The month of May marked the worldwide celebration of the “variety of life on Earth,” or what is collectively known as biodiversity. It encompasses all life forms—microorganisms, plants, animals and humans. Biodiversity is where people get their food, clothing, shelter and medicine, among many other basic needs for survival.
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB), dignitaries from the government of Cambodia, the Asean Secretariat and the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) gathered in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on May 22.
Held at Wat Bo Primary School, the annual event, which carried the theme, “Celebrating 25 years of action for biodiversity,” served as a venue for representatives of the government, international organizations, youth, media and other sectors to come together, not only to celebrate this milestone, but also to show their commitment to biological diversity conservation.
“Challenges on biodiversity conservation are far from over. As we continue to accomplish significantly in the forefronts of environmental concerns, problems continue to arise and persist—with this, a lot still needs to be done,” said ACB Executive Director Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim.
“As we speak, the trash isles or garbage patches in the North and South Pacific oceans continue to increase in size; killing aquatic life and endangering the marine food chain, which includes, us, humans in the process. The rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by experts to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate. Our population number puts so much pressure on the environment that its carrying capacity is at the brink of collapse,” Lim said.
“Twenty-five years of action for biodiversity speaks of the shared vision and passion translated into coherent initiatives toward aligning ourselves on the noble cause to take care of our natural heritage,” she added.
To highlight the actions that have been taken by the center and the Asean Member States in actively promoting biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources, ACB held an exhibit featuring the second edition of Asean Biodiversity Outlook, a publication on the progress of the AMS in achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and the Asean Biodiversity Heroes composed of the 10 outstanding individuals from AMS who have contributed significantly to biodiversity conservation.
Other highlights of the IDB 2018 celebration in Cambodia is the conduct of the 28th Meeting of the Asean Working Group on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity, Sixth Asean Heritage Parks Committee Meeting and the European Union-Asean Youth Video Competition Awards ceremony.
With biodiversity as the overall theme, the video competition aimed at showcasing the importance of preserving the rich biodiversity of Southeast Asia and strengthening joint actions for protecting the environment.
Krittin Laohawarutchai of Thailand emerged as the grand-prize winner, who won an all-expense-paid trip for two to an AHP. AHPs are the best of the best national protected areas in the Asean region in terms of biodiversity and ecological richness.
Another activity in this year’s IDB celebration is the launching of the “Zooming in on Biodiversity,” an Asean-wide photo contest that aims to promote biodiversity conservation and appreciation through powerful photographs. Details about the contest can be accessed at www.aseanbiodiversity.org/zoomingin.
Officials who attended the celebration included Eang Sophallete, undersecretary of state, Ministry of Environment; Pin Prakort, deputy governor of Siem Reap province; Tin Ponlok, secretary-general of the National Council for Sustainable Development; Sou Sovuth, undersecretary of state, Ministry of Environment; Somaly Chan, deputy secretary general of the National Council for Sustainable Development, Ministry of Environment; Dr. Vong Sok, head of Environment Division, Asean Secretariat; and ACB Executive Director Lim.
The event was hosted by Secretariat of Cambodia’s National Council for Sustainable Development of the Ministry of Environment.
IDB 2018 coincides with the silver anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on Biological Diversity. May 22 was proclaimed by the United Nations as the International Day for Biological Diversity to raise awareness and understanding of the public on biodiversity issues.
The ACB is an intergovernmental organization that facilitates cooperation and coordination among the Asean member-wwzwstates and with relevant national governments, regional and international organizations on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, guided by fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of such natural resources. The ACB is the sole Asean center being hosted by the Philippines.
Image credits: ACB photo