Aiming to inspire people to take action for biodiversity by sharing noteworthy stories about biodiversity conservation, the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) held the first leg of the Asean Biodiversity Heroes (ABH) Regional Forum in Hanoi, Vietnam, on March 26 and 27.
With support from the European Union (EU) and Vietnam’s Biodiversity Conservation Agency, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the forum was held at the Hanoi University of Natural Resources and Environment with participants from various sectoral groups—academe, the government, media and business.
The Biodiversity Heroes of Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam shared their acts in combatting biodiversity loss in their respective countries.
“As we honor the heroes for their extraordinary efforts, we must remember that everyone, no matter who they are, has a role to contribute—and we are determined to play our part by raising awareness and encouraging others to take concrete actions in conserving biodiversity,” said Dato Lim Jock Hoi, secretary-general of Association of Southeast Asian Nations in his video message for the forum.
The Biodiversity Heroes attended field visits to the Vietnam Academy of Sciences where Prof. Dang Huy Huynh, Biodiversity Hero of Vietnam, practiced his profession as a scientist and at the Cuc Phuong National Park, where he was assigned in 1961, and had a deeper appreciation to biodiversity.
The ABH are the faces of biodiversity conservation in the region who take action for biodiversity in their own spheres of influence. They were recognized during the Golden Anniversary of Asean on August 8, 2017, in Manila, Philippines.
The 10 ABH 2017 are the following: Eyad Samhan of Brunei Darussalam; Sophea Chhin of Cambodia; Alex Waisimon of Indonesia; Nitsavanh Louangkhot Pravongviengkham of Lao PDR; Prof. Zakri Abdul Hamid of Malaysia; Dr. Maung Maung Kyi of Myanmar; Dr. Angel C. Alcala of the Philippines; Prof. Leo Tan Wee Hin of Singapore; Dr. Nonn Panitvong of Thailand and Prof. Dang Huy Huynh of Vietnam.
Inspiring for change
Lao PDR’s Biodiversity Hero, Pravongviengkham, and his company, Union Development Agricole Import-Export Public Co., started their involvement in biodiversity conservation by replanting trees in 2000.
After this, he popularized the use of environment-friendly agricultural production methods in pig farms, cattle ranch and vegetation across a 2,000-hectare land near the Nam Suang River in Phon-Hong District, Vientiane Province.
Pravongviengkham believes that while businesses can have direct or indirect impact on biodiversity, they also have relevant biodiversity-related knowledge, expertise and resources needed to conserve biological resources. The business sector is an integral part of the solution to biodiversity loss, he said.
“I started my dream just like each one of you. I have no money, no skills at that time; but the strong desire is very important,” Kyi said in his message to the youth attendees.
“If you have strong desire for conservation, skills will follow and funding will also come. Because of our team’s desire, we now have so many projects, so many partners and so many millions come to our region,” he added.
Kyi is a medical doctor by profession but his ultimate dream is to have his own botanical garden—a dream that he pursued despite oppositions from his family and community.
Panitvong, the Biodiversity Hero of Thailand, is a businessman who is popularizing taxonomy and helping it become more accessible to the general public.
“Our group, Siamensis.org, are mostly researchers and taxonomists. I believe that the real biodiversity heroes are those who take care of our wildlife in the field. And those heroes are you, the park officers and rangers,” Panitvong said to the Cuc Phuong National Park officers and staff.
“I am 90 years old. I am doing my best to connect two generations—the young and the old, not just in the Asean region but also in the world” said Huynh, Biodiversity Hero of Vietnam.
“In times that you feel like your biodiversity conservation efforts are not enough, just put in mind that if this old man can do it, then definitely, you can,” shared Huynh as he encouraged the young participants to do their part in conserving biodiversity.
“The ABH Regional Forum Series was designed to ensure that the journey of the Biodiversity Heroes does not end after the awarding ceremonies. Their stories must be heard by the people of Asean and the world. They are our living heroes—the faces of biodiversity whom we can identify with, and will inspire us to do our share in conserving the rich biodiversity of our region,” ACB Executive Director Roberto V. Oliva said.
The Forum Series forms part of the ACB-EU Biodiversity Conservation and Management or Protected Areas in Asean (BCAMP) Project, which aims to improve the management of protected areas in the Asean region; develop and mobilize knowledge and scientific basis for biodiversity conservation; mainstream biodiversity into the education system; and to strengthen the regional capacities.
To further spread the conservation stories of the Heroes, the second leg of the Forum Series will feature the Biodiversity Heroes of Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines, and the last leg will feature Heroes of Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and Singapore.
The search for modern-day biodiversity heroes
The inaugural search for the ABH in 2017 was supported by the Asean secretariat; the Philippines’s Department of Foreign Affairs; the European Union through the BCAMP project; and Hari Foundation Inc., the corporate social responsibility arm of Hyundai Asia Resources Inc.
The Heroes were selected by the Asean member-states. The nominating agencies considered the relevance of the nominees’ contributions to biodiversity conservation, the impact of these contributions to biodiversity conservation efforts in their respective countries and the region, the replicability of their actions and the recognition they received in communities where they belong. The ACB serves as the secretariat of Asean Biodiversity Heroes.
The ACB is Asean’s response to the challenge of biodiversity loss. It responds to the needs of the Asean member-states in the areas of Protected Area Management, Wildlife Law Enforcement, Biodiversity Information Management, Access and Benefit Sharing, Business and Biodiversity, Climate Change and Biodiversity, Ecotourism and Biodiversity Conservation, Ecotourism and Biodiversity Conservation, Global Taxonomy Initiative, Invasive Alien Species, Payment for Ecosystem Services, and other thematic areas.
It is the sole Asean center hosted by the Philippines.