After four years of implementation, the Asean-German Cooperation Project, “Biodiversity-based Products (BBP) as an Economic Source for the Improvement of Livelihoods and Biodiversity Protection,” celebrated its success in a recent regional project closing event in the Lao PDR ancient capital of Luang Prabang.
The BBP Project was funded by the German government through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and implemented by the GFA Consulting Group and the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB).
It piloted biodiversity-based product development in three Asean member-states (AMS) for the improvement of the livelihood of local communities living around protected areas, while at the same time ensuring that biodiversity is better protected.
Hosted by the government of Laos, the event brought together the stakeholders from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, who have been part of the project since its inception in 2015.
Guests from other AMS were invited to participate in the discussions based on the stories shared by representatives from government offices, small-scale businesses and villages from the different pilot sites.
The event served as a venue for the officials from the ministries of Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, Trade, Science and Technology; national park management, private-sector partners; research and members of the village groups to exchange on further cooperation for the promotion of biodiversity-based products in Asean.
Souksamone Pathammavong, deputy director general of Planning and Cooperation of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Laos, opened the event.
Clarissa C. Arida, director of the Programme Development and Implementation Unit of the ACB, delivered the opening message on behalf of ACB Executive Director Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim.
“Harnessing the potentials and benefits of products from natural resources through sustainable means is key to achieving the global goal of sustainable development, which encompasses three important dimensions: environmental, economic and social aspects,” Lim said in her message.
“In the Asean, we acknowledge the vital role and potential of biodiversity for socio-economic development. We also recognize the important role of the private sector and local communities in conserving biodiversity and enhancing livelihood opportunities for a better quality of life,” she added.
“In all these pilot initiatives, a functioning ecosystem is a key to exploring sustainable economic opportunities. Adding value to a product and, at the same time, maintaining the value of nature is crucial to enhancing competitiveness from farm to markets. The ACB joins hands with GIZ and GFA in recognizing the milestones of the BBP project at the conclusion of this cooperation project,” Lim said in her message.
Khamlay Sipaseuth, director of the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office Luang Namtha of Laos, and Dr. Dicky Simorangkir, program director of GIZ, also delivered their opening messages. The latter also gave a presentation on the overview of the GIZ program, including the BBP component.
Bianca Schlegel, project manager from GFA Consulting Group, provided a brief introduction to what biodiversity-based products are, and on value chains.
Value chain experiences and lessons learned on developing the black ginger, vine, bamboo, local herbs, honey and medicinal bath herbs product value chains were presented by Bopreang Ken, deputy director of the Department of Biodiversity General Secretarial for the National Council for Sustainable Development in the Ministry of Environment of Cambodia;
Oukeo Xayatham, deputy head of the Nam Ha National Protected Area of Laos; Pham Van Nam, vice director of Ba Be National Park of Vietnam; Tam Thanh Nguyen, deputy head of Financial Planning of Hoang Lien National Park in Vietnam; and Nguyen Van Hieu, director of Geoinformatics Research Center Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry in Vietnam.
Christian Elloran, database specialist from the Biodiversity Information Management Unit of the ACB, gave an overview of the BBP Project’s web platform and its contents, and shared its use to the AMS.
On the other hand, Elpidio Peria, program specialist from the Programme Development and Implementation Unit of ACB, provided a presentation, titled ”The Mainstreaming of Biodiversity across Sectors through Promotion of Biodiversity Value Chains.” He discussed the different ways on how mainstreaming of biodiversity-based products into policy can be achieved, and how the ACB support the AMS in these actions.
Other highlights of the project closing event included an exhibition area where the BBP Project stakeholders were able to showcase and sell their products.
It also launched the BBP Project Video, which featured the stories of villagers from all the pilot sites in the three AMS, as well as messages from officials from the relevant government organizations.