and 30 million.Different kinds of animals, fungi andplants and microorganisms are called different‘species’. This reflects a real biologicaldifference – a species is definedas a potentially interbreedinggroup of organisms that can produceviable offspring that themselves caninterbreed. Thus, animals of two differentspecies, like a horse and a zebra,cannot interbreed, while animals ofthe same species can.Taxonomists provide uniquenames for species, labels that canhelp us find out more about them, and enableus to be sure that we are all talkingabout the same thing. Of course, there arenames for organisms in many languages,but it is important, for example, when discussingthe hedgehog to know whetherone is talking about the small spiny insectivoreErinaceus europaeus, other membersof the same family, cacti of the genusEchinocerus, orthe orange fungusHydnumrepandum,all of whichhave the same‘common’ namein English. For this reason the Latin ‘scientific’name is given as a unique universalidentifier.How to Name a Species:the Taxonomic ProcessTaxonomists begin by sorting specimensto separate sets they believe represent species.Once the specimens are sorted, the nextjob is to see whether or not they already havenames. This may involve working throughidentifi cation guides, reading descriptionswritten perhaps 200 years ago, and borrowingnamed specimens from museums or herbariato compare with the sample.Such comparison may involve externalcharacters, need to dissect internal structures,or even molecular analysis of theJANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 7

Photo courtesy of Green Community“Taxonomyprovides a basicunderstandingof the componentsof biodiversitywhich is necessaryfor effectivedecision makingabout conservationand sustainableuse.”DNA. If there is no match,the specimens may representa new species, notpreviously given a name.The taxonomist then hasto write a description, includingways in which thenew species can be distinguishedfrom others, andmake up a name for it, in aLatin format. The name andthe description must thenbe properly published sothat other taxonomists cansee what has been done,and be able to identify thespecies themselves. Fromfinding the specimens tothe name appearing in printcan take several years.Why is taxonomyimportant?Global biodiversity isbeing lost at an unprecedentedrate as a resultof human activities, anddecisions must be takennow to combat this trend.But how do decision makersdecide where to establishprotected areas if theydon’t know what is beingprotected? How do regulatorsidentify and combatharmful invasive speciesif they cannot distinguishthem from native species?How can developing countriesensure that they reapthe benefits of the use oftheir biological diversity, ifthey don’t know the biologicaldiversity that is beingused? Taxonomy providesa basic understanding ofthe components of biodiversitywhich is necessaryfor effective decision makingabout conservation andsustainable use.Taxonomy to combatinvasive alien speciesTaxonomic informationis essential for agenciesand border authorities todetect, manage and controlInvasive Alien Species(IAS). Effective control andmanagement measures canonly be implemented whenexotic species are correctlyand promptly identified.Misidentifications can costmoney when rapid decisionsneed to be taken.Networking and sharingof experiences, informationand expertise can aid inlowering the costs associatedwith IAS and reducethe need for eradicationprograms with early detectionand prevention. Wheneradication is needed, taxonomistscan offer expertisethat is central to developingthe most effectiveyet economic and environmentallybenign eradicationmeasures.Increased capacity building,especially for developingcountries, is necessaryto identify, record andmonitor invasions; providecurrent and accessible listsof potential and establishedIAS; identify potential threatsto neighboring countries;and to access informationon taxonomy, ecology, geneticsand control methods.It is vital that adjacentcountries, and all countriesalong a particular pathwayfor invasive species, canrecognize such species andconcur on their nomenclature.Baseline taxonomicinformation on native biotaat the national level is alsoimportant to ensure thatIAS can be recognized anddistinguished from naturallypresent species. •Reference:Secretariat of the Conventionon Biological Diversity. 2007.Guide to the Global TaxonomyInitiative, CBD TechnicalSeries # 278ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

SPECIAL REPORTWill Taxonomy Survive?Photo courtesy of Green CommunityBy Leslie Ann Jose-CastilloOnly a fraction of the world’s specieshave been identifi ed owing toinsuffi cient funding and a shortageof taxonomists, according to a Brazilian study.Scientists Fernando Carbayo and AntonioMarques from the University of Sao Paulo,writing in the journal Trends in Ecology andEvolution, said only 1.4 million species havebeen catalogued, thus far. This leaves an estimated5.4 million unknown to science. Theduo estimated that it would take US$263 billionto catalogue the unknown species.Apart from lack of funding, Carbayo andMarques point to the shortage of qualifi edtaxonomists as the main stumbling block toidentifying millions of unknown creatures. Ataxonomist is a scientist who classifi es organismsaccording to their physical or cellularcharacteristics. These scientists also tryto determine the evolutionary relationshipsamong these organisms.Taxonomists, an endangered speciesAt the Second Meeting of the Conferenceof the Parties (COP) to the Convention onBiological Diversity (CBD), it was realized thattaxonomic information, as well as taxonomicand curatorial expertise and infrastructure, areinsuffi cient in many parts of the world, particularlyin developing countries. Such lack wasanticipated to be one of the key obstacles inthe implementation of the Convention.“Taxonomists have become an endangeredspecies. The scientifi c community has beentalking about biodiversity loss, climate change,deforestation, desertifi cation, and other environmentalissues that confront us today. Butone serious concern that is falling off from theglobal political, funding, academic and scientific agendas is taxonomy. The issue becomesmore serious with the reality that taxonomists,like many endangered species, are not increasingin numbers,” Mr. Rodrigo U. Fuen-JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 9

SPECIAL REPORTtes, executive director of theASEAN Centre for Biodiversity(ACB), said.He added that “in a numberof taxonomy workshopsand trainings that the Centrehas co-organized, resourcepersons and participantsfrom the ten ASEAN MemberStates, Japan, Korea,China and other countries allmention a shortage of taxonomistswho can be calledupon to identify species, describespecies that are newto science, determine theirtaxonomic relationships, andmake predictions about theirproperties.”Taxonomists, anendangered speciesWith the aging taxonomicworkforce and the decliningnumber of students studyingtaxonomy, the shortage isexpected to worsen. Addingto the problem is the fact thatmany trained taxonomistsare under-utilized due to insufficient funds allocated totaxonomic study. Every majormuseum suffers from thebacklog of unstudied specimensand undescribed newspecies, while every curatorcan cite the loss of studentswho were interested in taxonomy,but could not getsuffi cient fellowship supportor failed to fi nd a paying job.In the United Kingdom,for one, it is estimated thatthere are only 500 taxonomists.In an interview withThe Independent, ProfessorGeoff Boxshall, zoologist atthe Natural History Museum,said “The collapse of taxonomyin the UK universitiesis extremely worrying, noone is training the new generationof young taxonomistsneeded to monitor changesin biodiversity, to deliver highqualityresearch, or to meetthe demands of industry.”He added that “our concernis that taxonomy is not takenseriously. It is not rated veryhighly and there is very little inthe way of practical coursesat universities in the UK. Skillsare being lost nationally andnew graduates are no longerbeing trained.”The state of taxonomy inthe ASEAN region and in otherparts of the world is similarwith the UK’s.Need to revive interestin taxonomy“Adequate taxonomy isone of the fundamental toolsrequired for the global communityto implement the MillenniumDevelopment Goalsand the development targetsfrom the World Summit forSustainable Development.Without suffi cient long-terminvestment in the human,infrastructural, and informationresources necessary tounderpin the science of taxonomy,the now well-recognizedtaxonomic impedimentwill continue to prevent implementationof sound, scientifically based sustainable,environmental managementand development policies,”Mr. Fuentes explained.He added that taxonomyis a critical tool for combatingthe threat from invasive alienspecies and other concernssuch as in human health.Without access to support,misidentifi cations are made,costing precious money andtime when rapid decisionsneed to be made.Parties to the CBD recognizethat there is a dire needto revive interest in taxonomy.The diminishing status of thisPhoto courtesy of Green Communityscience and profession iscrippling the ASEAN MemberStates’ and other Asiancountries’ capacity to effectivelycatalogue the region’sbiological resources. Expertspoint to the fact that withoutknowledge and understandingof species, it would bediffi cult to plan and implementbiodiversity conservationefforts.Speaking at the First LatinAmerican Congress for theConservation of Biodiversityheld in Argentina, CBD ExecutiveSecretary Dr. AhmedDjoghlaf underscored the keyrole to be played by taxonomistsin achieving the targetsof the 2011-2020 CBD StrategicPlan. “Taxonomy andtaxonomic capacity are basicconcerns for biodiversityconservation and therefore ofthe CBD. Knowledge of whatspecies occur in what placeis fundamental for guidingeffective conservation plansand interventions. As climatechange causes rangeshifts, new invasive specieswill become threateningand the boundaries of someprotected areas will need tochange,” he said.The GlobalTaxonomy InitiativeAccording to the globalbiodiversity chief, the Programmeof Work for theGlobal Taxonomy Initiative(GTI) was developed underthe Convention to guide thetaxonomic research, outputsand capacity developmentneeded for implementation ofthe Convention. “No countrycan have all the taxonomiccapacity it requires – taxonomyis a global science – butfor CBD implementation it isvital that each country developsappropriate capacitiessuch that it has access —within country or otherwise— to the expertise, tools andinformation needed to identifyand monitor biodiversity andthreats to it. The Programmeof Work for the GTI thereforeidentifi es regional and globaltechnical cooperation networksas a key mechanismfor meeting national taxonomicneeds,” he said.He also called on Partiesto the CBD to work on makingtangible progress in furtheringregional cooperationby establishing a strong networkof taxonomists and linkingtaxonomy to the processof implementing the CBD.Collaborating to improvetaxonomic capacitiesIn the ASEAN region, suchnetwork is being establishedthrough the project “TaxonomicCapacity Building andGovernance for Conservationand Sustainable Useof Biodiversity” funded bythe Government of Japanthrough the Japan-ASEANIntegration Fund. (For moreinformation on the project,go to page 16).“Through the collaborationamong countries, we are ableto mobilize and share expertisein the fi eld of taxonomyand ensure that taxonomiccapacities will be made accessibleto the ASEAN MemberStates. Taxonomy shouldbe revived. The challengenow is to address shortfallin taxonomic manpower beforeit affects our ability toconserve, use and share thebenefi ts of biological diversity.The challenge for all: Willtaxonomy survive? What canwe do to save it?” Mr. Fuentessaid. •10ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

SPECIAL REPORTThe GlobalTaxonomyInitiative“Identification oflarge, charismaticanimals may beeasy; however,the majorityof organismsare insects,plants, fungi andmicroorganisms,which requireexpert skillsfor correctidentification.Most of themhave not beencategorized orgiven formalscientific names.”Governments, through the Conventionon Biological Diversity (CBD),have acknowledged the existenceof a “taxonomic impediment” to the soundmanagement of biodiversity. Thus, the CBDestablished the Global Taxonomy Initiative(GTI), which aims to remove or reduce thistaxonomic impediment – in other words, theknowledge gaps in our taxonomic system(including those associated with geneticsystems), the shortage of trained taxonomistsand curators, and the impact thesedeficiencies have on our ability to conserve,use and share the benefits of our biologicaldiversity.Identification of large, charismatic animalsmay be easy; however, the majorityof organisms are insects, plants, fungiPhoto courtesy of Green Communityand microorganisms, which require expertskills for correct identification. Most ofthem have not been categorized or givenformal scientific names. The inability toidentify (or obtain identifications of) speciesis a major component of the taxonomicimpediment.Simple-to-use identification guides forthe non-taxonomist are rare and availablefor relatively few taxonomic groups andgeographic areas. Taxonomic information isoften in formats and languages that are notsuitable or accessible in countries of origin,as specimens from developing countries areoften studied in industrialized nations.There are millions of species still undescribedand there are far too few taxonomiststo do the job, especially in biodiver-JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 11

SPECIAL REPORT“One aspectof the GTI isto ensure thattaxonomicinformationreaches not onlytaxonomistsbut alsodecision makersand othernon-taxonomistusers, and ina format thatthey can employ. “sity-rich but economicallypoorer countries. Most taxonomistswork in industrializedcountries, which typicallyhave less diverse biotathan in more tropical developingcountries. Collectioninstitutions in industrializedcountries also hold mostspecimens from these developingcountries, as wellas associated taxonomicinformation.Furthermore, althoughthere is extensive taxonomicwork on groups such asbirds, mammals and higherplants, little is known oftheir distribution, biologyand genetics. It is estimatedthat only ten percent ofvertebrates remain to bedescribed, but greater than50 percent of terrestrialarthropods and up to 95percent of protozoa are undescribed.At the most conservativeestimate, there aremore unknown species thanknown ones on earth.What needs to be done?The GTI was createdto remove or reduce the“taxonomic impediment”.It was established by theConference of the Parties(COP) to the CBD to addressthe lack of taxonomicinformation and expertiseavailable in many parts ofthe world, and thereby toimprove decision making inconservation, sustainableuse and equitable sharingof the benefi ts derived fromgenetic resources. This isthe fi rst time in history thattaxonomy has had recognitionat such a high level ininternational policy.The GTI was developedby governments, under theCBD, and is implementedby many actors includinggovernments, non-governmentand internationalorganizations, as well astaxonomists and the institutionswhere they work.Taxonomy is important forall types of ecosystems,and therefore the initiativeis a cross-cutting issue applicableto all of the workunder the Convention. TheGTI is specifically intendedto support implementationof the work programs of theConvention on its thematicand cross-cutting issues.Because the GTI is a part ofthe CBD, the taxonomic activitiesthat it espouses arein support of the three aimsof the Convention.The GTI has a dual nature,encompassing bothpolicy and implementation.Firstly, as a ‘cross-cuttingissue’ of the CBD, it ispart of an agreement thatprovides the legal and politicalbacking for activitiesin support of its threefoldobjective. This is the forumthrough which the Parties tothe CBD develop policy, asarticulated in the decisionsof the Conference of theParties. This internationalpolicy can then be used toinform national policies bythe COP.Input to the COP comesfrom its Subsidiary Bodyon Scientific, Technical andTechnological Advice (SB-STTA), the ‘CoordinationMechanism’ of the GTI (aninformal advisory group),and any other expert meetingsor processes that maybe convened. Assistance inbringing this information together,and providing otherdocumentation to developthe process, is provided bythe Executive Secretary ofthe CBD and the Secretariat(SCBD), which includes aGTI Programme Officer.The other aspect of thedual nature of the GTI isthat of implementation. Theadoption by the COP of aparticular decision doesnot automatically mean thatthe aspirations expressedwithin it are implemented.Countries first have to takedecisions of their own as towhat extent they will put inplace policies to implementlocally what has been decidedglobally. The activitiesoutlined in the policies(e.g. the GTI Programme ofWork) need to be undertakenby, among others, taxonomiststhemselves.The success of the GTIdepends largely on the participationof taxonomists andothers, and the successfulintegration of taxonomicwork with other Conventionactivities. This is a challenge.Mechanisms must be establishedto support implementation,and to record whenand how implementation hastaken place. Those implementingthe GTI are by andlarge not engaged in policydevelopment, and there maybe very tenuous links betweenthe implementers andthe policymakers. Taxonomistsand their institutionsmay not be aware of thepolicy decisions that havebeen made, and how thesecan support the work that isrequired.Conversely, those taskedwith reporting on the progressof the GTI (specificallyGTI and CBD National FocalPoints) may not be awareof what progress has beenmade, or, indeed, of whomight be involved, sincethere is generally no mechanismin place to gather andsynthesize this information.The GTI is necessarilydriven by user needs, thoseneeds being identified inthe context of Conventionimplementation. Taxonomistsalready produce vastamounts of basic, valuableinformation. However, thepractices of informationdissemination have not alwaysdone justice to theimportance of that information.One aspect of the GTIis to ensure that taxonomicinformation reaches notonly taxonomists but alsodecision makers and othernon-taxonomist users, andin a format that they canemploy.In addition to effectivedissemination of existinginformation, generation ofnew information is also apart of the GTI. As notedearlier, the majority of speciesare not yet describedand named. Any taxonomicactivity will at some levelassist in implementationof the Convention, becausebetter understandingof biodiversity shouldultimately support betterdecisions about conservationand sustainable use ofbiodiversity.Nevertheless, the GTI focusessomewhat on taxonomyapplied in the contextof the implementation of theCBD. End-users of taxonomicinformation, be theyprotected area managers,scientists combating alienspecies, or national governmentsdefi ning access regimesfor medicinal plants,have an important shorttermneed for good informationupon which to basetheir decisions. In short,effective implementation ofthe CBD depends largely ontaxonomic information. •Reference:Secretariat of the Conventionon Biological Diversity. 2007.Guide to the Global TaxonomyInitiative, CBD TechnicalSeries # 2712ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

SPECIAL REPORTPhoto courtesy of the Government of JapanCOP10 strengthens GTIAt the Tenth Meeting of the Conferenceof the Parties (COP10) to theConvention on Biological Diversity(CBD) held in Nagoya, Japan in October2010, the Parties came up with DecisionX/39 further strengthening the implementationof the Global Taxonomy Initiative(GTI). The Parties recalled that the ongoing“taxonomic impediment” not only threatensthe generation of new taxonomic data, butalso endangers the validation of taxonomicspecimens and their associated data asdeposited in natural history collections andother scientific resources. They recognizedthe limited progress on taxonomic needsassessments at the national level and urgedParties and other Governments to conducttaxonomic needs assessments, where applicable,with particular regard to the fullrange of end-users and their need for taxonomicsupport in the implementation of allrelevant articles and work programs of theCBD.The salient points of Decision X/39:1. Acknowledging the progress made atthe global level with determining prioritytaxonomic needs for invasive alien speciesmanagement, encourages Parties,other Governments and relevant organizationsto determine priority taxonomicneeds in the other thematic areas andcross-cutting issues of the Convention,taking into account the regionally specificneeds in taxa and regionally determinedcapacity-building needs;2. Encourages Parties and relevant organizationsto make taxonomic and othernecessary data and metadata from taxonomicand other relevant institutionsand organizations easily accessible andtheir collections available in responseto the information needs identified asnational and regional priorities such as,inter alia, information and expertise tomanage invasive alien species and endangeredspecies;3. Recognizing the need for better andmore comprehensive data of speciesdistribution at bioregional scale, urgesParties and invites other Governmentsand organizations, to better coordinatetheir taxonomic research in biogeographicregions, and to share and exchange,new and existing information;JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 13

SPECIAL REPORT4. Further urges Partiesand invites other Governmentsand organizationsto increasethe knowledge baseon ecological rangeand the condition ofthe species in order tobetter meet the userneedsin respect of bioindicationof ecologicalhealth;5. Requests the ExecutiveSecretary of theCBD with the assistanceof the CoordinationMechanism for theGTI and in collaborationwith relevant internationalorganizations,to hold capacity-buildingtraining workshopsin all sub-regions andregions as needed;6. Urges Parties and invitesother Governmentsto endorseGTI-related projectproposals relevant totheir national biodiversitystrategies andaction plans preparedin collaboration withnational, regional andglobal partner organizationsand networks,to facilitate the processof project funding bythe Global EnvironmentFacility and throughother relevant sourcesof funding;7. Urges Parties and invitesother Governmentsto facilitate thedevelopment of capacity,in collaboration withglobal, regional andsub-regional networks,as needed in:a. The use of shareabletaxonomicknowledge, and associatedmaterials,by enhancing themanagement anduse of in-countrycollections of referencedspecimens,subject to the provisionsof Article 15of the Convention;b. Molecular techniquescommonlyused in taxonomy,such as DNA barcodingamong others;c. Training coursesboth for the users oftaxonomic informationand for youngprofessional taxonomists;d. Scientific collectionsin developing countries,particularlythe least developedcountries and smallisland developingstates among them,and countries witheconomies in transition8. Recognizing the importanceof exchangeof taxonomic voucherspecimens for noncommercialbiodiversityresearch, encouragesParties, other Governmentsand organizationsto find ways offacilitating and benefitingfrom regional andsub-regional scientificand technical collaborationsin accordancewith relevant nationallegislation and relevantrequirements whereapplicable with dueregard for the need toaddress changes inuse and intent otherthan taxonomic andsubject to the outcomesof the negotiationon the internationalregime on access andbenefit-sharing underthe Convention;9. Recognizing that thenumber of professionaltaxonomists is predictedto decrease andthat the rapid accumulationof information inDNA sequences willrequire an expansionof taxonomic expertiseto reliably identify thetaxa from which thesequences derive; allowingpotential of newtechnologies to bemaximized for a widerange of biodiversityassessments, encouragesParties and otherGovernments to enhancethe activities ofinstitutions related totaxonomy to providejob opportunities andincentives for youngtaxonomists and tostrengthen the taxonomiccapacity to conductappropriate trainingfor parataxonomistsand relevant end-usersof taxonomy at national,regional and globallevels;10. Invites Parties, otherGovernments and internationaland fundingorganizations to carryout implementation ofthe program of work forthe Global TaxonomyInitiative with specialattention to nationaland regional inventoriesof all organisms,i.e. plants, animals andmicroorganisms;11. Further recognizing thattaxonomic capacity iscrucial for the implementationof all relevantarticles and work programsof the Conventionand that the taxonomiccapacity to inventoryand monitor biodiversity,including the use ofnew technologies, suchas DNA barcoding andother relevant informationtechnology is notadequate in many partsof the world, invites theGlobal EnvironmentFacility, Parties, otherGovernments, andother international andfunding organizationsto put higher priority forfunding to GTI proposals;12. Welcoming the progresson the establishmentof a Special TrustFund for the GlobalTaxonomy Initiativeand acknowledgingthe work of BioNET-INTERNATIONAL andPhoto by Lim Xin Yi14ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

SPECIAL REPORTrelevant networks andorganizations andParties contributingto the developmentand promotion of thesponsorship strategyand global campaign,as elaborated in theprogress report on theestablishment of a specialfund for the GlobalTaxonomy Initiative:a. Invites Parties andother Governmentsand organizations torespond urgently tomake the trust fundoperational beforethe eleventh meetingof the Conferenceof the Parties;b. Requests the ExecutiveSecretary ofthe CBD, in accordancewith DecisionIX/22 to proposethe formal constitutionof a steeringcommittee reflectingregional balanceand other appropriateexpertise to facilitateidentificationof suitable fundingsources and assistthe operationalizationof the SpecialFund taking into accountthe suggestionsincluded in thePhoto by Rayvin Tamisinprogress report;13. Welcomes the sectionon taxonomy as partof the statement andrecommendation fromUNESCO InternationalYear of BiodiversityScience Policy Conference,held at UNESCOHeadquarters, Parisfrom 25 to 29 January2010 and urges Partiesand invites other Governmentsand relevantorganizations to supportand implement,as appropriate, in accordancewith all threeobjectives of the CBDand, where applicable,with prior informedconsent and/or approvaland involvementof indigenous and localcommunities, as wellas relevant national legislation,the followingrecommendations forscaling up and sustainingtaxonomy resultingfrom this Conference:a. Supporting indigenousand localcommunities in capturingand preservingtheir taxonomicknowledge;b. Applying cybertaxonomy,molecularand other innovativeapproaches toaccelerate the taxonomicworkflow ofdiscovery and description;c. Using digital andmolecular infrastructuretools tointegrate taxonomicdata with othertypes of life scienceinformation, thusalso broadening theproducts availableto support identificationand otherservices;d. Prioritization of taxonomicefforts accordingto scientificknowledge gapsand user needs;e. Making communicationand outreachstandard practice,and using Internetmedia platforms toreach the public andothers;f. Training a new generationof taxonomists,able to workflexibly and collaborativelyand takingstock of new andemerging technologiesand tools;g. Appreciating thevaluable contributionsof taxonomyand recognizing itas a branch of cutting-edgescience;14. Requests the ExecutiveSecretary in consultationwith CoordinationMechanism forthe Global TaxonomyInitiative, national focalpoints for the Initiativeand relevant institutions,bodies and organizations,to develop acomprehensive capacity-buildingstrategy forthe Global TaxonomyInitiative at global andregional levels that addressesthe StrategicPlan for Biodiversity2011-2020, taking intoaccount:a. The need for consistencybetweenthe planned activitiesrelevant to capacity-buildinginprogram of work forthe GTI and the outcomeoriented deliverablescontained indecision IX/22;b. Taxonomic needsand capacities asalready reported;c. The relevant stakeholdersand resourcesrequired as wellas possible fundingmechanisms; andd. Taxonomic needsand priorities for thethematic areas andother cross-cuttingissues for the Convention,in particularfor the work onprotected areas andinvasive alien species;and presentthe draft progressreport to the COP atits eleventh meeting,and requests theSubsidiary Body onScientifi c, Technicaland TechnologicalAdvice to review thedraft strategy prior tothe eleventh meetingof the Conference ofthe Parties;15. Requests the ExecutiveSecretary of the CBDto develop a standardformat for taxonomicneeds and capacity assessmentsfor use byParties; and16. Requests the ExecutiveSecretary of the CBDin consultation with theCoordination Mechanismfor GTI and thead hoc technical expertgroup on post-2010indicators to considerdeveloping an indicatorin order to assess theprogress on the implementationof the programof work for theInitiative as needed. •Reference: SCBDJANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 15

SPECIAL REPORTEnhancing taxonomiccapabilities ofSoutheast Asia andother Asian countriesBy Dr. Filiberto Pollisco, Jr. and Dr. Noriaki Sakaguchi*At the Sixth Conference of theParties (COP6) to the Conventionon Biological Diversity (CBD), anoperational program of work for the GlobalTaxonomy Initiative (GTI) was endorsedthrough COP6 Decision VI/8, Paragraph 5.The program of work set the objectives andprovided the rationale for the choice of theoperational targets. The COP VI/8 decisionconcluded that fast and successful implementationof the program of work will, to alarge extent, depend on coordinating it withexisting national, regional and global initiatives,partnerships and institutions suchas, among others, the Global BiodiversityInitiative Facility (GBIF) and BioNET-International;and taxonomic capacity building atthe national and regional levels.At the CBD-COP9, the program of workwas adopted as Decision IX/22. In this de-cision, Parties to the CBD were “urged topromote and carry out the program of workthrough coordination of its implementationswith existing partners and initiatives, designationof national GTI focal points, provisionof updated information about legal requirementsfor exchange of genetic and biologicalspecimens and about current legislationand rules for access and benefit-sharing interms of the needs for the GTI, and initiativesof setting up of national and regionalnetworks to aid the Parties in their taxonomicneeds in implementing the CBD.”Expanding taxonomic capacitiesDuring CBD-COP10 held in Nagoya,Japan last October 2010, the Parties recognizedthat the number of professionaltaxonomists is decreasing and that therapid accumulation of information in DNA“Taxonomicknowledge isindispensible notonly for researchactivities but alsofor assessmentand monitoringof biodiversityto evaluate theresults andimpacts ofpolicies.”Participants to the Plant Taxonomy Internship Program tour the laboratory in Bangkok’s RoyalForestry Herbarium16ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

Dr. Edwino S. Fernando of the University of the Philippines LosBanos supervising AMS participants during the Plant TaxonomyInternship ProgramIdentifying corals during the Coral Taxonomy Training at theUniversiti Sains Malaysia in PenangIdentifying plants in Cibodas Botanic Garden, IndonesiaResource person and TRAFFIC-SEA Deputy Regional DirectorMr. Chris Shepherd showing a python to AMS participantssequences will require anexpansion of taxonomicexpertise to reliably identifythe taxa from which the sequencesare derived from.COP10/Decision 39 encouragedParties and otherGovernments to “enhancethe activities of institutionsrelated to taxonomy to providejob opportunities andincentives for young taxonomistsand to strengthenthe taxonomic capacity toconduct appropriate trainingfor parataxonomists andrelevant end-users of taxonomyat national, regionaland global levels”.Responding to the CBD-COP’s call for the need fortaxonomic information andcapacity building efforts, theEast and South East AsiaBiodiversity Information Initiative(ESABII) was startedin January 2009 in collaborationwith the ten ASEANMember States, China, Japan,Mongolia, and Republicof Korea and six organizationsincluding the ASEANCentre for Biodiversity(ACB), and the Secretariat ofthe CBD. In December of thesame year, ESABII crafted itsstrategy and work plan.ESABIIThe goal of ESABII is tocontribute to the implementationof the CBD StrategicPlan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including the Aichi BiodiversityTargets, through thedevelopment of biodiversityinformation and taxonomiccapacity building needed fordeveloping policies in theconservation and sustainableuse of biodiversity in East andSoutheast Asia.Basic data is crucial indeveloping and implementingpolicies for the conservationand sustainable useof biodiversity. Information,however, is scattered andnot easily accessible topolicy and decision makersin East and SoutheastAsia. Thus, ESABII aimsto gather scattered information,develop useful informationdatabase, andmake them easily accessibleto policy and decisionmakers through its website.The information on threatenedspecies and migratorywater-birds, for example, iscurrently being developedby the Ministry of the Environment,Japan under theESABII Strategy.Taxonomic knowledge isindispensible not only for researchactivities but also forassessment and monitoringof biodiversity to evaluatethe results and impacts ofpolicies such as the AichiTargets and the NationalBiodiversity Strategy andAction Plans (NBSAP).At the country level,taxonomic capacity of theCustoms authorities is essentialin law enforcementof the Convention on InternationalTrade in EndangeredSpecies of WildFlora and Fauna (CITES)and laws on invasive alienspecies. However, as mentionedabove, lack of taxonomiccapacity and humanresources in such fieldshave been standing in theway of proper implementation.Collaborating fortaxonomic capacityAs part of taxonomic capacitybuilding efforts in theregion, ACB and the Ministryof Environment of Japan(MoE-J) are collaborativelyconducting taxonomic capacitybuilding programs inSoutheast Asian countries.A Regional Workshopon GTI participated bythe ASEAN + 3 MemberCountries (ASEAN MemberStates, Japan, China andRepublic of Korea) was conductedin the Philippines inMay 2009. The workshopassessed the taxonomicneeds in the conservationand sustainable use of biodiversityin the area of trainingand capacity building.The workshop also crafteda regional action plan in accordancewith the Programof Work of the GTI. It wasthe first ASEAN GTI regionalworkshop jointly organizedby the ESABII through theMoE-J, ACB and the FrenchGovernment through its embassiesin the Philippinesand Thailand. The workshopwas supported byvarious French, Japaneseand other local and internationalinstitutions such asL’Institut de recherche pourle développement (IRD), LeCentre de coopération internationaleen rechercheagronomique pour le développement(CIRAD), HNMN,Global Biodiversity InformationFacility, Japan InternationalCooperation AgencyJANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 17

SPECIAL REPORTCyathea contaminans(JICA), and the University ofthe Philippines Los Baños.Taxonomic capacitybuilding and governancefor the sustainable useof biodiversityAs an offshoot of the firstworkshop, the ACB, withsupport from the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund(JAIF), launched a projectaimed at increasing thenumber of taxonomists inthe Southeast Asian region.The project on “TaxonomicCapacity Building and Governancefor the SustainableUse of Biodiversity”has already implementedthree training programs onCoral Taxonomy held inthe Universiti Sains Malaysiain Penang; TerrestrialPlant Taxonomy held at theResearch Center for Biologyin Bogor, Indonesia;and the Training of Trainerson CITES Policies and theIdentification of ThreatenedSpecies (Reptiles) held inKuala Lumpur, Malaysia inpartnership with TRAFFIC-Southeast Asia, an organizationagainst traffickingand illegal trade of wildlife.The three workshopstrained 94 young scientistsfrom all over SoutheastAsia, with participants fromChina, Japan and the Republicof Korea.The three taxonomictraining programs were partof the ESABII activities.In February 2011, theMoE-J conducted a NationalTraining on CITESPolicies and Species Identificationin Ho Chi Minh,Viet Nam in collaborationwith TRAFFIC-SEA and theASEAN-Wildlife EnforcementNetwork. Four Vietnamesetrainers, who participatedin the Training ofTrainers in Kuala Lumpur,trained 37 participants fromCustoms and EnvironmentPolice and other stakeholders.Utilizing the knowledgethey gained from the KualaLumpur training, the fourVietnamese trainers facilitatedthe whole trainingcourse.Part of the series of trainingprograms is the Internshipfor Corals and PlantsTaxonomy. Participantsfrom five priority ASEANMember States (Cambodia,Lao PDR, Myanmar,Viet Nam and Thailand) willimmerse themselves in thePhuket Marine BiologicalCenter for the corals group,and in the Bangkok RoyalForestry Herbarium for theplants taxonomy group,both in Thailand, to experiencea more advancedand hands-on form of taxonomicactivities. At the endof the one-month internshipprogram in June 2011, theparticipants are expectedto draft scientific articles, inpublishable format, abouttheir chosen group of plantsor corals. The articles willbe reviewed by a panel oftaxonomy experts. Theproducts of the internshipprogram are a checklist ofa particular group of plantsor corals, a revision of previousliterature of a particulartaxon, or a synopsis of aselected species or generaof plants or corals.Bright futurefor taxonomyTaxonomic classifi cationsof biological resources is vital,fi rst, in the comprehensiveidentifi cation of thesepotential resources, andsecond, in the formulationof suitable mechanisms thatwill regulate industrial andcommercial utilization andproduction of these resourcesto ensure use effi ciencyand sustainability in the future,in compliance with theCBD requirements and theattainment of the MillenniumDevelopment Goals. It willalso protect and strengthenthe cultural identity, spiritualvalues and appreciation ofbiodiversity among the peoplesof ASEAN + 3 countrieswhile boosting opportunitiesfor livelihood, business,ecotourism, education andresearch in the region. Ultimately,it will contribute significantly to the global effortsto meet the UN MillenniumDevelopment Goals on theenvironment and achieve asignifi cant reduction in therate of biodiversity loss by2020, as a commitment tothe 2011-2020 Aichi StrategicPlan.The lack of trained humanresources and inadequatecapacities on taxonomy hasbeen stressed as one of theobstacles in the implementationof CBD commitments,especially in the ASEAN region.But with taxonomiccooperation among ASEANMember States and withits dialogue partners goinginto high gear, taxonomy inSoutheast Asia has a brightfuture. •References:ASEAN Conference onBiodiversity 2009 BrochureConvention on BiologicalDiversity documents: COPDecision VI/8; COP DecisionIX/22; COP X/Dec/39* Dr. Filiberto Pollisco, Jr.is a Program DevelopmentSpecialist with the ASEANCentre for Biodiversityand Dr. Noriaki Sakaguchiis Deputy Director forWildlife Conservation, NahaNature Conservation Office,Ministry of the Environmentof Japan.18ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

SPECIAL REPORTThe status ofmarine taxonomyin the ASEAN regionBy Dr. Aileen Tan Shau-Hwai and Dr. Zulfigar Yasin*“The marine areassurrounding theASEAN regionare at the heartof the world’sbiodiversity. Thediverse habitatfound here arehome to thousandsof species ofplants and animals,which range fromthe smallestplanktonic life tolarge migratorymarine mammals.Much of the humanpopulation herederives their food,wealth, traditionand livelihood fromthe seas.”Photo courtesy of Conservation InternationalThe ten ASEAN Member States arelocated between two major oceans– the Indian Ocean and the PacificOcean, and surrounded by three main seas.The Andaman Sea is on the northwest, theSouth China Sea lying in the middle of theregion, and the Philippine Sea on the east.In addition, there are several other seassuch as the Gulf of Thailand, Sulu Sea, SulawesiSea and Java Sea.Rich marine biodiversityThe marine areas surrounding the ASEANregion are at the heart of the world’s biodiversity.The diverse habitat found here arehome to thousands of species of plantsand animals, which range from the smallestplanktonic life to large migratory marinemammals. Much of the human populationhere derives their food, wealth, traditionand livelihood from the seas. Of the world’sJANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 19

SPECIAL REPORT17 mega-diverse countries,three are found in the region,namely, Indonesia, Malaysiaand the Philippines. Overall,the ASEAN region hasunique and highly diversebiological resources.Another rich marinearea is the “Coral Triangle”,bounded by the marine regionfrom Malaysia to thewest and Papua New Guineato the east, is characterizedby the richest seas inthe world from the perspectiveof marine biodiversity.Almost all the major tropicalmarine habitats are representedhere which includethe coral reefs, the seagrass beds, the mudflats,the mangrove forests, thecontinental shelf and thedeep sea.Taxonomy and museumsin the ASEAN regionAlthough the ASEAN regionis located in the heartof the world’s most diversearea, the science of taxonomyand systematics inthis region is still in its developmentalstage. Taxonomicresearch in general appearsneglected. The fi eld of taxonomy,although providingthe foundation for biodiversityconservation, has yetto receive the necessary resourcesand incentives to attractmore researchers andexperts, thereby enhancingresearch in this fi eld.Serious efforts are neededto bring back the scienceto its rightful place to progresssystematically with otherareas of study for whichtaxonomy is the key. Underthe auspices of several internationalprograms suchJapanese Society for Promotionof Science (JSPS),Natural Geography in ShoreAreas (NaGISA), UNESCO,IOC-WESTPAC and theDanish International DevelopmentAgency (DANIDA),taxonomy workshops hadbeen organized in some ofthe ASEAN countries likeIndonesia, Malaysia, Philippines,Singapore, Thailandand Viet Nam, with participantsfrom the ASEANcountries.In addition to traditionalmethods of taxonomy,more modern approacheslike molecular taxonomyand genome mapping haverecently become more popular.These new approachesneed to be encouragedfor a more comprehensivestudy and identification ofmarine species.However, there are verylimited depository areas inthe ASEAN region for marineorganisms and muchless the archived referencecollections. To date, Thailandhas the most numberof depository areas with regardsto marine specimens,which are mainly located atthe Phuket Marine BiologicalStation and in the localuniversities. One of themost referred museums inthe ASEAN region is theRaffles Museum of BiodiversityResearch, locatedat the National University ofSingapore. Table 1 showssome of the museumswhere marine specimensare deposited.The Phuket Marine BiologicalCentre (PBMC) locatedin Thailand, althoughnot known as a museum,has a vast collection ofmarine specimens whichhad been identified both byinternational and local taxonomists.PMBC has alsoconducted many taxonomytraining workshops for bothlocal as well as the internationalresearchers.Most of the museums aresupported by scientists andresearch staff instead of fulltimecurators. There are fi vecurators based in Raffl esMuseum of Biodiversity Researchspecializing in crustaceans,fi sh/amphibians/reptiles, herbarium, bird/insect/mammal/molluscsandcnidarians/crustaceans/echinoderms. The NationalMuseum of the PhilippinesTable 1. Museums with depository of marine organismsin the ASEAN Member States.CountryMalaysiaViet NamThailandSingaporePhilippinesIndonesiaName of museumMarine Science Laboratory Collection, Universiti SainsMalaysiaMarine Ecosystem Research Centre, Universiti KebangsaanMalaysiaInstitute of Biological Sciences, University MalayaInstitute of Oceanography, Nha TrangBangkok Seashell MuseumBiological Science Museum, Chiang Mai University,Chiang MaiChulalongkorn University of Museum of Natural History,BangkokKasetsart University of Museum of Fisheries(Natural History), BangkokKasetsart University’s Zoological Museum, BangkokMahidol University’s Mollusk Museum, BangkokPhuket Seashell Museum, PhuketPhuket Marine Biological Centre Reference CollectionPrincess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural HistoryMuseum, Prince of Songkhla University, Hat YaiRattanakosin Natural History Museum, KasetsartUniversity, BangkokThai Island and Sea Natural History Museum, ChonburiRaffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, NationalUniversity of SingaporeUPLB Museum of Natural History, University of thePhilippines, Los BanosNational Museum of the Philippines (Zoology Division)Indonesia Institute of Sciences (LIPI)Photo by Rhoda Tayag20ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

SPECIAL REPORTGreen turtlePhoto by Lee Chin Yongis supported by two full-timecurators and 18 researchstaff; while ChulalongkornUniversity of Museum ofNatural History is supportedby two marine curators specializingin cnidarians andmolluscs. It is obvious thatthe ASEAN region lacks fulltimetaxonomists.Taxonomic researchTaxonomic research inthe ASEAN region is notin the top list of prioritiesamong scientists andfunding institutions. Youngpeople consider taxonomicresearch as a low careerprospect.Several factors may haveled to the slow developmentof taxonomic science in theregion. These are:• Widespread belief thattaxonomy is old scienceand that mostof the work relating totaxonomy has been‘sorted out’. This viewis changing as molecularapproaches contributeto the developmentof the science.• Financial assistanceand grants on puresciences are relativelyfew. This is also truefor support in taxonomicresearch.• Career developmentin taxonomy is not financiallyrewardingwhile career opportunitiesare few. It isgenerally believed thatthe learning curve fortaxonomic science isalso protracted.• Setting up and maintenanceof referencecollections is expensiveand long-termsupport is rare exceptfor the most establishedcenters andmuseum; althoughthese are necessaryfor the development ofthe science. Depositorylocations for marinescience materialsand specific referencecollections are spreadover different institutions;because manyof them are associatedwith particularexperts and existinginterests, their longtermsustainability isdoubtful.• Lack of expertisefor many taxonomicgroups in the region;the issue of supervisionand training needsto be addressed.• Lack of resources todatabase their collectionsin ways to allowinformation to beelectronically availablevia the Internet for useby decision makersand the community atlarge.Some of the issuesmentioned above can beaddressed by pooling resourcesin the ASEANregion and even from internationalagencies andinstitutions. The efforts ofthese bodies in organizingworkshops and trainingprograms should be laudedand encouraged. They havecreated interests and longlasting impressions amongthe young scientific community.However, there is noformal drive to promote thescience of taxonomy at thepolicy and managerial levelsof many ASEAN MemberStates. As awareness onbiodiversity conservationbecomes more pronouncedin the region, taxonomy andits related sciences shoulduse this opportunity to advanceits cause. Relevantgovernment agencies, universitiesand institutionsin each country could establishtaxonomy researchcenters by providing thenecessary incentives andemployment opportunities.Support for formal trainingand research will be beneficialto the region as thenecessary science of taxonomyprovides the foundationfor the conservationand wise use of its rich biologicalresources. •* Dr. Aileen Tan Shau-Hwaiis an associate professorat the Universiti Sains Malaysiabased in Penang, Malaysia.Dr. Zulfigar Yasin is arenowned marine scientistin Malaysia.JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 21

SPECIAL REPORTDr. Rachun PoomaProfile of a TaxonomistBy Sahlee Bugna-BarrerDr. Rachun Pooma is the curator ofThe Forest Herbarium in Bangkok,Thailand. His roots in taxonomy canbe traced to his training as a forester. Heearned his Certifi cate in Forestry from theForestry School in Phrae, Thailand in 1985,before fi nishing his Masters of Science in Forestryfrom the Gregorio Araneta UniversityFoundation in the Philippines in 1986. He thenwent on to work at The Forest Herbarium,which was under the auspices of the RoyalForest Department.At The Forest Herbarium, he was assignedto work as the Assistant Head of the MaesaBotanical Garden in Chiang Mai (now theQueen Sirikit Botanic Garden), after whichhe headed the Huai Kaeo Arboretum alsoin Chiang Mai. He then established a newbotanical garden called The Royal ForestDepartment’s Centennial Botanical Gardenin the east of Thailand, where he worked fortwo years.During this initial period of his career, Dr.Pooma concentrated on getting living collectionsfor the gardens and conducted plenty offi eldwork. The plant specimens he collectedwere sent to The Forest Herbarium, since thebotanical gardens and arboretum were underits control. This track began to shape his careeras a botanist. In 1996, Dr. Pooma wasthe recipient of a Darwin Initiative to work onrepatriation at the Royal Botanic Gardens inKew, London. There, he collaborated withmany botanists and had the chance to workon herbarium specimens. Upon his return toThailand, he worked on his PhD in Botanyfrom Kasetsart University, which he fi nished in2003. “Therefore, I am a forester who becamea taxonomist by job experience and practice,”stated Dr. Pooma.22ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

Taxonomy in ThailandUnlike in other countries inthe ASEAN region, taxonomyis one of the most popularfi elds among the biologicalsciences in Thailand. Mostuniversities have a botanysection or related disciplinesuch as parataxonomy, chemotaxonomyor more commonly,biodiversity science.Dr. Pooma explains, “Thetrend began in early 2000when Thailand ratifi ed theConvention on Biological Diversity(CBD). Implementationof the CBD, particularlyon enhancing biodiversityawareness and knowledge,requires taxonomic expertiseand adequate taxonomic information.”“As such, one of the specific targets of the country’sNational Policy, Strategiesand Action Plan was to increasethe number of taxonomistsin governmentorganizations and academicinstitutions by at least 20personnel by the year 2007.However, a number of taxonomistshave been graduatingeach year, but to get the governmentjobs or work in academicinstitutions is more difficult than in other biologicalsciences such as biotechnology,biology or even forestry.”Dr. Pooma added.Despite the popularity oftaxonomy and the growingnumber of scientists inthe fi eld, a number of challengesstill remain. “As a foresterwho became a botanistworking within the RoyalForest Department (now Departmentof National Parks,Wildlife and Plant Conservation),trying to promote taxonomicwork to those at thedecision-making level was anuphill climb. Therefore, promotingtaxonomical work inthe forest department is oneof the top challenges I havefaced,” stated Dr. Pooma.In the ensuing years, Dr.Pooma worked on developingThe Forest Herbarium intothe national herbarium. It nowholds a signifi cant number ofimportant plant resources ofthe country.One of the obligations ofthe Department of NationalParks, Wildlife and PlantConservation (DNP) is to promotebiodiversity conservationand develop sustainableuse, and taxonomists are thekey persons to implementingthis task. To contribute tothese goals, Dr. Pooma haspublished a number of publications,two of which havepromoted taxonomic workand are now widely usedby most DNP staff. Thesepublications are “A PreliminaryChecklist of ThreatenedPlants in Thailand” and “RarePlants of Thailand”.Dr. Pooma explains that, inmost cases, general foresterslack taxonomical knowledgeand hardly know the plantsin the wild, especially theherbs. The two books havebeen distributed to forestersworking in protected areassuch as national parks andwildlife sanctuaries, and havePublications of Dr. Rachun PoomaPooma, R. 1996. Yang Na trees (Dipterocarpus alatus Roxb. ex G. Don,Dipterocarpaceae) along Chiangmai-Lamphun road: an analysis of theirpresent status and conservation needs. Thai Forest Bulletin (Botany), 24:1-34.Pooma, R. 1997. A Himalayan shrub with epiphyllous fl owers, Helwingiahimalaica Hook.f. & Thoms. ex Clark – HELWINGIACEAE in Thailand. ThaiForest Bulletin (Botany), 25: 15-20Pooma, R. 1999. A proposal for the repatriation to Thailand of botanicaldata from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Thai Forest Bulletin (Botany),27: 1-18.Pooma, R. 1999. A preliminary account of Burseraceae in Thailand. ThaiForest Bulletin (Botany), 27: 53-82.Ruiz M. and R. Pooma. 2000. Going Home: A Manual on the Repatriationof Information from ex-situ Conservation and Research Institutions tocountries of origin. The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.28 pp.Pooma, R. and M. Newman. 2001. Checklist of Dipterocarpaceae inThailand. Thai Forest Bulletin (Botany), 29: 110-187.Mauric, A., R. Pooma and K. Phattarahirankanok. 2002. A Bibliographyof Taxonomic Revisions for Vascular Plants in Thailand. The 12th Flora ofThailand Meeting, 25-29 November 2002. The Forest Herbarium, RoyalForest Department, Bangkok Thailand. 79 pp.Pooma, R. 2002. Further Notes on Thai Dipterocarpaceae. Thai ForestBulletin (Botany), 30: 7-27.Chayamarit, K and R. Pooma. 2003. Doi Chiang Dao: Plant Diversityand Conservation. A paper presented in the Regional Botanical GardensConference. 1-4 April 2003, Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, Chiang MaiThailand. 23 pp + 50 pp in Appendices.Parnell, J., D. Simpson, J. Moat, D.W. Kirkup, P. Chantaranothai, P. Boyce,P. Bygrave, S. Dransfi eld, M. Jebb, J. Macklin, C. Meade, D.J. Middleton,A.M. Muasya, A. Prajaksood, C. Pendry, R. Pooma, S. Suddee and P.Wilkin. 2003. Plant collecting spread and densities: their potential impacton biogeographical studies in Thailand. Journal of Biogeography 30:193- 209.Lindsay, S., S. Suddee, D.J. Middleton and R. Pooma. 2003. Matoniaceae(Pteridophyta) - a new family record for Thailand. Thai Forest Bulletin(Botany) 31: 47-52.Simpson, D.A., A.M. Muasya, K. Chayamarit, J. Parnell, S. Suddee, B. DeWilde, M.B. Jones, J.J. Bruhl and R. Pooma. 2005. Khaosokia caricoides,a new genus and species of Cyperaceae from Thailand. Botanical Journalof the Linnean Society 149: 357-364.Parnell, J., D. Simpson, K. Chayamarit, T. Boonthavikoon, P. Boyce, P.Chantaranothai, B. De Wilde, M. Jebb, A.M. Muasya, A. Paton, C. Pendry,R. Pooma, S. Suddee, S. and P. Wilkin. 2005. The Bangkok ForestHerbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Trinity College Dublin Plantcollecting trips in Thailand 1995-2002. Thai Forest Bulletin (Botany) 33:145-156.Pooma, R. (ed.), S. Suddee, V. Chamchumroon, N. Koonkhunthod, K.Phattarahirankanok, S. Sirimongkol, and M. Poopath. 2005. A PreliminaryCheck-list of Threatened Plants in Thailand. Forest Herbarium, NationalParks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department. Bangkok. 193 pp.Santisuk, T., K. Chayamarit, R. Pooma, and S. Suddee. 2006. ThailandRed Data: Plants. Offi ce of Natural Resources and Environmental Policyand Planning, Bangkok, 256 pp.Pooma, R. 2008. Rare Plants of Thailand. Forest Herbarium, NationalParks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department. Bangkok. 221 pp. (inThai)Welzen, P.C. van, A. Madern, N. Raes, J.A.N. Parnell, D.A. Simpson, C.Byrne, T. Curtis, J. Macklin, A. Trias-Blasi, A. Prajaksood, P. Bygrave,S. Dransfi eld, D.W. Kirkup, J. Moat, P. Wilkin, C. Couch, P.C. Boyce, K.Chayamarit, P. Chantaranothai, H-J. Esser, M.H.P. Jebb, K. Larsen, S.S.Larsen, I. Nielsen, C. Meade, D.J. Middleton, C.A. Pendry, A.M. Muasya,N. Pattharahirantricin, R. Pooma, S. Suddee, G.W. Staples, S. Sungkaewand A. Teerawatananon. 2011. The Current and Future Status of FloristicProvinces in Thailand. In Y. Trisurat, R.P. Shrestha and R. Alkemade (eds).Land Use, Climate Change and Biodiversity Modeling: Perspectives andApplications. Information Science Reference (an imprint of IGI Global),USA. 219-247. •JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 23

SPECIAL REPORTnow become the manual forchecking the rare plants inthe areas where they work.Aside from creating knowledgeamong those working inprotected areas, Dr. Poomahas also worked on spreadingthe wealth of taxonomicinformation.“I have done a lot of workto get information of the taxonomyof Thai plants availableon the Internet, usuallyin Thai. I published the Encyclopediaof Thai Plants inThailand on the Internet inMay 2006, which now coversover 1,000 species includingindigenous and introducedspecies.”The encyclopedia iswidely used not only by thestaff of the DNP but alsoby many others who havebeen searching for plant informationon the Internet.Dr. Pooma notes that mosttaxonomic publications arein foreign languages and difficult to access, especially fornon-taxonomists, hence hisinterest in making taxonomicinformation available in thelocal language.To further promote andencourage more people togo into taxonomy, The ForestHerbarium offers courses onPlant Taxonomy each year,mainly for the DNP staff. Thisis to help them collect andidentify plants especially inprotected areas where theywork and send them to TheForest Herbarium. It alsoprovides an opportunity for anumber of students to workas trainees in taxonomy andherbarium management atthe herbarium for about threemonths every year. Thesestudents come mostly fromthe botany departments ofvarious universities throughoutthe country.The Forest Herbarium andbiodiversity conservationThe Forest Herbarium isunder the auspices of theDNP which was separatedfrom the Royal Forest Department(RFD) in 2002.The DNP is an implementingagency for the forest andwildlife policies covering bothex-situ and in-situ conservationin Thailand throughnational parks, wildlife sanctuaries,and forest researchinstitutions. One of the maintasks of The Forest Herbariumis to survey rare plants inThailand and be responsiblefor ex-situ conservation forrare and endangered speciesthrough 55 arboretaand eight botanical gardensaround the country. It hasalso been assigned by theOffi ce of Natural Resourcesand Environmental and Planningto work on a red datalist of plants in Thailand. Thisresulted in the publicationof the Thailand Red Data:Plants book, which was publishedin 2006.As Curator of The ForestHerbarium, the major challengesfor Dr. Pooma includethe promotion of herbariumwork in the DNP, as well asthe development of the herbariumaccording to standardsof similar institutionsin developed countries. “Wehave improved a lot of ourherbarium facilities includingexpanding the compactorThe Forest HerbariumThe Forest Herbarium (BKF) or Officeof the Forest Herbarium isunder the auspices of the Departmentof National Parks, Wildlife and PlantConservation (DNP), which became aseparate agency from the Royal ForestDepartment (RFD) in 2002. The DNP isan implementing agency for the forestand wildlife policies covering both exsituand in-situ conservation in Thailandthrough national parks, wildlife sanctuaries,and forest research institutions, including BKF.BKF undertakes research on plant and fungal taxonomy,forest ecology, ethnobotany and conservation biology. Theaims and duties of The Forest Herbarium include:1. Conduct of botanical inventories, collecting plantspecimens and undertaking plant taxonomic researchfor the “Flora of Thailand Project”, in collaboration withseveral botanical institutions. An important aspect ofthis task is the maintenance of The Forest Herbarium.2. Survey and classification of forest types in Thailand.Based on ground surveys, Thai forests are describedwith respect to their structure and species composi-tion. The purpose of this is to identify silvicultural priorities,economic plants and to strengthen conservationmanagement.3. Establishment of contacts and making the collectionsavailable for groups dealing with conservation andprotected area management, silviculturists and ecologists,wildlife experts and lay people, and facilitate researchactivities within Thailand.4. Supervision of management and research of botanicalgardens and arboreta located throughout Thailand.The BKF is Thailand’s biggest herbarium and a center ofscientific excellence in taxonomic and biodiversity research.It contains an international collection of over 250,000 preservedspecimens, mainly of flowering plants and ferns collectedin the country. Specimens collected are dealt with intwo ways, one is their input onto a plant database systemto make information more accessible, and the other is fora database with pictures of specimens on CD-ROM, undertakenas part of “The Princess Maha Chakri SirindhornProject on Plant Genetic Resources Conservation”.The BKF website (http://web3.dnp.go.th/botany/) providesa wealth of information for plant researchers concerningThai fl ora. The site contains information about the ForestHerbarium, Flora of Thailand project, Thai Forest Bulletin,Botanical Gardens and Arboreta, and other plant researchincluding a bibliography of taxonomic work in Thailand. •24ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

SPECIAL REPORTsystem, setting up a securitysystem, fi re and insect protections,developing specimendatabases, increasingthe specimens on loan andincreasing the exchange partners,especially in the Malesianregion including FRIMand Singapore herbaria.”Today, the institution hasbecome the national herbariumand there has beenan increasing number of collaboratinginstitutions, bothforeign and local, that constantlywork with it. Consequently,there has also beenan increase in the numberof specimens housed by theherbarium, approximately5,000 new specimens eachyear. In addition, the herbariumlibrary has become thelargest library in terms of thenumber of botanical publicationsin Thailand.Another major contributionof the herbarium to biodiversityconservation in Thailandis its policy of establishingcontacts and making the collectionsavailable for groupsdealing with conservation andprotected area management.This policy has been assignedto all staff that are in chargeof plants collection in protectedareas. They pass oninformation on plants to thestaff of protected areas andgive them advice for futureconservation of the species.Where possible, members ofthe herbarium staff collect theseeds or seedlings of rare andendangered species and sendthem to botanic gardens andarboreta near the protectedareas to grow and propagatein their gardens.Rewards of taxonomyDr. Pooma explains someof the rewards of his work intaxonomy, “Since I have madea lot of plant collections, manyof them have been describedas new to science, and fi vehave been named after me,including Sauropus poomaeWelsen and Chayamarit, Crotonpoomae Esser, Aristolochiapoomae Phuph., Schefflera poomae Esser and Jebband Wrightia poomae D.J.Middleton.”Comparing Dr. Pooma’scollections with old collectionshas also been very usefulfor the Flora of Thailandproject as they provide moreinformation for conservationassessment. For the Flora ofThailand project, Dr. Poomawas assigned to work onDipterocarpaceae and Burseraceae,among the most importanteconomic families inthe Asian region. His revisionon Dipterocarpaceae andBurseraceae data in Thailandis nearly complete and will beready for publication in 2012and 2013, respectively.Dr. Pooma adds “Beingcurator of the largest herbariumin the country, overseeingthe installation of a newsecurity system, extension ofthe compactor system, andintroducing database systemshave been rewarding.”Specimens on loan andexchanges have becomemuch larger and the numberof visitors to the herbariumcontinues to grow. Dr. Poomais also currently the ThaiForest Bulletin (Botany) ManagingEditor and maintainingthe standard of its papersand constantly improving thequality of the publication isanother major source of satisfaction.His advice to people whowant to go into taxonomyis to “…practice by themselves,do as much plant collectingas possible, and try toidentify plants by using keysand compare them with herbariumspecimens.”He adds that it is also importantto write articles, notonly in taxonomy, but also inplant diversity, ethnobotanyand other relevant disciplines.It also helps to usea database and taxonomicsoftware if possible to storethe data and make themavailable to the public.Dr. Pooma stresses that “Ifyou have a successful taxonomiccareer, a lot of opportunitiesand challenges willcome to you and lead you toa satisfying life.”His work surely exemplifies a career that has not onlyprovided signifi cant personaland professional rewards,but has strengthened biodiversityconservation efforts inThailand, as well. •JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 25

SPECIAL SECTIONSearch for theASEAN Championsof BiodiversityFHSBC Brunei.With its climatechange mitigationand biodiversity conservation activitiesin the Heart of Borneo, this globalbank is showing Bruneians and the restof the world that investing in the enviourteenyouth organizations, corporations and mediawith outstanding achievements on biodiversityconservation and advocacy in the ASEAN regionhave landed in the semi-final round of the ASEAN Championsof Biodiversity.Launched at the Tenth Conference of the Parties to theConvention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Nagoya, Japanin October 2010, the ASEAN Champions of Biodiversity isa recognition program for ongoing projects on biodiversityconservation and advocacy in Southeast Asia. It is aimed atgenerating greater leadership, public and media awarenessof the problems facing the region’s rich but highly threatenedbiodiversity and the need for a concerted effort in biodiversityconservation and advocacy.Specifically, the award seeks to recognize ongoing projectsof the private sector, media and youth which haveclear impacts on biodiversity conservation; identify leadersamong these sectors from which a cadre of champions willbe selected to serve as Ambassadors of Goodwill for biodiversity;promote awareness of the values of biodiversityamong ASEAN leaders and the public in general; and promotecorporate social responsibility in biodiversity conservationand advocacy.The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) is conducting thesearch, with funding support from the ASEAN Foundation,the Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN SolidarityFund, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit(GIZ) GmbH, the European Union, and the UnitedNations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization. TheAsian Institute of Journalism is the project manager.The semi-finalists will be trimmed to three entries percategory where the board of judges will select one Championper category. The Champions will be recognized on May31, 2011 at an awarding ceremony and forum to be held inthe Philippines. They will receive token cash prizes and willbe featured in a magazine of best practices. They will alsohave year-round opportunities to speak before business,youth and media leaders. •The semi-fi nalistsBUSINESS CATEGORYCEMEX Philippines. Working closelywith Conservation International, CEMEXPhilippineshelpeddesign theAdopt-a-Species Program. The initiative aims toinstitutionalize a strong, science-basedframework for a long-term species conservationprogram to effectively preventthe extinction of endangered speciesand the degradation of their habitat.The Adopt-a-Species Program alsodetermined priority species in need ofprotection based on the 2007 Red Listof Threatened Species of the InternationalUnion for Conservation of Nature(IUCN). Through the CEMEX PhilippinesFoundation, the cement company advocatesthe conservation of whalesharks in Donsol, Sorsogon and inBantayan Islands, Cebu. It was also astaunch supporter of the Adopt-A-Speciesbill which was passed into law in2008. A key component of the Adopt-A-Species Program, the law seeks toconserve and protect biological diversityand promote ecologically sustainabledevelopment.Chevron Philippines, Inc. The Philippinesis home to Danajon Bank, the onlydouble barrier reef inSoutheast Asia. DanajonBank, which straddlesthe provinces ofCebu, Bohol, Leyteand Southern Leyte,is one of the world’s six double barrierreefs – very rare geological phenomenabuilt by coral growth. A known breedingarea for fi sh, Danajon Bank is the mainsource of food and livelihood for manycommunities living along its coastlines.It also protects nearby islands from typhoonsand storms. Like many rich marineecosystems, however, Danajon is atarget of illegal fi shers. To save DanajonBank, Chevron Philippines, Inc. joinedhands with the Project Seahorse Foundationfor Marine Conservation, Inc. in2007 to establish the “Sustainable MarineProtected Areas as Catalysts toEnhancing Inter-Sectoral Collaborationon Marine Resource Conservation.” Theinitiative resulted in the creation of theMinantaw Marine Park and Sanctuary,a pioneering 214.6-hectare innovativemulti-use marine zone.26ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

SPECIAL SECTIONronment makes sound business sense.HSBC became the fi rst corporation tosupport the “Heart of Borneo” conservationinitiative. The bank is helping thegovernment of Brunei establish a “Heartof Borneo Center” which will oversee theimplementation of “Heart of Borneo”-relatedactivities in the country. Focusingon climate change, HSBC also committedUS$330,000 to support research beingconducted by the Centre of TropicalForest Science (CTFS) of the SmithsonianTropical Research Institute. Throughthe support of HSBC, the University ofBrunei and international research partnersestablished a 25-hectare long-termforest research plot in Kuala Belalong.The research will provide critical informationon the impact of climate changeon the forests of Brunei, one of the mostbiodiverse forests in the world.Intel MalaysiaSdn. Bhd. Intellaunched aprogram called“From Land toOcean: IntelMalaysia’s Commitment to the Environment.”Under this project are severalkey initiatives including the “Intel andFriends Solid Waste Recycling” whichthe company conducts with the Departmentof Education, Malaysia NewsprintIndustries and 58 schools and colleges.Funds generated from the solid wastesale are used to support projects suchas a turtle satellite tracking system. Theproject also conducts a series of talksfeaturing Intel employee volunteers whoencourage students and teachers acrossPenang and Kedah to apply the 5R principle:rethink, replace, reduce, reuseand recycle. Intel also supports the RiverRanger Program, an education programand science initiative that involves studentsand teachers from 35 schools toanalyze and evaluate river water qualityand river biodiversity as a hands-on approachto understanding the importanceof river ecosystems.PTT Public Company,Ltd. In theheart of Pak NamPran in Thailand’sPranburi District lies a vast expanse ofland covered with lush mangroves. Thearea has been attracting over 100,000visitors a year who want to learn moreabout mangroves and their importanceto biodiversity. The 126-hectare mangroveforest was developed in 1997 byPTT Public Company, Ltd., Thailand’spremier oil and gas producer. From aonce-abandoned shrimp farm, the areahas been transformed into a healthymangrove forest. In honor of Her Majestythe Queen, PTT also built the SirinathRajini Mangrove Ecosystem LearningCenter within the mangrove forest in2004 to promote a greater appreciationof mangroves. To further improve itsmangrove conservation program, PTTjoined hands with the IUCN to raisethe potential of the Sirinath Rajini Committeein their studies on using properwaste water management, harnessingthe local wisdom of the Pranburi fi shingcommunity, and developing site-specifi cbiodiversity management.FinalistsYOUTH CATEGORYAdopt-A-StreamTeam. Initiated in2009, the Adopt-A-Stream (AAS) Team iscomposed of Grade 7students from the InternationalSchool of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL).Under the program, students monitorwater quality, habitat diversity, macro-invertebratebiodiversity and stream ecosystemhealth in areas adjacent to theirschool community. The project contributesto conservation through data collectionand data sharing. The AAS Teambelieves that by using data they collectto educate their peers and local community,they can inspire local communitiesto advocate stream biodiversity conservationin Malaysia. Since the team wasestablished, they have conducted severalwater quality-sampling trips, heldone community forum, and featuredin newspapers, radio and magazinesin Malaysia. They have also received aUS$1,000 grant to purchase equipmentfrom the East Asian Regional Council ofSchools and an ISKL development fundgrant for US$1,500 to continue theirstream monitoring efforts.ASAPHIL-UP. In thePhilippines, a group ofuniversity students areusing the concept ofgreen architecture in theircampaign to promotewetlands conservation. Known as criticallyimportant ecosystems, wetlandsprovide signifi cant ecological, economicand social benefi ts. To contribute towetlands conservation, the ArchitecturalStudents’ Association of the Philippines– University of the Philippines DilimanChapter joined hands with the Society forthe Conservation of Philippine Wetlands,Inc. for a competition dubbed “Designingthe Lumban Delta as an EcotourismSite.” The pioneering design contest createdawareness among college studentson sustainability in the fi elds of architecture,tourism, and the environment. Thewinning entries were turned over to theMunicipality of Lumban for implementation.By promoting the Lumban Delta asan ecotourism site, it is expected thatthere will be an increase in economic activityin its catchment area, alleviating thelocal inhabitants’ poverty and increasingthe capability of the community to helppreserve, protect, conserve, sustain andlimit stress on the catchment area.Green Community.This is a study groupfocusing on the conservationof biodiversityand wildlifehabitat. The group’s vision is to promotethe sustainable management of naturalresources and save biodiversity throughsimple but high-impact activities. Composedof 50 members who are between19 and 26 years old, Green Communityseeks to involve students in conservationinitiatives. Members are expectedto form a cadre of environmentalistswho will spread the word of conservation.Believing that children should beintroduced to conservation at an earlyage, members of Green Communityconduct environmental education activitiesamong school children in SemarangCity. Field trips and games are employedto ensure that the children willenjoy the learning experience. Facilitatorsfrom Green Community introducethe kids to various animals, the importanceof gardening, the role of birdsand butterfl ies as pollinators, and thelife cycle of plants. Using their knowledgeand skills as students of biology,members of Green Community periodicallyconduct “Flora and Fauna Inventory”activities. Information gathered isused to develop a database of plantsand animals.Sahabat Alam. After witnessing fl oodwaters ravage her hometown, 12-year-JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 27

SPECIAL SECTIONold Adeline Tiffanie Suwana decided tobe an environmental advocate. Afterlearning the importance of mangrovesin preventing fl oods and other naturaldisasters, Adeline invited 150 friendsto plant 200 mangrove saplings at WisataAngke Kapuk during a long schoolholiday. That day, July 6, 2008, SahabatAlam (friends of nature) was formed.Today, Sahabat Alam has 2,000 membersconducting activities to generateawareness of biodiversity conservationthrough school seminars, events, talkshows, fi lms and various activities toencourage young people to save andprotect the environment. Apart fromplanting mangroves, Sahabat Alam conductsactivities such as freeing turtlesinto their natural habitat, teaching fellowyouth not to pollute the ocean, gatheringtrash from rivers, holding story-tellingsessions about the importance ofmaintaining the river’s cleanliness, andlaunching a “no styrofoam” campaignthat aims to reduce trash being throwninto seas and rivers.The Scouts Association of Malaysia.The Persekutuan Pengakap-Pengakap Malaysia(PPM) or TheScouts Associationof Malaysia is goingthe extra mile intraining scouts whowill champion thecause of biodiversityconservation.PPM established the Scouts for Natureprogram which seeks to raise theawareness of the general public in Malaysiaabout the urgent need to conservebiological resources. Through theproject, scouts across the country areconducting an information and petitioncampaign to encourage the publicto stop the consumption of turtle eggsand report wildlife crime to authorities.They also inform people about theimportance of conserving wetlandsthrough a wetlands camp and participatedin mangrove replanting in SetiuWetlands with local children. In 2009,Scouts for Nature partnered with WWF-Malaysia for the “Egg=Life” campaignwhich sought to improve the protectionof marine turtles in Malaysia. Throughthe campaign, scouts collected signaturepledges. To spread awareness onturtle conservation and gather pledges,the Scouts for Nature used a variety ofchannels such as social networking andscouting events.FinalistsMEDIA CATEGORYThe BruneiTimes. Storiesabout biodiversityrarely makeit to the front page of newspapers. Whilenews on politics, crime and disasters getthe prime spaces, news about animaland plant species, conservation, and theweb of life are often buried in less prominentpages. Only a handful of newspaperssee the value in giving biodiversitythe space it deserves. One such paper isThe Brunei Times, an independent English-languagenewspaper. The newspaper’sfocus on biodiversity and other environment-relatedissues is not treatedas a project. It is upheld as a priority.This focus is manifested in the way thenewspaper gives front-page treatment,even top-story space, to biodiversityconservation and related stories. Apartfrom regularly featuring news on biodiversity,The Brunei Times has been supportingbiodiversity protection throughits environmental campaign to get moreBruneians to refrain from the heavy useof plastic bags. Over the last two years,the newspaper has carried numerous inhouseads encouraging the public andthe government to stop supermarketsfrom giving free plastic bags.BusinessMirror. Stocks, economic indicators,insurance, trade and fi nance– these are the usual topics headliningbusiness papers. Because of this, manyeditors do not see how biodiversity fi tsinto their pages.With BusinessMirror, a Philippinesbaseddaily newspaper, biodiversity isconsidered a crucial business issue.Bringing out the business angle in biodiversityissues, the newspaper featuresstories on the economic values ofbiodiversity, the impact of biodiversityloss on livelihood, as well as the equitablesharing of biological resources. TheBusinessMirror’s editorial policy givespremium attention to biodiversity stories.Its reportage allows its readers to understandhow biodiversity loss impacts onhealth; how progress affects biodiversity;the economic values of biodiversity; andhow biodiversity could mitigate climatechange. The newspaper also uploads inits web site, articles that tackle the issuesand problems, solutions to these and initiativeson biodiversity conservation.Dat Viet Newspaper. In response tothe need to generate a greater awarenessof thevalues ofbiodiversity,the Dat Viet Newspaper in Viet Namis giving special focus on this topic. Aspecial section on biodiversity was establishedby Prof. Dr. Vu Tuyen Hoang,chairman of Vietnam Union of Scientifi cTechnological Association (VUSTA). Thesection features two papers on biodiversityevery month. To sustain this focuson biodiversity, the newspaper createda biodiversity group composed of fi vejournalists. They take charge of gatheringnews related to the web of life. Thesejournalists also attend workshops onbiodiversity-related issues so they caneffectively report on the topic. Dat Viet,through its reportage, fosters communityparticipation in environmental protectionby making the public aware aboutthe importance of biodiversity.GMA-7’sBorn tobe Wild.EveryWednesday night, millions of Filipinostune in to GMA-7, one of the Philippines’largest television networks, as they eagerlywatch Born to be Wild, a TV showthat features biodiversity. The weeklyprogram showcases various species andhabitats found in the Philippines and othercountries in Southeast Asia. The showhas aired stories on the predicted depletionof marine resources, drought, climatechange and other current issues. To ensureaccuracy of information presentedin the show, the program researchersseek the expertise of scientists. It is oftenlauded for bridging the gap betweenscientists and the general public. One ofthe TV’s hosts, Dr. Ferds Recio, regularlyvisits wildlife centers which are in needof veterinarians. He offers his services totreat endemic or endangered animals beingcared for in these centers. He has alsoparticipated in a number of wildlife rescuemissions, responding almost on-call towildlife-saving missions. The show’s annual“Born Project” has drawn manyvolunteers for various initiatives – fromcaring for rescued and injured animals atthe Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureauto gathering pledges from communitiesto safeguard their forests and marine reserves.•28ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

TFREELAND Foundationto combat wildlifetrafficking in Asiahe U.S. Agency forInternational Development(USAID) haschosen the Thailand-basedFreeland Foundation to leadan $8 million regional projectto help Asia protect itsunique biological diversityand fight against the illegaltrafficking of wildlife.Under the terms of thefive-year agreement, theFREELAND Foundationwill work with the MemberStates of the Associationof Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) and China toimprove wildlife traffickingenforcement, strengthenregional cooperation andreduce consumer demand.Illegal trade in protectedplants and animals is amulti-billion dollar industrythat affects every country inAsia and threatens to causeirrevocable biodiversityloss. In 2010 alone, morethan $15 million in wildlifecontraband was recovered,and on March 31, 2011,Thai customs agents seizedmore than two tons of Africaelephant tusks, the largestseizure of illegal ivory inThailand’s history.If the current illegalactivity continues,over 40 percent ofSoutheast Asia’s animaland plant speciescould disappear thiscentury. Wildlife playsa vital role in sustaininghuman life. Theillegal wildlife tradeweakens natural ecosystems,supportsorganized crime, andincreases the risk oftransmitting emerginginfectious diseasessuch as avian pandemicinfluenza andsevere acute respiratorysyndrome (SARS).Since 2005, USAID’ssupport to FREELAND andother partners has helpedestablish the ASEAN WildlifeEnforcement Network(ASEAN-WEN). This regionwidesystem created dedicatednational task forces inseven countries and a secretariatto coordinate theiractivity. Some 2,000 offi -cials have been trained andarrests for wildlife traffi ckinghas increased substantially.At the same time, abroad public education processhas alerted million tothe importance of protectingthe region’s wildlife, andnumerous public-privatesector partnerships set upin support of the countertrafficking effort. As a result,ASEAN-WEN is now amodel for collaborative wildlifeenforcement networkingwhich other regions areseeking to replicate.The new program willstrengthen the ASEANWildlife Enforcement Network;expand the networkto China, South Asia, theUnited States and otherparts of the world; developregional centers of excellencein marine enforcement,forest protection,and wildlife forensics; helpreplicate the “WEN” (WildlifeEnforcement Network)model throughout Asia;produce a special televisionseries with National Geographic,which will be seenthroughout Asia and helpreduce demand for endangeredspecies; and launchinternet public awarenesscampaigns in China, Vietnamand Thailand and buildon these to reach out elsewherein Asia.The program will alsowork with the South AsiaWildlife Enforcement Network(SA-WEN), an organizationmodeled after theUSAID-funded ASEAN-WEN program; Global TigerInitiative (GTI); the ASEANCommon illegal wildlife trade routes in Southeast Asia based on case studies.SPECIAL SECTIONCentre for Biodiversity;and government agenciesacross Asia. Local NGOsfrom Vietnam, Cambodia,China and other countrieswill also participate. Internationalpartners includeINTERPOL, the Conventionon International Trade in EndangeredSpecies of WildFauna and Flora (CITES),United Nations Office onDrugs and Crime (UNODC),U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS), U.S. Departmentof Justice, U.S. ForestService and U.S. Departmentof State.Don Clark, Acting MissionDirector for USAID’sRegional Development Missionfor Asia, said “This newprogram demonstrates thecommitment of the UnitedStates Government to workthrough local organizationsthat are change agents whohave the cultural knowledgeand in-country expertise toensure USAID assistanceleads to real local institutionsand solutions.Wildlife traffickingaffects everyone.Through the FreelandFoundation andASEAN-WEN, andwith the support ofmany partners, thisregion has taken greatstrides to protect itsunique biodiversity.This new award willbuild upon that success,protect theregion’s environmentand help turn thetables on organizedcrime.” US EmbassyNews - BangkokJANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 29

SPECIAL SECTIONASEAN law enforcers train on taxonomyand wildlife protection policiesLaw enforcers from theten ASEAN MemberStates underwent trainingon identifying threatenedreptile species and familiarizedthemselves with internationalwildlife protectionpolicies that will enable themto combat the multimilliondollar illegal wildlife trade.The “Training of Trainers(ToT) on CITES Policies andIdentification of ThreatenedSpecies (Reptiles)” washeld from January 17 to 20,2011 at the Novotel Hotelin Kuala Lumpur, Malaysiaand was co-organized bythe ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity(ACB), TRAFFIC –Southeast Asia, the ASEANWildlife Enforcement Network(ASEAN-WEN), andthe Ministry of the Environment-Japanwith supportfrom the Ministry of NaturalResources and Environmentof Malaysia and the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund.The training courseequipped wildlife law enforcerswith skills in identifyingthreatened reptile speciesthat are commonly traded;familiarized them with CITESpolicies; and upgraded theparticipants’ skills in conductingtheir own trainingcourses on wildlife regulation.CITES is an internationalagreement between governmentsaimed at ensuringthat international trade ofwild animals and plants willnot threaten their survival.Roughly 5,000 species ofanimals and 28,000 speciesof plants are protected byCITES against over-exploitationthrough internationaltrade.Experts from ASEAN-WEN and TRAFFIC-SoutheastAsia served as trainersfor the four-day course.There were also observersfrom China, Japan and theRepublic of Korea.Mr. Manop Lauprasert,Senior Officer of the ASEAN-WEN Program CoordinationUnit said “the criminals involvedin the illegal wildlifetrade are well organizedand financed. It’s only byworking together and pool-ing our skills, knowledgeand resources across theregion can we hope tocombat wildlife traffickingeffectively.”Regional Director ofTRAFFIC Southeast Asia,Dr. William Schaedla said,“We really are starting withthe basics. Most law enforcementpersonnel neverget any training in areas relatedto wildlife crime. Withthis course, we’re impartingnecessary skills to the rightpeople.”The training course waspart of the project on “TaxonomicCapacity Buildingand Governance for Conservationand SustainableUse of Biodiversity” fundedby the Japan-ASEAN IntegrationFund.ACB Executive DirectorRodrigo U. Fuentes said theproject aims to promote thescience of taxonomy whichis increasingly considered afundamental tool requiredby the global community toimplement the MillenniumDevelopment Goals and thedevelopment targets set bythe World Summit for SustainableDevelopment. •Viet Nam wildlife law enforcers buildskills to combat illegal wildlife tradeViet Nam’s law enforcerswere recently trainedon how to identify threatenedreptile species andfamiliarize themselves withinternational wildlife protectionpolicies in an effort tocombat illegal wildlife tradein the ASEAN region.The workshopwas led by Vietnamesetrainers whoattended a “Trainingof Trainers” formembers of theten ASEAN nationsin January 2011 inMalaysia, as part ofa project funded bythe Japan-ASEAN IntegrationFund and Ministry ofthe Environment, Japan underthe East and SoutheastAsia Biodiversity InformationInitiative (ESABII). Theproject seeks to involve andenhance the capabilitiesof ASEAN and neighboringcountries in the understandingand application oftaxonomic knowledge andwildlife trade regulations.Viet Nam is the firstcountry in the region to beselected to organize its ownCITES and species identificationcourse, conductedentirely by national trainers.The three-day courseequipped key staff workingin land and air ports insouthern Viet Nam with basicknowledge of the wildlifetrade in Southeast Asia, internationalregulations governingthe trade, such asCITES (the Convention onInternational Trade in EndangeredSpecies of WildFauna and Flora), and relevantnational laws.Participants werealso trained to identifythreatened reptilespecies that arecommonly traded inthe region during aninteractive sessionat the Saigon Zoo.TRAFFIC30ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

SPECIAL SECTIONWildlife Enforcement EventsGlobal Tiger InitiativeSMART Patrolling TrainingThailand, January 2011Under the Global TigerInitiative, a practical SMARTPatrolling training course,supported by the Departmentof National Parks of Thailand,Smithsonian Institute, and theWorld Conservation Society,was conducted in Thailand,mainly in the Huai KhaKhaeng Wildlife Sanctuary.Participants from the 13 Tiger Range Countries participatedin the course. The ASEAN-WEN Program CoordinationUnit was invited to present on existing work on regionalenforcement cooperation to provide insights to participantson how SMART Patrolling may contribute in the regionalwork against wildlife traffi cking.2nd Meeting of South Asia ExpertsGroup on Illegal Wildlife Trade andSouth Asia Wildlife EnforcementNetwork (SAWEN) LaunchParo, Bhutan, January 28 – 29, 2011The 2nd Meeting of the South Asia Experts Group onIllegal Wildlife Trade was held in Paro, Bhutan fromJanuary 28 to 29, 2011. The regional South Asia WildlifeEnforcement Network (SAWEN) was launched during themeeting. The ASEAN-WEN PCU was invited to provide itsinputs and experiences to the Meeting that can assist inthe establishment of the SAWEN Secretariat. The need tofurther strengthen cooperation and links between ASEAN-WEN and the newly-launched SAWEN was also highlightedto make more effective efforts in stopping the illegal tradeof wildlife.8th AEG-CITES MeetingBandar Seri Begawan, Brunei DarussalamFebruary 8 – 10, 2011From February 8 to 10, 2011, the ASEAN Experts Groupon CITES held its 8th Meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan,Brunei Darussalam. The ASEAN-WEN PCU was invitedas an observer to the meeting. Under a requestedseparate agenda item on ASEAN-WEN matters, the PCUpresented: (1) a progress of ASEAN-WEN activities, (2)the ASEAN-WEN Project Proposal in conformity withthe 5th ASEAN-WEN Meeting and Special Workshop onthe Project Proposal to submit to the AEG-CITES for itsendorsement; and (3) ASEAN-WEN implementation ofactivities under the ASEAN Regional Action Plan (2005-2010). The Meeting decided that the ASEAN-WEN ProjectDocument will be reviewed by the AEG-CITES andsubsequently be transmitted to the ASOF with the AEG-CITES comments for its support.Inter-Agency WorkshopHa Long, Viet Nam, March 18, 2011The ASEAN-WEN PCU was invited by the Viet Nam CITESAuthority to provide insight on the regional cooperationunder ASEAN-WEN against wildlife trafficking in the Inter-Agency Workshop on Strengthening Control of Trans-National Wildlife Crime in Viet Nam. The workshop wasattended by participants from the provincial offices and theViet Nam-WEN cooperating national agencies, which soughtto strengthen inter-agency cooperation and coordinationat the provincial and local levels, and highlight how localcooperation can contribute to the success of the regionalnetwork. •Biodiversity information at your fi ngertips!Check out our website for information materials on biodiversity conservation in ASEAN! The ASEANCentre for Biodiversity produces a number of public awareness materials on biodiversity in the region,including the quarterly newsmagazine ASEAN Biodiversity, as well as profi les of ASEAN HeritageParks and endangered species.Proceedings on workshops organized by ACB focusing on issues such as marine gapanalysis, multilateral environmental agreements, and business and biodiversity, amongothers are already available. The Policy Brief Series focuses on ASEAN actions andrecommendations on issues such as community conserved areas, ecotourism, andinvasive alien species.Visitors can access the Biodiversity Information Sharing Service (BISS) to check species listsand protected area network data in ASEAN. Links to biodiversity information in other ASEANMember States can be accessed here as well.ACB has also produced videos on ACB and its work in ASEAN, as well as the values and the needto protect our treasured natural resources.For more information log on to www.aseanbiodiversity.org.JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 31

The Nagoya Biodiversity CompactBy Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological DiversityIFEATUREn early May 2010,the world received awake-up call. GlobalBiodiversity Outlook 3,based on the best availablescientifi c evidenceand drawing from 120 nationalreports of Parties tothe Convention, warned ofthe consequences of ourcurrent development path.The continuing loss of speciesand habitats, predictedto accelerate under thegrowing impact of climatechange, has placed somuch pressure on thelife-supporting ecosystemsof our world,that many risk passinga “tipping point.”We were remindedthat the status of biodiversityfor millions ofyears to come will bedetermined by the actionsthat human societytakes in the comingdecades.Under the leadershipof Japan, theworld responded.Last October 2010,18,500 participantsrepresenting 193 Partiesand their partnersadopted the NagoyaBiodiversity Compactcomprising: a global andcomprehensive biodiversitystrategy for 2011-2020,known as the Aichi Targets;the Nagoya Protocol on Accessto Genetic Resourcesand the Fair and EquitableSharing of Benefits Arisingout of their Utilization;the Nagoya-Kuala LumpurSupplementary Protocolon Liability and Redress tothe Cartagena Protocol onBiosafety; and the Strategyfor Resource Mobilization insupport of the three objectivesof the Convention.Importantly, the Aichi Targetswere endorsed by the65th session of the UnitedNations General Assemblyas the strategic plan of thewhole biodiversity family.Moreover, the 650 participantsat the October 2010Nagoya Summit on Citiesand Biodiversity agreed totranslate the Aichi Targetsinto action plans at the citylevel. To this end, a Singaporeurban biodiversity index,tested out in 34 cities,was endorsed in Nagoya.Over 120 parliamentariansfrom around the worldalso agreed to endorse theAichi Targets, in the NagoyaDeclaration on Parliamentariansand Biodiversity,while a Multi-Year Plan ofAction on South-SouthCooperation on Biodiversityfor Development wasadopted by the Group of77 and China in supportof the Aichi Targets. In addition,representatives of34 bilateral and multilateraldonor agencies agreed totranslate the plan into theirrespective development cooperationpriorities. At theEcosystems Pavilion, headsof agencies and internationalorganizations discussedways to better integrate actionsto combat biodiversityloss, climate change andland degradation.To support developingcountries in implementingthe Nagoya BiodiversityCompact, Japan establishedthe Japan BiodiversityFund. Japanese PrimeMinister Naoto Kan committedUS$2 billion for the nextthree years to financing biodiversityprojects. Additionalfinancial resources wereannounced by France, thePhoto courtesy of the Government of JapanEuropean Union and Norway,with nearly US$110million being mobilized insupport of projects underthe CBD LifeWeb Initiative,which aims at enhancingthe Protected Area agenda.Parties will define mechanismsin time for the 11thmeeting of the Conferenceof the Parties to the CBD(COP 11) in India in 2012,through which additionalfinancial resources can beidentified and channeled.In order to engage peopleacross the world beyond2010, on the recommendationof the Nagoyameeting, the 65th sessionof the UN General Assemblydeclared 2011-2020 theUN Decade on Biodiversity.The Decade is beginningwith a new wave of nationalbiodiversity planning. A seriesof regional workshopsis taking place to assistcountries in translating theAichi Targets into NationalBiodiversity Strategies andAction Plans (NBSAPs) beforeCOP 11. And there isno time to waste, for anydelay in developing newNBSAPs will augur poorlyfor the achievement ofthe Aichi Targets.In addition to revisingNBSAPs, the signingand ratifi cation ofthe Nagoya Protocolis an urgent topic. TheCBD Secretariat andthe Global EnvironmentFacility (GEF) areworking to ensure thatthe fi rst meeting of thegoverning body of thishistoric instrument willtake place in India inOctober 2012 backto-backwith COP 11.To this end, 50 ratifi -cations are requiredbefore July 19, 2012.The Nagoya-KualaLumpur SupplementaryProtocol also is open forsignature, and will enter intoforce 90 days after the depositof the 40th instrumentof ratifi cation, acceptance,approval, or accession.There is much to bedone, for the task the worldset itself in Nagoya was ambitious.It will require leadershipand creative thinkingfrom the international communityto ensure the timelydelivery of the Aichi Targetsat the national and regionallevel. And yet no task todayis more urgent. For biodiversityis life…biodiversity isour life. •32ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

FEATUREPhoto by Jason Pomeroy of Broadway MalyanThe Idea House: a multi-award winning prototype known as the first zero-carbon house in Asia.Sustainable constructionsafeguards biodiversityBy Anjo C. AlmarioIffice, residential buildingsand housingenclaves have beensprouting like mushroomsall over the Philippines.While some have environment-or biodiversityfriendlyfeatures, others aresilent about them, if theyhave any. One office buildingboasts of having greenroofs, a façade designed toreduce heat gains, indoorenvironmental quality andsustainable constructionpractices, while a condominiumincorporates a roofgarden.The Third Global BiodiversityOutlook’s reportand the ASEAN BiodiversityOutlook’s (ABO) findings revealedthat the world andthe region failed to meetthe target of significantly reducingbiodiversity loss by2010, as the call for intensifiedprotection and conservationof ecosystemsextend beyond the confinementsof government andnongovernment organizationsand demands businessesto put this goal intoaction.And among the industriesthat are starting theircampaign for biodiversityfriendlybusiness practicesis the construction industry.It accounts for 35 to 40 percentof global carbon emissions,of which half will begenerated by the growtheconomies in Asia by 2050,Singapore-based JasonPomeroy, award-winningarchitect and director of internationaldesign practice,Broadway Malyan, said inan e-mail interview with theBusinessMirror.Pomeroy noted that theconstruction industry formsa vital part of the Asiancountries’ human and economicdevelopment.“The issue, therefore, ishow one mitigates the cataclysmiceffects of climatechange that comes as aby-product of such industrial-or technology-drivengrowth, while ensuringthat development can takeplace for the betterment ofeconomies, society and theenvironment—now and inthe future,” he said.Responsible constructionis sustainable constructionThe emerging concept of“sustainable construction”underscores the importanceof biodiversity, where“preserving the sources ofbiodiversity and conservingbiodiversity services canbe its goal,” said RobertoJANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 33

FEATURECereno, Makiling Center forMountain Ecosystems deputydirector and MakilingBotanic Gardens head.Cereno added that sustainableconstruction couldrefer to a process or outcomethat considers the requirementof present generationfor food, clothing andshelter and the demand offuture generations for biodiversityand environmentalservices.For Pomeroy, sustainableconstruction seeks toensure that buildings andplaces can be designed,constructed and operatedwhich are focused on reducingcarbon emissions,promoting the sense ofcommunity, while ensuringincome generation to safeguardpeople’s urban habitatfor future generations.“What one needs to bearin mind is that sustainableconstruction is nothingmore than responsibleconstruction—it is not amagical art that necessarilyinvolves high technology,”he said.Meanwhile, biodiversity,or the idea that a variety ofnatural life forms can coexistin a given ecosystem canbe greatly improved if peopleact responsibly by undertakingmore sustainableconstruction that seeks topromote the incorporationof greenery to replenish theloss of the natural habitatin urban centers and, on amore macro scale, ensurethat deforestation is reduced,Pomeroy noted.Taking sustainable constructionas a concern toSoutheast Asia’s biodiversitybecomes a primaryconsideration such thatthe ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity(ACB) saw it fit toproduce a publication onGuidelines for Developers inBiodiversity Conservation.According to the booklet,developers should takeinto account the value andimportance of biodiversity“What one needsto bear in mind isthat sustainableconstruction isnothing morethan responsibleconstruction—it is not a magicalart that necessarilyinvolves hightechnology.”when undertaking constructionprojects, especiallywhen implementationof activities is expected tocause harm or damage toareas with high biodiversity.Negligence may lead to seriousimplications and irreversiblenegative impacts tobiodiversity.Defining ‘samu’tsaring buhay’ andthe threats to itDr. Edwino Fernando,professor at the College ofForestry and Natural Resourcesin the University ofthe Philippines Los Baños(UPLB), said in a briefingthat biodiversity encompassesalmost everything,as biodiversity is “nature,”“biological resources” and“all life on Earth.” “In itsstrictest sense, biodiversityrefers to the quality, rangeor extent of difference betweenthe biological entitiesin a given set,” he added.ACB executive directorRodrigo Fuentes notedthat biodiversity, or “samu’tsaring buhay” in Filipino, isthe variety within species,between species and theirecosystems.The Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN)region occupies a minisculethree percent of the world’stotal area but is home to 18percent of known endemicplant and animal species inthe world.But the ABO report publishedby the ACB notedthat while Southeast Asiaenjoys having rich biodiversity,specifically since it ishome to three megadiversecountries—Indonesia, Malaysiaand the Philippines—the region is also confrontedwith massive habitat andspecies loss.It may be home to 18percent of the world’splants and animal species,as assessed by the InternationalUnion for Conservationof Nature, but four ofthe world’s 34 biodiversityhot spots and 2,517 outof its 47,915 species arethreatened.Specifi cally, the reportnoted that when it comes toforest ecosystems there isincreasing per-capita consumptionof forest products,while forest area decreases.Among the critical pressurepoints are logging andtimber harvesting, fires,conversion for agriculturaluse, human settlement andinfrastructure development,mining and mineral resourceextraction, invasivealien species, poaching/illegalwildlife trade, and slashand-burnfarming.The United Nations EnvironmentProgramme(UNEP) data showed thatthe loss of ecosystem servicescould lead to a 25-percent loss in the world’sfood production by 2050,and based on ABO report’sestimates, biodiversity losscould possibly affect over500 million people in theASEAN region alone.Putting the dollar signon ecosystem servicesAccording to UNEPdata, ecosystem servicesin ASEAN is valued at over$2 billion and the globalecosystem services provideup to $70 trillion per year ofeconomic benefits.An ACB paper said na-tional economies and locallivelihoods in many countriesin the Southeast Asianregion rely on natural resources,such as agriculturalcommodities, biologicalraw materials and ecotourismservices.In spite of their importance,the Millennium EcosystemAssessment in2005 found that two-thirdsof the ecosystem servicesthat people depend on arebeing degraded or used unsustainably;and it is likelythat this degradation willgrow significantly worse inthe next decades. This ispartly due to the fact thatmost of the benefits of biodiversityare not expressedin monetary terms and areinvisible in national and localbudgets. In turn, thismeans that they tend notto be factored into economicand financial planning,or properly reflectedin the policies, prices andmarkets that people face asthey make decisions abouthow to produce, consumeand invest.“The persistent undervaluationof biodiversity andecosystems has resulted inmany policy, institutional,price and market failures,”the paper read.It is also essential that anunderstanding of biodiversityand ecosystem costsand benefi ts is integratedinto the actual prices, marketsand incentive structuresthat people and companiesface as they go about theirday-to-day economic business,it added.In a separate forum, Dr.Adachi Naoki, CEO of ResponseAbility Inc. Japanand executive director ofJapan Business Initiativefor Conservation and SustainableUse of Biodiversity,argued that if businessesare going to operate on abusiness-as-usual way, atleast seven percent is lostin the world’s gross domesticproduct.34ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

FEATURE“Businesses should putpremium attention in addressingbiodiversity conservation,”he said.‘Building blocks’ ofsustainable constructionLos Banos-based Dr.Filiberto Pollisco Jr., ACBprogram development specialist,said in an e-mailinterview with the BusinessMirrorthat in view ofstandard environmentalsafeguards, constructionprojects should includeat least an EnvironmentalManagement Plan (EMP)and an Environmental MonitoringPlan (EMoP) as partof the work plan to ensurethat potential negative impactsto biodiversity areavoided, minimized or mitigated.The EMP would spell theactivities of the company toavoid, minimize or mitigatethe impacts of constructionon the biodiversity of thearea. On the other hand,the EMoP would considerthe time frame in whichprogress in avoidance, minimizationand mitigation ismeasured.“This would serve as abarometer in determiningthe decrease or increasein biodiversity of the areaduring the construction andoperation of the property,in which case, decisionscould be made for avoidance,mitigation or minimization,”Pollisco noted.Cereno agreed with Pollisco,adding that for a constructionproject to be consideredbiodiversity-friendly,it should not harm biodiversityspecies or should notdegrade the natural ecosystems.On the other hand,Pomeroy pointed out thata green design seeks toensure that buildings aredesigned to minimize thenegative impacts on the environmentwhile balancingthe needs of society andtheir economies.This may entail trying toreplenish the loss of openspaces and parks by theincorporation of alternatives—suchas sky terracesand sky gardens—to bringgreenery back into the city,and help foster greater biodiversity.“With an increasing globalpopulation, we are seeingthe reduction of the naturalhabitat that has promoted abiodiversity of flora, fauna,insects, birds, animals andother creatures in additionto ourselves,” he said.This reduction, Pomeroysaid, has given way to increasinghigh-density urbandevelopment that is oftenmade up of mass-manufacturedartificial materials thathave high heat-absorbentproperties and, collectively,have reduced the quantumof greenery and, therefore,the biodiversity in urbanhabitats.Asked on how the mushroomingof building constructionshas affectedASEAN’s biodiversity, specifically that of the Philippines’,Cereno said constructionsof built-up areasthat destroy natural environment—especiallyconvertingforestlands into urbansettlement areas (such aswhat is happening in Baguioand Tagaytay)—are threatsto the protection of habitats(e.g., forest, mountains, rivers,lakes, etc.), natural ecosystemsand their ecologicalprocesses (e.g., water cycle,carbon cycle), and services(e.g., watershed protection,soil-erosion control and fl oodprevention).Pollisco said the risk forbiodiversity loss is very highdue to the rampant constructionof infrastructureprojects that are not properlyregulated by the gov-The Valley: a low energy bio-climatic office development in Putra Jaya, Malaysia.Photo by Jason Pomeroy of Broadway MalyanJANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 35

FEATUREernment in terms of complianceto environmentalsafeguards.As such, constructionprojects disrupt the lifecycle of species, whetherplants or animals, especiallyin areas considered “environmentallycritical area,”such as protected areas,wetlands and areas whereendangered species havebeen identified.Pollisco pointed out thatbiodiversity should not beseen as “biodiversity forits own sake.” It should beseen as beneficial to business,health, food securityple, when water becomeslimited to sustain the businessin property development,such that in a subdivision,it may already betoo late, he said. It remainscrucial for property developersto consider protectingbiodiversity in theirprojects.“It is quite crucial, if onethinks deeply into it,” Polliscoargued.Property developersshould have an objective inmind when going into biodiversityconservation andprotection, and not just forthe sake of planting treeswould be improved. Oncethat is attained, more business—throughproperty acquisitionby potential locators—wouldincrease.It is important to note thatthe relaxing and spiritual atmospherein the property ispriceless, therefore, therewould be a “give and take”for business and biodiversity,Pollisco said.Commenting on companies’initiative to conducttree planting to do awaywith the damages theirbusiness activities havecaused, Pollisco noted thatplanting trees alone wouldThe risk for biodiversity loss is very high due to the rampantconstruction of infrastructure projects that are not properlyregulated by the government in terms of compliance to environmentalsafeguards. Construction projects disrupt the life cycle ofspecies, whether plants or animals, especially in areas considered“environmentally critical area,” such as protected areas, wetlandsand areas where endangered species have been identified.”and for human well-being.In this regard, constructionindustry is business,and they need timber/lumberfor their construction,food to feed their workers,rubber to keep their heavyequipment running and,most important, water touse in their many activities.“All these are goodsoriginating from biologicalresources, which, in collectiveterm, is biodiversity,”Pollisco said.Unregulated construction,according to Pollisco,would take away thesebiological resources byclearing the land of theseresources to make way fortheir infrastructure that, inturn, would reduce nature’scapacity to provide thegoods and services necessaryto sustainably operatethe construction business.The effects may not beimmediate, but, for examforcompliance to biodiversityconservation.“The objectives should,of course, be in line withthe corporate vision andmission such as to providean atmosphere of relaxationfor property owners,” henoted.To do that, property developersshould make thelandscape as beautiful andpleasing to the eye as possible,and have diverse speciesof plants and birds togreatly enhance the aestheticsand value of theproperty.In turn, having high biodiversityin the propertywould, among others, improvethe microclimate—such that consumption inpower would significantlygo down, the propertywould be buffered againstsuspended particulates (airpollution) and the generalambiance of the propertynot compensate for thelong-term negative impactsto biodiversity that may bebrought about by destructiveconstruction practices.“Developers must look atthe bigger picture in that,”he said, adding that whenbiodiversity conservationis concerned, the ecosystemsapproach should alsobe considered. This meansthat one has to consider thesurrounding areas in theirdevelopment planning andnot just the project footprinttheir development activitiesoccupy.”Having designed urbanhabitats in a variety ofplaces around the worldat a breadth of economicscale and need, Pomeroyobserved that it is often thelow-income environmentsthat prove to be the mostsustainable and compliantinsofar as the 3Rs (reducing,reusing and recycling)are implemented on almosta daily basis in order to survive.Pomeroy said sustainableconstruction is a “back-tobasics”approach that findsits roots in traditional, climaticallyresponsive buildingdesigns and constructionthat are appropriate toa region.He noted that this approachis all about considering:1) The environmentthrough careful siteplanning that responds tothe climate; 2) Energy efficiencyin order to reducerunning costs and energywastage; 3) Water efficiencyto reduce wastage ofsuch an important source;4) Selecting the appropriatematerials and resourceswith low toxicity and carbonfootprint; 5) Managing constructionprocesses thatembrace modern methodsto optimize speed and easeof construction to minimizewaste; and 6) Embracinggreen technology sparingly,and only after a passivedesign solution has beensought that minimizes relianceon artificial lightingand cooling.“I, therefore, believethat such a transition to asustainable means of constructionis straightforwardand necessary if we are tocombat climate change,”he said.Pomeroy argued it iscommonly believed thatsustainable construction ismore expensive than thetraditional form of construction,but if the method hehighlighted is followed, itdoes not necessarily costmore, and if anything costsless in the long term, operatingand maintenancecosts are reduced.The World Green BuildingCouncil reaffirms that whatmay be an initial three-percentto five-percent investmentto deliver a Leadershipin Energy and EnvironmentalDesign (LEED) gold-plat-36ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

Photo by Jason Pomeroy of Broadway MalyanAcqua: an award-winning mixed-use residential-waterfront development in Mandaluyong City, Philippines.inum building may, in fact,yield returns of seven to tenpercent in property value ora three percent to five percentimprovement in leasingand tenancy retention,he added.Promoting sustainableconstruction andbiodiversity conservationWhen asked if governmentintervention in promotingsustainable constructionis crucial, Pomeroyreiterated that both thegovernment and the privatesector have equally crucialroles to play.“It is crucial for governmentsto be active in reducingcarbon emissions,as they have the powerto implement and enforcepolicies to safeguard ournatural and urban habitat,”he said.For instance, the UnitedKingdom government isseeking wide reforms in thebuilding and planning regulationsto ensure that from2016, all new residentialproperties will need to benet-zero carbon.In Singapore, every projectneeds to attain a level ofsustainability driven throughthe Building and ConstructionAuthority (BCA) greenmarkassessment, withoutwhich no construction cantake place.“However, this should notbe without consultation withthe private sector, who naturallyresponds to the everchangingmarket forces ofcommerce and provide aneffective voice of what iseconomically deliverableand what is not,” he said.True to this commitment,some businesses have alreadyshifted their attentionin helping preserve and protectbiodiversity.Sheila Vergara, ACBBiodiversity InformationManagement director, notedthat in 2008, the NinthMeeting of the Conferenceof Parties (COP9) to the UNConvention on BiologicalDiversity (CBD) launchedthe Business and BiodiversityInitiative (BBI).“An initial of 34 internationalcompanies joined theBBI and signed the LeadershipDeclaration committingthem to implement corporatesocial responsibilityprojects that can contributeto the 2010 goal of reducingbiodiversity loss,” she said.According to ACB communicationand public affairschief Rolando Inciong,the BBI aims to intensifythe engagement of the privatesector in achieving theobjectives of the CBD byencouraging companies toincorporate the conservationand sustainable useof biodiversity into theirmanagement systems bysigning and implementingthe Leadership Declaration;publishing their bestpractices; actively takingpart in the CBD COP10 inNagoya, Japan, in October2010; and broadening theinternational profile of theInitiative. To date, there are42 companies involved inthe BBI, among them areFujitsu, Volkswagen, Puma,Ricoh and Ritter Sport. Inthe Philippines, ACB hasexplored partnerships withSM Supermalls, TagaytayHighlands, TeleTech, AbsoluteChemicals, CemexPhilippines, Broadchemand Holcim Philippines tohelp conserve biodiversity.“Without a green-policyagenda, the future of ourplanet could be very muchdriven by commercial desires,and so it is importantfor a middle ground to bestruck—policy informed bycommercial realities and viceversa,” Pomeroy said. •* Anjo Alimario is aresearcher and writerat BusinessMirror,a Philippine-basedbroadsheet.JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 37

FEATUREPhoto by Mariani BintiramliUN Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020Living in harmony with natureBy Leslie Ann V. Jose-Castilloiodiversity is Life. Bio-is our life.” “BdiversityThis was the key lessonlearned when people acrossthe globe celebrated 2010as the International Year ofBiodiversity (IYB). Actions towardconserving biodiversitywhether big or small werewitnessed as individuals andorganizations contributedtheir share in celebrating life.IYB also provided an opportunityfor the public to learnabout the grim reality thatbiodiversity is being lost atalarming levels.“Last year, during theInternational Year of Biodiversity,the world was givena stark warning. Global BiodiversityOutlook 3, draw-ing on the expertise ofscientists from around theworld, and mobilizing thebest information from nationalreports, warned thatour way of doing businesswould lead to tipping pointsbeyond which the rich ecosystemsthat sustain uswould collapse, leavingus all poorer. The time forchoice is now. The actionsthat we take in the next decadewill determine the fateof biodiversity for hundreds,if not thousands of years tocome,” Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf,executive secretary of theConvention of Biological Diversity(CBD), said.After the successfulyear-long event, the UnitedNations General Assemblydeclared 2011 to 2020 asthe “United Nations Decadeon Biodiversity.” Thisis in response to the recommendationof the Conferenceof the Parties tothe CBD at its tenth meetingin Nagoya, Aichi prefecture,Japan.The Declaration aims tohighlight the importance ofbiodiversity for the achievementof the Millennium DevelopmentGoals; emphasizesthe need to achievethe full implementation ofthe objectives of the Conventionand other biodiversity-relatedconventions, organizationsand processes;reaffirms the importance ofraising public awareness onbiodiversity related issues;and stresses the need tobuild on the momentumachieved by the celebrationof the International Year of38ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

Biodiversity.The UN Decade on Biodiversitysupports and promotesthe implementationof Biodiversity StrategicPlan 2011-2020 and theAichi Biodiversity Targets atnational, regional and internationallevel with a specialfocus on addressing theunderlying causes of biodiversityloss, which includespatterns of production andconsumption.The goal is to involve targetedactors such as NationalFocal Points; UN agenciesand programs; regional,international and civil societyorganizations; business; childrenand youth; indigenous,local, and scientifi c communities;media and otherstakeholders in mainstreamingbiodiversity through communication,education andawareness, appropriate incentivemeasures, and institutionalchange.All partners and stakeholdersare encouraged topromote public awarenesson biodiversity; carry outactions that support theStrategic Plan; strengthennetworks for implementationof the CBD; enhancecoordination of their actions;and increase mainstreamingefforts.Part of the StrategicPlan for Biodiversity is thefive strategic goals and 20targets, collectively knownas the Aichi targets. Thefive strategic goals are to:address the underlyingcauses of biodiversity lossby mainstreaming biodiversityacross government andsociety; reduce the directpressures on biodiversityand promote sustainableuse; improve the status ofbiodiversity by safeguardingecosystems, species andgenetic diversity; enhancethe benefits to all from biodiversityand ecosystemservices; and enhance implementationthrough participatoryplanning, knowledgemanagement andcapacity building.The ASEAN Centre forBiodiversity (ACB) expressedits support for theDecade on Biodiversity.“Biodiversity conservationis not just a one-year concern;it should be a lifetimecommitment and the decade-longcelebration is actuallya recognition that biodiversityis something thatshould be protected andsustainably managed yearround.We should keep inmind that we should live inharmony with nature,” Mr.Rodrigo U. Fuentes, executivedirector of ACB, said.“We encourage thegovernments of ASEANMember States to declare2011-2020 as the NationalDecade on Biodiversity intheir respective countries.This way, the celebrationwill be institutionalized withnational governments leadingthe activities.”Communities and individualsare invited to beinvolved in the various activitiesof the Decade bylearning more about biodiversityin their region andhow their consumptionpatterns and daily activitiesare affecting it. People arealso encouraged to voicetheir views about biodiversityto the government, differentprivate sectors, andtheir communities throughknowledge sharing. Finally,everyone is called to conservebiodiversity by makingresponsible consumptionchoices, supportingconservation activities andorganizations, and joininglocal environmental nongovernmentorganizations.Moreover, people can organizetheir own activities andmake creative solutions instaving off biodiversity loss.Information on the Decadeon Biodiversity, includingthe logo can be found onthe official website of theUnited Nations Decade onBiodiversity at www.cbd.int/2011-2020. •FEATURETake action for biodiversityPrivate companies, landowners , fishermen andfarmers take most of the actions that affectbiodiversity. Governments need to provide the criticalrole of leadership, particularly by setting rules thatguide the use of natural resources, and by protectingbiodiversity where they have direct control over theland and water. Under the Convention on BiologicalDiversity (CBD), governments undertake to conserveand sustainably use biodiversity. They are requiredto develop national biodiversity strategies and actionplans, and to integrate these into broader nationalplans for environment and development. This isparticularly important for such sectors as forestry,agriculture, fisheries, energy, transportation and urbanplanning. The CBD also requires its Parties to:• Identify and monitor the important components ofbiodiversity that need to be conserved and usedsustainably;• Establish protected areas to conserve biodiversitywhile promoting environmentally sounddevelopment around these areas;• Rehabilitate and restore degraded ecosystemsand promote the recovery of threatened speciesin collaboration with local residents;• Respect, preserve and maintain traditionalknowledge of the sustainable use of biodiversitywith the involvement of indigenous peoples andlocal communities;• Prevent the introduction of, control, and eradicatealien species that could threaten ecosystems,habitats or species;• Control the risks posed by organisms modified bybiotechnology;• Promote public participation, particularly when itcomes to assessing the environmental impacts ofdevelopment projects that threaten biodiversity;• Educate people and raise awareness aboutthe importance of biodiversity and the need toconserve it; and• Report on how each country is meeting itsbiodiversity goals.While governments should play a leadershiprole, other sectors of society need to be activelyinvolved. After all, it is the choices and actions ofbillions of individuals that will determine whetheror not biodiversity is conserved and usedsustainably.The ultimate decision-maker for biodiversity is theindividual citizen. The small choices that individualsmake add up to a large impact because it is personalconsumption that drives development, which in turnuses and pollutes nature. By carefully choosing theproducts they buy and the government policies thatthey support, the general public can begin to steer theworld towards sustainable development. Governments,companies, and everyone have a responsibility to leadand inform the public, but ultimately it is individualchoices, made billions of times a day, that count themost. Secretariat of the Convention on BiologicalDiversity.JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 39

FEATUREInternational Year of Forests 2011Protecting forests for peopleBy Leslie Ann V. Jose-Castillo“I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree.A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed against the earth’ssweet flowing breast; a tree that looks at God all day andlifts her leafy arms to pray; a tree that may in summerwear a nest of robins in her hair; upon whose bosom snowhas lain; who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made byfools like me, but only God can make a tree.”Some stories saythat when famouspoet Joyce Kilmerwrote Trees in 1913, hewas inspired by the numerousoaks, maples andwhite birches that he sawwhile looking out his officewindow in New Jersey.Simple yet meaningful, thepoem pays tribute to thebeauty and usefulness oftrees. Almost a decade later,Kilmer’s poem remainsmuch-quoted in many partsof the world. This year, itsmessage rings louder asthe world celebrates the InternationalYear of Forests(Forests 2011).Launched on February 2,2011 during the High-LevelSegment of the 9th Sessionof the United Nations Forumon Forests (UNFF 9) in NewYork, Forests 2011 was declaredto raise awarenesson sustainable manage-ment, conservation andsustainable developmentof all types of forests. Thecelebration, with the theme“Forests for People,” willserve as a global platformto celebrate people’s actionto sustainably manage theworld’s forests.The declaration comesat a critical time when theworld’s forests are facingimmense pressures andchallenges.The global launchwas led by Joseph Deiss,President of the 65th sessionof the UN General Assembly.Apart from Deiss,other speakers were UNSecretary-General Ban Kimoon(through a video message),UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic andSocial Affairs Sha Zukang,and ministers from Croatia,Rwanda, Canada andMexico. Nobel Peace PrizeLaureate Wangari Maathai,UNFF Director Jan McAlpine,Global EnvironmentFacility CEO and Chair MoniqueBarbut, and manyother experts also sharedtheir views on the celebration.At the launch, environmentalexperts and worldPhoto by Leslie Ann Jose-Castilloleaders joined hands in callingfor the sustainable managementof forests in theinterest of human development.“We have a chance toagree on how best to realizethe full potential of forests– for sustainable development,economic stability,International Year of Forests 2011All over the world, governments, schools andyouth, civic organizations, business, media,conservation organizations, and individuals willcelebrate the International Year of Forests (FOR-ESTS 2011). The United Nations General Assemblydeclared FORESTS 2011 to raise awarenesson sustainable management, conservation andsustainable development of all types of forests.The celebration will serve as a global platform tocelebrate people’s action to sustainably managethe world’s forests.Forests, which cover 31 percent of the world’s total area,play a key role in sustaining life on Earth. Forests are hometo 300 million people around the world and to 80 percentof our terrestrial biodiversity. The livelihoods ofover 1.6 billion people depend on forests. Some30 percent of forests are used for production ofwood and non-wood products. In 2001, globaltrade in forest products was estimated at $327billion.What other benefits do we get from trees?A single mature tree, for example, can releaseenough oxygen back into the atmosphere tosupport two human beings. It can absorb 4.5kilos of air pollutants, including 1.8 kilos of ozone and 1.4kilos of particulates.Trees store carbon and help slow human-caused climatechange. Tree canopies and leaf litter protect the soil40ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

FEATUREthe fight against povertyand our efforts to ensurefuture prosperity for all,”Secretary-General Ban Kimoonsaid.According to Deiss, “Wehave to eradicate poverty,but not the forests.” He alsounderscored that “eachminute that we spend onthis planet breathing in andbreathing out, about 25hectares of forests are lost.Ultimately, as history remindsus, in the past, entirecivilizations collapsed dueto deforestation.”By providing food, medicine,timber, source oflivelihood and many otherproducts and services,forests play a crucial rolein sustaining lives of billionsof people. Forests arehome to 300 million peoplearound the world and to80 percent of our terrestrialbiodiversity. The livelihoodsof over 1.6 billionpeople depend on forests.Some 30 percent of forestsare used for production ofwood and non-wood products.In 2001, global tradein forest products was estimatedat $327 billion.However, the growingpopulation’s dependenceon these products and services,as well the conversionof forests into agriculturaland industrial lands,are taking their toll on theworld’s forests.The Food and AgricultureOrganization (FAO)estimates that every year130,000 square kilometersof the world’s forests arelost due to deforestation.Conversion to agriculturalland, unsustainable harvestingof timber, unsoundland management practic-DipterocarpPhoto by Filiberto Pollisco, Jr.es, and creation of humansettlements are the mostcommon reasons for thisloss of forested areas.In Southeast Asia, theASEAN Biodiversity Outlookreported that the transformationof forests has beenquite extensive especiallyover the last 50 years. Accordingto the report, theentire region was coveredby forests 8,000 years ago.As of 2000, only 47 percentof the region was forested.By 2007, the forest cover ofthe entire region was downby four percentage pointsat 43 percent. Between1980 and 2007 the ASEANforests have decreased bya total of 555,587 squarekilometers, an area roughlythe size of Thailand.Experts at the launch ofForests 2011 emphasizedthat forests and peoplemust work together. ForMr. Deiss, it is importantto involve people from variouslevels and sectors toachieve the goal of protectingforests for people.“It is my hope that thisYear of Forests will raisehigh political awarenessand galvanize activities fromthe grassroots up so thatthe interlinked challengesof biodiversity loss, climatechange and desertificationcan be effectively tackledfor the benefit of sustainabledevelopment,” Mr. Deisssaid.He expected that “in2011 and beyond, everycountry and each citizen ofour planet will take actionin favor of forests and bringthis message across: weare all dependent on forestsas much as forests are dependenton us.”surface from the erosive power or rain. Trees purify our airand water and provide us with food, timber and medicine.Forests provide outdoor recreation, education and ecotourism.Over a 50-year lifetime, a tree generates $31,250 worthof oxygen, provides $62,000 worth of air pollution control,recycles $37,500 worth of water, and controls $31,250worth of soil erosion.All these ensure the well-being and survival of humansand all forms of life relying on trees and forests.FORESTS 2011 has a logo which was designed to conveythe theme of “Forests for People” celebrating the centralrole of people in the sustainable management, conservationand sustainable development of our world’s forests.The iconographic elements in the design depict some ofthe multiple values of forests and the need for a 360 degreeperspective: forests provide shelter to people and habitatto biodiversity; are a source of food, medicine and cleanwater; and play a vital role in maintaining a stable global climateand environment. All of these elements, taken together,reinforce the message that forests are vital to the survivaland well-being of people everywhere, all seven billion of us.For the use of the FORESTS 2011 logo, please log on tohttp://www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/index.shtml for thedocumentary requirements.Everyone is encouraged to participate in the celebrationof FORESTS 2011, linking it to biodiversity conservation, asforests and biodiversity are inextricably tied up with eachother.The ASEAN region played a very visible role in the globalcelebration of the International Year of Biodiversity 2010.FORESTS 2011 is another opportunity for ASEAN to continuehighlighting the values of biodiversity through conservationand protection of our forests. •JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 41

FEATUREIn Southeast Asia, theASEAN Centre for Biodiversityissued a statement ofsupport for Forests 2011.“The ASEAN region played avery visible role in the globalcelebration of the InternationalYear of Biodiversity 2010.This 2011, we will show thesame enthusiasm and supportfor FOREST 2011 asthis celebration will enable usto continue highlighting thevalues of biodiversity throughconservation and protectionof our forests,” Mr. RodrigoU. Fuentes, executive directorof ACB, said.He invited governments,schools and youth, civicorganizations, business,media, conservation organizations,and individualsto participate in the worldwidecelebration of Forests2011. “We need all handson deck to ensure that thewell-being and survival ofhumans and all forms oflife relying on trees and forests,”Mr. Fuentes said. Formore information on theInternational Year of Forests2011, log on to http://www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/. •FAO launches 2011 State of the World’s Forests reportMillions of forest-dependent people play a vital role in managing,conserving, and developing the world’s forests ina sustainable manner, but the outside world often underestimatestheir rights to use and benefi t from local forest resources,says the State of the World’s Forests report by the Foodand Agriculture Organization (FAO), launched at the openingceremony of the UN International Year of Forests in New Yorkon February 2, 2011.“What we need during the International Year of Forests is toemphasize the connection between peopleand forests, and the benefi ts that can accruewhen forests are managed by local people insustainable and innovative ways,” said EduardoRojas, FAO’s Assistant Director-Generalfor Forestry.An increased interest in social and environmentalsustainability presents a uniquechallenge to the forest industry to innovateand restructure itself to be able to respondto the demands of the 21st century and tochange the generally poor perception ofwood products by consumers, who oftenfeel guilty about using wood as they think itis ethically unsound to cut down trees.The FAO report stresses that on the contrary,the forest industry forms an importantpart of a “greener” economy and woodproducts have environmental attributes thatwould appeal to people. Wood and wood products, as naturalmaterials, are made from renewable resources that store carbonand have high potential for recycling.The forest industry is responding to numerous environmentaland social concerns by improving sustainability of resourceuse, using more waste materials to make products, increasingenergy effi ciency and reducing emissions. For example, 37percent of total forest production in 2010 came from recoveredpaper, wood waste and non-wood fi bers, a fi gure that is likelyto grow to up to 45 percent in 2030, with much of that growthfrom China and India.Furthermore, most solid wood products, like sawn woodand plywood, are produced with relatively little energy use. Thisresults in a low “carbon footprint” from their production anduse, which is further enhanced by the fact that carbon is storedin wood products. Pulp and paper production is more energyintensive but is coming under increased pressure to reduce itsenergy intensity and carbon emissions by adopting improvedtechnologies and emission trading.Many governments believe that the forest industry has greatpotential in promoting a “greener economy” including throughthe use of bio-energy, wood promotion activities, and newwood based products and biomaterials and many developedcountries have increased their support for the development offorest industries over the last few years.The FAO report also stresses that urgent action is neededto protect the values of forests that sustain local livelihoods inthe face of climate change. Recent decisions taken in Cancunin December 2010 on REDD+ (Reducing Emissions fromDeforestation and Degradation) should bealigned with broad forest governance reformand enable the participation of indigenouspeople and local communities. Their rightsshould be respected in national REDD+ activitiesand strategies, the report suggested.According to the report, countries will needto adopt legislation to clarify carbon rightsand to ensure equitable distribution of costsand benefi ts from REDD+ schemes. WhileREDD+ forest mitigation actions are attractingmajor attention and funding, the role offorests in climate change adaptation is crucialbut often underestimated by governments.The report stresses the importanceof forests in contributing to the achievementof national adaptation strategies.Forestry measures can reduce the impactsof climate change on highly vulnerableecosystems and sectors of society. For example, stemmingthe clearance of mangroves (one fi fth of which are believed tohave been lost globally since 1980), would help protect coastlinesfrom more frequent and intense storms and tsunamis.Planting forests and trees for environmental protection andincome could help the poor in arid countries to be less proneto droughts. Examples of adaptation measures in developingcountries include mangrove development and conservation inBangladesh, forest fi re prevention in Samoa and reforestationprograms in Haiti.The report points out that the close links between forests,rural livelihoods and environmental stability underline the needfor substantial fi nancial support for forest adaptation measures.Without such attention given to local-level issues, there isa risk of eroding traditional ways of life and threatening someof the most biologically diverse and environmentally importantforests in the world,” the report stated. To download a copy ofthe report, log on to http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i2000e/i2000e00.htm. FAO news42ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

FEATUREWorld Wetlands Day, February 2Celebrating wetlandsThe international communitycelebratedWorld Wetlands Dayon February 2, 2011. February2 each year marks thedate of the adoption of theConvention on Wetlandsof International Importancein 1971 in the Iranian cityof Ramsar on the shoresof the Caspian Sea. Eachyear since 1997, governments,non-governmentalorganizations, and groupsof citizens at all levels of thecommunity have taken advantageof the opportunityto undertake actions aimedat raising public awarenessof wetland values andbenefits in general and theRamsar Convention in particular.Rivers, swamps, marshes,lagoons, deltas, andbogs - they are collectivelyknown as wetlands. Wesee them yet we fail to recognizetheir value. Many ofus do not realize the factthat wetlands are importantecosystems that support vitalecological functions, andprovide valuable productsand services for humansurvival.Wetlands provide us withwater and fish. They are asproductive as coral reefs,serving as habitat for plantsand animals including manyendangered or threatenedspecies. Mangroves, freshwaterturtles, waterbirds,crabs, monitor lizards, riverdolphins, lobsters, andForests and Wetlands – Key factsForest and wetland ecosystems are inter-dependent• Forests route and store water, regulate soil erosion and pollution,and help prevent desertification and salinization• Many forests depend on groundwater for survival and rely onwetlands to replenish it• Many wetlands are forested, and many forests are wetlands.Forests and wetlands capture and store water, prevent soil erosion,and serve as natural water purification systems• Less than 0.03% of the world’s water is freshwater and in aliquid form available for use• More than one in six people worldwide still do not have accessto safe drinking water• By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in regions with absolutewater scarcity, with the possibility of two-thirds of the world’spopulation experiencing water-stress conditions• Approximately 80 per cent of the world’s population live in areaswhere water resources are insecure• Over three quarters of the world’s accessible fresh water comesfrom forested watersheds and wetlands• More than one third of the world’s largest cities obtain some,if not most, of their drinking water supplies from forestedprotected areas and wetlands.Forests and wetlands support biodiversity and provide valuableecosystem services• Some 80 per cent of people in developing countries rely ontraditional medicines–a majority of which originate from plantsfound in forests and wetlands• Wetlands, such as mangroves and river floodplains, protecthuman communities from natural catastrophes such as tsunamisand floods• Natural disasters, most of which are due to water relatedimpacts, cause a sustained reduction of 14 per cent in GDP ofleast developed countries• OECD countries and Brazil, the Russian Federation, India andChina spend US$ 750 billion yearly in water infrastructure• Natural forests and wetlands are among the best stores ofcarbon—which requires a continued availability of water—andare important in combating climate change• Water-related services of tropical forests collectively accountfor a value of more than US$7,000 per hectare per year, upto 45 per cent of the total value of forests, and exceeding thecombined value of climate regulation, food, raw materials, andrecreation and tourism.Forests and wetlands are severely threatened• Over the last 8,000 years about 45 per cent of the Earth’soriginal forests have disappeared, most of which were clearedduring the past century• Half of the world’s wetlands have been lost since 1900• Approximately 13 million hectares of the world’s forests, an areathe size of Greece, are lost to deforestation each year• Clearing, transformation, drainage and water use foragricultural development is the main cause of wetland lossworldwide.JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 43

FEATUREcrocodiles are among themany species that thrive inthese habitats.Wetlands also help inwater purification andwaste treatment, floodcontrol and storm protection,as well as providerecreational opportunities.They are also crucial in recharginggroundwater reservoirs.According to theSecretariat of the RamsarConvention, these serviceshave been valued at US$14trillion annually.Wetlands and Forests,this is the theme for WorldWetlands Day 2011, especiallychosen because 2011is the International Year ofForests.Forested wetlands bringus special benefits. Mangroves,peatswamp forests,and freshwater swampforests are biologically diverse,helping us manageour freshwater, and providinghumans with manyother ‘services’ across theglobe including vital rolesin carbon storage, allies inthe face of climate change.The health of our wetlands,whether forested or not, islinked to the health of forests.Losing and degradingforests means losing anddegrading wetlands.Despite the values of forestsand wetlands, humanscontinue to misuse andabuse them. Despite theirutility, wetlands are oftenunder threat from development,from drainage andconversion. Large areas ofwetlands have been lostmostly to agricultural development.Those that remainare heavily degraded dueto the combined impactsof mismanagement, overexploitation,and pollution.The effects of climatechange further exacerbatethe situation.This poses a real threat tobiodiversity. People shouldrealize the crucial link. Whenwetlands are degraded, thespecies that live in themface serious trouble. Whatdoes this mean to humans?Two basic needs for humansurvival are taken away -food and water.The ASEAN and its tenMember States are takingpart in World Wetlands Day2011 as majority of themhave recognized the specialattributes of the wetlandsand are Parties tothe Ramsar Convention. Todate, there are 29 Ramsarsites within the ASEAN region,occupying a total areaof 1,320,390.95 hectares. •Water security depends on forests and wetlands(Montreal, 2 February 2011) – In our rapidly urbanizing worldwater security is a key issue. Today, as we celebrate WorldWetlands Day and inaugurate the International Year of Forests,it is important to recognize the critical links betweenwater, forests, wetlands and people. More than one in sixpeople worldwide still do not have access to safe drinkingwater. We are witnessing escalating problems with waterscarcity and increasing problems with extremes in wateravailability – such as droughts and floods.Estimates suggest that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will beliving in regions with absolute water scarcity, with the possibilityof two-thirds of the world’s population experiencingwater-stress conditions. Recent assessments suggest thatabout 80 per cent of the global population already live inareas where water is insecure.Water is tightly linked to forests and wetland ecosystemsthrough the hydrological cycle. Forests and wetlands regulatewater availability and serve as natural water purificationsystems. Forests help route water in a watershed bystabilizing soils, which allows water to enter them, and alsoregulate soil erosion.This maintains catchments, preventing desertificationand salinization. Forests also emit water vapour into the atmosphere,thereby regulating local climate and rainfall. Inturn, forests depend on groundwater and soil moisture fortheir survival and rely on wetlands to replenish this.There are also crucial economic benefits from the linkagesbetween water, forests and wetlands. For example,forested protected areas provide a significant portion of thedrinking-water supply to at least one third of the world’slargest cities. Forested wetlands, like mangroves, protecthuman communities from natural catastrophes such as tsunamis,and river floodplains play a key role in protectingdownstream communities from floods.The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB)study, for example, estimates that water-related services oftropical forests account for more than US$ 7,000 per hectareeach year, i.e., up to 45 per cent of their total value. Thisexceeds the valueof timber, tourismand carbon storagecombined. TheTEEB study concludesthat, “Thereis a compellingcost-benefit casefor public investmentin ecologicalinfrastructure (especiallyrestoring and conserving forests, mangroves, riverbasins, wetlands, etc.)…”Yet, despite their importance to human well-being, forestsand wetlands are among the most threatened ecosystemtypes. Deforestation is still alarmingly high and posesa major threat to water catchments and the quantity andquality of available fresh water. Concurrently, it is estimatedthat half of the world’s wetlands have been lost since 1900,resulting in adverse effects for many natural cycles and anunprecedented loss of biodiversity. It is now becoming widelyrecognized that wetland loss is a major contributing factorin increasing fl ood risk, particularly for cities. There are,however, some positive trends. We are seeing better use ofthese ecosystems through the conservation of their valuablefunctions in order to address water security needs.The management of forests and wetlands are inextricablylinked. It is therefore imperative that policymakers considerecosystems in their entirety and manage them more wiselyto achieve sustainable and cost-effective solutions to ourwater related needs.Achieving water security is probably our most importantenvironmental challenge. For this reason, theStrategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, adopted atthe tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to theConvention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, recognizesthe cross-cutting nature of water in underpinning the servicesthat we need from ecosystems. •44ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

FEATUREInternational Women’s Day, March 8Women as custodians of biodiversityBy Sahlee Bugna-BarrerT“Women have madea mark in manyareas, includingthe environment.Women havebeen recognizedfor centuriesas guardiansof traditionalknowledge ofbiodiversity.”his year marks the100th anniversaryof International Women’sDay, which was firstcommemorated on March19, 1911 in Austria, Denmarkand Germany. In1975, during InternationalWomen’s Year, the UnitedNations (UN) officially begancelebrating March 8as International Women’sDay. The UN cited two reasonsfor setting aside oneday to celebrate Women’sDay: to recognize the factthat securing peace andsocial progress and the fullenjoyment of human rightsand fundamental freedomsrequire the active participation,equality and developmentof women; and to acknowledgethe contributionof women to the strengtheningof international peaceand security.Since the early days ofWomen’s Day celebrations,the event has gained a widermeaning, and it has becomean occasion to reviewhow far women have comein their struggle for equality,peace and development.It is also an opportunity tounite, network and mobilizefor meaningful change.Women have made amark in many areas, includingthe environment. Womenhave been recognizedfor centuries as guardiansof traditional knowledge ofbiodiversity. After all, femalefigures are prominent in elementsof life and nature.Various cultures acrossthe globe feature a MotherEarth or Goddess. Sincethey portray primary rolesin fertility and birth, and asnatural caretakers of childrenand families, womenalso play an active role asprimary users of nature toserve the needs of lovedones.Women’s role as caregiversfor children and familiesallowed them to create anintimate relationship withthe environment. They traditionallyuse nature inthe preparation of food,clothes, shelter, utensilsand medicines. As primaryusers of environmentalservices, women becameknowledgeable in the cultivation,breeding, and useof various plants and animals.Their awareness ofthe building, nourishing,and healing elements ofthe environment were thenpassed to future generationsof women, who alsocared for nature and biodiversitysince these providedthe necessary materials thatallowed families and communitiesto survive.Today, women continueto gather firewood and otherplant and animal productsfor food, medicine, andhouse building. In times offamine and conflicts, knowledgeof edible wild food hasenhanced food security inmany communities. Ruralwomen often use wild rootcrops, insects, and fruits,leaves and roots of nativeplants to supplement thefamily diet when food isscarce.Women also play primaryroles in agriculture.After men have cleared theland, women sow, weed,hoe and bind the stalks.On their own plots, theymanage home gardens,growing a wide variety ofvegetables, relishes andcondiments. In countriessuch as Bolivia, Colombia,Peru, Viet Nam, Indonesiaand India, women are responsiblefor the selection,improvement and storageof seeds and the manage-• Photo courtesy of Green CommunityJANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 45

FEATUREment of small livestock. Insub-Saharan Africa, womenhave grown over 120 differentplant varieties in smallareas alongside cash cropshandled by men. The Foodand Agriculture Organizationreports a trend towardsthe “feminization of agriculture”largely due to the occurrenceof war, pandemics,and migration of mento urban areas seeking paidwork. Women’s responsibilitieshave thus increased asthey continue to contributeto food production.Another women’s tasktied closely to biodiversity isthe collection of medicinalplants, which may be usedfor curing ailments whilealso serving as fuel, fertilizerand pesticide. Their immenseknowledge of thehealing qualities of biodiversityis crucial since thecommunity depends on it,thus making the preservationof such knowledge andthe biodiversity on which itis based all the more important.Since this knowledgeis often now in the mindsof elderly women, there is aneed to document such informationso that more generationscan benefit frombiodiversity resources.As biodiversity resourcescontinue to degrade anddeteriorate, there have beenrenewed calls to return totraditional managementpractices of natural resources.This entails the collectionand documentation of traditionalknowledge of biodiversity,which, however, haseroded. The youth have becomedetached from natureand fewer individuals havebeen willing to learn aboutnature. The loss of speciesthat constitute the wealthof biodiversity known andenjoyed by previous generationshave also contributedto the loss of knowledge, aswell.As primary custodiansof traditional knowledge ofbiodiversity, women shouldalso be involved in the decision-makingprocess in theuse of nature and biodiversityresources. While variousinternational conventionson gender and the environmentcontinue to encouragethe inclusion of women in allaspects of the managementof biodiversity, governmentsshould be able to translatethis into reality. Still, womenremain in the fringes, andwhile some countries haveshown examples of womenwho have led groundbreakingenvironmental movements,there should be a move tomainstream women’s voicesand decisions into the overalldecision-making process inthe use of nature’s resources.Since women’s localknowledge is acknowledgedas fundamental to food securityand biodiversity conservation,it makes sense toinvolve more women in thesound management of biologicalresources.To increase the involvementof women and enhancetheir role as decision-makersand managersof biodiversity, governmentsand development organizationsshould treat gender asa cross-cutting issue that isrelevant in different areas ofdevelopment, as well as incorporategender concernsinto national biodiversitystrategies and action plans.Recognized as custodiansof biodiversity, strongerefforts from all sectors canlead to greater strides inwomen as managers of biodiversityresources. As theworld celebrates 100 yearsof International Women’sDay, where women havemade milestones in varioussectors such as business,health, education, peaceand security, governmentsshould also ensure the enhancedrole of women inenvironment as keepers oftraditional knowledge andconsequently, sound managersof biodiversity resources.•World Water Day, March 22World focuses on waterand urbanizationEach year on March22, the world celebratesInternationalWorld Water Day to focusattention on the importanceof water and the sustainablemanagement of globalwater resources. This year,International World WaterDay highlighted Water andUrbanization, refl ecting theimportance of water in evergrowingurban populationsaround the world.Access to water is vital tothe location and growth ofcities. Great cities have beenfounded on riverbanks, whichprovide their inhabitants withfreshwater, allowing agriculturalactivities to thrive, andtrade to ensue through watertransport. Cities have thusbecome a magnet for migrationsince urban areas areviewed as sites of development,innovation and socialand economic improvement.An increasing population,however, puts a strainin resources due to growingdemands. As more peoplemove into urban areas, moreAccess to water isvital to the locationand growth ofcities. Great citieshave been foundedon riverbanks,which provide theirinhabitants withfreshwater, allowingagricultural activitiesto thrive, and tradeto ensue throughwater transport.land, that used to be agriculturalareas and forest, areconverted to provide housingand buildings for offi ces andcommercial establishments.Prices of goods and servicesare higher. Water becomesscarce as water systems andsources are unable to copewith the demands of a growingpopulation. Many of thosewho migrate to urban areasand do not have suffi cient fi -nancial means end in informalsettlements, which often lackadequate drinking water andsanitation facilities. A lack ofsafe water and sanitation incities leads to cholera, malariaand diarrhea.The observance of WorldWater Day 2011 focused internationalattention on thechallenges and opportunitiesof urban water and sanitationmanagement. It also alertedthe world to the adverseglobal situation in urban watermanagement, as well asencouraged decision-makersto seize opportunities toaddress these challenges.On March 22, 2011, a concertedeffort was made to:raise the profi le of the urbanwater challenge and generatecommitment to tackle thiscrucial issue; facilitate policydialogue and implementationpartnerships for lasting waterservice improvements; and-46ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011

promote innovative solutionsto provide safe water andsanitation to growing informalsettlements.Growing urbanizationposes many challenges forgovernments to cope withthe water and sanitation demandsof city dwellers. Ingeneral, water utilities in lessdeveloped regions have along way to go in improvingeffi ciency and effectivenessto meet state obligations anduser’s needs.Current infrastructure hasto be maintained to ensurethat water is not lost to faultyconnections and leaks. Insome cases, residents tapinto water systems, causingslower fl ow to legitimateconnections, and essentiallycausing damage to pipesand water connections. Infrastructurefor new watersources is more costly to develop,but governments mayhave to look into alternativesto respond to the demand forclean water.Pollution control has tobe maintained. When industrialand domestic wasteis dumped into water resources,this diminishes thesupply of freshwater, causesenvironmental degradation,increases costs for watertreatment, and adversely affectsmajor industries suchas agriculture.Investments in water treatmentfacilities are necessaryto recycle water. Industriesthat are major water consumers,such as factories,resorts, hotels and hospitals,should have effi cient watertreatment equipment to satisfyboth industry demandsand the need to conserve andsave scarce water resources.Conservation measures mustalso be set in place so thatwater is not used unnecessarily.According to Rodrigo U.Fuentes, executive directorof the ASEAN Centre forBiodiversity, ecosystems thatserve as water resourcesneed to be protected.“Many watersheds thatprovide clean water to urbancenters are threatenedby illegal logging, populationencroachment, siltation,and pollution. Climatechange is another threat tothe water sector, particularlythrough the impact of fl oods,droughts, or extreme events.The effect of climate changewill mean more diffi cult operations,disrupted servicesand increased cost for waterand wastewater services,”Director Fuentes explained.A threatened water supplyand strained drinking andsanitation facilities require efficient water management.It requires innovative approachesto raise awarenessof the need to protect andconserve water resources, aswell as technical support toensure that infrastructure forwater facilities are well maintained.Cities of the futureshould explore opportunitiesto adopt more effi cient watertreatment technologies,increased re-use of waterand wastes, better optimizationof the interdependencybetween water and power,and improved demand management.Facilities shouldalso be improved to reducethe costs of water provision,improve access to servicesin adjacent rural areas, andminimize environmental anddownstream pollution.Governments have tomove quickly and work withthe private sector in the faceof these tremendous threatsto address urgent issues inwater management. Stronggovernance in addressingsupply and water systemissues will help alleviate immediatewater use concerns.The private sector shouldalso contribute by contributingto watershed protectionactivities, investing in watereffi ciency measures in industries.A concerned citizenryalso has to be motivated tohelp in the protection of watershedsand conservation ofwater resources. •FEATUREWorld Health Day, April 7Biodiversity ensureshuman well-beingBy Sahlee Bugna-BarrerSiodiversity took centerstage as theinternational communitycelebrated WorldHealth Day on April 7. Biodiversityrefers to all formsof life on Earth, and themany interactions betweenelements of nature thatmake life on Earth possible.The diversity of life providesthe basis for all forms offood, shelter, clothing andmedicine. Ecosystem productsand services such asfood, clean air and waterand fuel assure quality oflife for all living things. Conversely,the degradation ofthese resources resulting inwater scarcity, lack of foodsecurity, and polluted air ultimatelyaffect health. Thisunderpins the relationshipbetween biodiversity andhuman well-being.Biodiversity healsBiodiversity provides manydirect benefits to humanhealth. Forests provide thevariety of plant sources thatbuild agricultural industriesthat provide fruits, vegetables,grains and meat onpeople’s tables. The oceansprovide all forms of fish andmarine products that drivefishery industries. Biodiversityis integral to world foodproduction since it providesthe genetic resources for allcrops, livestock, and marinespecies harvested for food.Access to a sufficiency of anutritious variety of food isa fundamental determinantof health.Ecosystem services providedby a healthy biodiversityassure human health.Lush forests support watershedsthat trap water forhuman consumption, agriculturalirrigation and domesticand industrial use.JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 47

FEATUREThese same forests preventerosion that causes siltationand pollution of watersources, assuring peopleof a supply of clean freshwater.Healthy forests andseas trap carbon and othergreenhouse gases and helpregulate climate. With biodiversity,people will alsohave access to clean air,clean water, and a healthyclimate.Biodiversity is nature’spharmacy. All kinds of medicines,from those used byindigenous peoples to newdiscoveries that fight HIV/AIDS and cancer, continueto be used and discoveredfrom nature. Traditionalmedicine continues to playan essential role in healthcare. They are estimated tobe used by 60 percent ofBiodiversity continuesto provide new sourcesof medicineRecent discoveries showmany species as havingproperties that may combatHIV and cancer. Forinstance, bintangor (Calophyllumlanigerum and C.tesymannii) is an exceedinglyrare South Asian treefound in Borneo in the stateof Sarawak in Malaysia. Itsleaves and twigs yield Calanolide,a compound withanti-HIV properties. The bintangortree has practicallydisappeared, most likely dueto great demand for use asfuel wood or building material.As such, a pharmaceuticalcompany has developedand patented a process forthe total synthesis of theCalanolide compound soBiodiversity is nature’s pharmacy. All kinds of medicines, from those usedby indigenous peoples to new discoveries that fight HIV/AIDS and cancer,continue to be used and discovered from nature. Traditional medicinecontinues to play an essential role in health care. They are estimated tobe used by 60 percent of the world’s population and in some countriesare extensively incorporated into the public health system.the world’s population andin some countries are extensivelyincorporated intothe public health system.Natural products collectedfrom the wild are widelyused for both medical andcultural purposes. Manytraditional medicines providerelief against cough,colds, stomach pains,toothaches, muscle painand fever. One example islagundi (Vitex negundo),a shrub that grows in thePhilippines and is traditionallyused to treat cough.Lagundi has been clinicallytested to be effective inthe treatment of colds, flu,bronchial asthma, chronicbronchitis and pharyngitis.Lagundi is now widelyavailable in capsule formand syrup for cough.that it can be used to treatpatients with HIV.Diazona angulata is asea squirt that was discoveredoff the coast of centralPhilippines in 1990 asscientists were looking forspecies that might lead touseful drugs. It looks like atranslucent doughnut andlives in colonies anchoredto rocks. In 1991, scientistsextracted a tiny amount of atoxin, diazonamide A, whichthe animal probably uses torepel predators. This naturaldefense mechanism isnow being utilized to treatcancer in humans. The toxinblocks uninhibited reproductionof human cancercells while leaving healthycells unaffected.Cone snails (genus Conus)are marine gastropodmollusks that live in theshallow waters of tropicaloceans. A cone snailhas a cone shaped shell,a fleshy foot, a head, andtentacles. More than half ofthe world’s cone snail speciescan be found in SoutheastAsia and are extremelyvaluable as sources for newmedicines and in biomedicalresearch. Cone snailsuse venom to paralyze theirprey, including fish, marineworms and other snails. Thevenom does this by blockingcertain channels in thebody, which are related tohow brains perceive pain.Scientists have been ableto separate toxins from thevenom mixture, sequenceand purify the peptides,and modify the toxins toonly work on certain chan-nels related to pain. Drugsare being developed fromthis venom that can blockspecific pain that is otherwiseuntreatable or poorlymanaged. With over 700species of cone snails, theconus venom is a real goldmine of over 100,000 neuroactivemolecules. Drugsdeveloped from cone snailsinclude Prialt, a more powerfulalternative to morphinebut without the sideeffects, which is used forthe treatment of severepain, particularly in patientswith cancer or certain typesof neuropathies. Anothertoxin, conantokin, is beingstudied for its potential asan anti-convulsive for treatingepilepsy. Another conesnail drug is ziconotide,which is 1,000 times morepotent than morphine butis not addictive. It is aimedat people suffering from severechronic pain.Natural products alsoprovide the basis for variousbiomedical tools usedin science. For example,green fluorescent proteinsfrom the jellyfish AequoreaVictoria has been used tomake biosensors. Factor C,which comes from horseshoecrabs, is a productused to test for contaminantsin drugs, and vaccines,and drips, amongothers.Biodiversity lossimperils human healthIntensified human activitieshave led to biodiversityloss and thus continue toaffect human health. Theneed to feed a growingglobal community has ledto unsustainable productionand harvesting practices.“Forests have been increasinglycleared to supportlucrative logging industries,support mining andother industries, providehabitable spaces for growingpopulations, and makeway for large agricultural areas,leading to erosion, lossof soil quality, water scarcity,and pollution of watersources. Mangrove areasare routinely cleared to supportaquaculture. Oceanssuffer from overfi shing, pollutionand loss of corals dueto harvesting and destructivefi shing practices. Lossof habitats leads to speciesloss, and thus the basis oftraditional medical sourcesand possible new sourcesof medicine also disappear,”Executive Director RodrigoU. Fuentes of the ASEANCentre for Biodiversity said.He added that chemicalinputs designed to maximizecrop production, suchas fertilizers and pesticides,poison both soil and water,and kill both pests andhealthy organisms. Whenthey enter the food chain,48ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

FEATUREthese chemicals may affectbirds, insects, and otherspecies that live in poisonedsoil or feed on tainted waterand fruits.These massive changesin the environment affectboth the structure andfunctions of ecosystemsand alter indigenous biodiversity.Such disturbancesreduce the abundance ofsome organisms, causepopulation growth in others,modify the interactionsamong organisms,and alter the interactionsbetween organisms andtheir physical and chemicalenvironments. Patternsof infectious diseases aresensitive to these disturbances.Major processesaffecting infectious diseasereservoirs and transmissioninclude deforestation,land-use change, watermanagement, resistance topesticide chemicals used tocontrol certain disease vectors,climate variability andchange, migration and internationaltravel and trade,and the accidental or intentionalhuman introduction ofpathogens.Director Fuentes warnedthat biodiversity loss affectsthe various ecosystem servicesprovided by nature.A degraded ecosystem willlead to less food, lack of orpoor quality of water, andpolluted air. A most significanteffect of biodiversityloss is currently the issue ofclimate change, which affectshuman health with itschanges in climatic conditions.Climate change hascreated extreme weatherevents, such as droughtand flooding that directlyaffect human life.Biodiversity and WorldHealth Day 2011Biodiversity and its impacton human well beingis an urgent concern. It isreflected in the theme forWorld Health Day 2011.World Health Day is celebratedevery 7th day of Aprilto mark the founding of theWorld Health Organization(WHO). Each year, WHOselects a key health issuewhich provides a uniqueopportunity for communitiesfrom across the worldto come together for oneday to promote actions thatcan improve human health.The 2011 theme is “CombatAntimicrobial Resistance:No Action Today, No CureTomorrow.”Antimicrobial agents aremedicines used to treat infectionscaused by micro organisms,including bacteria,fungi, parasites and viruses.The discovery of antimicrobialsis one of the most importantadvances in healthin human history – alleviatingsuffering from disease andsaving billions of lives overthe past 70 years.Antimicrobials includeantibiotics, chemotherapeuticagents, anti-fungal,anti-parasitic medicinesand antiviral. Antimicrobialresistance – also knownas drug resistance – occurswhen microorganismssuch as bacteria, viruses,fungi and parasites changein ways that render themedications used to curethe infections they causeineffective. When the microorganismsbecome resistantto most antimicrobials,they are often referredto as “superbugs”. This isa major concern because aresistant infection may kill,can spread to others, andimposes huge costs to individualsand society.Antimicrobial resistanceis facilitated by the inappropriateuse of medicines,low-quality medicines,wrong prescriptions andpoor infection control. Lackof government commitmentto address these issues,poor surveillance, and a diminishingarsenal of tools todiagnose, treat and preventalso hinder the control ofdrug resistance.The World Health Organizationstates that someof the medicines that savedearlier generations are alreadyunusable today. Drugresistance imposes hugecosts on health systemsand is taking a growing tollin lives. Resistance to currentdrugs requires intensivesearch for new medicines,which can only be foundin nature. But as humanscontinue to destroy biodiversityresources, the hopeand time needed to studyand procure new medicinesmay be lost.Discovery of natural productsto cure human ailmentstakes time and resources.There has to be opportunitiesfor clinical trials to ensurethat drugs work and are safefor human consumption. Inmany cases, certifi cation ofdrugs takes decades, andin some instances, such asthat of the bintangor tree, bythe time the tree’s anti-HIVproperties were confi rmed,the tree population had alreadybeen decimated. Marinespecies are also at risk,since they may be sensitiveto changes in temperaturebrought about by climatechange and the warming ofthe oceans. Many speciesthat may provide medicalcures may already be lostdue to deforestation, mangroveclearing, and otherthreats to habitats and ecosystems.As WHO calls for actionto raise accountability andhalt the spread of drug resistance,policy makersshould also seek to addressissues that affect themajor source of the world’sdrugs: nature and biodiversity.Governments, industryand all stakeholders mustanswer the call, since afterall biodiversity loss affectsglobal health and puts millionsof lives at risk. Formore information on WorldHealth Day, log on to http://www.who.int/world-healthday/en/.•JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 49

FEATUREEarth Day, April 22A Billion Acts of GreenBy Sahlee Bugna-BarrerThe first Earth Daycelebration was heldon April 22, 1970 inthe United States. Led bySenator Gaylord Nelson,the event was an attempt tocreate a better understandingof the impact peoplehad on the planet, and howpeople and communitiescan make positive environmentalchanges. The firstEarth Day was attended by20 million Americans, andwas celebrated everywherefrom college campuses totown halls nationwide.This initiative broughtmillions of people to worktogether in their neighborhoods,starting grassrootscampaigns to help revolutionizethe way peoplehandled waste, recycling,power consumption, andconservation in general.That event set a powerfulprecedent for the rest of theworld, eventually inspiringmore than 140 nations allaround the globe to havetheir own Earth Days.This year, millions acrossthe world celebrated EarthDay through various environmentalactivities, rangingfrom bike rides to recyclingfairs and environmentalclean-ups. Earth Day hasalso become more signifi cantwith worsening environmentalissues, many of whichcut across borders and affectmillions. There is an increasingcall for urgent andimmediate action to addressglobal environmental issuessuch as climate change, biodiversityconservation, waterscarcity, food security, andpollution, among others.Every single act of compassionfor the Earth helpsas everyone can contributeto a healthier and moreresilient planet. It is notenough to let governmentagencies, environmentalorganizations, schools andchurch groups do the work.Each contribution is an actthat can multiply and helpheal the environment. Inthe past, people have takennature for granted, andthe current and future generationswill have to endurethe impacts of actions thathave wreaked havoc on theenvironment. It is time foreveryone to realize that theiractions matter, and eachcan participate in creating astronger environment.The Earth Day Network(www.earthday.org) emphasizedthis call throughthe Billion Acts of Greencampaign. The goal of thecampaign is to reach a billionacts of environmentalservice and advocacy beforeRio +20 (Earth Summit2012), which will be heldin Rio de Janeiro in June2012, 20 years after thefirst historic United NationsConference on SustainableDevelopment in 1992.This year, Earth Day wascelebrated by people beingpart of the solution andcontributing to a Billion Actsof Green. Beginning April22 and everyday thereafter,there are a number of waysthat one can commit to thehealing of Mother Earth,and every act, big or small,will go a long way. Hereare some suggestions, andmore importantly, get friendsand family to join your commitmentto the Earth:1. Know more about theenvironment. Takingaction begins by learningabout the importanceof the environmentand what canbe done to help curbdestruction. To have amultiplier effect, sharewhat you have learnedwith family, friends andcolleagues.2. Plant and nurture trees.Many environmental,government, and civicorganizations hold treeplanting or tree nurturingactivities all yearround, but particularlyaround Earth Day andother environmentalevents. Tree plantingactivities help strengthenforests and watersheds,as well as combatclimate change.3. Maintain a garden.Use idle space in yourhome for a garden, andplant herbs, flowers,and maybe some medicinalplants that canprovide home remediesfor coughs and colds.Tight spaces require50ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

FEATUREsome creativity, andempty bottles of sodaand other large containerscan help createthat makeshift garden.4. Reduce, reuse and recycle.Buy products inbulk or environmentfriendlypackaging toreduce your contributionto landfills. Reuseand recycle products,especially plastic containers.A number ofshopping malls haveregular recycling fairswhere you can bringold newspapers, usedbatteries, and old appliancesfor recycling.5. BYOB. Always bringyour own bag so thatpurchases at the supermarketor shoppingmall won’t require plasticbags at the checkoutcounter. Bring yourown bottle, as well, tominimize the need forplastic beverage containers.6. Ride a bike. Bike commutingis a healthy alternativeand reducesdependence on carsand fuel. Keep fuelcosts down as well byusing mass transportmore often.7. Conserve water andenergy. Don’t keep waterrunning when washingdishes or brushingteeth. Turn off lightsand other applianceswhen they’re not beingused.8. Buy local products.Products that travelless leave a smaller carbonfootprint. Patronizefruits, vegetables andother products that areproduced locally sincethis is not only good forthe environment, butgood for the economyas well.9. Buy organic products.Perhaps if peoplebought more organicproducts, this will reducethe price of organicgoods and encouragemore farmersand manufacturers toreduce pesticide useand go green. Thereare already a numberof locally producedpersonal hygiene andhousehold productson the market. Organicproducts, particularlyfruits, vegetables andmeat, contribute to ahealthier populationand a stronger planet.10. Join an environmentalactivity or event. DuringEarth Day, InternationalDay for Biodiversity(May 22) andother environmentalevents, it is commonfor governments andnon-government organizationsto hold activitiessuch as bike rides,fun runs, tree plantingactivities, or clean-upsto commemorate theevent. Some organizationshold such activitiesevery month. Youcan also initiate an activitywith your familyand friends.11. Support and join anenvironmental organization.Many environmentalorganizationsprovide a variety of opportunitiesto participatein environmentalprotection. Advocaciescan range from biodiversityconservation toreforestation, speciesconservation to wildlifeprotection, and cleanupactivities to environmentaleducation,among others.These are just some ofthe simple actions that canbe done to heal the environment.The important thingis to pledge an act of green,and get involved in environmentalprotection and conservation.Contribute to aBillion Acts of Green! •ASEAN Biodiversity magazine onlineFor in-depth information and news on biodiversity across SoutheastAsia, check out the ASEAN Biodiversity Newsmagazine, the quarterlyinternational publication of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB)!ASEAN Biodiversity features special reports on biodiversity-relatedthemes in the ASEAN context, such as climate change, ecotourism,transboundary protected areas, and ASEAN Heritage Parks. Profi les onprotected areas provide information on the status of habitats and wildlife,and interesting activities in the parks. A pull-out section on specifi cspecies can be interesting reference materials for researchers andstudents. The magazine also features ongoing programs and activities ofACB that assist ASEAN Member States in addressing various biodiversityconservation issues.ACB welcomes contributions from volunteer writers and photographerswho want to help popularize biodiversity. Interested parties may contactMr. Rolando Inciong, Editor-in-Chief of ASEAN Biodiversityat rainciong@aseanbiodiversity.org, or Ms. Leslie Castillo atlavjose@aseanbiodiversity.org, or call ACB at (+632) 928-3210and (+632) 929-4147.For more information visit the ACB website atwww.aseanbiodiversity.org.JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 51

PROFILES• CambodiaPhnom SamkosWildlife SanctuaryPhnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary is locatedat the upper and northern part of theCardamom Mountains in Koh Kongprovince, Cambodia. It is found near theshared border of Cambodia and Thailand, andat the west and north part connected to Pursatprovince.CAMBODIA52ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

PROFILESThe wildlife sanctuarywas established by RoyalDecree in 1993 andcovers an area of 332,565hectares. The sanctuary isan area that has historicallybeen inhabited by ethnicPor minority or highlandKhmer.The Phnom SamkosWildlife Sanctuarystretches across threeprovinces, namely Pursat,Battambong, and KohKong. The topographyof the sanctuary ismountainous anddominated by threediscrete peaks: MountSamkos (1,717 meters),Mount Khmaoch (1,496meters) and Mount Tumpor(1,250 meters).HabitatsMain forest types inPhnom Samkos WildlifeSanctuary include dryforest, deciduous,evergreen and montaneforest.At elevations up to1,000 meters above sealevel, the vegetation ofthe wildlife sanctuary isdominated by lowlandevergreen forest, whichhas been disturbed bylogging in many areas.At elevations between1,000 and 1,300 metersabove sea level, lowlandevergreen forest gradesinto hill evergreen forest.Above 1,300 metersabove sea level, near thesummit of Mount Samkos,dwarf hill evergreen forestformations are found.WildlifeThe recorded speciesrichness of Phnom SamkosWildlife Sanctuary indicatesthe presence of thousandsof insects, 25 species ofamphibians, 60 speciesof fish, 67 species ofmammals, 204 species ofbirds and 55 species ofreptiles.Significant wildlifespecies include tiger,Asian elephant, banteng,fishing cat, leopard, gaur,and the endangeredEld’s deer. The pigtailedmacaque (Macacanemestrina), silvered langur(Semnopithecus cristatus),pileated gibbon (Hylobatespileatus), and southernserow (Naemorhedussumatraensis) have alsobeen recorded in thesanctuary.Phnom Samkos WildlfieSanctuary supports bothrestricted-range speciesfound in the Cambodia-Thailand-MountainsEndemic Bird Area, namely,the chestnut-headedpartridge (Arborophilacambodiana) andCambodian laughingthrush(Garrulax ferrarius). Allevergreen and semievergreenforest above 400meters above sea level isthought to be the loweraltitudinal limit of chestnutheadedpartridge.Other signifi cant birdspecies include thescaly-breasted partridge,silver pheasant, coralbilledground-cuckoo,moustached barbet, blackand-buffwoodpecker,brown-rumped minivet,yellow-breasted magpie,stripe-throated bulbul,grey-eyed bulbul, streakedwren-babbler, blue-wingedminla, golden-crestedmyna, slaty-backed forktailand black-throated sunbird.ThreatsOne of the majorthreats to biodiversity atthe wildlife sanctuary isillegal logging, with loggingroads being constructedinto the Phnom Samkosfrom Thailand. In additionto the direct impactof logging in terms ofhabitat degradation, theconstruction of roads hasbeen facilitating accessto the area by returningrefugees. This in turn hasresulted in an increasingrate of conversion of forestto agriculture, particularlyin lowland areas. Forestsare illegally cleared andoccupied by settlers todevelop their homesand support small-scaleagriculture, such as theplanting of upland rice,sesame, kitchen gardens,as well as caring for somelivestock.The construction ofroads also facilitateshunting, which wasinitially for localconsumption and linkedwith the collection ofagarwood (Aquilaria sp.).However, hunting forAsian elephant Pig-tailed macaque Stripe-throated bulbulJANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 53

PROFILESBalanophora Fungosa Indicacommercial purposes,particularly from Thailand,is also thought to beincreasing. This alsoincludes the illegalgathering of non-timberforest products forsubsistence and sale.Conservation ProgramThe management of thePhnom Samkos WildlifeSanctuary is under theauspices of the Ministry ofEnvironment. Internationalsupport for the sanctuaryhas been provided since2003, and managementand zoning plans wereapproved in 2007.At the local level,the Phnom Samkos ismanaged in coordinationwith three provincialauthorities. The mainchallenges in managing thesanctuary include the needfor effective coordinationbetween the Ministryof Environment and thelocal authorities as wellas the widely divergentstakeholder communitiesthat have to be contendedwith. Stakeholdersinclude local communities,government, nongovernmentorganizations,military, and localbusinesses. There is alsoa need to institutionalizetechnical and fundingsupport, which is currentlydependent in externalsources.Some of the projectstrategies to strengthen thewildlife sanctuary includethe following:1. Improve planning andmanagement of thesanctuary2. Enhance governmentcapacity to manageand protect thesanctuary3. Engage communitiesin the protection,management andsustainable use ofnatural resources4. Increase international,national and localrecognition andawareness of thePhnom SamkosWildlife Sanctuary5. Establish long-termfinance mechanismfor the managementof the sanctuarySince the establishmentof the Phnom SamkosWildlife Sanctuary,various achievementshave been noted by theMinistry of Environmentwith the support of anumber of conservationorganizations. Theappropriate managementstructure and processeshave been established andare currently operationalin the park. Zoning andmanagement planshave been developedand implemented. Theboundaries of the wildlifesanctuary are currentlybeing marked andclearly demarcated. Thelivelihoods of the localcommunities adjacent tothe park have also beendiversified through theadoption of sustainableapproaches. This isnecessary to preventlocal residents fromresorting to activities thatare detrimental to thebiodiversity of the park,such as illegal logging,hunting of wildlife, as wellas processing of nontimberforest products(NTFP). Law enforcementcapability of parkmanagement has alsobeen enhanced resultingin a significant reductionin forest loss and illegalexploitation of NTFPs.Capacity levels of theMinistry of Environmentand Department ofEnvironment staff have alsobeen raised.A variety of challenges,however, remain for themanagement staff of thePhnom Samkos WildlifeSanctuary. These include:greater integration ofstakeholders into themanagement of the wildlifesanctuary; improvedplanning and coordinationof development initiativeswithin the wildlifesanctuary; completion ofa sustainable financingmechanism; large militarypresence within thewildlife sanctuary; ongoingissues relating to theapprehension, prosecutionand conviction of offendersof environmental laws andregulations; continuedrequirement for capacityand motivation buildingamong Department ofEnvironment staff; andcurrent ranger patrollingand enforcement initiativesin Phnom Samkos WildlifeSanctuary that has focusedon illegal activities (e.g.,hunting and logging)should be continued andincreased to cover allimportant areas.EcotourismThere are a numberof adventures that awaitvisitors to Phnom SamkosWildlife Sanctuary. Theseinclude bird watching,viewing of wildlife, walkingand hiking, canoeing andcamping. Tourists can alsostay at a variety of hotelsnear the wildlife sanctuary. •References:BirdLife International (http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sitefactsheet.php?id=16663)CIFOR Lower MekongConservation & DevelopmentProject. Cambodia Workshop20-21 November 2007.Phnom Samkos WildlifeSanctuary.World Wildlife Adventures(http://www.world-wildlifeadventures.com/directory/cambodia/wildlife-park.asp?sanctuary=Phnom+Samkos+Wildlife+Sanctuary&state=Koh+Kong+Province)54ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

PROFILES• Viet NamKe Go Nature ReserveVIET NAMCovered by rare trees and home to manyendangered animal species, Ke Go NatureReserve has become a popular destinationin Ha Tinh province. Located around 20 kilometerssouth of Ha Tinh City, the nature reserve is locatedin Huong Khe, Cam Xuyen and Ky Anh districts inHa Tinh province. It comprises a 35,159-hectarearea within one of the largest remaining blocks ofbroadleaf evergreen forest in the level lowlands ofcentral Viet Nam.JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 55

PROFILESThe nature reservetakes its name from anancient village in Ha Tinhprovince. Ke Go wassituated along the Rao CaiRiver, which is home tohundreds of streams fromthe Truong Son range andhas supported the life ofits locals for generations.However, it can also bewild and raging, bringingextreme danger topeople during the rainyseason every year. In theearly 20th century, theFrench designed a damto control this river, workthat remained unfinisheddue to World War II andthe Indochina War. In1976, after the country’sreunification, constructionof a reservoir named Ke Gobegan.Ke Go reservoir beganoperations in 1988 andis located in the threedistricts of Cam Xuyen, KyAnh and Huong Khe. Withan area of 3,000 hectares,the reservoir is a hugeirrigation resource, whichcan hold 350 million cubicmeters of water to irrigate17,000 hectares of rice andcrops in Ha Tinh province.With a length of over 30kilometers, this reservoir isalso a source of fish andshrimp for residents. Thereservoir has since becomea key part of the Ke GoNature Reserve.Ke Go Nature Reservewas established byDecision No. 519/QD-UB dated May 3, 1997of the Ha Tinh People’sCommittee. The reservewas established to protectthe Vietnamese pheasant(Lophura hatinhensis) andthe imperial pheasant(Lophura imperialis) aswell as biodiversity inthe southern area of theprovince. The naturereserve consists of threezones – strictly protectedzone, special use zoneand buffer zone – and isalso given priority in theBiodiversity Action Plan forViet Nam.HabitatsThe northern boundaryof Ke Go Nature Reservefollows the southern shoreof the Ke Go reservoir. Thetopography of the naturereserve is comprised ofgently undulating lowhills, a landscape typicalof the midlands of centralViet Nam. Elevations inthe nature reserve rangebetween 50 and 497meters, although most ofthe nature reserve is below300 meters.There are three mainwatersheds in the naturereserve. The Rao Boiwatershed feeds NganSau river, which flows intothe Ngan Pho river, whichin turn flows into the LamRiver, and then into theSouth China Sea. Ke Goreservoir watershed is fedby a number of rivers andpermanent streams andcovers the largest area ofthe nature reserve. TheChin Xai-Cat Bin watershedfeeds the Khe Canh River,which flows south intoQuang Binh province and,eventually, joins the GianhRiver.The nature reserve lieswithin one of the largestremaining blocks of naturalbroadleaf evergreen forestin the Annamese lowlands.Ke Go Nature Reservesupports 24,284 hectaresof natural forest, equivalentto 98 percent of the totalarea. However, the foresthas been selectively loggedin the past, 76 percent ofit is classified as heavilydisturbed, and undisturbedprimary forest is virtuallyabsent. Lightly disturbedforest is concentrated athigher elevations, whileheavily disturbed forestis distributed in moreaccessible lowland areas.WildlifeA total of 562 plantspecies have beenrecorded in the naturereserve. Below 300meters, the tree flora isdominated by Micheliaspp., Cinnamomum spp.,Madhuca pasquieri andErythrophleum fordii.Above 300 meters, thetree flora is dominated byHopea spp. Many timbertrees in the nature reserveare listed in the Viet NamRed Book such as greenironwood, meranti, redwoodand frankincense.The Ke Go forest is alsohome to many beautifuland different types offlowers such as magnoliasand orchids. The richand diverse flora of thereserve is representativeof the flora in northernViet Nam, South China,Indonesia, Malaysia andthe Himalayas.Records show that 364vertebrate animal specieshave been found in theKe Go Nature Reserve,including 47 species ofmammal species and 270species of birds. Amongthe species of mammals,18 are recorded in theViet Nam Red Book andthe global Red List ofendangered species.However, several of thesespecies, such as theAsian elephant (Elephasmaximus), gaur (Bosgaurus) and tiger (Pantheratigris), may already beextinct or reduced to relictpopulations as a resultof hunting. The buffcheekedgibbon (Hylobatesgabriellae) and the whitecheekedcrested gibbon(Nomascus leucogenys),which are both species ofconservation concern, arereported to be extremelyrare in the area as a resultof unrestricted hunting andexploitation of the forest.Ke Go Nature Reservesupports populationsof five restricted-range56ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

PROFILESbird species: Vietnamesepheasant (Lophurahatinhensis), imperialpheasant (L. imperialis),crested argus (Rheinardiaocellata), short-tailedscimitar babbler(Jabouilleia danjoui) andgrey-faced tit babbler(Macronous kelleyi). Thereserve, together withthe adjacent forest areain northern Quang Binhprovince, is the only sitein the world known tosupport a population ofVietnamese pheasant. Thereserve provides refugefor the white-tailed wattlepheasant, one of thethree endemic pheasanttypes of Viet Nam, whichis currently at risk ofextinction.Breakthroughs inbiodiversity surveysin the reserve includethe discovery of a newspecies of Crocidura(shrew). Its small bodysize and conspicuousbrownish black mystacialpatches on the muzzleabove the upper lipsreadily distinguish itfrom the three speciesof Crocidura commonlyreported from VietNam: C. fuliginosa,C. attenuata and C.indochinensis. In bodysize, the Ke Go shrewmost closely resemblesanother crocidurine,C. wuchihensis, whichalso occurs in Viet Nam.The new species has asmaller body size, certainshorter cranial and dentaldimensions. The discoveryof the new Crociduraunderscores the meagerknowledge of Vietnamesediversity and the needfor continued surveys ofsmall mammals in remnantlowland and mountainforests within the country.Park ManagementPrior to 1990, the KeGo area was under themanagement of the CamBuff-cheeked gibbonKy Forest Enterprise, whichmanaged all the forestedareas in the Ky Anh andCam Xuyen districts in HaTinh province. In 1990,Cam Ky Forest Enterpriseceased logging operationsand part of the area underits management wasdesignated as the KeGo Reservoir WatershedProtection Forest. On June1, 1994, following decisionNo. 773 QD/UB of the HaTinh Provincial People’sCommittee, a managementboard was created for theKe Go Reservoir WPF. KeGo Nature Reserve wasthen established in 1997.The Ke Go ManagementBoard manages the reserveand is directly accountableto the Province. TheManagement Board’sdepartments includeforest inspection, scienceresearch, inventory, andplanning. There are fiveforest inspection stations inthe nature reserve.Park management hasimplemented actions toensure that villagers livingadjacent to the Ke GoNature Reserve are clearabout the exact boundariesof forestland, agriculturalland, regeneration zones,and strictly protectedGrey-faced tit babblerland of the naturereserve. Some residentshave also benefittedfrom a past governmentpoverty alleviationprogram focusing onforestry assistance whereseedlings were providedto households. When treesare ready for harvest,households that receivedassistance from theseparticular programs mustgive a percentage of theirharvesting income to thegovernment.Forest fire preventionpolicies are also strictlyenforced and some villageresidents are membersof forest fire preventionteams. People who causeforest fires are fined.Villagers often use fire inthe forest to make coalfrom firewood, as well aschase bees from their hiveto facilitate the extractionof honey.Conservation ProgramSituated in theAnnamese lowlands,Ke Go is noted for theoccurrence of severalendemic bird species,including the globallyendangered Vietnamesepheasant and the globallycritically endangeredimperial pheasant.BirdLife International,in collaboration withthe Centre for NaturalResources andEnvironmental Studies(CRES), first initiated fieldsurveys for these enigmaticpheasants in 1988 andin early 1990, the twoorganizations identified theforests of Ke Go as beingpotentially important forthe conservation of thesespecies. As a result, VietNam, BirdLife Internationaland Forest Inventory andPlanning Institute publishedan investment plan forKe Go Nature Reserve inAugust 1996 as part of theEuropean Union-fundedproject “The Conservationof Biodiversity in theAnnamese Lowlands andthe Da Lat Plateau”.Prior to theestablishment of Ke GoNature Reserve, CRES,Ky Anh District People’sCommittee and Ha TinhProvincial Departmentof Science, Technologyand the Environmentimplemented a project toprotect the Gat Che Mearea in the east of thenature reserve. This projectwas supported financiallyby Oro-Verde.JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 57

PROFILESSome of the otherconservation projects thathave been implementedin Ke Go Nature Reserveinclude the following:• Between 1992 and1998, with fundingfrom the NationalEnvironment Programof Viet Nam, the Instituteof Ecology andBiological Resourcesconducted a biodiversitysurvey of the KeGo area.• In 1996, with fundingfrom the Danish Embassyin Hanoi, Bird-Life and Oxfam UK-Ireland implemented aone-year environmentaleducation project.The project worked incollaboration with KyAnh District Departmentof Educationand Training in thebuffer zone of Ke GoNature Reserve.• Between 1997 and1999, with fundingfrom the British BirdwatchingFair, BirdLifeimplemented the KeGo Forest Project.Activities includedconstruction of twoguard stations, provisionof motorbikesand other equipment,and training of naturereserve staff.• In 1998, the Non-timberForest ProductResearch Centre ofthe Forest ScienceInstitute of Viet Nambegan implementingthe project “SustainableUtilization ofNon-timber ForestProducts”, with fundingfrom the NetherlandsGovernmentand technical supportfrom the InternationalUnion for the Conservationof Nature.The project promotedthe conservation ofbiodiversity throughthe sustainable useof non-timber districtforest products.• In 1998, the Departmentfor InternationalDevelopment of theUnited Kingdomfunded a poverty alleviationprogram in HaTinh province entitledthe “Ha Tinh PovertyProgramme”. Theprogram was implementedby ActionAid,Oxfam Great Britainand Save the Children(UK), in collaborationwith the Viet NamWomen’s Union.• In 2001, DanskOrnitologisk Forening(BirdLife Denmark),together with HaTinh Provincial DARDand the BirdLifeInternational VietnamProgram beganimplementing anintegrated conservationand developmentproject entitled “TheSustainable Managementof Ke Go NatureReserve” with fundingfrom the DanishInternational DevelopmentAgency. Theproject was aimedat conserving thebiodiversity of Ke GoNature Reserve whileimproving the socioeconomicconditionsof local communitiesin the buffer zone.ThreatsThe major threatsto biodiversity at KeGo Nature Reserve arehunting, illegal timberextraction, charcoalproduction, fuelwoodcollection and fragrantoil extraction. Thousandsof households that liveadjacent to the reserveoften supplement theirincome through theexploitation of forestresources such asfirewood, charcoal, palmleaves, rattans and honey.Fragrant oil distillation iswidely practiced and hassignifi cantly contributedto the degradation of theforest at Ke Go NatureReserve. Fragrant oil isdistilled from Cinnamomumparthenoxylum, althoughother members of theLauraceae family are alsoused. It is estimated that,for each tree from whichfragrant oil is distilled, onesquare kilometer of forest isnegatively affected, becausethe process requires largequantities of fi rewood.Timber is extracted foruse locally in constructionbut is also illegally exportedabroad. The tree speciesfavored for timber areHopea spp., although otherspecies of lower value arealso exploited.Hunting also playsan important role inthe local economy. Inthe past, animals werehunted principally for localconsumption. However,the opening of Viet Nam’seconomy has changed thispattern significantly andforeign demand for wildanimals has broadenedthe range of speciessubject to hunting andincreased overall huntingpressure. Populations oflarge and medium-sizedmammals suffer fromconstant hunting pressure.Moreover, the use of nonspecifichunting methods,such as traps and snares,threatens ground birdspecies, such as theVietnamese pheasant.EcotourismThe presence ofnumerous globallythreatened and restrictedrangebird species couldattract a small number ofspecialized ecotourists,particularly overseasbird watchers. Overall,however, the proposednature reserve can beconsidered to have lowpotential for generalecotourism because wildlifepopulations have beenseriously depressed byhunting, to the point atwhich most mammals andlarge birds are impossibleto observe. In addition,Ke Go is a lowland areaand lacks major landscapefeatures, and the naturereserve currently has lacksadequate visitor facilities.Ha Tinh authorities arethus calling for investmentsto turn the Ke Go reservoirand the Ke Go NatureReserve into an ecologicaltourist site. •References:An investment plan for KeGo Nature Reserve, HaTinh Province, Vietnam.A contribution to themanagement plan. BirdLifeInternational (http://birdlifeindochina.org/content/investment-plan-ke-gonature-reserve-ha-tinhprovince-vietnam-contributionmanagement-plan)BirdLife International (2011)Important Bird Areasfactsheet: Ke Go. Downloadedfrom http://www.birdlife.org on08/05/2011.Lunde, Darrin P., Guy G.Musser and Thomas Ziegler.Description of a new speciesof Crocidura (Soricomorpha:Soricidae, Crocidurinae)from Ke Go Nature Reserve,Vietnam. Mammal Study (http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/mammalstudy/29/1/29_27/_article)Project: SustainableUtilization of Non-TimberForest Products. Report ofTenure Study in the Ke Goand Ba Be Areas.(http://mekonginfo.org/mrc_en%5Ccontact.nsf/0/BB6ECC3F00D510E8025686A00805DAD/$FILE/section6_1.htm)Sourcebook of existingprotected areas in Viet Nam.Last updated 19/02/01(http://www.biology.hcmuns.edu.vn/store/elib/pub/IBA/Cddata/source_book/sb_pdf/Ke_Go.pdf)VNN News (http://www.vnnnews.net/the-colours-ofke-go-nature-reserve)58ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

PROFILES• IndonesiaManusela National ParkManusela NationalINDONESIAPark is locatedon Seram island,in the Maluku archipelago ofIndonesia. Seram is remarkablefor its high degree of localized bird endemism.The park is dominated by Mount Binaiya, which at3,027 meters is the highest of the park’s six mountains.Steep, fast-flowing rivers traverse the Park.JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 59

PROFILESManusela National Parkwas established in 1997and covers an area of186,000 hectares, about11 percent of the surfacearea of Seram.There are four villages inthe park, namely Manusela,Ilena Maraina, Selumenaand Kanike. Manusela isalso the name of one ofthe mountains within thepark, the local ethnic groupand their language. In thelocal language, Manuselameans “bird of freedom”.The local people believethat the mountains withinthe Park area give themtheir spirit and protectthem from harm. Thisbelief implies that the localpeople take care to protectand conserve the balanceof nature that surroundsthem.The rugged ManuselaNational Park on Seramvies with Halmahera asMaluku’s premier birdingdestination on account ofits many endemic speciesand unspoiled wilderness.Expedition-style trekking isrequired to enter the park,and the going is tough.HabitatsThe Park contains a broadselection of the habitatspresent in Seram, stretchingfrom the north coast to withinfi ve kilometers of the southcoast. It includes a largeportion of the Binaia-Merkelelimestone massif with thehighest mountain on Seram,Gunung Binaia, as well as thelower parallel ridge of GunungKobipoto (1,500 meters) to thenorth, together with a broadsection of the lowland alluvialplain where three wide rivers,the Wae Toluorang, Mual andIsal, drain northwards to thesea.Manusela National Parkin Maluku is made up ofcoastal forest, swampforest, lowland rain forest,and montane rain forestecosystem types, witha range of associatedvegetation types includingmangrove, riparian, andsub-alpine.WildlifeAmong the plantsthat grow in this Parkare tancang (Bruguierasexangula), mangrove(Rhizophora acuminata),api-api (Avicennia sp.),lime (Dryobalanopssp.), pulai (Alstoniascholaris), ketapang(Terminalia catappa),pandan (Pandanus sp.),meranti (Shorea selanica),benuang (Octomelessumatrana), matoa/kasai(Pometia pinnata), cajuput(Melaleuca leucadendron),and various species oforchid.The mammals foundon Seram include Asianspecies (murid rodents)as well as Australasianmarsupials. The montanearea of Seram supportsthe greatest number ofendemic mammals ofany island in the region.It harbors 38 mammalspecies and includes ninespecies that are endemicor near endemic, severalof which are limitedto montane habitats.These include the Serambandicoot, Moluccanflying fox, Seram flying fox,Manusela mosaic-tailed rat,spiny Ceram rat and theCeram rat, all consideredthreatened.Other animals includethe Timor deer (Cervustimorensis moluccensis),common cuscus(Phalanger orientalisorientalis), water-hagedisdragon (Hydrosaurusamboinensis), wild pig (Suscelebensis), marbled cat(Pardofelis marmorata),giant skink (Tiliqua gigasgigas), dugong (Dugongdugon), common greenturtle (Chelonia mydas),and various species ofbutterfly.There are about 117species of birds, 14 of themWild pigCaptionendemic, like the eclectusparrot (Eclectus roratusroratus), purple-napedlory (Lorius domicella),salmon-crested cockatoo(Cacatua moluccensis),lazuli kingfi sher (Halcyonlazuli), sacred kingfi sher(H. sancta), Seram friarbird(Philemon subcorniculatus),and Moluccan king parrot(Alisterus amboinensis).The population of theendemic salmon-crestedcockatoo is now gravelythreatened due to huntingand the destruction of itshabitat.Other significant birdspecies include thegrey-necked friarbird,bicolored white-eye,black-chinned monarch,southern cassowary,blue-eared, purple-napedand Moluccan RedLories, pale cicada bird,Moluccan thrush, streakbreastedfantail, bicolouredhoneyeater, long-crestedmyna, and black-napedoriole.Conservation ProgramIn 1972, two areasin central Seram weredesignated as naturereserves, namely Wae Nua(20,000 hectares) and WaeMual (17,500 hectares).After a survey in 1978,a proposal was made tounite the two areas, whichled to the establishment of60ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

PROFILESSalmon-crested cockatoothe Manusela National Parkin 1997, representing 11percent of the land area ofSeram island.ThreatsA major threat is posedby deforestation, withlogging concessionscovering 48 percent ofSeram’s forest. Illegallogging activities havealso been recorded insideManusela National Park.Another threat is posedby illegal wild bird trading,particularly targeting thesalmon-crested cockatoo.The population of theendemic Salmon-crestedCockatoo is now gravelythreatened due to huntingand the destruction ofits habitat, and the parkremains its last stronghold.In 2006, nine cockatoosconfiscated from asmuggler in 2004 werereleased back into thewild.EcotourismVarious areas in thepark provide differentattractions for tourists. TepiMerkele, Tepi Kabipotoand Wae Kawa provideinteresting sites for forestexploration, climbing, andobservation of local floraand fauna. Birdwatchingand observation of deer arerecommended at Pasahari.Wai Isal is a good areafor camping, exploringthe forest, and observingplant and animals. Forestexploration and butterflywatching can be done atPilana. Mt. Binaya is alsogood for climbing andexploring waterfalls and theforest.The National ParkCentre at Sasa Ratuis about 10 kilometersfrom Wahai on the roadto Pasahari. Guides tovarious areas in the parkand transport services canbe arranged here. Visitorsare also recommended tovisit the nipa and mangroveswamps, which are twokilometers away from parkheadquarters.To go trekking inManusela, permits mustfirst be obtained in AmbonCity. These should then bepresented at the NationalPark so that arrangementsfor the trek can be made.Trekkers will also haveto report to the policestation in Wahai. Visitorsneed to bring in cookingequipment, food and,depending on the route,the necessary campinggear. Strong, worn-inwalking boots, compassand rain gear are alsoessential. Visitors canchoose from a variety ofhiking trails, which maytake from as short as threehours to a whole day’seffort. Terrains may varyfrom flat land to undulatinghills and steep uphills.Some routes may provideaccommodations in localvillages, while others willrequire camping out in theforest.Visitors who climbtowards Mt. Binaya fromKanikeh are often askedto make a small offering.While the customary lawof the area may haveembraced the arrival ofvisitors, guides may befearful if trekkers ascendthe mountain without firstmaking an offering todeceased ancestors.Cultural attractionsoutside the park includethe Masohi Festival inNovember and the korakora(rowing) races inApril. The best time tovisit Manusela NationalPark is from May toOctober.How to reach the ParkThe Park can bereached either by the northcoast (Sawai and Wahai),or the south coast (Tehoruand Moso). The route fromMoso is preferred by thosewho like climbing, sinceit has a slope of about 30percent. There are dailyeight-hour trips by busor ferry from Ambon toSaka. One then proceedsto Wahai by speedboat,which will take about twohours. There are also24-hour trips by ship fromAmbon to Wahai, whichis available three times aweek. Once-a-week flightsfrom Ambon to Wahai arealso available. The NationalPark Centre at Sasa Ratuis about 10 kilometersfrom Wahai on the roadto Pasahari. There areregular buses from Wahaito Pasahari.Alternately, visitorscan travel from Ambonto Tehoru by motor boat(about nine hours), thento Moso and Saunuluvillage.In Mosso, visitors canstay with the kepala desa(village head) in Wahai or atLosmen Sinar Indah. It isalso possible to stay at theNational Park Centre, butvisitors will have to bringtheir own food. •References:Ministry of Forestry, Indonesia(http://www.dephut.go.id/INFORMASI/TN%20INDO-ENGLISH/manusela_NP.htm)Voice of birds from Indonesia(http://birdbody.blogspot.com/2007/08/birdwatcing-inmanusela-national-park.html)JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 61

BOOKMARKSASEAN and Royal Thai foundationto promote biodiversity conservation(L-R) Dr. Mario Tabucanon, Advisor of SIEP Executive Board;Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul, Chairman of SIEP Foundation; Mr.Rodrigo Fuentes, Executive Director of ACB; and Dr. SanitAksornkoae, Chairman of SIEP Executive Board.THE ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the SirindhornInternational Environmental Park Foundation (SIEP)recently signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to formalizetheir partnership in promoting biodiversity conservationinitiatives in the ASEAN region.“Joining hands with SIEP on this endeavor is an importantactivity of the Centre, as the partnership is in line withour goal of working with various groups and sectors topromote biodiversity conservation in the ASEAN region,”Mr. Rodrigo U. Fuentes, executive director of ACB, said.“SIEP is immensely proud to establish formal linkageswith the esteemed ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity in bringingabout transfer and advancement of knowledge in theareas of biodiversity conservation, natural resources management,environmental awareness, energy conservation,and related fields” said Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul, Chairman ofthe SIEP Foundation Board.ACB is an intergovernmental regional organization thatcoordinates efforts of ASEAN Member States in conservingand sustainably managing biodiversity resources.Under the patronage of Her Royal Highness PrincessMaha Chakri Sirindhorn of the Kingdom of Thailand, SIEPis an international learning center for transferring knowledgeand training for the youth and the general public,non-governmental organizations, international organizationsand organizations from the ASEAN Member Stateson the conservation of energy, natural resources, and theenvironment. SIEP conducts integrated, diverse learningactivities while fostering innovations linking science andtechnology, both domestic and international, to local wisdomfor the benefit of sustainable development.SIEP and ACB will participate in joint or complementarycapacity development initiatives and other events related tothe sustainable development and conservation of biodiversityresources in the region. They will also explore opportunitiesto strengthen regional cooperation in implementingan integrated approach to biodiversity conservation usingregional and global multilateral environment agreements asframeworks and platforms for multi-sectoral cooperation;and continuously support common advocacy efforts withinthe bounds of SIEP’s and ACB’s mandates.Under the Memorandum of Cooperation, ACB and SIEPwill also share relevant technical information, as well asprovide copies of publications and research materials andallow linking and information sharing in their respectivewebsites. The partnership will provide opportunities forstaff interaction and exchanges to further enhance collaborationbetween the two organizations. Set to benefit fromthe partnership are the ten ASEAN Member States whosecapacities in biodiversity conservation will be strengthenedby the joint conservation initiatives.ASEAN and Germany cooperateon biodiversity and climate changeGERMANY is supporting the ASEAN in enhancing capacitiesof its member countries to mitigate climate changethrough biodiversity conservation. An inception meetingfor the ASEAN Biodiversity and Climate Change Projectwas held on January 12-13, 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia.To be implemented by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity(ACB) and GIZ, Germany’s development cooperationarm, the project aims to strengthen ACB’s capacity indeveloping and implementing strategies and instrumentsin the field of biodiversity and climate change. The projectwill be mobilized through an arrangement between theASEAN Secretariat and the Government of the FederalRepublic of Germany with a budget of Euro 2M in the nextthree years.ACB Executive Director Rodrigo Fuentes said thatclimate change exerts extreme pressure on the existingterrestrial and marine biodiversity, as well as the resultingenvironmental benefits such as protection against erosion,flood and carbon dioxide emissions.“More than 20 percent of the global biodiversity, approximately35 percent of the global mangrove forestsand 30 percent of the coral reefs are found in the ASEANMember States. Owing to their long coastline (173,000kilometers) and island nature (113,000 square kilometersocean surface between land surfaces) many ASEANcountries are most affected by climate change,” DirectorFuentes explained.Dr. Berthold Seibert, project manager, says that theinterconnection of global climate change and biodiversityloss is now widely recognized. The effects of climatechange on biodiversity have negative impacts on thewell-being of people. Biodiversity, through the ecosystemservices it supports, also makes significant contribution toboth climate change mitigation and adaptation.“Biodiversity management is an important means forhelping slow down climate change and its impacts. Missingawareness and knowledge, however, hamper thecomprehensive appreciation of the interaction betweenbiodiversity and climate change,” Dr. Seibert said.62ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

BOOKMARKSACB launches two new booksExecutive Director Rodrigo U. Fuentes of the ASEAN Centre forBiodiversity (ACB) recently presented to the Secretary-General ofASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, two new publications on the environment.EXECUTIVE Director Rodrigo U. Fuentesof the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB)recently presented to the Secretary-Generalof ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, twonew publications on the environment: TheASEAN Heritage Parks: A Journey to theNatural Wonders of Southeast Asia andThe ASEAN Biodiversity Outlook.The first book features the 28 ASEANHeritage Parks. The parks best representthe region’s protected areas and their richbiodiversity. The Outlook assesses the successesand challenges in meeting the 2010target of reducing the rate of biodiversityloss, in addition to the recommendations ofthe next steps.Mr. Fuentes, who was accompanied bysenior officers of the ACB at the meetingheld on January 13 at the ASEAN Headquarters,also updated Dr. Surin on theACB’s current search for the winners of the ASEANChampions of Biodiversity, a program honoringoutstanding contributions to biodiversity conservationand advocacy. The winners will be awarded inMay 2011, to coincide with the International Day forBiodiversity.The recent ASEAN Biodiversity Outlook report publishedby ACB has observed that the current management structureof government and non-government stakeholders forthe conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in theASEAN region, either fails to appropriately take climatechange into account or insufficient to stop biodiversityloss. Many causes of biodiversity loss as well as theirnegative consequences are felt beyond the borders of theindividual ASEAN Member States. The ASEAN challenge isto have adequate policies, instruments, and the capacityto tackle issues on biodiversity and climate change. TheBiodiversity and Climate Change Project hopes to respondto this ASEAN challenge by enabling ACB to provideASEAN Member States with advisory services on strategiesand instruments for biodiversity conservation-relatedintervention measures on climate protection and adaptationto climate change.The project targets to benefit the vulnerable populationof ASEAN Member States who depend on the ecosystemservices and biodiversity resources for their subsistence.The project is in line with the ASEAN Vision 2020, theASEAN Blueprint 2008-2015, and the 2007 RegionalAction Plan for ASEAN Heritage Parks and ProtectedAreas. The project supports regional initiatives such as theHeart of Borneo, the Coral Triangle, and Greater MekongSub-Region, as well as the UN Conventions on BiologicalDiversity and Climate Change.AWGNCB discussesACB work plan for 2011The ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservation andBiodiversity (AWGNCB) held a special meeting in Jakarta,Indonesia on January 14, 2011 to discuss the ASEANCentre for Biodiversity’s (ACB) Work Plan for 2011. TheAWGNCB, part of ACB’s management structure, providestechnical guidance to ACB’s work planning process andendorses the work plan to the ACB Governing Board forapproval. The work plan for 2011 focuses on the implementationof major donor-funded projects on climatechange, taxonomy, wildlife law enforcement, and supportto countries in preparing national biodiversity strategies, toname a few.ACB will continue to enhance its services to ASEANMember States through its seven mandated priorities:serving as an effective coordinative body to facilitatediscussion and resolution of cross-country biodiversityconservation issues; providing a framework and mechanismfor sharing information, experiences, best practicesand lessons learnt for the efficient access by the ASEANMember States; implementing a proactive approach inmonitoring and assessing biodiversity conservation statusas a strategic approach towards identifying critical is-JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 63

BOOKMARKSGermany supports ASEAN in establishing a biodiversity fundGERMANY, through KfW, is supporting the ASEANCentre for Biodiversity (ACB) in establishing an endowmentfund. To be called the ASEAN Biodiversity Fund(ABF), this facility will provide ASEAN Member Statesand other governments, the international donor community,organizations and individuals a mechanism tocontribute financially to biodiversity initiatives beingimplemented by ACB.At a consultative meeting held in Jakarta, Indonesiaon January 14, 2011, KfW consultants, ACB officialsand the ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservationand Biodiversity discussed the proposed mechanicsof establishing the ABF. The fund is expected to belaunched this year.sues and future trends; delivering/facilitating conduct ofcapacity-building services and technology transfer throughengaging relevant and appropriate expertise; enhancingcommon understanding of biodiversity conservation issuesand strengthening ASEAN regional positions in negotiationand in compliance with relevant multilateral environmentalagreements; promoting public awareness to developchampions and enhance support at different stakeholderlevels on biodiversity concerns; and undertaking innovativeresource generation and mobilization measures to pursueimpact activities that will enhance biodiversity conservationin the region.Japan and ASEAN boosttaxonomic capacitiesPLANTS are the backbone of all life on earth. Crop plantsare used for food and fibers. Thousands of wild plantsprovide medicine, fuel, clothing and shelter. They alsoprotect soils from erosion, help regulate climate, supportanimal life, and maintain ecosystem stability. Plants,however, are facing serious threats and are being lost atalarming rates.To implement effective conservation measures, thereis a need to tap taxonomists who will identify species,describe species that are new to science, determine theirtaxonomic relationships, and make predictions about theirproperties.To boost the taxonomic capacities of the ten ASEANMember States and the ASEAN Plus Three Countries ofChina, Japan and Korea, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity(ACB), in partnership with Japan’s Ministry of Environment,conducted a Training Workshop on Taxonomy of TerrestrialPlants from February 16 to 23, 2011 at Herbarium Bogoriense,R.C.Biology, CSC-LIPI in Bogor, Indonesia.Through the workshop, botanists and plant ecologistsfrom participating countries were introduced to thetaxonomy of terrestrial plants particularly selected familiesof dicotelydons. Also known as dicots, dicotyledonsare a group of flowering plants whose seed typically hastwo embryonic leaves. Beans, lentils, peanuts, potatoes,squash and tomatoes are among the many examples ofdicots used as food.The workshop familiarized the participants with thegeneral biology of dicots and upgraded their taxonomicskills in terms of methods of morphological observation,sample collection, processing and managing. They werealso introduced to advanced taxonomic methodologiessuch as molecular techniques, bar coding and databasing.These are deemed to be helpful in curbing the ongoingloss of plant diversity.“In 1998, it became very apparent that the implementationof the objectives of the CBD was being hamperedby the lack of appropriate taxonomic information. Thisimpediment was later named the Global Taxonomic Impediment.In the 250 years since Linnaeus introduced thebinomial system of naming, taxonomists have describedand named some 1.78 million species of animals, plantsand microorganisms. The full number of species on Earthis unknown, but it probably lies between 5 million and 30million. At the most conservative estimate, the biota itselfcomprises more unknown species than known ones,” Mr.Rodrigo U. Fuentes, executive director of ACB, said.“If Parties to the Convention do not know what speciesreside in their national boundaries, they will find itdifficult to enact effective legislation concerning them,plan for conservation and sustainable use or protectnational or subnational rights concerning benefits of thegenetic resources of their biodiversity. Although there aremany species to be described, there are too few taxonomiststo do the job, particularly in the countries wherethey are arguably most needed - the biodiversity-richdeveloping countries, especially in our region in SouthEast Asia.“Taxonomy is very important in conserving plant speciesand other biological resources. We are aware thattaxonomic information is crucial to understanding biodiversityand maximizing its use and protection. How will weimplement effective conservation measures if we do not64ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

BOOKMARKSACB IN PHOTOSSenator Jose Miguel Zubiri donates three million pesosto the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity. The senatoris known for championing biodiversity policies andinitiatives in the Philippines Senate. In photo are(L-R): Atty. David Torres, chief legal officer of SenatorZubiri; Rolando Inciong, Head of ACB Communicationand Public Affairs; Rodrigo Fuentes, ExecutiveDirector of ACB; Willy Obien, Head of ACB Financeand Administration; and Larry Punzalan, ACB ProtocolOfficer.December 4 to 8, 2010 in Penang, focused on coralstaxonomy. The second, Training of Trainers on CITES Policiesand Identification of Threatened Species, was held inKuala Lumpur, Malaysia from January 17 to 20, 2011.The project aims to promote the science of taxonomywhich is increasingly considered a fundamental tool requiredby the global community to implement the MillenniumDevelopment Goals and the development targets setby the World Summit for Sustainable Development.According to project coordinator Dr. Filiberto Pollisco,Jr., ACB policy research specialist, taxonomy has alwaysbeen a poorly understood science. While it is one of themost needed of the sciences, it is among the least known.“Many trained taxonomists are under-utilized due toinsuffi cient funds allocated to taxonomic study. Every majormuseum suffers from the backlog of unstudied specimensand undescribed new species, while every curator can citethe loss of students who were interested in taxonomy, butcould not get suffi cient fellowship support or failed to fi nd apaying job. This is where taxonomy comes in. It is not thereto simply name and identify species. It can be a useful toolto improve knowledge, which can then lead to the effi cientuse and protection of biodiversity,” Dr. Pollisco explained.Int’l confab links climate changeand biodiversityDr. Makarim Wibisono, Executive Director of theASEAN Foundation (at center in suit) visits the ACBHeadquarters where he served as Chairman of theBoard of Judges for the search for ASEAN Championsof Biodiversity. ACB will award the champions on May31, 2011 in Manila.Forty representatives from various Philippinesinstitution involved in promoting biodiversityconservation gathered in Los Baños, Laguna for aone-day seminar on using information managementto assist in biodiversity conservation throughscience-based decisions and policies. The seminarwas organized by ACB and the Philippine Council forAquatic and Marine Research and Development.fully understand the natural treasures that we have?” Mr.Fuentes said.The workshop was the third in a series of capacitydevelopment activities under a project on “TaxonomicCapacity Building and Governance for Conservation andSustainable Use of Biodiversity” funded by the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund. The first in the series, held incooperation with the University Sains Malaysia (USM) fromSOME 300 local and international environmental advocates,including scientists, researchers, academicians,policy makers and representatives of international organizationsparticipated in an international conference todiscuss the relationship between biodiversity and climatechange.Held from February 1 to 3 in Manila, the conferencewas organized by the Philippines’ Commission on HigherEducation (CHED) and the Department of Environment andNatural Resources (DENR), in cooperation with the UnitedNations Development Programme (UNDP), National Economicand Development Authority, DIVERSITAS, ASEANCentre for Biodiversity (ACB), World Wildlife Fund (WWF),Commission on Climate Change, DENR-Protected Areasand Wildlife Bureau, Philippine Council for Agriculture,Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development,and the Philippine Council for Aquatic and MarineResources Research and Development.Participants to the three-day International Conferenceon Biodiversity and Climate Change at the PhilippineInternational Convention Center discussed and exchangedresearch findings on the interactions of biodiversity andclimate change, status of biodiversity, effects of climatechange on biodiversity, and climate change mitigation andadaptation; identified research gaps and conceptualizedcollaborative research undertakings on biodiversity andclimate change; identified strategies for mitigation andadaptation, including education and advocacy; and linkedpotential donors, and research experts and educatorsfor the conduct of future research and implementation ofprograms on biodiversity conservation and climate changeadaptation and mitigation.Conference Chairperson Dr. Angel Alcala, former DENRSecretary, said paper presentations and discussionsfocused on the following themes: status of biodiversity;JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 65

BOOKMARKScauses and impacts of climate change on biodiversity andecosystems; climate change mitigation and adaptation;education and advocacy; and partner’s perspectives forresearch on biodiversity and climate change.Prominent environmentalists who addressed the Conferencewere Senator Loren Legarda, chairperson, SenateCommittee on Climate Change; Secretary Ramon Paje,DENR; Secretary Patricia Licuanan, CHED; SecretaryMario Montejo, Department of Science and Technology;Commissioner Naderev Sano, Philippine Climate ChangeCommission; Country Director Renaud Meyer, UNDP; ExecutiveDirector Rodrigo U. Fuentes, ACB; and Vice-ChairmanJose Ma. Lorenzo Tan, WWF.ABS protocol opens for signatureAt a ceremony held on March 7 in New York, the Nagoya– Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability andRedress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety wasopened for signature by Parties to the Cartagena Protocolon Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity.The Supplementary Protocol aims to contribute to theconservation and sustainable use of biodiversity by providinginternational rules and procedures for liability and redressin the event of damage resulting from living modifiedorganisms (LMOs).Addressing the ceremony, Ms. Patricia O’Brien, Under-Secretary General for Legal Affairs speaking on behalf ofUnited Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said:“The issues on biodiversity and biosafety require a globalresponse and the Secretary-General encourages States toratify this Supplementary Protocol. By your actions todayyou encourage other States to do the same and contributeto the advancement of international law, and the rule oflaw which is one of the main objectives of the Organization.”Speaking on behalf of the President of the Conferenceof the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to theCartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP), Mr. HidenoriMurakami, Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture, Forestryand Fisheries of Japan, said, “The adoption of the Nagoya– Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability andRedress was a remarkable achievement from the meetingin Nagoya. The Supplementary Protocol presents uswith another valuable tool to address the issue of globalDr. Ahmed Djoghlafbiodiversity and to protect the lives and livelihoods of thepresent and next generations. It is our responsibility topass on to the next generation life in harmony with natureand the wealth of biodiversity on our planet.”During the ceremony, representatives of the Governmentsof Colombia, Denmark, the Netherlands and Swedensigned the Nagoya – Kuala Lumpur SupplementaryProtocol, which remains open for signature until March 6,2012 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.After several years of negotiations, the Parties to theCartagena Protocol on Biosafety adopted the Nagoya– Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability andRedress on 15 October 2010, in Nagoya, Japan. TheSupplementary Protocol takes its name from the city ofNagoya, where it was adopted, and from the city of KualaLumpur, in recognition of its role as host of several meetingspertaining to the negotiations on liability and redress.The Supplementary Protocol fulfills the commitment setforth in Article 27 of the Cartagena Protocol to elaborateinternational rules and procedures on liability and redressfor damage to biodiversity resulting from transboundarymovements of LMOs. It is also inspired by Principle 13 ofthe 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Developmentwhich calls on States to “cooperate in an expeditiousand more determined manner to develop further internationallaw regarding liability and compensation for adverseeffects of environmental damage caused by activitieswithin their jurisdiction or control”.The Supplementary Protocol specifies the measuresthat need to be taken in response to damage resultingfrom LMOs that find their origin in a transboundary movement.In the event of damage or sufficient likelihood ofdamage to biological diversity, a government, through acompetent authority, would require the person in controlof the LMO, i.e. the operator, to take appropriate responsemeasures, or would take such measures itself with a rightof recourse against the operator.Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Executive Secretaryof the Convention on Biological Diversity, Mr. AhmedDjoghlaf, said, “It is the first time that a legally bindinginstrument bears the name of two cities, namely Nagoyaand Kuala Lumpur. This reminds us more than ever thata global partnership among the international communitywithout any exception is urgently required to address theunprecedented challenges of the continued loss of biodiversitycompounded by climate change.”The Nagoya – Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocolwill enter into force 90 days after the deposit of the 40thinstrument of ratification, acceptance, approval, or accession.The Nagoya Protocol is available at: http://treaties.un.org/doc/source/signature/2010/Ch-XXVII-8-b.pdf.ASEAN presents Southeast Asia’sbiodiversity report cardWHAT is the status of Southeast Asia’s biodiversity? Didthe region meet the global target of reducing biodiversityloss by 2010? What are the prospects for biodiversity beyond2010? These questions were answered at the launchof the ASEAN Biodiversity Outlook report on March 23,2011 at the Dusit Hotel in Makati City, Philippines.66ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

BOOKMARKSPhilippines uses information management to strengthen biodiversity conservationFORTY representatives of various national and internationalinstitutions involved in promoting biodiversityconservation in the Philippines gathered in Los Baños,Laguna for a one-day seminar on using informationmanagement to assist in biodiversity conservationthrough science-based decisions and policies.Organized by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity(ACB) and the Philippine Council for Aquatic andMarine Research and Development (PCAMRD), theSeminar on Species and Protected Area DatabaseInterfaces held on March 10 at the PCAMRD Auditoriumwas attended by representatives of the NaturalHistory Museum; National Museum; Biotech, Zoologyand Biology departments of UP Los Baños; UPLBSchool of Environmental Science and Management;Department of Environment and Natural Resources’Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau and Mts. Iglit-Baco National Park, and Fishbase Information andResearch Group.Director Sheila Vergara of ACB’s Biodiversity InformationManagement Unit said the seminar promoted theimportance of interoperable datasets and their establishmentas basis for making science-based decisions andpolicies for biodiversity conservation; enhanced capacitiesof data holders to digitize species and protectedareas information; facilitated the integration and organizationof species and protected area (PA) information indifferent holdings; and introduced to the participants thespecies and PA interfaces developed by ACB which usesthe Darwin Core (for species) and IUCN categories (forprotected areas) as encoding convention.Mr. Rodrigo Fuentes, ACB Executive Director, explainedthat “making data interoperable is an attemptto bring out all the things that you can do closer toeveryone. Information is an important resource to makethe right kind of decisions. Biodiversity informationmust be shared so that all sectors involved in conservation,especially our leaders, can come up sciencebasedpolicies and decisions.”“While we recognize data ownership, we also hopethat embracing the idea of sharing information becomesa natural process,” Director Fuentes said.Dr. Loureeda Darvin, Supervising Science ResearchSpecialist of PCAMRD said, “This seminar is timely asdata establishment is a laborious task and requirespartnerships. It is a means to draw all information outfrom the shelves and use them. All participants recognizedthe need to make databases functional so thatthey can be translated to meaningful analyses as basesfor biodiversity conservation.”The launch, in cooperation with the Philippine ScienceJournalists Association (PsciJourn), was attended by keyofficials and representatives of the Department of Environmentand Natural Resources; PsciJourn; Department ofForeign Affairs; embassies of ASEAN Member States, Japanand the European Union; conservation organizations,business sector and media.Produced by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB),the Outlook confirms the findings of the Third Global BiodiversityOutlook that the world failed to meet the target ofsignificantly reducing biodiversity loss by 2010.The Outlook is based on the 4th National Reports of theten ASEAN countries to the Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD), the Fourth ASEAN State of the EnvironmentReport, the Global Biodiversity Outlook, and numerousother sources. Biodiversity experts from a number of internationalorganizations independently reviewed the Outlook.A contribution to the International Year of Biodiversity2010, the Outlook is envisioned as a tool to generateawareness on the status of biodiversity in the region, theobstacles faced by countries in their efforts to conservebiodiversity, and the next steps that have to be undertaken.The prospects of biodiversity in the region beyond2010 are likewise outlined in the report.“This is a modest attempt at responding to the questionof whether or not we as a region met the 2010 target.Through the report, we tried to capture and present theprogress made by the ASEAN Member States in thisglobal effort. With the region’s well-recognized richness inbiological resources and its impact on global environmentalsustainability, the ASEAN countries saw it as imperativeto come up with an outlook focusing on the region,” Mr.Rodrigo U. Fuentes, executive director of ACB, said.One of the major conclusions of the Outlook is that theASEAN region, like the rest of the world, is increasinglylosing its biodiversity within various ecosystems - forest,agro-ecosystems, peatlands, freshwater, mangroves, coralreefs and seagrass.“The implications of biodiversity loss to human wellbeingcan be profound, affecting not only human societies’way of life, but its very existence, as well,” Fuenteswarned. He added that “No one will be spared from theimpacts of biodiversity loss and the degradation of ecosystemservices, but the first one who will bear the heaviestburden will be the poor and marginalized whose livesare strongly linked with the environment.”The Outlook also underscores that the drivers ofbiodiversity loss continue to intensify. The key drivers ofbiodiversity loss in the ASEAN region include ecosystemsand habitat change, invasive alien species, over-exploitation(as a result of deforestation and land-use and waterusechange, as well as wildlife hunting and trade for food),pollution, poverty and climate change.The Outlook emphasizes that the impacts of climatechange on biodiversity remains to be better understood. Aformidable challenge, it reports, is enhancing the resilienceof biodiversity components to adapt to climate change.In terms of addressing the drivers and threats tobiodiversity loss, the Outlook points out that the ASEANregion remains slow in delivering progress, particularly inpreventing invasive alien species, addressing the impact ofbiodiversity to species and ecosystems, and abating pollutionand the exploitation of forests and wetlands.One success story highlighted in the Outlook is theprogress made by the region in expanding the coverageof terrestrial and marine protected areas. Since 1950, theJANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 67

BOOKMARKSdesignated protected areas have increased by 98 percentby area and by 89 percent by number. The ASEAN regionalso met the suggested target of having 10-percent of itsterrestrial land declared as protected areas, having established13.2 percent for such purpose. Six ASEAN MemberStates have exceeded the 10-percent target. The countrieswere also successful in shoring up efforts to furtherdevelop capacities and expand the network of wildlife lawenforcers.The Outlook points out that these initiatives have to besustained in the long term. “This requires sustained political,technical, fi nancial and stakeholder engagement at alllevels,” Fuentes said. He stressed that the ASEAN region,as with the entire global community, has to move forward incollectively achieving the Biodiversity Target beyond 2010.“Addressing biodiversity loss is a shared responsibilityfor all humanity. While it is recognized that the challengesare daunting, involving foremost a major shift in perceptionand priorities in societies’ current lifestyles, it is animperative shift to carry out the actions identified in theOutlook at the necessary scale and address the underlyingcauses of biodiversity loss. The continued failure to avertthe current trends of biodiversity loss and the degradationof ecosystems services is simply unacceptable. Weneed cogent and comprehensive actions that will replacethe current business-as-usual effort for addressing theissues. This will require political will and collective actions,”Fuentes said.Workshop discusses REDD-Plus as toolvs. biodiversity loss and climate changeREDUCING emissionsfrom deforestation andforest degradation, conservationof forest carbonstocks, sustainablemanagement of forests,and enhancement offorest carbon stocks indeveloping countrieswere discussed byAsia-Pacific countries ata regional consultationand capacity-buildingworkshop held in Singaporefrom March 15 to18, 2011. These topicsare commonly known asREDD-Plus, a set of steps designed to use market/financialincentives in order to reduce the emissions of greenhousegases from deforestation and forest degradationand contribute to biodiversity conservation.The workshop was organized by the Secretariat of theConvention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the NationalParks Board of Singapore, with support from the Governmentof the United Kingdom, Great Britain and Ireland;and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity through the GIZBiodiversity and Climate Change Project. Participants weregovernment experts on forests, biodiversity and climatechange; representatives of indigenous organizations,non-governmental organizations and donor countries;REDD-Plus Interim Partnership; and Coalition of RainforestNations.The workshop identified possible indicators to assessthe contribution of REDD-Plus to achieving the objectivesof the CBD, and assessed potential mechanismsto monitor impacts on biodiversity from these and otherecosystem-based approaches for climate change mitigationmeasures.The workshop served as opportunity to consult withcountries that are Parties to the CBD on the developmentof relevant safeguards for biodiversity, so that REDD-plusactions are consistent with the objectives of the CBD, aswell as avoid negative impacts and enhance benefits forbiodiversity.Results of the Asia-Pacific workshop will be brought tothe attention of the eleventh meeting of the Conference ofthe Parties to the CBD, as well as to the relevant bodies ofthe UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.Forests cover a vast area of the earth’s surface. Theysupport about two-thirds of the world’s terrestrial biodiversitybut these areas suffer the most widespread form ofconversion and degradation. Southeast Asia, also knownas the ASEAN region, is home to the most diverse forestecosystems in the world but its forests have transformedextensively over the last 50 years.The ASEAN Biodiversity Outlook, published by theASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) reported that as of2000, only 47 percent of the ASEAN was forested, withBrunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia andMyanmar at least having more than 50 percent of theirtotal land area under forest cover.By 2007, the forest cover of the entire region was downby four percentage points, at 43 percent. Between theperiod from 1980 to 2007, the ASEAN forests have decreasedby a total of 555,587 square kilometers, an arearoughly the size of Thailand; or by an annual average rateof 20,578 square kilometers, an area almost 29 times thesize of Singapore.The Outlook explained that the fragmentation of forestsfollowing the construction of roads, agriculture and humansettlement development has had dire impacts on wildlife,reducing the corridors in which they can move or migrate.As a result, a number of endemic plant and animal speciesdependent on the health of forest ecosystems are at risk.The Outlook reported that during the past decades, theprimary threat to ASEAN forests has been deforestationattributed largely to logging and timber harvesting. Illegallogging has exacerbated the situation. Other prominentthreats that the Outlook identified are forest fires; forestconversion for human settlement and infrastructuredevelopment, mining and mineral resource extraction; theintroduction of invasive alien species; illegal wildlife trade;and slash-and-burn farming.ACB Executive Director Rodrigo U. Fuentes said it isimportant to value biodiversity and ecosystems services,including forests, by translating biodiversity into economicterms.“The wealth of biodiversity in Southeast Asia and itscontinuing loss must be valued and appreciated in orderto effect appropriate policy changes and solutions. Managingand investing in natural capital, as espoused by TheEconomic of Ecosystems and Biodiversity study, providesa number of opportunities on investments to mitigate and68ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

BOOKMARKSadapt to climate change. Thus, expanding REDD to theREDD-plus instrument could create a revenue stream fornational governments to meet emission reduction targets,”Director Fuentes explained.Director Fuentes reported that in the ASEAN region,there is a great potential for raising revenues from REDDin Indonesia and Cambodia. There is an ongoing REDDproject in the Seima Biodiversity Conservation Areawhich is inhabited by the Bunong minority, an indigenouspeoples group that is described as having low literacy,small in numbers and of weak political clout. The firstactivities included staff training, actual data collection forcarbon stock surveys, and baseline analysis to record andproject deforestation rates. Fundraising for implementationis ongoing, along with the writing and certification of theProject Design Document. In six to twelve months, the firstcredits will be ready to be brought to market.In Viet Nam, there exists the potential and willingnesson the part of government to include REDD as part of itsstrategy on climate change response. A national frameworkhas been developed, particularly in linking it with theexisting policy on Payment for Ecosystem Services. Prospectsare bright for REDD to be established in the countryand Viet Nam has demonstrated its interest in cooperatingwith its neighbors to start work on an international accountingsystem.New international treatyon LMOs opens for signatureAT a ceremony held in New York, the Nagoya-Kuala LumpurSupplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to theCartagena Protocol on Biosafety was opened for signatureby Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to theConvention on Biological Diversity. The Supplementary Protocolaims to contribute to the conservation and sustainableuse of biodiversity by providing international rules andprocedures for liability and redress in the event of damageresulting from living modifi ed organisms (LMOs).The Supplementary Protocol specifies the measuresthat need to be taken in response to damage resultingfrom LMOs that find their origin in a transboundary movement.In the event of damage or sufficient likelihood ofdamage to biological diversity, a government, through acompetent authority, would require the person in controlof the LMO, i.e. the operator, to take appropriate responsemeasures, or would take such measures itself with a rightof recourse against the operator.During the ceremony, representatives of the Governmentsof Colombia, Denmark, the Netherlands and Swedensigned the Supplementary Protocol, which remainsopen for signature until 6 March 2012 at the United NationsHeadquarters in New York. SCBDMakiling “Trekathon” heldTHE Makiling “Trekathon”, a fun trekking and fund raisingcampaign, was held on April 30 as part of the centennialcelebration of the establishment of Mount MakilingForest Reserve and the 101th foundation anniversary andalumni homecoming of the College of Forestry and NaturalResources (CFNR)-University of the Philippines Los Banos.The event also coincides with the observance of the InternationalYear ofForests 2011.The eventsought to advanceinformationand advocacycampaignsfor the conservationof MountMakiling being ascientific reserve,a significantbiodiversity area,a critical watershedand airshed,a geothermalproductionfield, and a keyecotourism site.Singapore starts comprehensive marine biodiversity surveySINGAPORE is undertaking its first comprehensive surveyto take stock of the republic’s marine ecosystem,species diversity and distribution. The survey is beingled by the National Parks Board (NParks) in partnershipwith experts from tertiary institutions, non-governmentalorganizations and individual enthusiasts. It’sexpected to be completed by December 2013.NParks said sites with coastal and marine habitatsaround Singapore have been identified and mapped,using satellite images. They are further validatedthrough the ongoing biodiversity surveys conducted atthese sites, including Chek Jawa, Cyrene Reefs andPulau Semakau.More than 80 volunteers have come forward toregister their interest and support. They will be participatingin various aspects of the survey, includingphotography, outdoor field sampling and collection,and specimen processing.NParks is working with the National University ofSingapore (NUS) to train the volunteers. Several organizationshave also come on board. Shell companiesin Singapore have donated S$500,000 to the NUS forconservation activities, of which S$300,000 will go towardsbringing in scientific experts for this survey. TheCare-for-Nature Trust Fund has pledged S$250,000 tofinance equipment required for the survey.NParks is keen for more public and private sectorsupport. It said Singapore has many marine treasureswaiting to be documented. In the last two years, aspecies of sponge new to science was discovered inSingapore’s shallow waters. Mustafa Shafawi, ChannelNewsAsia 7JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 69

BOOKMARKSRaise the value of forests, says IUCNA BETTER evaluation of what forests are worth willgenerate direct benefits for poor forest dwellers, openup new markets and affect global economic growth. Theeconomic benefits of forests are massively under-valuedby governments and donor agencies, according to theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN’s)latest report.Forests are traditionally valued for their main commercialresource, timber. But they are home to 80 percentof terrestrial biodiversity and provide a wide range ofecosystem services such as clean water, protectionagainst floods and other natural disasters, estimated atmore than US$ 720 billion a year for national and globaleconomies.“When deciding how to spend their budgets, governmentsusually don’t factor in the economic returns toinvesting in locally-controlled forestry,” says IUCN’s LucyEmerton, one of the authors of the report. “They missa critical opportunity to invest in stimulating economicgrowth, sustainable development and poverty reduction.”At least 400 million hectares of forest landscapes, anarea roughly the size of the European Union, and 1.5billion people, a population larger than that of China, arealready involved in locally-controlled forestry. However,only about 47 percent of the legal rights over forests areformally placed under their management.The aim of IUCN’s report, The Value of Investing in Locally-controlledForestry, launched at the United Nationsmeeting on the International Year of Forests in New York,is to show the global economic impact of forests if theyare managed and controlled by the people who live in andaround them.“Locally-controlled forest management is a highlyprofitable public investment and development assistanceoption,” says Stewart Maginnis, IUCN’s Director of Environmentand Development. “We are talking about an absolutelyrevolutionary way of changing the world economyandchanging it for the better.”The direct livelihood values, such as food, medicines,fuel, energy, income and employment, are estimated atUS$130 billion a year to the world’s poorest communities,according to the report. This is more than Franceand Switzerland’s gold reserves combined. To read the fullreport visit:http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/forest/?6853/valuelocally-controlledforestry.UN-REDD releases first 5-Year strategyTHE UN-REDD Programme has released its first fiveyearstrategy (2011-2015), which provides a road mapfor increased support to UN-REDD partner countries foractivities related to reducing emissions from deforestationand forest degradation in developing countries, includingconservation, sustainable management of forests, andenhancement of carbon stocks (REDD-Plus).The Strategyoutlines the Programme’s overall vision and mission,namely to support countries’ efforts towards REDD andtransform their forest sectors so as to contribute to humanwell-being, and meet climate change mitigation andadaptation aspirations. It also includes the 2011-2015objective of promoting the elaboration and implementationof national REDD-Plus strategies to achieve REDD-Plusreadiness. The Strategy defines six key work areas forProgramme support: measuring, reporting and verification,and monitoring; national REDD-Plus governance;stakeholder engagement; multiple benefits of forests andREDD-Plus; management of REDD-Plus payments; andREDD-Plus as a catalyst for transformations to a greeneconomy. The Strategy highlights the following objectives:increasing the number of countries that receive support;creating a new financial modality; and scaling up coordinationwith strategic partners. UN-REDD ProgrammeBiodiversity in Food Awards now openGENEVA – The Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT)has announced the second round of the Biodiversityin Food Awards, held in partnership with the FoodIngredients Europe (FI Europe) tradeshow organized byUnited Business Media (UBM).Launched last year, the annual awards recognizecompanies in the food sector that are pioneeringefforts to promote conservation and the sustainableuse of biodiversity, through their supply chains.Applicants will be rewarded on how they contributeto the objectives of the Convention on BiologicalDiversity (CBD), which include the promotion ofbiodiversity conservation, the sustainable use ofbiodiversity and the equitable sharing of benefitsthroughout the supply chain.UEBT, a non-profit association that promotes theethical trade in biodiversity-based products, saidthe awards aim to recognize leading companies andproducts as well as to increase the awareness ofsustainable sourcing and good biodiversity practiceswithin the food industry.“With the awards we want to recognize leaders andinnovators in the field, but also highlight the importantrole businesses can play in realizing the biodiversityobjectives included in the CBD” said Executive Directorof UEBT Rik Kutsch Lojenga.The awards are divided into two categories:innovation and leadership. The innovation awardwill be given to an innovative product created in asustainable manner, with respect for the environmentand surrounding biodiversity. The leadership awardis destined for a company promoting sustainablepractices and respect for biodiversity in a way that willinfluence other businesses to adopt similar practices.Companies interested in applying to 2011’sBiodiversity in Food Awards are invited to send theirapplications before August 26 2011. Winners willbe announced at UBM’s Food Ingredients Europetrade show, held this year in Paris, November 29-December 1. More information and details of how tobe apply can be found at www.ethicalbiotrade.org/awards. Union for Ethical BioTrade70ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

BIODIVERSITY NEWS SOUTHEAST ASIA• Brunei DarussalamBlue Flag bid gets supportfrom Jastre. A bid by the nongovernmentorganization BeachBunch to develop Meragangbeach into a Blue Flag beach hasreceived the official support of theDepartment of Environment, Parksand Recreation. Beach Bunchhas been eyeing Meragang beachas the first beach in Brunei theywant to develop to the stringentenvironmental standards of theFoundation for EnvironmentalEducation (FEE), the internationalagency that runs the Blue Flagprogram for beaches and marinas.Beach Bunch is aiming to raisealmost $2 million for the initialdevelopment of the Blue Flag beach,with the bulk of the funds going intothe construction of an EnvironmentalInformation Centre that will houseadministrative offices and otherfacilities such as classrooms andresearch workstations.The Brunei TimesBat and pitcher plant enjoy anunusual harmony. A study ledby Ulmar Grafe of the Universityof Brunei Darussalam showed themutually beneficial relationshipbetween theHardwicke’swoolly batsand pitcherplants.Transmittersplaced onbats caughtin a peatswamp forestshowed thatmany of thebats chose torest and sleepin the aerialPitcher plantpitchers of the carnivorous plantNepenthes rafflesiana. Chemicalanalysis of the plants found thatsome 33.8 percent of their nutrientscame from the bat poop and urine.Further investigation of the plantsrevealed that they put little energyinto trapping insects. They releasedlow amounts of insect-attractingvolatile compounds and producedlittle digestive fluid. Instead, theplants devoted energy towardsenticing bats to roost by growingelongated, narrow and cylindricalpitchers that create snug, cozyhideaways for roosting bats. Most ofthe plant’s pitchers provide enoughspace for two bats stacked on topof each other, allowing pup’s tosuck on mother bats while insidethe plant. The bat-plant relationshipmay have evolved after some batshappened to roost in the plant.Promoting environmentaleducation vital in schools.Dato Paduka Dr Haji Mohd AminLiew bin Abdullah, PermanentSecretary at the Ministry ofIndustry and Primary Resourcesstressed the importance ofenvironmental education duringa workshop for government andnon-government secondary schoolteachers entitled “ImplementingEnvironmentalism in Schools” atJerudong International School.“As a growing global populationincreasingly presses up againstthe limits of the earth’s resourcesand ecosystems, the generalpublic will more frequently becalled upon to understand complexenvironmental issues and assessrisk and understand how individualdecisions affect the environmentat the local, national and globallevel. A systematic approach toenvironmental education wouldcreate a scientifically informedcitizenry that is better equipped toaddress environmental issues,” thePermanent Secretary explained.Some 87 secondary schoolteachers attended the workshopthat aimed to inform and assist inthe communication of practical andlogistic elements of implementingenvironmentalism in schools.BruDirect.com• CambodiaPrime minister cancelstitanium mine project citingimpact on biodiversity andlocal people. Cambodian PrimeMinister Sandech Hun Sen hascancelled a titanium strip mineproject in one of Southeast Asia’slast great intact forest ecosystems,the Cardamom Mountains.The mine was canceled due toconcerns of the impact on theenvironment, biodiversity andlocal livelihoods of villagers. Themine, which was planned to sitdirectly in the migration route forthe largest population of Asianelephants in Cambodia, had beenlargely opposed by locals in theregion who spent years developingecotourism. Incredibly rich inwildlife, the Cardamom Mountainsis home to Indochinese tigers,Malayan sun bears, and pileatedgibbons, in addition to 250 speciesof birds. According to WildlifeAlliance 70, threatened species livein the area, including the Siamesecrocodile, which is listed as CriticallyEndangered. mongabay.comWWT wins funding for Saruscrane reserves. A partnership ledby the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust(WWT) has been awarded fundingtotaling over $350,000 by the CriticalEcosystem Partnership Fund to fullyestablish and conserve designatedSarus crane reserves in Cambodia.The project will focus on two sites:Boeung Prek Lapouv (which covers9,276 hectares) and the recentlydesignated Kampong Trach (1,106hectares). Together, the areas supportsignifi cant numbers of Sarus cranes– over 300 birds, which are over 20percent of the regional population– during the dry season. The speciesis currently in decline and consideredglobally threatened.WWTReport includes Cambodiawithin world’s mostendangered biodiversityarea. Conservation Internationalhas named a biodiversity areathat includes all of Cambodia asthe most endangered such regionin the world, claiming it has onlyfive percent of its original habitatremaining. The environmental groupreleased a list of the world’s 10most threatened “forest hotspots”,grouping Cambodia within the“Indo-Burma” region, whichalso includes Burma, Thailand,Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam andsmall areas in India and China. All 10regions on the list have lost at least90 percent of their original habitatand contain at least 1,500 uniqueplant species, CI said. ConservationInternational regional director DavidEmmett called Cambodia the “jewel”of the Indo-Burma region. More thana quarter of the Kingdom, he said,has been classified as protectedland, in contrast to regionalJANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 71

BIODIVERSITY NEWS SOUTHEAST ASIAneighbours such as Thailand andViet Nam that have nearly decimatedtheir forests. “Cambodia has someof the highest concentrations ofthe most endangered species inthe hotspot,” he said. Logging anddevelopment have taken their tollon Cambodia’s forests and wildlife,however. Government officials haveannounced plans for numeroushydropower dams on the MekongRiver and elsewhere, projects thatpose a critical threat to local fishpopulations, said Eric Baran, asenior scientist at the WorldFishCentre. In its 2010 annual report,the Forestry Administration saidmore than 1.3 million hectares worthof economic land concessions, orroughly 7 percent of Cambodia’sterritory, have been granted to date.The FA recommended a review ofexisting concessions to ensure thatthe land is being used productively.Phnom Penh Post• IndonesiaIllegal logging, mining ravagesKalimantan, costs Indonesia$36.4 billion. The Ministry ofForestry says illegal logging, landclearance, forest fires and mininghas devastated Indonesian Borneoand cost the country an estimatedRp 311.4 trillion ($36.4 billion).Raffles Panjaitan, Director forForest Investigation and Protectionat the Ministry, said an estimated1,236 mining firms and 537 oilpalm plantation companies wereoperating illegally in Central, Eastand West Kalimantan on theIndonesian half of Borneo. Thecompanies had caused lossesput at Rp158.5 trillion in CentralKalimantan, Rp 31.5 trillion in EastKalimantan and Rp121.4 trillion inWest Kalimantan, he said. ForestryMinister Zulkifli Hassan said thenames of the companies, includinga number of large operationswith thousands of hectares ofconcessions, were not beingreleased because they were stillunder investigation by the ministry inconjunction with the Judicial MafiaEradication Task Force.The Jakarta GlobeRare Sumatran tiger givesbirth. A rare Sumatran tiger hasgiven birth to three cubs at TamanRimba Zoo in Jambi province in awelcome boost for the endangeredspecies. There are as few as 400Sumatran tigers left in the wild inIndonesia. Human-animal conflictsare a rising problem in the countryas people encroach on wildlifehabitats. The birth of the cubspresents new hope in the effort tosave the tiger population.Javan rhinosHope for Javan rhinos. Hiddencameras have captured proofthat Javan rhinos are breeding inIndonesia’s Ujung Kulon NationalPark. The population in Ujung Kulonrepresents the last real hope forthe survival of a species that is onthe brink of extinction. The videoclip shows two females with theircalves, one a female aged about ayear and the other a younger male.They enter a small clearing in thejungle and appear to approach thehidden camera. Environmentalistshad believed there were only about40 Javan rhinos left in the wild, butthe camera data have led them tobelieve there could now be up to50. Conservationists celebrated thediscovery of the calves but warnedthat Ujung Kulon’s rhino populationremains extremely vulnerable.Threats include poachers, habitatloss due to illegal clearing, diseasefrom livestock that wander into thepark from surrounding paddocks,tsunamis triggered by earthquakesand eruptions from the nearby AnakKrakatau volcano.AFP• Lao PDRMekong ecology in the balancedue to dam. An intergovernmentalmeeting in Lao PDR has failed toreach agreement on the proposed£2.1bn, 1,260-megawatt Xayaburidam on the Mekong River.Environmentalists say the dam willadversely affect 60 million peopleand Cambodia and Viet Nam– concerned about the flow of waterfurther downstream – are officiallyopposed to the project. But reportsrevealed that work on the proposedproject in northern Lao PDR wasalready under way and that theLaotian authorities and a Thaiconstruction company that has thecontract for the work had alreadyprepared several miles of roads andset about removing local villagers bygiving them £10 in compensation.There has been intense oppositionto the dam from NGOs andvillagers whose livelihoods wouldbe affected. The authorities in LaoPDR, who said the country needsthe foreign exchange it would earnfor investment in social programs,have not responded to the claimsthat they have started work on theproject.The IndependentA news species, Bare-faced Bulbul,has been discovered in a ruggedlimestone karst area of LaosNew bulbul discovered. Thefirst new Asian species of bulbul(songbird) in more than 100years has been described from alimestone karst region of Lao PDR.Bird inventories in the countryresumed in the 1990s after a hiatuslasting nearly 40 years. Pycnonotushualon is distinctive for its bald face,plumage details and coloration, andthe whistled, dry bubbling notesof its song. The species name isfrom the Lao word hualon, whichmeans bald-headed. The bird wasdiscovered by scientists from theUniversity of Melbourne and theWildlife Conservation Society.guardian.co.ukMicro hydro power helpsachieve sustainable livelihoodsamong minority community.In the remote Houay Ngou village innorthern Lao PDR, a newly installed7.5kW hydro power turbine nowsupplies electricity to the Hmongethnic community of 290 people,a project initiated by the villagers72ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

BIODIVERSITY NEWS SOUTHEAST ASIAthemselves. The villagers proposedthe construction of the micro-hydropower system to the SayabouryProvincial authorities. After securingfunding from the Global EnvironmentFacility Small Grants Programmeimplemented by the United NationsDevelopment Programme, thevillagers voluntarily participatedin constructing the small watercatchment area, installing thepipes and transporting the buildingmaterials. Most of the villagers inHouay Ngou are engaged in ricecultivation, animal husbandry, andthe collection of non-timber forestproducts. The community has fewopportunities for income generationand the continued degradationof farmer’s livelihoods. Its remotelocation worsens the situation withlittle access to external financialand policy support. However, withaccess to 24-hour power villagersare now able to save money andtime. The hydro power projecthas also resulted in improvedenvironmental protection of thesurrounding area. The villagers nolonger need to cut down trees toburn for cooking and use electricpowered stoves instead. In addition,the watershed forest is now aprotected area as it holds the waterresource for the hydro power. Toensure the sustainability of theproject, 6,000 Lao Kip (about $US0.75) is paid by each householdmonthly to maintain the hydro powerturbine and protect the watershedforest.UN in Lao PDR• MalaysiaMalaysia to charge soldiersover hornbill killing. FiveMalaysian soldiers on anti-poachingduty face criminal charges afterFacebook pictures showed themposing with a dead, endangeredGreat Pied Hornbill bird. DefenseMinister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said thegroup was part of a force protectingthe Royal Belum-Temengor rainforestin the northern state of Perak, whenthey came across the bird, whichhad been shot by a hunter. Uponseeing the dying bird, the soldiersslaughtered it. Although the soldierswere not responsible for shootingthe bird, they should have tried tosave rather than kill the hornbill. TheGreat Pied Hornbill is found in therainforests of India, Malaysia andIndonesia. The bird’s impressivesize and plumage have made itan important part of tribal cultureand rituals. Hornbill numbers havedeclined perilously owing to habitatloss and poaching. Their trade orsale is illegal under the Conventionon International Trade in EndangeredSpecies of Wild Fauna and Flora. AFPClouded leopard female and her cubcaught on camera trap in a corridorin the vicinity of DGFC. Photo courtesy ofSabah Wildlife Department, Danau Girang FieldCentre and HUTAN.Big mammals survive infragmented forest in Borneo.Camera trap photos taken inthe fragmented forest along theKinabatangan River in Borneo haverevealed a number of key mammalspecies surviving despite forest lossmostly due to expanding palm oilplantations. The photos are partof a recent programme to monitorcarnivores along the KinabatanganRiver in the Malaysian State ofSabah by the Danau Girang FieldCenter, the NGO HUTAN, OxfordUniversity’s Wildlife ConservationResearch Unit, and the SabahWildlife Department. The programmehas already captured rare intimateshots of female Sunda cloudedleopard with a cub. The picturesshow that the animals rely onforest corridors for moving aroundforest patches. Without thesecorridors, most populations willdecline and go extinct. One of themajor conservation issues alongthe Kinabatangan is fragmentation:forests have been split byplantations, making it difficult foranimal populations to migratewithout traversing through palm oilplantations or human habitations.The coal plant would have sat 20kilometers from Tabin Wildlife Reserve,home to the largest population ofthe world’s last Bornean rhinos,a subspecies of Sumatran rhinos.Researchers estimate that 250Sumatran rhino survive in the world,and 40 or so Bornean rhinos, such asthis captive male, named Tam.Photo by: Jeremy Hance.Environmentalists and localswin fight against coal plantin Borneo. Environmentalists,scientists, and locals have wonthe battle against a controversialcoal plant in the Malaysian stateof Sabah in northern Borneo. TheState and Federal governmentsannounced that they would “pursueother alternative sources of energy,namely gas, to meet Sabah’s powersupply needs.” Proposed for anundeveloped beach on the northeasterncoast of Borneo, the coalplant would have threatened theCoral Triangle, one of the world’smost biodiverse marine ecosystems,and Tabin Wildlife Reserve, hometo Critically Endangered Sumatranrhinos and Bornean orangutans.Local fishermen feared thatdischarges from the plant wouldhave imperiled their livelihood. GreenSURF (Sabah Unite to Re-Power theFuture), a coalition of environmentaland indigenous rights groups,developed a robust campaignagainst the plant, including hiringan energy expert to prove thatSabah’s power needs could bemet without coal. The cancellationof the coal plant ends a three-yearstruggle, including the plant’s sitebeing moved twice due to intenselocal opposition. Green SURFconsisted of WWF-Malaysia, LandEmpowerment Animals People,Sabah Environment ProtectionAssociation, Partners of CommunityOrganisations and the MalaysianNature Society (Sabah branch).mongabay.comJANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 73

BIODIVERSITY NEWS SOUTHEAST ASIA• MyanmarPlastic bags get the toss fromYangon. Manufacturing, storingand selling high-density polyethylene(HDPE) plastic bags and rope hasbeen banned in Yangon by theYangon City Development Committee(YCDC). Manufacturers were alsowarned that anyone who ignoredthe ban would have their businesslicense annulled. YCDC officialswould not renew licenses for theproduction of HDPE bags, but wouldpermit the manufacture of low-densitypolyethylene (LDPE) plastic bags,which biodegrade more quickly thanHDPE material. Aside from banningthe production of HDPE bags,businesses also cite the need toencourage recycling and systematicwaste disposal to reduce the negativeimpacts of trash, such as theblockage of drains in the city.Myanmar TimesPeople walk past a garbage dump filledwith plastic bags on the outskirts ofYangon on April 27. AFP photoFirst international level safaripark to be opened. A newinternational level safari park willsoon be opened at Myanmar’s capitalof Nay Pyi Taw. The park will haveendangered species of animals fromMyanmar and around the world andwill serve as a public recreationaland educational center where peoplecan learn about the natural ecology.Animals will be kept in naturalcondition as an open zoo so thatvisitors could feel as though theyare in an African forest. The park willsoon be filled with over 200 animalsof 16 rare species from some foreigncountries, including kangaroo, giraffe,white rhino, zebra, ostrich, goat, deer,one-hump camel, lion and Africandeer.China helping Myanmar’shydropower needs. Chinais helping Myanmar boost itshydropower capacity with 18 jointventureprojects currently underconstruction in Kachin state.The 18 projects, which are beingimplemented in partnership withChinese companies, will producea combined 20,760 megawattsof electricity, making Kachin themajor electricity-producing regionin Myanmar when the projects arecompleted. China Economic Review• PhilippinesPhilippine EagleTrapping threatens nearextinctPhilippine eagle.Conservationists raised alarm over thefuture of the near-extinct Philippineeagle after several maimed ordiseased birds were retrieved fromcaptivity over recent months. ThePhilippine Eagle Foundation said thatsince December 2010, it had rescuedfour of the one-meter birds, which areamong the world’s largest raptors,suggesting conservation laws hadnot deterred trapping. The foundationsaid the retrieved birds, all recoveredfrom the large southern island ofMindanao, included a female eaglethat was missing two out of three toeson one foot when it was recoveredin December. The government inJanuary 2011 handed over a yearoldmale to the Mindanao-basedfoundation, which it had received fromvillagers. Later, a year-old eagle withjust two primary feathers remaining onits right wing was turned over by localresidents while a juvenile retrievedfrom another community died from afungal infection. The IUCN says thereare just 180 to 500 mature Philippineeagles in Mindanao, Luzon, Leyte andSamar islands, with forest loss andpoaching the main threats to theirsurvival.AFPChildren’s museum re-opensscience gallery on climatechange and saving planetEarth. Museo Pambata (Children’sMuseum) re-opened on January 18,2011 its Science Through Discoverytheme room with more exciting,interactive exhibits designed to helpchildren understand the variousfactors that affect climate change.Dubbed “I Love My Planet Earth”,the room introduces environmentalconcepts while doing away withcomplicated jargon. The exhibits willentertain children while helping themunderstand climate change. Nina Lim-Yuson, President and CEO of MuseoPambata said the hands-on exhibitsexplain basic science concepts onenvironmental concerns and how onecan help in making the world a betterplace to live in by protecting andconserving our resources. Aside fromtargeting children, the exhibits alsoencourage adults who have a stronginfl uence on children, particularlyparents and teachers, to join thecampaign by being good role modelsto the young. Complementing theroom are a teacher’s guidebook and aposter-checklist on saving our planet.The guidebook explains and expandson the concepts presented in theexhibits through suggested sit-downwritten activities and experiments.The guidebook and checklist will bedistributed for free to all museumvisitors.Tree-planting world recordset in Philippines. Philippineenvironmentalists have set a worldrecord for the most trees plantedsimultaneously, kick-starting anenormous reforestation programme.Nearly 7,000 people helped in themass planting of saplings in denudedforest and grassland in the easternprovince of Camrines Sur. The ElVerde (The Green) project reportedthat 64,096 trees were planted in 15minutes, which was certifi ed by theGuinness Book of World Records.The effort beat the previous Guinnessworld record of 50,033 trees plantedin India in 2010. The event markedthe start of the provincial governmentbackedprogramme to plant 12million trees in the logged forests ofCamarines Sur by 2012. The treeplanting, on government-ownedland, is intended to stop erosion andrestore watersheds. The Independent74ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

BIODIVERSITY NEWS SOUTHEAST ASIA• SingaporeSingapore youthSingapore declares April 22as “Youth for the EnvironmentDay”. The Singaporean governmenthas declared April 22 as the “Youthfor the Environment Day”, coincidingwith the annual celebration of theinternational Earth Day. The movewas part of efforts to promoteclean and green living, according tothe National Environment Agency(NEA), a statutory board of theMinistry for the Environment andWater Resources tasked to protectthe city-state’s air, land and waterresources. Over 130 local schoolsobserved the day by organizingenvironment-related activities topromote energy efficiency, recycling,good public health practices,nature appreciation and a litter-freeenvironment. Wild SingaporeSingapore Green Landscape2011 now available. TheSingapore Green Landscape2011 provides a review of 80 keyenvironmental news in Singaporeand gives an overview of 160 nongovernmentalorganizations, greengroups, business associations andgroups, green websites, governmentagencies, and institutes and centersin Singapore, which are relatedto the environment. The book willbe useful for everyone interestedin the state of the environment inSingapore, fi nd and connect withthe environmental organizations inthe country, or explore personal andbusiness opportunities. The bookis free and may be downloadedfrom Green Future Solutions (http://www.greenfuture.sg/2011/01/07/singapore-green-landscape-2011/).Singapore given air quality titlefor Asia. Singapore City has beennamed the greenest city in Asia forits high level of air quality. The AsianGreen City Index, commissionedby Siemens and carried out by theEconomist Intelligence Unit, revealedthat it is the greenest metropolisof 22 cities in the continent. Thecity was tested with regards to itsenergy and CO2 emissions, landuse, transport, sanitation, air andwater quality and environmentalgovernance.Environmental Technology• ThailandUN climate talks open inThailand. The first round of UNclimate change talks since theCancun summit in December 2010was held in Bangkok. Negotiatorsfrom 173 governments aresupposed to build on the Cancunagreements and work towardsestablishing a new global climatechange regime, to extend or replacethe Kyoto Protocol, when its firstcommitment period expires at theend of 2012. Governments thisyear must resolve fundamentalissues over the future of the KyotoProtocol. Governments must alsoagree on emission reduction targetsand actions which will allow theworld to stay below the maximumtemperature rise of two degreesCelsius above pre-industrial levels,a target set by governments inCancun. Agreed actions andinstitutions should also be deliveredon time and in accordance with thedeadlines agreed in Cancun so thatthe broader global climate regimeis up and running in 2012. Theinstitutions include a Green ClimateFund to house the internationalmanagement, deployment andaccountability of long-term fundsfor developing country support.Other institutions agreed at Cancuninclude a Technology Mechanismto promote clean technologies;and an Adaptation Framework toboost international cooperation tohelp developing countries protectthemselves from climate changeimpacts. Environment News ServiceDive sites closed to haltdamage to reefs. Thailand isclosing dozens of dive sites totourists after unusually warmseas caused severe damage tocoral reefs in the Andaman Sea,one of the world’s top diving andbeach resort regions, authoritiessaid. More than half of southernThailand’s 15,000 hectares of coralreefs are suffering from bleaching,or the shedding of coral colors,a phenomenon caused largely byrising sea temperatures over anextended period, officials said.“We will study the cause and effectand find a way to restore them,”Sunan Arunnopparat, director ofthe Department of National Parks,told Reuters, adding that the reefswill be closed across seven nationalparks. He declined to say how manydiving spots would be closed orhow extensive the damage was tothe reefs. He said diving sites wherebleaching had spread to 80 per centof the reefs would be shut for anunspecified period. Coral bleaching– the whitening of corals due to heatdriving out the algae living within thecoral tissues – was first reportedin May 2010 after a surge intemperatures across the AndamanSea from the northern tip of Sumatraisland to Thailand and Myanmar.Other parts of Southeast Asia havealso suffered. An international teamof scientists studying bleaching offIndonesia’s Aceh province foundthat 80 percent of some specieshave died between May and August.Jutarat Skulpichetrat, ReutersPhoto by Roger GreenwaySolar power plants underconstruction in Thailand.Thailand’s first large-scale solarpower plants are expected to bepumping out renewable energyby 2011. At least two solarpower plants are currently underconstruction just outside Bangkok:an 8-billion-baht project in LopBuri Province, famous for its largepopulation of unruly primates, andanother smaller power plant inAyutthya Province. The solar powerplant in Lopburi is the ‘largestin the world’ and will produce73 megawatts when completedin 2012. The solar power plantin Ayutthaya Province will beproducing 38 megawatts by theend of 2011, according to solarJANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 75

BIODIVERSITY NEWS SOUTHEAST ASIApanel manufacturer and supplierSuntech Power Holdings Co. Themajor investor in the Ayutthayasolar power project, BangchakPetroleum PCL, reportedly plansto invest heavily in 11 solar powerplants planned in the surroundingarea under a government initiative toprovide 20 percent of the country’senergy needs through renewablesources by 2022. The Lopburi solarpower plant will comprise abouthalf-a-million solar panels and isexpected to reduce carbon dioxideemission by over 1.3 million tonsa year and reduce the need forimported fuel by over 35,000 tons ayear.Phuket World• Viet NamViet Nam reserve brings hopefor rare animal. Authorities in thecentral Quang Nam province agreedto set up a reserve dedicated tothe secretive saola, a relative ofantelopes and cattle and one of theworld’s rarest animals, which wasonly discovered in 1992. This hasbrought new hope for the survivalof the creature, which is on thebrink of extinction. The saola ishunted illegally for its horns usingsnares and dogs and the populationcould be as low as a few dozen.The elusive creature was seen forthe first time in a decade in August2010 but died a few days after itwas captured by villagers in LaoPDR, according to the InternationalUnion for Conservation of Nature.The animal was photographedbefore its death, the first confirmedrecord since 1999 when pictures ofwild saola were taken by automaticcameras in Lao PDR.AFPVietnam’s BiodiversityHas Deep Roots in Earth’sPast. On account of the veryhigh number of animal and plantspecies which are mostly only foundthere, Southeast Asia is a globalbiodiversity hotspot. Despite itshighly endangered terrestrial andfreshwater ecosystems, Viet Nammakes a significant contributionto this biological diversity. In acurrent publication the scientificteam around Professor MadelaineBöhme, leader of the team onTerrestrial Palaeoclimatology of theSenckenberg Center for HumanEvolution and Palaeoecology(HEP) at the University of Tübingen(Germany), demonstrates for thefirst time that North Viet Nam wasalready a hotspot of biodiversityabout 30 million years ago. Thegroup succeeded in recoveringmammals, crocodiles, six speciesof turtles, around 20 fish speciesand 10 mussel species, snailsand various plants from marinesediments as evidence of theearly biodiversity. Several of thefossil animals are completely newto science and are still awaiting aprecise description. Even so, theyield in knowledge has already beenconsiderable Professor Böhme sumsup the objective of her researchwork: “Since many of the fossilspecies are closely related to today’splants and animals, the findings notonly provide information on livingconditions during the Cenozoic, butalso help us to learn more aboutbasic evolutionary patterns and theglobal mechanisms within the Earthsystem.” The group investigated theNa Duong basin with the Rinh Chuafault in the province Lang Son, theCao Bang basin North-West of itas well as the Hang Mon basin, notquite 300 kilometres South-Westernof it, close to the Laotian frontier.All three basins lie along majordislocations which originated frompowerful tectonic movements duringthe Eocene (c. 56-34 million yearsago). The publication presents thefirst scientific results of the German-Vietnamese research project carriedout in 2008 and 2009 in NorthVietnam under the leadership ofMadelaine Böhme. ScienceDaily“Vampire Flying Frog” found.The mountain jungles of VietNam are home to a new breedof “vampire”—a “flying” tree frogdubbed Rhacophorus vampyrus.First found in 2008, the two-inchlongamphibian is known to liveonly in southern Vietnamese cloudforests, where it uses webbedfingers and toes to glide fromtree to tree. Adults deposit theireggs in water pools in tree trunks,which protect their offspring frompredators lurking in rivers andponds. Vampire tree frog tadpoleshave a pair of hard black hookssticking out from the undersides oftheir mouths—the first time suchThe new “vampire flying frog” speciesin Vietnam in an undated picture.Photograph courtesy Jodi Rowley, AustralianMuseum.fangs have been seen in a frogtadpole. Scientists do not yet knowwhat purpose the fangs serve.However, frogs that raise tadpolesin tree-trunk water holes often feedtheir young by laying unfertilizedeggs as meals. The fangs could helpin slicing these open.Hanoi to become the latestdestination on world ecocitieslist. Architecture firmSkidmore, Owings and Merrillwas awarded a commission todevelop Hanoi’s first “green techcorridor,” merging two existingvillages and cutting the area’scarbon emissions. The developmentplan for the Vietnamese cityinvolves the redevelopment of twovillages to create a miniature cityroughly 180 hectares in size. Theredevelopment, which is expectedto be completed over the next 10 to15 years, involves environmentallyfriendly technology such as heatingand cooling systems powered byrenewable energy, waste recyclingschemes and rainwater collectionpoints. The development includes‘smarter’ and more environmentallyfriendly planning techniques suchas utilizing natural waterways totransport water back to the riverrather than installing an array ofpiping. The trend for ‘green building’is no longer restricted to individualresidences or housing projects butis increasingly being extended tocover entire cities. China, one ofthe world’s leading manufacturersof renewable energy technology,is intending to build an ‘eco city’near Tianjin, 112 kilometers southof the capital Beijing. The Tianjineco city, designed by SurbanaUrban Planning Group, will be about30 square kilometers and utilizethe latest environmentally friendlytechnology; it is expected to becompleted around 2020.The Independent76ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011www.aseanbiodiversity.org

FOCUSBare-faced Bulbul(Passeriformes: Pycnonotidae)Photo from www.thefeaturedcretaure.comAn odd songbird with a bald head living in a ruggedregion in Lao PDR has been discovered by scientistsfrom the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) andUniversity of Melbourne, as part of a project fundedand managed by the mining company Minerals andMetals Group that operates the Sepon copper andgold project in the region.Dubbed the bare-faced bulbul because of the lackof feathers on its face and part of its head, it isthe only example of a bald songbird in mainlandAsia. It is the first new species of bulbul – a familyof about 130 species – described in Asia in over100 years.The thrush-sized bird is greenish-olive with a lightcoloredbreast, a distinctive featherless, pink facewith bluish skin around the eye extending to thebill and a narrow line of hair-like feathers down thecentre of the crown. The bird seems to be primarilytree-dwelling and was found in an area of sparseforest on rugged limestone karsts – a little-visitedhabitat known for unusual wildlife discoveries. Itsapparent restriction to rather inhospitable habitathelps to explain why such an extraordinary birdwith conspicuous habits and a distinctive call hasremained unnoticed for a long time.Fortunately, much of the bird’s presumed habitat fallswithin legally protected areas in Lao PDR. However,quarrying of limestone looms as a potential threat towildlife in this area, along with habitat conversion foragriculture. In 2002, in the same area, Rob Timminsof the Wildlife Conservation Society described thekha-nyou, a newly discovered species of rodent sounusual it represented the lone surviving member ofan otherwise extinct genus. Three years earlier, hedescribed a unique striped rabbit in the region alsonew to science.A description of the new species is published in theOriental Bird Club’s journal Forktail. Authors includeIain Woxvold of the University of Melbourne, alongwith Wildlife Conservation Society researchers WillDuckworth and Rob Timmins.Reference:Wildlife Conservation Society (http://www.wcs.org/new-andnoteworthy/bulbul-bird-discovery.aspx)JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 77

FOCUSBukidnon Woodcock(Scolopax bukidnonensis)Photo from www.orientalbirdclub.orgThe Bukidnon woodcock (Scolopax bukidnonensis)is a medium-sized wader. Specimens of this newtaxon obtained in the 1960s from Dalton Pass, NuevaVizcaya, Luzon, were incorrectly identifi ed as theEurasian woodcock (S. rusticola). When it was sightedand heard in Mt. Kitanglad, Bukidnon, Mindanao inFebruary 1993, and when a specimen was obtainedfrom Mt. Kitanglad in January 1995, the speciesinvolved was recognized as distinct and new. Thespecies was described as new to science in 2001.Darker and more richly colored than the Eurasianwoodcock, the Bukidnon woodcock is mostly duskybrown, has a long beak and a stripe below the eyeon the cheek. The Bukidnon woodcock is restricted tomountain forests (over 1,000 meters above sea level)on the islands of Mindanao (four mountaintops) andLuzon (center and north) in the Philippines. It appearsto be locally common above 900 meters on themountains on which it has been recorded. Its habitatis extremely remote and rugged, and is unsuitable foreither logging or agriculture, and it is listed as LeastConcern by the International Union for Conservation ofNature.Little is known about the bird in the wild. It isdescribed as having a roding (courtship) display fl ightlike other birds of the genus. The Bukidnon woodcockundertakes roding fl ights both at dawn and at dusk.It is remarkably regular in the time of its appearance,particularly at dusk, when it starts its roding fl ights andbegins calling when the light is such that humans cansee objects, but can barely discern colors. In general,roding lasts about 30 minutes in the morning but maylast up to 1.5 hours, particularly on clear bright nights.In the evening, roding is generally shorter, usuallyabout 10 to 20 minutes, but has lasted as long as 30minutes. The Bukidnon woodcock appears less activeduring rainy conditions.The species takes its name after the collective namefor all of the local tribes of people inhabiting theMt. Kitanglad Range, and for whom the province ofBukidnon, Mindanao is named. The Visayan wordbukid means “mountain” and the word bukidnonmeans “of the mountain.” The English name Bukidnonwoodcock thus means “woodcock of the mountains”and in the broad sense is an accurate description ofthe habitat of this species.Reference:Kennedy, Robert S., Timothy H. Fisher, Simon C.B. Harrap.Arvin C. Diesmos and Arturo S. Manamtam. A new speciesof woodcock (Aves: Scolopacidae) from the Philippines anda re-evaluation of other Asian/Papuasian woodcock. OrientalBird Club (http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/publications/forktail/17pdfs/Kennedy-Woodcock.pdf)78ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011

FOCUSPhoto from www.orientalbirdclub.orgLimestone Leaf Warbler(Phylloscopus calciatilis)The limestone leaf warbler (Phylloscopus calciatilis)is a species of warbler in the family Phylloscopidae.This diminutive and colorful bird, when it was fi rstsighted in 1994, was thought to be a member of asimilar-looking species, the sulphur-breasted warbler,but ornithologists began to question that assumptionwhen the bird produced a signifi cantly different call.On closer inspection, researchers found thatthe limestone leaf warbler has shorter and morerounded wings and a larger bill compared to thesulphur breasted warbler. Olive-green with a yellowbreast and striped crown, the new species is fullydescribed in the journal IBIS (The InternationalJournal of Avian Science).The limestone leaf warbler has a loud and distinctcall, which is what fi rst alerted scientists that thebird may be new to science. Its vocalizations, bothsong and contact call, are markedly different fromthose of the sulphur-breasted warbler. DNA analysesalso suggest that it is more closely related to theyellow-vented warbler (Phylloscopus cantator) fromeastern Himalayas, northern Lao PDR and adjacentpart of China, which is quite different in plumage.The limestone leaf warbler was discovered in theAnnamite mountain range of Lao PDR, which isgaining a reputation among environmentalists as aLost World for new and unusual wildlife. The speciesname, calciatilis, means “dwelling on limestone”,which along with its common name is a reference toits natural habitat, which is broadleaved evergreenand semi-evergreen forest growing around limestonekarst mountains. The bare-faced bulbul, described in2009, was found in the karst of the same region.The species is known to occur in northern VietNam and Lao PDR, and potentially also occurs insouthern China as well. While the bird is thought tobe common in its preferred habitat, the forests thatthe bird depends on are threatened by clearing forsubsistence agriculture and wood collection.The limestone warbler was discovered by a teamof scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society,Lao PDR Department of Forestry, Swedish Universityof Agricultural Science, Swedish Museum of NaturalHistory, and BirdLife International.Reference:BBC Earth News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8413000/8413590.stm)Description of a new species of Phylloscopus warblerfrom Vietnam and Laos. Per Alstro, Pete Davidson,J.W. Duckworth, Jonathan C. Eames, Trai Trong Le, CuNguyen, Urban Olsson, Craig Robson, and Rob Timmins.Ibis (2010), 152, 145–168.Wildlife Conservation Society (http://www.wcs.org/press/press-releases/limestone-leaf-warbler.aspx)The Star Online (http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/10/18/nation/2316389&sec=nation)JANUARY - APRIL 2011 • ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 79

FOCUSPhoto from Wikimedia CommonsWattled Smoky Honeyeater(Melipotes carolae)The wattled smoky honeyeater (Melipotes carolae) isa species of honeyeater that is medium-sized, andhas a sooty-grey plumage and a black bill. Its mostdistinctive feature is arguably the extensive reddishorangefacial skin and pendulous wattle. In othermembers of the genus Melipotes, these sectionsonly appear reddish when “fl ushed” and the wattleis smaller. It is these features that distinguish it fromthe more widespread common smoky honeyeater. Inaddition, the species is exceedingly quiet, rarely givingany vocalizations.An Indonesian endemic, this honeyeater wasdiscovered in December 2005. It is found in theremote montane forests of the Foja Mountains range,Western New Guinea at an altitude over 1,650 meters(5,445 feet). The wattled smoky honeyeater is acommon and unwary inhabitant of the Foja uplands,and feeds mainly on small fruit.The fi rst bird species found in New Guinea since1939, the honeyeater was one of over 20 newspecies discovered by an international team of11 scientists from Australia, Indonesia and theUnited States, led by an American ornithologist andMelanesia Conservation International Vice-PresidentBruce Beehler. The bird is named after the wife ofBruce Beehler, Carol Beehler.In three fi eld trips to the Foja Mountains,Conservation International fi eld teams have foundthe species to be common but inconspicuous,often feeding low in the vegetation at the edge ofopenings. There is no reason to think the wattledsmoky honeyeater is in any way threatened, in spiteof its very restricted range.Melipotes carolae is depicted in Indonesian stampsissued on November 6, 2006 along with the goldenfrontedbowerbird, and two palm species nativeto Mamberamo, Licuala arbuscula and Livistonamamberamoensis.Reference:Avian Web (http://www.avianweb.com/wattledsmokyhoneyeaters.html)Conservation International (http://www.conservation.org/explore/discoveries/surveys/birds/Pages/melipotes_honeyeater.aspx)80ASEAN BIODIVERSITY • JANUARY - APRIL 2011