By Lilay Castillo
In February 2017 a critically endangered orangutan was shot, chopped to pieces, and eaten by palm-oil plantation workers in Indonesia’s Kapuas Hulu district. The police arrested three workers after finding orangutan meat and bones in their cupboard.
A few years back, a farmer from Impasug-ong, Bukidnon, shot and killed a Philippine Eagle, known as Kagsabua. He made tinola out of one of the world’s largest, tallest and rarest eagles.
Kagsabua was one of the remaining 800 Philippine eagles when he was shot in 2008. The farmer claimed he did not know that the Philippine Eagle is a critically endangered species. He has since been sentenced to six years in prison for killing the eagle.
In 2014 fishermen in China’s Fujian province hunted and captured a whale shark. They told the police they thought it was a sea monster.
These are just some of many reported stories on crimes against biodiversity committed by people who claim ignorance of the endangered species and the law.
“It is unfortunate that, despite local, regional and global efforts to communicate the importance of endangered species and biodiversity, in general, there remains a huge communication gap between biodiversity experts and the general public,” said lawyer Roberto V. Oliva, executive director of the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB).
Awareness rising, but more work needs to be done
What is biodiversity? Ask people what they think it means, and chances are only a few can accurately define it. Fewer still can explain its significance to human survival.
The immense communication gap between the biodiversity-conservation community and the general public is a major factor hampering efforts to achieve biodiversity-conservation goals in the Asean region and elsewhere in the world.
Recent surveys show that mid-way into the 10-year timeframe of the Aichi Targets, there is still a long way to go in terms of making a wider audience understand the economic, environmental and social impacts of biodiversity.
The Aichi Targets are 20 measurable targets for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity agreed upon by the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Nagoya, Japan, in 2010.
The 2015 edition of the annual Biodiversity Barometer conducted by the Union for Ethical BioTrade shows that between 2009 and 2015, biodiversity awareness increased from 56 percent to 64 percent in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. In India awareness grew from 19 percent to 40 percent. In Brazil the awareness level dropped marginally since 2010.
In the 2015 survey, which involved 9,000 persons from Brazil, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, the UK and the US, an average of 69 percent of respondents said they have heard of biodiversity. However, despite increasing awareness, especially among the millennials, greater outreach efforts are needed to meet the global target on awareness.
In Southeast Asia a biodiversity-awareness survey conducted by ACB among media practitioners shows that, while reporters and editors have heard of biodiversity, they see the need to understand it better so they can report on the topic.
They confirm that there is limited reportage on biodiversity, and attribute this to the fact that it is not seen as a priority topic. Complicating the situation is the lack of understanding of the topic. One editor mentioned the difficulty that laypersons face in understanding jargon. According to the executive director of a Philippine media organization, “Some terms need to be laymanized, so that it is easier to relay the data and information to the public”. A reporter from the Philippines said there is a need to “bring the conservation down a bit”.
Achieving Aichi Target 1
As parties to the CBD, Asean member-states are committed to strengthening biodiversity-conservation efforts by promoting understanding of the importance of biodiversity through public awareness and education programs. Aichi Target No. 1, in particular, states that “by 2020, at the latest, people are aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably”.
In a statement read at the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD (COP 13), Asean member-states committed to enhance their actions to implement national and regional communication, education and public awareness strategies, including engagement with the public and private sectors, local communities, youth and women, to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 1.
This commitment is operationalized through Asean member-states’ Cepa programs under their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans.
An assessment conducted by the ACB in 2016 of Asean member-states’ progress vis-à-vis the Aichi Targets shows that in terms of Target 1, at least half of the 10 countries have reported that they have mobilized necessary actions. While the assessment points to noteworthy progress, there are actions that must be taken to bridge the communication gap.
One important step identified by the ACB to bridge the gap is the selection of heroes or champions to represent the conservation sector.
Wanted: Defenders of biodiversity
To boost awareness for biodiversity conservation, Asean will recognize 10 Asean Biodiversity Heroes during its 50th anniversary on August 8. The awards ceremony will be held in Manila, Philippines. The Asean Biodiversity Heroes is designed to highlight the outstanding contributions of 10 individuals from Asean in the area of biodiversity conservation and advocacy.
“The Asean Biodiversity Heroes are individuals whom people can identify with and will inspire others to take action for biodiversity in their own spheres of influence. As Asean member-states continue to work on national development and sustainability goals, and collaborate on regional initiatives to conserve Asean’s shared natural wealth, Asean Biodiversity Heroes play the crucial role of spreading awareness for the urgent need to conserve biodiversity,” Asean Secretary-General Le Luong Minh said.
He added efforts to generate a greater awareness for biodiversity conservation help the region move closer toward achieving the Asean Community Vision 2025, a framework for community building and cooperation to attain common goals and aspirations for a politically cohesive, economically integrated and socially responsible Asean.
“We are looking for defenders of biodiversity. These heroes may be forest rangers, researchers, park managers, taxonomists, biodiversity information-management specialists, media practitioners, scientists, biodiversity policy-makers, academics, conservation workers and other individuals—young and old—working in the biodiversity-conservation arena. They are silent heroes devoting themselves to the survival of humanity,” ACB Executive Director Atty. Roberto V. Oliva said.
The awards are supported by the Philippines’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the European Union (EU), through Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in Asean (BCAMP) project, and the Hari Foundation Inc. (HFI). The ACB serves as awards secretariat.
“The Philippine government, through the DFA, supports the Asean Biodiversity Heroes,” DFA-Office of Asean Affairs Assistant Secretary Hellen B. de la Vega said. “Biodiversity protection and conservation is essential in sustainable economic development, a healthy environment and food security in the region.”
De la Vega also explained that the Biodiversity Heroes from all 10 Asean member-states would serve as role models for Asean peoples to work together in the conservation and sustainable management of Asean’s biological resources to contribute to the region’s improved quality of life.
She underscored that ACB’s timely recognition of Asean Biodiversity Heroes during the Golden Anniversary of Asean is a way to raise consciousness of the public on promoting and protecting the region’s natural resources, while encouraging them to engage in Asean’s community-building activities.
The EU expressed pride in supporting the Asean Biodiversity Heroes through the BCAMP. As a global actor and an important development partner to the Asean, the EU has a considerable interest in biodiversity conservation in the region. Biodiversity supports livelihood, enhances food security, nutrition and health, and contributes to climate-change adaptation and mitigation. As the Asean region is home to key major ecosystems with an astonishing 18 percent of all living species on the planet, the EU remains an important partner involved in the protection of this biodiversity.
The EU directly contributes at a regional level by funding BCAMP with a total support of P540 million (€10 million). The aim of the project is to improve the management of protected areas in the Asean; to develop and mobilize knowledge and scientific basis for biodiversity conservation; to mainstream biodiversity into the education system; and to strengthen the regional capacities.
In the business sector, a keen supporter of the Heroes is the HFI, the corporate social responsibility arm of Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (Hari).
“The HFI envisions the building of a climate-change adaptive and resilient nation by educating, mobilizing and empowering individuals and communities. Preserving the biodiversity of our ecosystem is crucial in addressing climate-change issues,” said Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, president of the HFI and president and CEO of Hari.
She added, “The Asean Biodiversity Heroes is our pioneering platform for spreading the word about the importance of preserving and sustaining the wealth of biodiversity in our region. By recognizing these biodiversity warriors, we inspire more people to join hands and spark a regional movement that will involve the business sector and various non-governmental bodies to intensify the clamor and facilitate shifts in governance and business strategies to align Asean with the global movement to save our planet.”
Each Asean Biodiversity Hero shall receive a cash prize worth $5,000, a special heroes medal and a certificate. They will also receive special prizes from Hari.
The heroes from the 10 Asean member-states will be also be known as the faces of biodiversity conservation in the Asean region.
The Asean Biodiversity Heroes is one of the Asean region’s contributions to the celebration of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020—an excellent opportunity to increase public awareness of the values of biodiversity and promote actions at the national, regional and local levels to conserve and sustainably manage the world’s rich natural heritage.
Image credits: Saravut Learning, Froi Rivera, Green Community