EU'S SUPPORT FOR ASEAN BIODIVERSITY. European Union (EU) Ambassador to the ASEAN Igor Driesmans (2nd from left) vows the EU’s continuing financial support for the ASEAN-member states in protecting and preserving the region’s biodiversity. Executive Director Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim (2nd from right), of the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, welcomes the visiting envoy, along with his official delegation, at the ACB Conference Hall of the UPLB campus in Los Baños, Laguna on Nov. 19, 2019. (PNA photo by Saul E. Pa-a)
LOS BAŇOS, Laguna -- The visiting envoy of the European Union (EU) to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) on Tuesday expressed support to the agenda of the regional bloc to protect and preserve biodiversity amid challenges and threats of environmental degradation and climate change.
EU Ambassador Igor Driesmans and his official delegation visited the Asean Center for Biodiversity at the University of the Philippine in Los Baños (UPLB) campus where they were briefed on the sustainable programs for Asean’s 49 Heritage Parks and other programs and projects on biodiversity conservation and management of protected areas.
“For us, Southeast Asia is a very critical region in terms of biodiversity with 18 percent of plant species that are located in this part of the world, despite its three percent of the landmass. The financial support that we have been giving over the years, are absolutely well-spent, and this visit shows our continuing support," Driesmans said in a media interview.
He said the EU program's objective is to support and build capacity among Asean-member states to manage well the bloc's heritage parks.
There are around 49 Asean Heritage Parks and the number is still growing.
“We’re not doing this just because we love the birds and the bees, and the beautiful species out there. We are very altruistic in protecting biodiversity in the interest as a whole because it has an impact on not just the health or the economy but also on climate change,” he said.
He said the European Union has a global strategy on biodiversity which seeks to halt the degradation of the ecosystem by 2020 and restore this to make a transition to a green economy.
“We back that strategy with substantial financial resources, actually the first donor worldwide, by far, in trying to protect, preserve and sustainably manage biodiversity,” he assured, assessing the ASEAN region has some worrying trends, at the same time some bright spots that EU wants to support and nurture.
He pledged EU’s continuing support and expressed hope that the project inspires more ideas to protect the environment.
He said programs on smart cities would be launched next year, which has a "very important environmental component".
Asean Center for Biodiversity Executive Director Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim expressed appreciation to the EU for being its partner in improving protected area management and in curbing biodiversity loss through the Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in Asean or the BCAMP program.
“Now that we are faced with an unprecedented rate of species decline, we have further intensified our efforts towards transformative change which entails a system-wide change in attitude, values, goals, and ways of living that would lead to the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources,” Lim said.
The EU delegates also walked through the Mount Makiling Botanical Gardens -- one of the features of the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve, which is the 33rd Asean Heritage Park. (PNA)
