...12ASEAN Action on MEAs ...16 Global Harmonisation of National Reporting to Biodiversity-Related Conventions ...19 Issue-Based Modules for the Implementation of MEAs ...23 The Ramsar
Trang 2Conserve Biodiversity, Save Humanity!
ASEAN Region’s Rich Biodiversity
Despite occupying only three percent of the earth’s surface,
the ASEAN region hosts 20 percent of all known species
that live deep in the region’s mountains, jungles, rivers,
lakes and seas The region includes three mega-diverse
states (Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines); several
bio-geographical units (e.g., Malesia, Wallacea, Sundaland,
Indo-Burma and the Central Indo-Pacific); and numerous
centers of concentration of restricted-range bird, plant and
insect species ASEAN has one-third, translating to 284,000
square kilometers, of all coral reefs, which are among the
most diverse in the world Common land and water borders
have allowed the ASEAN states to share many species that
are biologically diverse from the rest of the world All these
make the ASEAN region significant to global diversity.
The Threat
The region’s rich biodiversity is heavily under threat Out of
64,800 known species, two percent or 1,312 are endangered
Seven of the world’s 34 recognized biodiversity hotspots are
in the ASEAN region If the rate of deforestation continues,
the region will lose up to three-fourths of its forests, and up
to 42 percent of its biodiversity by 2100 Some 80 percent of
coral reefs are at risk due to destructive fishing practices and
coral bleaching
Forest conversion, forest fires, shifting cultivation, large-scale
mining, wildlife hunting and trading, population growth and
poverty, climate change, and lack of conservation resources
greatly contribute to biodiversity loss Biodiversity loss could
trigger enormous effects on food security, health, shelter,
medicine, and aesthetic and other life-sustaining resources Without a concerted effort to protect and conserve biodiver- sity, the ASEAN region’s 567 million people and the entire human race would be in danger.
ASEAN’s Response:
ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity
As an intergovernmental regional organization, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) facilitates cooperation and co- ordination among the members states of ASEAN, and with relevant national governments, regional and international organizations, on the conservation and sustainable use of bio- logical diversity guided by fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of such biodiversity in the ASEAN region ACB aims to contribute to the reduction of the current rate of loss of biological diversity by enhancing regional cooperation, capacitating stakeholders, promoting awareness for biodiver- sity conservation, and maintaining the regional biodiversity database To contribute to the achievement of socially respon- sible access, equitable sharing, use and conservation of natural ecosystems and the biodiversity these contain, ACB builds stra- tegic networks and partnerships geared to mobilize resources towards optimally augmenting effective programmes on biodi- versity conservation.
Contact Us
ACB Headquarters
3F ERDB Bldg., Forestry CampusCollege, Laguna 4031,Philippines Tel/fax: +632.534-4247, +6349.536-2865
Website: www.aseanbiodiversity.org
General Inquiry: contact.us@aseanbiodiversity.org
Trang 3MEAs: Why the Need for Harmonised Reporting? 12
ASEAN Action on MEAs 16
Global Harmonisation of National Reporting
to Biodiversity-Related Conventions 19
Issue-Based Modules for the Implementation of MEAs 23
The Ramsar Convention: Issues and Progress
in Harmonisation of Reporting 25
Indonesia: Using the Modular Approach 29
Thailand: Experiences in Harmonisation
of Reports to MEAs 35
Lao PDR: Case Study on Orchid Exports 39
The Development of a Consolidated Reporting Template by Pacifi c Island Countries 45
Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park 56
Photos by Rolly Inciong
TINA MARIE C DE LEON
Filipino amateur photographer
This photo with the caption
“A little boy with his newborn pet
bird” was among the fi nalists
in the amateur category of the
ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity’s
ASEAN-wide photo contest
“Zooming in on Biodiversity.”
Trang 4Letters, articles, suggestions and photos are welcome and should be addressed to:
The Editor-in-Chief ASEAN Biodiversity
ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity College, Laguna
E-mail: mturiarte@aseanbiodiversity.org
sbbarrer@aseanbiodiversity.org Monina T Uriarte, PhD Managing Editor Bridget P Botengan Creative Artist Nanie S Gonzales Writer-Researcher Sahlee Bugna-Barrer EDITORIAL BOARD Rodrigo U Fuentes Executive Director Clarissa C Arida Director, Programme Development and Implementation Rolando A Inciong Head, Public Affairs ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) Headquarters 3F ERDB Bldg Forestry Campus University of the Philippines-Los Baños College, Laguna, Philippines Telefax: +632.584-4247; +6349.536-2865 E-mail: contact.us@aseanbiodiversity.org Website: www.aseanbiodiversity.org ACB Annex Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center North Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City 1156 Philippines Printed by: VJ Graphic Arts No of Copies: 2,000 Disclaimer: Views or opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent any offi cial view of the European Union nor the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat The authors are responsible for any data or information presented in their articles. of Nature’s Resources 60
The very fi rst MAD (Mangyan, Aeta, Dumagat) Tribal Games: Wisdom from the Wild 61
ACB and PEMSEA to Promote Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Conservation in Southeast Asia 63
SEA’s Protected Area Execs Enhance Skills in Conservation and Management 64
TV Maria Airs Videos on Biodiversity 65
ASEAN to Strengthen Sharing of Biodiversity Information 65
ACB joins ASEAN Day Celebration 66
Philippine Science Fair Highlights Water and Biodiversity for Human Survival 67
2009 CSR Links Business and Biodiversity 68
ASEAN Workshop Promotes Biodiversity Conservation in Business 70
Uniting with the World to Combat Climate Change 71
ASEAN Workshop Promotes Payment for Ecosystem Services as Tool to Boost Economy and Reduce Poverty 72
Forest Management Bureau Hosts ASEAN Social Forestry Network Meeting 73
Lao PDR Tracks Progress in Reducing Biodiversity Loss 74
IBD 2009 Highlights Invasive Alien Species 75
ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity Celebrates the International Day for Biodiversity 2009 76
UPLB and Los Banos Youth Leaders Hold Forum on Biodiversity 77
ACB, France and Japan Boost Southeast Asia’s Taxonomic Capacity 78
ASEAN Countries Participate in the 2009 World Ocean Conference 79
ACB and UNESCO-Jakarta Partner to Popularize Biodiversity Conservation 80
Surfing the Web of Life 64
ABOUT THE COVER When countries become members of multilateral environmental agreements
(MEAs), they show their commitment to environmental protection and the future of humanity
MEAs can provide more data, better cooperation among stakeholders, and increase efforts to
combat environmental issues such as climate change, loss of key species, and destruction of
habitats These agreements thus provide a better picture of the status of global biodiversity,
set directions to protect the environment, and ensure a better quality of life for our children.
Trang 5Established in 2005 by the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) and with support from the
European Union (EU), the ASEAN Centre for
Biodi-versity) ACB is regarded as the fi rst regional initiative to save
the ASEAN region’s critically threatened biodiversity It is a
re-gional intergovernmental organization that works with partners
to study and advocate, use and save biodiversity The Centre
promotes biodiversity conservation through policy and program
development, capacity building, information management and
sharing, and public advocacy
The Establishment Agreement of the Centre, however,
re-quires the ratifi cation of majority of the ASEAN Member States
for the organization to become a full-fl edged international
orga-nization This came into fruition when U Nyan Win, Minister
of Foreign Affairs of the Union of Myanmar signed the
instru-ment of ratifi cation on 08 July 2009
Following Brunei Darussalam, Lao PDR, the Philippines,
Singapore, and Viet Nam, Myanmar is the sixth ASEAN
Member State to ratify the agreement The ACB
Establish-ment AgreeEstablish-ment embodies the commitEstablish-ment of ASEAN
Mem-ber States in establishing ACB as a regional centre that
facili-tates cooperation and coordination among ASEAN Member
States and with relevant organizations on the conservation and
sustainable use of Southeast Asia’s rich but highly threatened
biodiversity
The ratifi cation augurs well for the peoples of ASEAN who depend on biodiversity for food, medicine, livelihood, and shelter With ACB’s new status as an international orga-nization, we can sustain our efforts in assisting ASEAN Mem-ber States in preventing the loss of known animal, plant and marine species that are critical to sustainable food production, health, and livelihood ACB will be able to mobilize more re-sources and forge more partnerships that will result in more services to ASEAN Member States
The ratifi cation will further strengthen the momentum gained by ASEAN Member States, the European Union and ACB in working together to build ASEAN Member States’ capability to meet their obligations to the Convention on Bio-logical Diversity and other relevant Multilateral Environmen-tal Agreements, and increase Southeast Asia’s signifi cant role
in reducing biodiversity loss by 2010, the International Year
of Biodiversity We thank Myanmar and all those who ratifi ed the Establishment Agreement We also look forward to the ratifi cation by Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand this year which will greatly contribute to the One ASEAN, One Community Vision
Rodrigo U Fuentes
Executive DirectorASEAN Centre for Biodiversity
Trang 6Rodrigo U Fuentes,
ACB Executive
Director, was chosen 2009
Outstanding Professional
in the fi eld of Forestry by
the Philippines Professional
Regulation Commission
(PRC) The forester
and biodiversity expert
received the Outstanding
Professional Forester Award
on 19 June 2009 during
the PRC Awards Night
after showing exemplary
performance in his fi eld
The award is the highest
of the highest degree PRC
also recognized Fuentes for contributing signifi cantly to
the advancement of the profession
Fuentes has been specifi cally working in the fi eld of
environment and natural resources in the past 28 years
notably as consultant and technical advisor to various
intergovernmental and multilateral organizations such
as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Asian
Development Bank, United Nations agencies, and
World Bank
A sustainable development and urban and
regional planning expert, Fuentes also specializes
in environmental program design and project
development, policy and institutional assessment,
policy and institutional assessment, environmental
monitoring and assessment, and capacity development
in environmental management and sustainable
development
His previous undertakings at the regional and
sub-regional levels included assisting governments to
comply with their commitments to global agreements
such as the implementations of Agenda 21 and UN
Convention to Combat Desertifi cation (UNCCD),
UN Framework Convention for Climate Change
(UNFCCC), and Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD) He is also credited for developing the
Regional Framework program for implementing the
UNCCD and the Regional Action Program for the Asian region
Prior to his appointment at ACB, Fuentes was engaged by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines to undertake an independent and thorough assessment and review of the UNDP Country Program Action Plan (CPAP) on the Environment and Energy Portfolios, within the ambit of the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF)
He also served as advisor to the Secretariat of the UNCCD in Geneva, Switzerland, where he established the regional network and prepared the regional action plan for developing and pursuing subsequent work in implementing the commitment of Asian countries to the UNCCD His expertise was also sought by the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund’s (OECF) Environmental Infrastructure Support Credit Program (EISCP), and by the Asian Development Bank
Before getting into the regional and international arena, Fuentes was with the Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which he served for 14 years, and became the National Director (1991-1994) of the Environmental Management Bureau.Fuentes holds a B.S Forestry degree and a masteral degree in Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of the Philippines
ASEAN Biodiversity Expert is
2009 Outstanding Filipino Forester
ACB Executive Director Rodrigo U Fuentes (center), Outstanding Forester 2009, with offi cials and guests of the Professional Regulation Commission.
Trang 7rests within the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, one of the Philippines’ most important parks Nearby communities are supportive
of the reintroduction and are working to develop a community-based ecotourism project with the Mabuwaya
Foundation – mongabay.com
Rat-eating plant discovered in Philippines
to be the largest meat-eating shrub, dissolving rats with acid-like enzymes The team
of botanists, led by British experts Stewart McPherson and Alastair Robinson, found the plant on Mount Victoria
in the municipality of Narra, Palawan, Philippines The team published details of their discovery in the Botanical Journal of Linnean Society following a three-year study
of all 120 species of pitcher plant The Philippines is
home to 17 Nepenthes species,
16 of which are endemic
Other discoveries were made during the expedition, including a new species of sundew, strange pink ferns and blue mushrooms, as
well as another pitcher plant
Nepenthes deaniana, which is
said to have not been visible
in the wild for a hundred
“previously undescribed by scientists” and fi ve newly discovered ones in the province CI also counted 169 species of vertebrates, 26 of which are in varying stages
of threat or near-extinction, and 90 bird species, making
it one of 11 important bird sanctuaries in Palawan
to preserve 47 percent of their
land under forest cover – the star online
Hope of freedom for orangutans dashed
July 27 – A program by the
Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre to release orangutans into the forests of Kalimantan suffered a blow when the mining company BHP Hilton announced its withdrawal from Indonesia BHP Hilton had been supporting
Wood-pigeon, Slender-billed Curlew, Sulu Bleeding-heart, and White-eyed River-martin
– mongabay.com
Gold mining threatens
the Komodo dragon
August 24 – Critics
contend that the proposed
development of eight gold
mines around Komodo
National Park threatens the
ecology of the park and the
species within The park is
home to the Komodo dragon
and the Timor deer, both
listed as vulnerable by the
IUCN Created in 1980
over several islands, the park
contains half of the world’s
Komodo dragons: 2,500
individuals Many also believe
that the mines will damage
tourism Komodo National
Park brings annual revenues
of US$7 million Mining
activities near the park will
only ruin the park’s image and
diminish the government’s
revenue – mongabay.com
Birders asked to look
for extinct species
August 24 – Birdlife
International has called on
birders around the world
to keep an eye out for birds
classifi ed as extinct It wants
to confi rm whether or not 47
species of birds have actually
disappeared from the face of
the earth Since 1600, 133
bird species have gone extinct,
but, Birdlife International
is focusing on 47 species
that may still exist Birdlife
is asking birders to look for
specifi c species in specifi c
regions In Asia, these species
are Banggai Crow,
Blue-fronted Lorikeet, Crested
Shelduck, Himalayan Quail,
Javan Lapwing; Negros
Fruit-dove, Pink-headed Duck,
Rueck’s Blue-fl ycatcher,
Siau Scops-owl, Silvery
The Komodo dragon is endemic
to a small number of Indonesian
islands Photo by Rhett A Butler
20,000 orangutans killed or poached
in 10 years without
a single prosecution
August 24 – The Indonesian
Chainsaw Massacre, a report published by Nature Alert and the Centre for Orangutan Protection, states that at least 20,000 orangutans have been killed or captured for the illegal pet trade in the past
10 years in Indonesia without
a single prosecution The report urges the Indonesian government to enforce existing laws designed to protect endangered species;
immediately stop issuing new permits, and cancel existing permits for logging and plantation concessions
in forests that contain orangutans; and ban new roads that bisect orangutan
habitat – mongabay.com
50 Philippine crocodiles released into the wild
August 18 – Fifty critically
endangered Philippine crocodiles have been released into Dicatian Lake, Isabela Province on Luzon Island
Ten crocodiles were fi tted with radio transmitters, so their movements can be monitored by the Mabuwaya Foundation, an NGO devoted
to saving the crocodile, and the Philippines’ Department
of Environment and Natural Resources The groups hope to gather information that will be helpful in future reintroductions of the crocodile Dicatian Lake was chosen as a reintroduction site since it Rat-eating pitcher plant
Photo by Stewart McPherson
Trang 8longer Its largest passageway has been measured at 460 by
460 ft The cave features an underground river, poisonous centipedes, and monkeys that enter the cave through various skylights A more extensive survey will be done in 2010
– National Geographic
World’s 1st commission
on ecosystem loss launched
July 21 – The International
Commission on Land Use Change and Ecosystems was set up by the Global Legislators Organization (GLOBE) with fi nancing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Untied National Environment Programme (UNEP) The aim of the commission is
to propose public policy frameworks that will build on the increased understanding
of the economic value of the world’s natural capital The commission was launched in Nairobi, Kenya, where the commission discussed policy instruments that can place
an economic valuation on ecosystem services, such as generating rainfall, preventing
fl ooding, regulating the soil, storing carbon, and providing clean air and clear water
Other measures included the creation of a Global Network
of Marine Protected Areas,
a globally consistent ban on the trade in illegal timber and a payment mechanism
to ensure that forests are
protected – China.org.cn
Malaysia’s rainforests being replaced with plantations of clones
July 20 – Rainforests once
managed for selective logging
in Malaysia are now being replaced with latex-timber clones—rubber trees that yield latex and can be harvested for timber Up
to 80 percent of Malaysia’s remaining forest cover could be at risk Permanent forest reserves are forest
areas that have been set aside for selective logging under sustainable forest management They account for 82 percent of Malaysia’s remaining forest cover
The development has been facilitated by a system which classifi es single-species monocultures as forests
The replacement of natural forests with plantations has signifi cant ecological implications Plantations house fewer plant and animals species and generally store less carbon than natural forests Clear-cutting also results in soil erosion and increases the risk of fi re
– mongabay.com
the rehabilitation centre
by airlifting and releasing
endangered orangutans into
forests that were concessions
of the mining company 650
orangutans are currently
housed in the rehabilitation
center and 48 were set to
be released into the wild
A plan for BHP to create
a 250,000-hectare wildlife
reserve in central Borneo
that could have sited 1,000
orangutans is now unlikely
Some conservationists fear
that orangutans could be
wiped out in the wild in little
more than a decade due to the
destruction of their habitat
for logging, mining and
palm oil plantations – The
Independent
World’s biggest cave
found in Viet Nam
July 24 – Measuring
262-by-262 feet in most places, the
Son Doong cave in Phong
Nha-Ke National Park in
Viet Nam beats the previous
world-record holder, Deer
Cave in the Malaysian section
of the island of Borneo
Explorers walked 4.5 kms into
the cave before being blocked
by seasonal fl oodwaters and
the passage may be even
ecological service and save governments millions
of dollars a year in pest destruction as natural controllers of termites and
ants – mongabay.com
G8 pledges US$20 billion for agriculture
July 11 – G8 leaders
meeting in Italy unveiled
a plan to commit US$20 billion of funding to the development of agriculture
to tackle persistent food shortages in developing countries The initiative will also help developing countries develop scientifi c research in agriculture; foster international collaborations and improve the
dissemination of research By linking the efforts of partners and stakeholders around the world, the leaders agreed to design and implement a food security strategy whose core principles will be country ownership and effective
management – SciDev.net
Conservationist Lone Dröscher
Nielsen interacts with a baby
July 14 – Due to poaching
for use in traditional Chinese medicine, Asian pangolin populations are rapidly declining and are nearly wiped out in Cambodia, Viet Nam and Lao PDR
Though the species has been protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 2002, slowing international trade in pangolin will require better enforcement of existing national and international laws, better monitoring of the illegal trade, and basic research to fi nd where viable pangolin populations still exist and whether ravaged populations can recover
Pangolins provide a major
Malayan pangolin Photo by Bjorn
Olesen and © 2009 TRAFFIC Southeast Asia
New conservation fund
to protect Singapore’s endangered species
July 10 – Wildlife Reserves
Singapore (WRS) has set aside S$1 million to protect and save Singapore’s native endangered species The fund will concentrate on native animal conservation efforts and the issue of climate change The fi rst recipient
is the National University
of Singapore’s (NUS’) Ah Meng Memorial Conservation Fund, which will receive S$500,000 over fi ve years This will support the
Wildlife Healthcare
& Research Centre
Trang 9academic research and study
of endangered native wildlife
undertaken by students and
faculty members of NUS
The fi rst NUS project will
focus on a detailed study of
the ecology of the banded leaf
monkey More information is
available at www.wrscf.org.sg
– Channelnewsasia
Forest clearings leave orphaned orangutans
June 25 – As Borneo’s rain
forests are razed for oil palm plantations, wildlife centers are taking in more and more orphaned orangutans
Orangutans at the Nyaru Menteng Center run by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS) are mainly
“oil palm orphans” whose forest habitats were destroyed, and parents killed, by the swiftly spreading oil palm industry in Indonesia BOS hopes to eventually release all of these orangutans back into their natural habitat, but increasing deforestation mean that many orangutans will remain in captivity Two thousand orangutans are currently in the rehabilitation system Indonesia and Malaysia are the world’s largest producers of palm oil, accounting for more than
85 percent of global output
– Yale Environment 360
wood and soil Peat forests can release more than 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare when drained and burned, as well as large amounts of methane, a far more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2 The program
is one of the fi rst large-scale demonstration projects under the UN forest carbon scheme called reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD), which aims to use carbon credits from saving forests to reward developing nations KFCP aims to tackle the causes of deforestation, such as subsistence farming, logging or other uses of the forests, and focus on economic development opportunities to address
to counter volatile fuel prices Jet fuel rivals labor as the top cost at most major airlines The biofuel blend consisted
of oil derived from algae and
jatropha plants – Reuters
Mekong dolphins on the brink of extinction
June 18 – The Mekong River
Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) population
inhabits a 190-km stretch of the Mekong River between Cambodia and Lao PDR Since 2003, the population has suffered 88 deaths of which over 60 percent were calves under two weeks old The latest population is estimated between 64 and 76 members Necropsy analysis identifi ed a bacterial disease
coasts This prompted vows from the Timorese leadership
to declare the area a protected national park and develop it
for ecotourism – Associated Press
New online tool for conservation
June 20 – The Zoological
Society of London has developed a National Red List website that currently holds over 50,000 species from 40 countries and regions It highlights that some of the world’s most biodiverse countries, such as Indonesia and Madagascar, lack National Red Lists and are in dire need of conservation investment
This is the fi rst time that National Red Lists have been centralised, and is a powerful complementary information source to the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species The website will also allow people
to track the success of their nation in meeting the targets set by the Convention on Biological diversity to reduce biodiversity loss by 2010
– Red Orbit
Borneo project to yield lessons on saving forests
June 18 – Conservation
groups are currently helping Australia and Indonesia develop the Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership (KFCP) which aims to preserve and rehabilitate 100,000 hectares
of carbon-rich peat land in Central Kalimantan Half the area has been cleared and half is still forested but under threat unless alternative livelihoods are found for the 20,000 people living
in and around the project area Australia has pledged A$30 million to fund the project until 2012 Tropical rainforests and particularly peatland forests, soak up vast amounts of carbon-dioxide, locking away carbon in the
More animals than
ever in danger of
becoming extinct
July 2 – The extinction crisis
facing the world’s wildlife
could be even worse than
previously thought with
more than 44,000 species
under threat The Wolrd
Conservation Union (IUCN)
of Nature reports that
there are currently 44,838
species on the IUCN Red
List considered under threat
– the greatest figure ever
recorded Of those, 16,928
species are in danger of
going extinct Considering
that only 2.7 percent of the
world’s 1.8 million known
species have been analysed,
conservationists say this is a
gross underestimate Nearly
one third of amphibians and
coral, more than one in eight
birds and nearly a quarter
of mammals are threatened
with extinction For some
plant groups, the situation is
even more serious with
28 percent of conifers in
danger of dying out The
situation is expected to get
worse as a result of climate
change Since records began,
more than 1,000 species
have gone extinct including
the dodo and passenger
pigeon and more recently
species like the golden toad
- telegraph.co.uk
Photo by PA
Orphaned orangutans at the Nyaru Menteng rehabilitation center in the Borneo Photo by Rhett
Butler/ mongabay.com
Timor seeks help
to protect whale, dolphin hotspot
June 25 – The government
of East Timor says it plans to establish a national park to protect a bounty of dolphins and whales East Timor is one
of a few places in the world with an exceptional diversity and abundance of large sea mammals due to its unusual geography and years of relative isolation Researchers have spotted endangered blue whales, sperm whales and sei whales, as well as spinner and spotted dolphins along the island’s northern and southern
Trang 10as the cause of the calf deaths
This disease would not be
fatal unless the dolphin’s
immune systems were
suppressed by environmental
contaminants In these cases,
researchers found toxic levels
of pesticides such as DDT,
polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs), and high levels of
mercury were found in some
of the dead dolphins A
transboundary preventative
health programme is urgently
needed to manage the disease
affected animals in order to
reduce the number of deaths
each year The Mekong River
Irrawaddy dolphin has been
on the IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species since
2004 – WWF
information on the beaked echidna’s biology, feeding behavior and ecology has prevented conservationists from formulating plans for its protection Echidnas are members of the monotremes,
long-an order of mammals that lay leathery eggs They are more reptile-like than other mammals Echidnas lay a single egg, which the female holds in a sticky pouch
The hatchling resides in the pouch for between 40-50 days and receives milk from two mammary patches Once the hatchling develops spines, the mother digs a nursery, which she returns to every fi ve days to nurse the hatchling
The baby is weaned in seven
months – ENN
Forest conservation
in Indonesia could
be as profi table as palm oil plantations
June 5 – A study in the
journal Conservation Letters found that selling credits for the billions of tons of carbon that are locked in Indonesia’s tropical rain forests could
be quite profi table It also found that conserving the 3.3 million hectares that are slated to become plantations
on Kalimantan on the island
of Borneo would boost the region’s biodiversity The
800 proposed plantations that were studied contain
40 of the region’s 46 threatened mammals including orangutans and pygmy elephants The study concluded that conserving forests would be more profi table than clearing them for palm oil if the credits could be sold for $10 to $33 per ton Currently, the rate
per ton is around $20 – ENN
Degraded ecosystems can recover in less than a lifetime
May 31 – A study by the
Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies rebuts a common assumption
that ecosystem recovery take centuries Researchers analyzed 240 independent studies that explored the recovery of degraded ecosystems due both to human-caused disturbances and natural disasters In the study published in PLoS ONE, the researchers found that on average forests recover in 42 years, while ocean bottoms recover in less than a decade Ecosystems that suffered from a variety
of disturbances took on average 56 years, while those recovering from mining, invasive species, oil spill, and trawling recovered on average in fi ve years These recoveries may not mean the ecosystem returned to a truly natural state and many
of the ecosystems had likely already experienced large-scale changes such as loss in biodiversity, loss in water and air quality, and climatic changes The message however is that if societies choose to become sustainable, ecosystems will recover
– mongabay.com
change could see animals and plants “trapped” in homes that become too hot or dry, raising the possibility of extinction Some scientists have developed a plan that is partly funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), which involves moving species into more accommodating habitats Species that could
be saved by assisted migration include the Spanish lynx, which has become trapped in increasingly arid pockets of the Iberian peninsula, while certain species of butterfl ies and corals have been previously identifi ed as good candidates Rare fi sh trapped
in lakes could also be moved
to cooler waters – telegraph co.uk
“Alien” pests wreak vast economic damage
May 21 – The United
Nations noted that many governments are ignoring invasive alien species (IAS) such as weeds or rats but these cause $1.4 trillion in damages
a year to the world economy The cost is split between losses from introduced pests
in crops, pastures and forests and other environmental damage IAS spread from one continent to another via the global agricultural, horticultural and pet trades or
by hitch-hiking lifts in ballast water and on ship’s hulls The
UN stressed that too many countries have failed to grasp the threat of IAS to global biodiversity, and praised countries such as South Africa for eradication programs or New Zealand for imposing tough customs controls
– Reuters
Logging threatens orangutans, tigers, elephants
May 19 – Five conservation
groups warned that a logging operation by Asia’s biggest pulp producer in Indonesia’s Sumatra island threatens the habitat of rare orangutans,
Irrawaddy dolphins at Koh Kon
Sat, Mekong River, Cambodia
Photo by David Dove / WWF Greater Mekong
First study on rare
egg laying mammals
June 10 – A study by the
Wildlife Conservation
Society, published in the
Journal of Mammalogy,
chronicles the behaviors of
the long-beaked echidna (also
called the spiny anteater),
the fi rst mammal to lay eggs
The long-beaked echidna is
widespread in the montane
forests of New Guinea and
fi nds refuge in hollow logs,
root or rack cavities, and
burrows The long-beaked
echidna population has
greatly declined largely due
to hunting, since it is a highly
prized game animal Limited
Echidna
Deforestation in Borneo
Photo by Rhett A Butler
Rare animals to be moved from native habitats because of climate change
May 25 – Conservationists
fear that rapid climate
The Spanish Lynx has become trapped in increasingly arid pockets of the Iberian peninsula Photo by EPA
Trang 11The Kutai National Park has been changing into a city, complete with an airport, gas stations, marketplace, towers, and a bus terminal Only time can tell if orangutans can survive in the area The population of orangutans
in Borneo is uncertain, but most scientists estimate there are fewer than 50,000
individuals – mongabay.com
More bird species facing extinction
May 14 – An update of the
IUCN Red List indicates that 12 percent or 1,227 bird species worldwide are facing extinction, with 24 more threatened now than
in 2008 This includes two bird species - the Gorgeted Puffl eg and the Sidamo Lark
- which have been added to
a list of critically endangered birds, bringing the total
in this group to 192 The Gorgeted Puffl eg, a type of hummingbird, was recently discovered in Colombia, but its 1,200 hectares of habitat is shrinking annually
by eight percent as they are being turned into cocoa plantations The Sidamo Lark from Ethiopia faces the danger of becoming Africa’s
fi rst extinct bird species
as pastures are overgrazed
The rising number of critically endangered birds
on the IUCN Red List is worrisome given the number
of successful conservation initiatives around the world
– Agence France-Presse
WWF warns vast coral reef in Southeast Asia may disappear by end
of the century
May 13 – Pollution,
overfi shing and climate change are destroying the area known as the Coral Triangle, which covers an area about half the size of the United States and is home
to more than 30 percent of the world’s corals and more than 35 percent of coral-reef fi sh – around 3,000 species The Coral Triangle spans Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste and covers around 18,500 islands rich
in mountain forests and woodlands The escalation
of modern practices, such
as deforestation, coastal reclamation, destructive
fi shing and the pumping
of pollution and sewage into sea, over the last 40 years have already destroyed about 40 percent of coral reefs and mangroves in this unique environment If such practices are unchecked, half the species in the Coral Triangle will continue to disappear at a rate of 1-2 percent a year This will have tremendous impacts on the economy of the six nations within the area, where 100 million residents depend on mangroves, seafood beds, and marine resources for their food, livelihood, and housing
material – guardian.co.uk
Protecting global biodiversity must include islands
May 12 – A new study
in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences states that islands are the key to saving global biodiversity While islands have fewer overall species than continental areas of the same size, they have far more endemic species, i.e animals and plants that can be found nowhere else in the world The study also found that while islands make up less than four percent of Earth’s land area, they are home to nearly a quarter of the world’s known plants, 70,000 of which are not found on the continents Due to small populations and limited habitats on many islands, species extinction is always a very real possibility Modeling future human impacts on biodiversity up to 2100, the study found that island biodiversity will face greater pressure than continental biodiversity, due largely to human land-use, including deforestation and agricultural
expansion – mongabay.com
tigers and elephants A
license has been given to a
joint venture between Asia
Pulp & Paper and the Sinar
Mas Group to clear 50,000
hectares of forest near the
Bukit Tigapuluh National
Park in Jambi to supply a
nearby pulp mill The forests
are home to around 100
orangutans that have been
successfully reintroduced into
the wild, 100-400 critically
endangered Sumatran tigers,
and up to 60 endangered
Sumatran elephants The
green groups - the Sumatran
Tiger Conservation and
Protection Foundation,
Frankfurt Zoological Society,
Zoological Society of London,
WWF-Indonesia and WARSI
- have sent a letter to the
Ministry of Forestry asking it
to protect the area – Reuters
promoted by local authorities,
reports the Centre for
Orangutan Protection (COP)
The population of morio
orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus
morio) declined from 600
in 2004 to 30-60 this year
COP attributes the drop to
state-sponsored colonization
of the Kutai, which has led to
hunting and forest clearing
May 9 – In Thailand, several
forest plantation projects will be launched to help the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment achieve the goal raising forest cover over 40 percent in eight years Aside from tree planting schemes, the Royal Forest Department is also preparing to launch a project that will offer fi nancial aid to farmers who want to invest in planting economic trees such
as teak, neem, and eucalyptus
– Bangkok Post
The endangered kagu
(Rhynochetos jubatus) of New
Caledonia Photo by Miguel Vences Sumatran Tiger
Trang 12MULTILATERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS
international issues and concerns, and this
is particularly important in environmental conservation Loss of species and habitats, wetlands conservation, wildlife trade, pollution, and climate change are concerns requiring concerted global effort to be effectively addressed
WHY THE NEED FOR HARMONISED REPORTING?
Trang 13Ratifi cation of multilateral
environ-mental agreements (MEAs) is largely
motivated by national concern for
eco-systems and species ASEAN Member
States are now Parties to a number of
biodiversity-related international
agree-ments including the Convention on
of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES),
Con-vention on Migratory
Species (CMS), and
the World Heritage
Convention (WHC) These were
devel-oped to establish wide-ranging
coopera-tion in protecting plants, animals, and
other species
MEAs require national reporting
from all Parties to create a global
pic-ture of environmental efforts, as well as
provide directions for the future
Re-ports often require data from different
national agencies covering a wide range
of bio-geographical, social, economic, legal and political information These have to be meticulously prepared by the focal points or reporting agencies and crafted according to formats set by the secretariats of MEAs These formats may be different across conventions, but
they often require similar or cross ting information, such as habitat cov-erage, species inventory, composition
cut-of local communities, human activities that may affect the local environment, protected area status, number of rang-ers, and others Since a number of issues may need to be presented in reports to various MEAs, there is a need to har-monize the gathering of and manage-
ment of data Streamlining reporting to MEAs will reduce reporting burdens on Parties, encourage more data sharing, and create synergy in environmental work among concerned national and international agencies
Reporting such information,
how-ever, may be hindered
by lack of tion among relevant agencies There is also limited collaboration between the secretari-ats of various global agreements to stream-line their approaches Gathering and use of information also pos-
coordina-es a problem
The CBD courages parties to harmonize the gathering and management of data for the biodiversity-related conventions The Conference of Parties (COP) encouraged the Liaison Group of the Biodiversity-related Conventions to give further consideration to issues
en-of harmonization en-of reporting among the biodiversity-related conventions, and to develop proposals thereon
“Ratification of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) is largely motivated
by national concern for ecosystems and species ASEAN Member States are now Parties to a number of biodiversity-related international agreements.”
Photo by TunAung
Trang 14Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD)
The CBD was inspired by the
understanding that the Earth’s biological
resources are vital to humanity’s
economic and social development As a
result, there is a growing recognition that
biological diversity is a global asset of
tremendous value to present and future
generations At the same time, the threat
to species and
ecosystems
has never
been as
great as it is today Species extinction
caused by human activities continues
at an alarming rate The CBD traces
its origins to the 1992 Earth Summit
in Rio de Janeiro, where world leaders
agreed on a comprehensive strategy for
“sustainable development” meeting
our needs while ensuring that we leave
a healthy and viable world for future
generations The CBD was one of the
key agreements adopted at Rio This pact
among the vast majority of the world’s
governments sets out commitments
for maintaining the world’s ecological
underpinnings as countries go about the business of economic development The Convention establishes three main goals:
the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefi ts from the use of genetic resources There are currently 191 Parties to the CBD ( www.cbd.int ).
Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species
of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES)
The aim of CITES is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival Annually, international wildlife trade is estimated to be worth billions
of dollars and includes hundreds
of millions of plant and animal specimens Trade ranges from live animals and plants
to a vast array of derived products, including food, exotic leather goods, wooden musical instruments, timber, tourist curios and medicines Levels of
This has resulted in collaborations
with other convention secretariats to
develop measures to harmonize
re-porting to various conventions The
ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity thus
conducted the ASEAN Workshop
on Harmonization of Reporting to
Biodiversity-Related Conventions
on 15-17 April 2009 in Hanoi, Viet
Nam to assist ASEAN Member States
(AMS) in streamlining their reports
to various MEAs The workshop
sought to promote national and
re-gional efforts to harmonize or
syner-gize reporting to biodiversity-related
conventions; strengthen national
ca-pacities in harmonized reporting by
providing training on use of relevant
tools and approaches; and discuss
pos-sible ways and means for
harmoniza-tion of reporting at the global level
Meaningful discussions on global
and regional initiatives to harmonize
re-porting to biodiversity-related
conven-tions; exchange of national approaches and experiences; training on relevant tools and approaches for harmoniza-tion; as well as refl ections on challenges
to harmonized reporting allowed sentatives of AMS to craft an outline of general observations and recommenda-tions on harmonized reporting This outline will provide the basis for an action plan for AMS, as Parties to the Conventions, to guide their efforts to harmonize their reporting and for con-vention secretariats to pursue harmoni-zation and standardization of reporting formats
repre-The outline contains elements for action at the national and global level
General observations that merit tion at the national level include the fol-lowing:
atten-• Lack of a single model for improved information man-agement, collaboration and harmonization as national cir-
cumstances vary between tries
co• Emphasis on the need to derstand that reporting is an output of information man-agement which serves national implementation of the conven-tions
un-These observations underline the need to strengthen information man-agement and collaboration between national focal points and agencies to improve national reporting Improved information management will require the need for a fully operational (meta) data warehouse, such as a Clearing-House Mechanism or National Biodi-versity Information Network, to cover all biodiversity-related conventions; in-volvement of all stakeholders that hold relevant information; and the use of on-line tools to assemble national reports Stronger collaboration is also needed among national focal points of various
exploitation and trade of some animal and plant species are high, and combined with other factors, such as habitat loss,
is capable of heavily depleting their populations and even bringing some species close to extinction Many wildlife species in trade are not endangered, but the existence of an agreement to ensure the sustainability of the trade is important
in order to safeguard these resources for the future The trade in wild animals and plants often crosses borders between countries, and the effort to regulate it requires international cooperation to safeguard certain species from over- exploitation CITES was conceived in the spirit of such cooperation Today, it accords varying degrees of protection
to more than 30,000 species of animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats or dried herbs There are currently 175 Parties to the convention ( www.cites.org ).
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS or Bonn Convention)
The CMS aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species
SOME MULTILATERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS
Trang 15throughout their range It
is an intergovernmental
treaty, concluded under
the aegis of the United
Nations Environment
Programme, concerned
with the conservation
of wildlife and habitats on a global scale
Since the Convention’s entry into force, its
membership has grown steadily to include
110 Parties Migratory species threatened
with extinction are listed on Appendix
I of the Convention CMS Parties strive
towards strictly protecting these animals,
conserving or restoring the places where
they live, mitigating obstacles to migration
and controlling other factors that might
endanger them Aside from establishing
obligations for each member state, CMS
promotes concerted action among the
Range States of many of these species
Migratory species that need or would
signifi cantly benefi t from international
cooperation are listed in Appendix II of the
Convention ( www.cms.int ).
Convention on Wetlands
of International Importance
(Ramsar)
The Ramsar Convention is an
intergovernmental treaty that provides
the framework for national action
and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources It is the only global environmental treaty that deals with a particular ecosystem, and the Convention’s 159 member countries cover all geographic regions of the planet The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international
cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”
The Convention uses a broad defi nition of the types of wetlands covered in its mission, including lakes and rivers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands and peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal fl ats, near- shore marine areas, mangroves and coral reefs, and human-made sites such as
fi sh ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs, and salt pans At the centre of the Ramsar philosophy is the “wise use” concept The wise use of wetlands is defi ned as “the maintenance of their ecological character, achieved through the implementation of ecosystem approaches, within the context
of sustainable development” “Wise use”
MEAs, and these can be facilitated by
reviewing institutional and
administra-tive arrangements for the
implementa-tion of convenimplementa-tions, and development
of formal collaborative mechanisms
with a specifi c lead agency to include
various focal points, among others
At the global level, there is a need to
address the following concerns:
• Development of models for
har-monization of national reporting
between the biodiversity-related
conventions;
• Formulation of specifi c
guide-lines for the preparation of the
reports, such as the CBD 4th
National Report (4NR)
Report-ing Guidelines;
• Harmonization of reporting
cycles to maximize time and
re-sources; and
• Use of online reporting systems
and increasing capacity to use
online tools
therefore has at its heart the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and their resources, for the benefi t of humankind ( www.ramsar.org ).
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
The UNFCCC sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts
to tackle the challenges posed by climate change It recognizes that the climate system is a shared resource whose stability can be affected by industrial and other emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases The Convention enjoys near
universal membership, with the ratifi cation of 192 countries Under the Convention, governments gather and share information on greenhouse gas emissions, national policies and best practices; launch national strategies for addressing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to expected impacts, including the provision of fi nancial and technological support to developing countries; and cooperate in preparing for adaptation to the impacts of climate change ( unfccc.int/2860.php ).
Trang 16ACTION ON
MEAs
facilitates obligations to various MEAs with the assistance of the ASEAN Working Group
on Multilateral Environmental Agreements (AWGMEA).
The policy frameworks that provide the foundation for the AWGMEA include the following:
ASEAN Vision 2020 – In 1997 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
the heads of government of the ASEAN Member States developed the ASEAN Vision 2020, which aimed to chart a new development for ASEAN that features dynamic development and economic integration, and a community of caring societies that is conscious of its ties of history, aware of its cultural heritage, and bound by a common regional identity.
Trang 17This is highlighted by a vision for a
“…clean and green ASEAN with fully
established mechanisms for sustainable
development to ensure the protection of
the region’s environment, the
sustainabil-ity of its natural resources, and the high
quality of life of its peoples.”
ASEAN Socio-Cultural
Communi-ty Plan of Action – In Bali, Indonesia in
2003, the ASEAN Member States issued
the Declaration of ASEAN Concord II,
a framework to achieve a dynamic,
co-hesive, resilient and integrated ASEAN
Community by adopting plans on the
reports for policy-making and addressing impacts on the envi-ronment
Aside from addressing global ronmental issues, the VAP also primar-ily promotes national and regional co-operation to address measures related to the cluster of multilateral environmen-tal agreements addressing atmospheric issues such as climate change, the Vien-
envi-na Convention and its protocols It also supports national and regional coopera-tion on measures related to MEAS that
gotiations in MEAs
The AWGMEA primarily focuses on the following international conventions:Atmosphere related conventions
• Montreal Protocol on Substances
that Deplete the Ozone Layer
- This landmark international agreement was designed to pro-tect the stratospheric ozone layer The treaty was originally signed in 1987 and substantially amended in 1990 and 1992 The Montreal Protocol stipulates that ASEAN Security
Com-munity Plan of Action
expressed the need for
coordinating responses
to MEAs since it strives
for the
“…harmonisa-tion of environmental
policies, legislation,
regulations, standards
and databases, taking
into account the
na-tional circumstances of
Member Countries, to
support the integration
of the environmental,
social and economic
goals of the region.”
Vientiane Action Programme
(2004-2010) – The VAP promotes
sus-tainable development, monitoring and
reporting/database harmonization in the
region and recommends the following
actions:
1 Implement the 13 priority
envi-ronmental parameters and ensure
region-wide harmonisation in
terms of measurement
(method-ology), monitoring and
report-ing
2 Consolidate and promote
syner-gy in the reporting requirements
under the various multilateral
environmental agreements,
aim-ing for consolidated region-wide
reporting
3 Produce informative
periodi-cal state of the environment
address chemical and chemical wastes such as the Basel, Stockholm and Rot-terdam Conventions
The AWGMEA aims to:
• Strengthen cooperation in the plementation of existing interna-tional instruments or agreements
im-in the fi eld of environment
• Identify and address problems in implementing international envi-ronmental agreements or instru-ments
• Promote and support the tive participation of ASEAN countries in the negotiation of obligations to conventions
effec-• Exchange views and information
on new or revised MEAs
• Upgrade ASEAN capacity for
ne-the production and tion of compounds that deplete ozone in the stratosphere - chlo-rofl uorocarbons (CFCs), halons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform - are to be phased out by 2000 (2005 for methyl chloroform) Scientifi c theory and evidence suggest that, once emitted to the atmosphere, these compounds could signifi cantly deplete the stratospheric ozone layer that shields the planet from damaging UV-B radiation
consump-• United Nations Framework
Con-vention on Climate Change and
the Kyoto Protocol - The
UN-FCCC sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle climate change It recog-
Note:
AWGNCB - ASEAN Working
Group on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity
AWGCME - ASEAN Working
Group on Coastal and Marine Environment
AWGMEA - ASEAN Working
Group on Multilateral Environment Agreements
AWGWRM - ASEAN Working
Group on Water Resources Management
AWGESC - ASEAN
Environmentally Sustainable Cities
AWGEE - ASEAN
Working Group on Environmental Education
ASEAN Summit (ASEAN Heads of State/
Government) ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) (ASEAN Foreign Ministers)
ASEAN Environment Ministers Meeting (AMME, IAMME)
Secretary-General
of ASEAN
ASEAN Standing Committee (ASC)
ASEAN Senior Offi cials
on the Environment (ASOEN) ASEAN Secretariat
(Bureau for Resources Development)
AWGNCB AWGCME AWGMES AWGWRM AWGESC AWGEE Other Environmental Activities
(ASEAN Secretariat) Institutional Framework - Environment
Trang 18nizes that the climate system is
a shared resource whose stability
can be affected by industrial and
other emissions of carbon
diox-ide and other greenhouse gases
Under the Convention,
govern-ments gather and share
informa-tion on greenhouse gas emissions
(GHGs), national policies and
best practices; launch national
strategies for addressing
green-house gas emissions and adapting
to expected impacts, including
the provision of fi nancial and
technological support to
devel-oping countries; and cooperate
in preparing for adaptation to the
impacts of climate change The
Kyoto Protocol is linked to the
UNFCC and sets binding targets
for 37 industrialized countries
and the European Community
for reducing GHGs (unfccc
int/2860.php)
Chemicals related conventions
• Basel Convention on the Control of
Transboundary Movement of
Haz-ardous Wastes and their Disposal
– This is the most comprehensive
global environmental agreement
on hazardous and other wastes
The Convention has 172
Par-ties and aims to protect human
health and the environment
against the adverse effects
result-ing from the generation,
man-agement, transboundary
move-ments and disposal of hazardous
and other wastes A central goal
of the Convention is
“environ-mentally sound management”
(ESM), which addresses the issue
of hazardous waste through an
“integrated life-cycle approach”,
which involves strong controls
from the generation of a
hazard-ous waste to its storage, transport,
treatment, reuse, recycling,
recov-ery and fi nal disposal (www.basel
int)
• Rotterdam Convention on the
Prior Informed Consent for
Cer-tain Hazardous Chemicals and
Pesticides in International Trade
– The Convention aims to
pro-mote shared responsibility and
cooperative efforts among Parties
in the international trade of tain hazardous chemicals in or-der to protect human health and the environment from potential harm; and contribute to the en-vironmentally sound use of those hazardous chemicals, by facilitat-ing information exchange about their characteristics; providing for a national decision-making process on their import and ex-port; and disseminating these de-cisions to Parties (www.pic.int)
cer-• Stockholm Convention on
Persis-tent Organic Pollutants – This is
a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long peri-ods, become widely distributed geographically and accumulate
in the fatty tissue of humans and wildlife Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) can lead to serious health effects in-cluding certain cancers, birth defects, dysfunctional immune and reproductive systems, greater susceptibility to disease and even diminished intelligence Given their long range transport, no government acting alone can pro-tect its citizens or environment from POPs In response, the Stockholm Convention, which was adopted in 2001 and entered into force 2004, requires Parties
to take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment (chm.pops.int)
At the AWGMEA 12, which was held on 19-20 June 2008 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the following ac-tions were proposed in ASEAN in rela-tion to the various MEAs:
• Montreal Protocol - close
coop-eration among ASEAN Member States (AMS) both at the nation-
al and regional level to combat illegal trade in Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) Further ex-change of information among AMS is necessary to effectively address imbalance in halons
• UNFCCC - detailed studies
should be conducted for the ASEAN region to make in-formed policy decisions, as well
as develop appropriate tion and adaptation measures
mitiga-It was suggested that a workshop
be conducted to discuss the plementation of such a study for the ASEAN region
im-• Basel Convention – a Basel
Convention Regional Centre for South-East Asia (BCRC-SEA) proposal was developed
on regional database ment on hazardous chemicals and wastes management in ASEAN countries
develop-• Rotterdam Convention – ASEAN
should consider acceding to the Convention expeditiously
so that AMS can participate in training programmes for capac-ity building in implementing the Rotterdam Convention
• Stockholm Convention – the
meeting discussed a project
on Persistent Organic ants (POPs) information ware-house, as well as the need to identify the priority areas for the regional training workshop
Pollut-on “FamiliarisatiPollut-on and Use of UNEP’s Standardised Toolkit
on Identification and fication of Dioxins and Furans Releases.”
Quanti-More information on the ASEAN Working Group on Multilateral Environmental Agreements (AWGMEA) can be accessed at environment.asean org
ASEAN Participation in MEAs
Atmosphere related conventions ASEAN
Trang 19GLOBAL HARMONISATION
OF NATIONAL REPORTING TO BIODIVERSITY- RELATED
CONVENTIONS
(MEAs) are required to submit national reports to convention secretariats primarily to demonstrate compliance with the convention, develop an overview
of its implementation, assess its effectiveness and take stock of the work that has been done to identify measures that have to be undertaken for the future National reports also provide information on the status and trends on biodiversity that will enable informed decision-making as well as identify necessary interactions with other processes and agencies in biodiversity conservation.
Trang 20There are a number of challenges
to reporting, and these include the
de-velopment of reports to a multitude of
conventions (thus creating a ‘reporting
burden’ on Parties), as well as
duplica-tion or lack of informaduplica-tion necessary
for the reports There is also the issue
of the lack of cooperation and
coordi-nation among agencies, and sometimes,
Parties do not submit reports at all
Steps towards harmonisation
The United Nations Environment
Programme - World Conservation
Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC)
has been working to produce a
for-mula that would allow streamlining
and harmonization of national reports
to MEAs Some of the activities
con-ducted towards this end include the
following:
• Feasibility Study for a
Harmo-nized Information Management
Infrastructure for
Biodiversity-related Treaties (UNEP-WCMC,
• Pilot projects: Ghana,
Indone-sia, Panama, Seychelles (UNEP/
UNEP-WCMC 2001-2003)
• Haasrode workshop (2004) on
pilot project results (Belgium,
UK, UNEP-WCMC, 2004)
• UNEP – MEA Secretariats‘
Knowledge Management
proj-ect (2006-08)
• Streamlining reporting by
Pacif-ic Island Countries (DEWHA,
SPREP)
In 2008, the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) and the Forestry
Department of Malaysia organized the
Regional Workshop on Strengthening
of Harmonization of National
Report-ing to the Global Forest Resources
As-sessment 2010 and Other International
Processes on Forests in Asia in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia The workshop
par-ticipants emphasized that coordination
among different national agencies and
programmes is essential, and that
coor-dination among different focal points is
challenges remain for both tion secretariats and the Parties to the various conventions MEAs often have different reporting cycles Informa-tion also usually comes from different ministries and agencies, and some of the data required maybe very specifi c (such as greenhouse gas inventories for the United Nations Framework Con-vention on Climate Change) Biodi-versity knowledge has to be managed
conven-in a manner where national reports do not become a by-product of national biodiversity information management Rather, such information should sup-port the implementation of the various environmental conventions
Approaches to harmonisation
There are promising approaches to streamlining national reports, such as the use of joint reporting portals; mod-ular reporting; core reports; joint the-matic reporting formats; consensus on information needs and sources; and on-line reporting
The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) Portal is an example and facilitates the streamlining of forest-re-lated reporting It provides access to for-est-related information from reporting
to various conventions and processes, and allows users to search national re-ports by process (e.g MEAs) or coun-try
Modular reporting is another proach that is gaining ground and has been piloted in some countries to deter-mine its feasibility
ap-The core report, on the other hand,
is the model used for human rights conventions These feature a common core report for all the treaties, as well
as smaller treaty-specifi c reports The potential elements of a core report in-clude:
• General factual and statistical information about the reporting Party – this may encompass an overview of the state of biodiver-sity as well as relevant govern-ment departments and agencies
• General framework for tion and sustainable use of bio-diversity – including the status
conserva-of conventions and agreements; legislation, strategies, plans, and
required to facilitate national reporting
on global forest resources This will also require signifi cant strengthening of in-stitutional coordination and scientifi c studies to improve data quality Partici-pants also suggested the development of regional cooperation among countries for sharing of experience and expertise
to improve national capacities for est-related reporting
for-Recent Conference of Party (COP) mandates from various MEAs also di-rect convention secretariats to develop mechanisms for harmonizing reports to better assist Parties, streamline the man-agement of information, and provide a better picture of the conservation of the world’s natural resources These resolu-tions include the following:
• Ramsar: Resolutions IX.5, X.11
• Convention on Biological versity (CBD): VIII/14, VIII/20, IX/19
Di-• Convention on the
Internation-al Trade of Endangered Species (CITES): Decisions 14.37 and 14.38
• Convention on Migratory cies (CMS): Resolutions 8.11, 8.24, 9.4
SpeResolutions from Ramsar specifi cally state the following:
-Ramsar resolution IX.5: 9 ally requests the Secretary General to continue working with UNEP’s Divi-sion of Environmental Conventions and the secretariats of other biodiver-sity-related conventions and agreements concerning more effective convention implementation Topics could include,
addition-inter alia, and as appropriate, the
devel-opment and implementation of based modules and harmonization of national reporting requirements subject
issue-to the mandate of each individual vention bearing in mind their Contract-ing Parties
con-Ramsar resolution VIII.26 further urges Parties to consider initiating trials
of joint reporting involving Ramsar and other multilateral environmental agree-ments, seeking the advice, as appropri-ate, of the United Nations Environment Programme
While recognizing the need for streamlining reports to MEAs, many
Trang 21programmes; communication,
education and public awareness
plans; and a description of the
reporting process
• Implementation of substantive
provisions common to the
bio-diversity-related treaties - e.g
monitoring, indicators, protected
areas, sustainable use, training
• Measures for streamlining the
implementation of
biodiversity-related treaties – this may
in-clude collaboration of national focal points and strengthened biodiversity information man-agement
Joint thematic reporting formats are already mandated by various con-ventions The CBD, for instance, has joint reporting formats with Ramsar on inland water ecosystems, and with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertifi cation (UNCCD) on dryland
biodiversity The joint reporting format for CBD and Ramsar is based on the following decisions:
• Ramsar Resolution X.11: quests the Secretariat and the Scientifi c Technical and Review Panel (STRP) to continue to cooperate with the CBD Sec-retariat, UNEP, and UNEP-WCMC in the development of
Re-a frRe-amework for hRe-armonized reporting on implementation on
Modular Approach to Reporting
Trang 22inland waters for the CBD and
the Ramsar Convention
• CBD Decision IX/19: Invites
the Ramsar Convention, UNEP
and UNEP-WCMC to continue
their joint work on harmonized
reporting between the Ramsar
Convention and the CBD
The joint reporting format is
or-ganised around the Ramsar reporting
format and indicator questions, which
cover institutional information;
sum-mary of national implementation; wise
(sustainable) use of wetlands; Wetlands
of International Importance;
interna-tional cooperation; and
implementa-tion capacity
Another approach to harmonizing
national reporting to MEAs is to
iden-tify and agree on information needs and
sources In the case of CBD and Ramsar
on the issue of inland water biodiversity,
the two conventions agreed on the use
• Internal information sources
(national reports, indicators)
• External information sources
(scientifi c institutions, NGOs)
• Identify the overlaps for Ramsar and CBD
• Potential decision: Who collects what information (harmonized but not joint reporting)
Online reporting is another proach, and this is used by the Indian Ocean – Southeast Asian (IOSEA) Marine Turtle Memorandum of Un-derstanding and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Mi-gratory Waterbirds (AEWA) The IO-SEA is an intergovernmental agreement that aims to protect, conserve, replenish and recover marine turtles and their hab-itats of the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asian region, working in partnership with other relevant actors and organisa-tions AEWA covers 255 species of birds ecologically dependent on wetlands for
ap-at least part of their annual cycle An line reporting facility is being developed for CMS and CITES This approach is particularly relevant since pooling web-based tools could facilitate harmoniza-tion of national reports
on-Preconditions for harmonisation
To make harmonization and lining of national reports work, some general conditions have to be met For
stream-instance, the purpose of national porting should be recognized and the reported information is used, or more importantly, that Parties understand how the information is being used.Preconditions should be met at both the national and global level:
re-Harmonization at the national level
• Focal points to conventions do cooperate
• Data-collecting institutions do cooperate
• Reporting is an output of mentation
imple-Harmonization at the global level
• Conventions agree on tion needs
informa-• Conventions agree on or develop joint information management systems
• Reporting cycles should not be a problem particularly if the core report approach or joint sum-mary reports (e.g for 2010) are used
• Continuing mandates from erning bodies
gov-• Key stakeholders encouragedNext steps for harmonization of national reporting at the global level will follow the implementation of various suggested approaches These include the use of joint reporting on inland waters developed by CBD and Ramsar The distribution of papers and outlining of experiences in the imple-mentation of streamlining approaches would provide inputs to decision mak-ing bodies, and this includes provid-ing papers on preconditions for har-monization of reporting to Parties to the CBD, CITES, CMS and Ramsar Convention, as well as feeding the Pa-cifi c Island Countries experience into governing bodies Recommendations
of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity workshop should also be made avail-able to governing bodies
The article is based on a presentation by Peter Herkenrath of the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre at the ASEAN Workshop on Harmonization of Reporting to Biodiversity-related Conven- tions held in Hanoi, Viet Nam, on 15-17 April 2009.
Trang 23ISSUE-BASED MODULES
FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION
OF MEAS
environmental agreements, and all these agreements carry many implementation requirements from articles, decisions and resolutions The challenge for accurate national reporting is awareness of all these provisions However, given the different conventions, these provisions are not
necessarily harmonized with the other conventions, even in areas where data requirements may be similar National experts thus face problems in communicating across conventions.
Trang 24Issues are divided into the following hierarchy:
The aim of developing issue-based
modules is to provide a reference tool for
Parties to have easy access to all their
ob-ligations and commitments from
inter-national environmental agreements for a
specifi c theme The objectives are to:
• Improve understanding of how
commitments on specifi c issues
(e.g protected areas) under
dif-ferent multilateral
environmen-tal agreements (MEAs) relate to
one another
• Demonstrate how
implemen-tation of agreements can be
strengthened through more
in-tegrated and cross-sectoral
infor-mation on specifi c issues
• Promote cooperation on
spe-cifi c issues between experts at
the national level working on
the implementation of different
MEAs
The process of developing these
modules includes providing structured
information on agreement
implementa-tion requirements by:
• Identifying and grouping
imple-mentation requirements on
spe-cifi c issues under different
agree-ments
• Translating this into practical
tools in the form of issue-based
modules
Some of the agreements
con-sidered include biodiversity-related
conventions such as the Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD), vention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), Con-vention on Migratory Species (CMS), Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar), and the World Heritage Convention (WHC) Regional agreements and other Rio conventions include the United Nations Framework Conven-tion on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
Con-National workshops were held in ious countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, where participants evaluated and reviewed the modules
var-Case studies and other examples have also been provided for their use in other countries
How can the modules help?
Based on experiences from the pilot countries, issue-based modules can con-tribute in the:
• Review and updating of versity-related legislation (con-servation, forestry, water)
biodi-• Checking compliance of national implementation
• Improved communication and cooperation among national ex-perts on different agreements
• Raising awareness of obligations/commitments under interna-tional law among the other min-istries and the public
• Development of education and public awareness initiatives
• Training of new staff in the istry or department of environ-ment
min-• Development of funding posals
Na-on invasive alien species, tected areas and wetlands
pro-The article is based on a presentation by Peter Herkenrath and Ines Verleye of the UNEP/IUCN Project at the ASEAN Workshop on Harmonization of Reporting
to Biodiversity-related Conventions held in Hanoi, Viet Nam on 15-17 April 2009.
Trang 25T he Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was
developed in the 1960s because of concerns over the destruction of wetlands and its impact
on waterbirds Despite the early development
of the convention, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in 2005 noted that the “degradation and loss of wetlands (both inland and coastal) is continuing more rapidly than for other ecosystems” The problem continues since economic development and land-use change are often prioritized over ecosystem maintenance Despite continued dependence on wetlands and other ecosystems for livelihoods and sustainable development, governments and communities continue to damage wetlands and other signifi cant ecosystems As such, there is a need for increased cross-sectoral attention to maintain ecosystem services for people.
ISSUES AND PROGRESS IN HARMONISATION
OF REPORTING
THE RAMSAR CONVENTION
Trang 26What is the Convention
and how does it help?
The Convention on
Wet-lands is the oldest of the global
environmental
intergovern-mental agreements, having been
established in 1971 in Ramsar
City, Iran It addresses all
wet-lands issues - from the
moun-tains to the sea – and covers:
• Inland wetlands:
marsh-es, lakmarsh-es, rivers,
peat-lands, and forested
wet-lands;
• Coastal and near-shore
marine systems: coral
reefs, mangroves,
estu-aries, etc to six m water depth;
and
• Human-made wetlands:
reser-voirs, dams, fi shponds, rice
pad-dy, etc
Currently, there are 159
Contract-ing Parties of the convention who are
committed to “the conservation and
wise use of all wetlands through local,
regional and national actions and
inter-national cooperation, as a contribution
towards achieving sustainable
develop-ment throughout the world.”
The Ramsar convention has three
‘pillars’ of implementation, namely:
• The “wise use” (sustainable use)
of all wetlands;
• Designation and management of
Wetlands of International
Impor-tance (Ramsar sites) - including
1836 wetland sites, totaling 172
million hectares; largest global
‘protected areas’ network; major
contribution to on-the-ground
delivery of CBD protected areas
programme of work; and
• International cooperation -
shared river basins,
transbound-ary wetlands, fl yway networks
for migratory waterbirds, and
sharing of information and
ex-pertise
The global hydrological cycle is
fundamental to wetlands, and
essen-tially means - “No water: No wetlands”
Wetlands also signifi cantly infl uence the
functioning of the hydrological cycle
and supply of water to people, and the
uses they make of it (e.g irrigation, ergy, transport and drinking) Almost all
en-of the world’s consumption en-of ter is drawn directly or indirectly from wetlands, thus this also signifi es the im-portance of wetlands - “No wetlands:
freshwa-No water.” Many other sectors depend
on wetlands, and the huge demand for wetland resources makes it necessary for people to treat wetlands as our “natural water infrastructure.”
The Millenium Ecosystem ment’s stark message has been rein-forced by the 4th Global Environment Outlook (GEO-4), which states that:
Assess-• 70 percent of available water is already taken by irrigation
• Meeting the Millenium opment Goal (MDG) on hun-ger will mean doubling food production by 2050
Devel-• While freshwater is declining, by
2025 water use is predicted to rise by 50 percent in developing countries, and 18 percent in the developed world
The report also stresses that “the escalating burden of water demand will become intolerable in water-scarce countries.” Major drivers of wetland loss and degradation include land-use change (land-claim), agricultural pres-sures and water resource pressures
Ramsar: Implementation guidance
Since 1971, the Convention has adopted a major suite of implementa-tion guidance for countries, most of
which were prepared by tifi c & Technical Review Panel (STRP) These are included in
Scien-17 Ramsar Wise Use books (3rd edition, 2007), and incorporated in CDs and the Ramsar website (www.ramsar.org) A 4th edition on Wise Use (including COP10 substantive new guidance) is currently un-der preparation
Hand-Collaboration between Ramsar and CBD
Since CBD COP3, Ramsar has been the lead implementa-tion partner for CBD on wet-lands since working with Ramsar allows for practical on-the-ground implemen-tation of CBD guidelines The CBD focuses on inland waters’ collabora-tion, but wetlands is a unifying theme across all CBD ecosystem Programmes
of Work, such as those on drylands, ricultural systems, forests, mountains, coastal/marine, and islands However, water as a cross-cutting theme is not recognised in CBD processes
ag-Collaboration is delivered through the the following: CBD and Ramsar COPs requesting specifi c activities; Joint Work Programme (JWP); Biodi-versity Liaison Group (BLG); Chairs
of scientifi c subsidiary bodies (CSAB); and the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP GEF project)
The collaboration between the two convention secretariats also developed from an initial recognition of common ground; through recommending/adopt-ing guidance from one Convention for use by the other (e.g CBD impact as-sessment guidelines) and to joint devel-opment of programmes and guidance These include the Ramsar collaboration
on revising CBD inland waters PoW and joint development and publication
of technical reports requested by Parties The collaboration between Ramsar and CBD has become widely recognised as
a model for inter-Convention tion
coopera-Some of the more current Ramsar lead work requested by CBD includes:
• Further development of criteria for identifying sites of interna-tional importance for wetland
Indirect impacts ecosystem
Coastal marine ecosystem
Subtarranean ecosystem
Terrestrial
Athmospheric ecosystem
Direct impacts
on terrestrial ecosystem
Indirect impacts
on terrestrial ecosystem
Indirect impacts
on atmospheric ecosystem (through evapo- transpiration cycle)
Aquatic ecosystem
Indirect impacts
on coastal marine ecosystem Indirect impacts
on aquatic ecosystem
Direct impacts
on atmospheric ecosystem
Indirect impacts
on aquatic
Indirect impacts
on marine ecosystem
Indirect impacts on coastal marine ecosystem
Direct impacts
on aquatic Indirect impacts
on subtarranean ecosystem Indirect impacts
on terrestrial ecosystem
Indirect impacts
on terrestrial ecosystem
Direct impacts
on subtarranean ecosystem Indirect impacts
on aquatic
Trang 27• Developing a joint framework
for reporting on inland waters
(also now looking at coastal
wet-land reporting); and
• In-depth review of CBD inland
waters Programme of Work
(PoW)
So far, the cooperation delivered has
mostly been at the global scale A key
condition for easier harmonised
nation-al reporting should be nationnation-al-scnation-ale
implementation collaboration
Ramsar national reporting
National Reports are prepared for
each COP, which is held every three
years There is a very high and
time-ly reporting rate (85-97 percent) to
Ramsar compared with other MEAs
There is a wealth of implementation
information for reporting to Ramsar
processes, as well as other MEAs
Ramsar National Reports also feature
implementation processes reporting
for each Strategic Plan Strategy and
Key Result Area Similar to the CBD
4th National Reports, the focus is
processes
4 Provide a means for Parties to be accountable against their obliga-tions under the Convention
5 Provide each Party with a tool
to help it assess and monitor its progress in implementation, and plan for its future implementa-tion and priorities
6 Provide an opportunity for ties to draw attention to their achievements during the trien-nium
Par-7 Provide data for assessment of
“indicators of effectiveness of Convention implementation.”
National reports are used by Ramsar
as inputs to reports to each COP on global, regional and thematic imple-mentation progress They also facilitate the analyses of Convention implemen-tation effectiveness, and are important information sources for reviewing CBD inland waters PoW – and other poten-tial CBD PoWs
Ramsar effectiveness indicators
There are eight “ecological
out-come-oriented” indicators of tion effectiveness which were requested
Conven-by COP8, and adopted Conven-by COP9 sessments are currently underway by the STRP, and preliminary fi ndings may be available by 2010 This can be used to contribute to the 2010 biodiver-sity indicators assessment, and perhaps
As-go beyond the assessment for the 2010 biodiversity target The assessment will essentially answer the following ques-tions:
• Is the Convention effective?
• Can it be effective if
1 Status/trend in the ecological feature – this includes the rate
of change of trend as compared
to the 2010 biodiversity target Data may also be global and dis-aggregated across regions, coun-
Ramsar National Reports – handling and analysis processes
on ecological status
report-ing This approach provides
more complementarity with
Ramsar reports In some
cas-es the size or complexity of
report format affects
report-ing rate However, a minimal
size may be suffi cient as long
as it provides the necessary
information for assessing and
reporting global and regional
trends in implementation
Ramsar national reports
serve seven main purposes:
1 Provide offi cial data
and information on
how the Convention
is being implemented
2 Capture
lessons/expe-riences to allow Parties
to develop future
ac-tion
3 Identify emerging
is-sues and
implementa-tion challenges faced
by Parties that may
re-quire further attention
“effectiveness indicators” assessment
STRP/Secretariat
effectiveness assessment report to next COP
NR information used as input to CBD inland waters PoW
in depth review
NR information used as input to other analysis – STRP
& others
2 years before COP
1 years before COP
6 months before COP
3 months before COP
3 months before COP
after COP
Provided to COP as information Papers – basis of COP discussions of implementation progress
Secretariat prepares
global/regional/thematic reports from NRF data & information
Secretariat enters all CP NRF
information into NR database
Secretariat generates
global/regional/thematic statistics
& lists from NR database
Trang 28tries, basins, fl yways, and others
2 Assessment of ecological trend/
trend index against range of
process-related implementation
indicators (as co-variates), from
Ramsar National Reports and
other sources such as National
Biodiversity Strategy and Action
Plan (NBSAP), length of Ramsar
membership, and others
In Step 1 in determining
ecologi-cal feature trends, some assessment has
been done for fi ve indicators:
• trend in wetland status
• trend in Ramsar site status
• frequency of threats affecting
Ramsar sites
• population trends of wetland
taxa (waterbirds)
• changes in threat status of
wet-land taxa (Red List wetwet-land-de-
wetland-de-pendent birds and mammals)
In Step 2, in the
pro-cess indicators assessment,
methods were developed
and tested for two
Initial results are
prom-ising since they identify
links between the extent
of national Ramsar
imple-mentation and state of
wetlands These provide
powerful stories for
Con-tracting Parties on setting
future implementation
pri-orities Some examples:
• Ecological status
trends - Parties
(COP10 National
Reports) reporting
that the need to
ad-dress adverse change
in the ecological
character of
wet-lands in 2005-2008
was less, the same or
greater than in the
previous triennium
• Ecological status
trends: waterbird populations – reports indicate that the pres-ence of “wetland-dependent”
species serve as proxy for land status and trends
wet-• The reports provide a 25-year time-period of global popula-tion trend assessments – starting
in the early-mid 1980s
• Shorebird population status sessment - a “population status index” shows a 2.6x faster rate of decline in recent years compared with the rate of decline between the 1980s and 1990s Thus, the the 2010 biodiversity target of
as-“signifi cantly reducing the rate
of decline” is not being met for shorebirds
Ramsar effectiveness indicators
- preliminary conclusions
Wetlands are in a relatively better
state if the Ramsar Convention is being implemented and there is a wider range
of types of implementation Developing and implementing a National Wetland Policy is a particularly important action National Wetland Policies have been part of COP National Reports since COP3 (1987) and there is a progressive trend of an increasing number of Con-tracting Parties (CPs) with a National Wetland Policy (or equivalent) in place Still, more has to be done since almost
60 percent of CPs have not yet adopted
a National Wetland Policy
A Ramsar indicators and CBD land waters review is currently under-way and will be reporting to the Sub-sidiary Body for Scientifi c, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) in
in-2010 The review will be using Ramsar National Report indicators and effec-tiveness indicator assessments
Regarding the CBD inland water
2010 targets and activities, Ramsar reporting and in-dicators have been used in
13 (62 percent) of 21 gets Additionally, Ramsar reporting speaks to CBD activities for Parties in the Programme of Work Ramsar is not directly re-porting to CBD targets on genetic diversity, sustain-able use and consumption, and benefit sharing The Ramsar 2009-2015 Stra-tegic Plan and Key Result Areas will be reviewed, and Ramsar will also consider including questions on oth-
er CBD inland water gets in the Ramsar COP11 National Report Format to increase levels of harmoni-sation in reporting
tar-The article is based on a presentation by Nick David- son, Deputy Secretary General
of the Ramsar Convention
on Wetlands, at the ASEAN Workshop on Harmonization
of Reporting to related Conventions held in Hanoi, Viet Nam on 15-17 April 2009.
Trang 29Biodiversity-D ue to the number of biodiversity-related
conventions, how can parties harmonize and streamline national reporting to such conventions?
In 2000, a workshop by the United Nations Environment Programme – World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) in Cambridge reviewed options to harmonize national reports To test these options, UNEP established four pilot projects to fi eld the harmonization concepts
of fi ve conventions, namely the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar), and the World Heritage Convention (WHC)
USING THE MODULAR APPROACH
INDONESIA
Trang 30Indonesia pilot project:
modular approach
To facilitate the UNEP-WCMC
project, the Government of Indonesia
(with the Ministry of Environment as
the lead) and UNEP signed a
Memo-randum of Understanding in 2001 The
pilot project was funded by the United
Kingdom and was assisted by
Main-Stream Environmental Consulting Pty
Ltd
The members of the national team
of experts who reviewed the progress of
the project and provided feedback were
from various ministries of the
govern-ment of Indonesia, including those in
charge of fi nance, environment, culture
and tourism, national education, and
the Indonesian Institute of Sciences
Held in 2002, the pilot project
consist-ed of three streams:
• Institutional arrangement
• Modular framework
• Data management
The primary objective of the project
is to eliminate duplicate reporting and
reduce the effort required for parties to
Convention/
Programme National Focal Point
WHC Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of
People’s Welfare MAB Indonesia Institute of Sciences
prepare and submit specifi c reports to the conventions
Institutional arrangement
Institutional responsibilities for menting the biodiversity-related conven-tions and the Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme were spread across four Min-istries and one Institution, which indicate the lack of an established coordination mechanism between the national focal points
imple-biodiversity committee, or a similar body,
to pursue more coordinated, effective, and effi cient implementation of conven-tions and programme It would be best that one Ministry be given an overall co-ordination role for national reporting
2 The approach taken to structure reporting themes are based on the articles of the CBD, since this is the most complex and comprehensive convention
3 The common themes among the conventions were identifi ed
by cross-checking the matrix of reporting themes
4 The modular framework was tended to house the information
in-of all four conventions and gramme to be one consolidated reporting matrix
pro-This arrangement presents a need
to establish a multi-stakeholder national
UNEP-WCMC Pilot Project
Trang 31Modular Reporting Approach
Modular Approach Design
Trang 32Modular Structure
Module
Number Reporting Theme CBD Ramsar WHC CITES MAB
1 ECOSYTEM OVERVIEWS 9
1.1 Biodiversity of inland water ecosystems 9
1.2 Marine and coastal biodiversity 9 9 1.3 Agricultural biodiversity 9
1.5 Biodiversity of dry and sub-humid lands 9
1.6 Biodiversity of mountain ecosystems 9 9
2 INSTITUTIONAL DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS
2.1 Convention Focal Points 9 9 9 9 9
2.2.1 Administrative Processes 9 9 9 9 2.2.2 Non-government consultative processes 9 9 9 2.2.3 Information management 9 9
3 COOPERATION
3.1 General cooperation – global and regional 9 9 9 9 3.2 Transboundary cooperation 9 9
3.3 Technical and scientifi c cooperation 9 9 9 9
4 GENERAL MEASURES FOR CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE
4.1 Strategies, policies and programmes 9 9 9 9 4.2 Integration conservation and sustainable use into sectoral and cross-sectoral programmes
11 COMMUNICATION, EDUCATION AND PUBLIC AWARENESS 9 9 9 9
12 IMPACT ASSSESSMENT AND MINIMIZING ADVERSE IMPACTS
12.1 Impact assessment procedures 9 9 9 12.2 Transboundary impacts 9 9
13 ACCESS TO GENETIC RESOURCES 9 9
14 ACCESS TO AND TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY 9 9
Trang 33Summary of Provided Themes/Sub-themes for Conventions Reporting
The modular approach benefi ts
na-tional reporting since it eliminates
du-plication of data and information, and
enhances effi ciency in terms of
infor-mation and data handling Key aspects
of the approach include a coordination
mechanism between the national focal
points Modular reporting does not
re-quire all conventions to have the same
reporting cycle, but it will reduce the
burden on the developing countries if the national reporting occurred in three
or four yearly cycles for all conventions
Developing countries also need fi cial and technical assistance to set up the systems
be operated as metadata “warehouse”
or common entry point for accessing biodiversity-related data
Trang 34for national purposes;
• Encourage integrated national
approaches and improve
infor-mation access and sharing
be-tween institutions; and
• Facilitate links to other
conven-tions and information sharing
between neighbouring
coun-tries
The study showed that it is
possi-ble to develop an overarching thematic
framework for modular reporting
which can accommodate requirements
of the CBD, CITES, Ramsar and
WHC The primary requirements for
the modular reporting approach are
in-stitutional coordination enhancement,
one data warehouse or clearing house,
and harmonized national reporting in
relation to modular themes
Obstacles faced in implementing
the concept of modular approach:
1 Implementation of the
modu-lar approach concept is
rela-Indonesian Biodiversity Clearing-House Mechanism
tively diffi cult since National Focal Points are not optimally coordinated and thus national reporting of all conventions was not done in a cohesive manner
2 There is a limitation in the pability to review every report-ing theme and then maintain the most current data and in-formation
ca-3 National reporting formats of all conventions continue to change
4 The Indonesian Biodiversity Clearinghouse Mechanism (CHM) does not fully function
to provide recommendations for the implementation of biodiversity-related
conventions Data sharing and ment through Indonesian Biodiversity CHM should be improved by provid-ing baseline information and updating data availability
manage-The following recommendations were made to the government of In-donesia at the conclusion of the pilot project:
1 Review institutional ments
arrange-2 Establish a formal committee involving all focal points of biodiversity-related conven-tions, and place the lead role
in one ministry to coordinate
a move to modular national reporting
3 Strengthen the NBIN/National Biodiversity CHM as metadata
“warehouse” and common try point
en-4 Continue data mapping cises to coordinate cohesive data collection and management
exer-5 Establish Biodiversity-related Data Management Task Force
to address data compatibility and to ensure data access and availability
The project also recommended that UNEP-WCMC:
1 Develop the modular reporting approach, not only in develop-ing countries but also in devel-oped countries to evaluate the method
2 Encourage convention iats to investigate their national reporting formats in order to harmonize reporting of all con-ventions
secretar-3 Draw attention to the issue
of human resource and time management when countries prepare national reports every three or four years
The article is based on a presentation
by Setyawan Warsono Adi, M.E; Yeri Permata Sari, M.Sc; and Badiah, M.Si at the ASEAN Workshop on Harmonization of Reporting to Biodiversity-related Conventions held in Hanoi, Viet Nam on 15-17 April 2009.
Universities
Universities
Local NGOs
Research institutes
other relevant local government institutes
Environmental Agency at North Sumatra Province
Environmental Agency at Province
Other Environmental Agency at Province level
Environmental Agency at Yogyakarta
MoA
MoF
MoHa MoMAF
Policy development Souce of dat & information
Policy development
at local level
Trang 35T he preparation of separate reports on the
implementation of different, but related, international treaties can represent a burden
on countries - particularly on countries with limited resources This is a problem faced by the government of Thailand, which is a signatory to four biodiversity related conventions, namely the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD), Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species (CITES), Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and World Heritage Convention (WHC) The country has yet to ratify the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) but has existing agreements to protect sea turtles.
EXPERIENCES IN HARMONISATION
OF REPORTS
TO MEAs
THAILAND
Trang 36Thailand signed the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD) at the
Unit-ed Nations Conference on
Environ-ment and DevelopEnviron-ment (UNCED) on
12 June 1992, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
After submitting their ratifi cation
in-strument in 2003, Thailand became the
188th Contracting Party to the CBD
on 29 January 2004 It has since
imple-mented various projects and activities in
support of the Convention
CBD National Report
Article 26 of the Convention on Biological Diversity states that “Each Contracting Party shall, at intervals to
be determined by the Conference of the Parties, present to the Conference of the Parties, reports on measures which
it has taken for the implementation of the provision of this Convention and their effectiveness in meeting the objec-tives of this Convention.” With the Of-
fi ce of Natural Resources and mental Policy and Planning (ONEP) in the lead, Thailand has produced three national reports to the CBD, and the fourth was submitted on 30 March 2009
Environ-The structure of the fourth national report is as follows:
Chapter I: Overview of Biodiversity Status, Trends and Threats
Chapter II: Current Status of tional Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans
Na-Chapter III: Sectoral and toral integration or mainstreaming of biodiversity consideration
cross-sec-Chapter IV: Conclusions Progress towards the 2010 Target and Imple-mentation of the Strategic PlanAppendix I: Information con-cerning reporting Party and preparation
of National ReportAppendix II: Further sources of information
Appendix III: Progress towards gets of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and Programme of Work
Tar-on Protected AreasAppendix IV: National indicators used on the report (optional)
The preparation of the 4th tional Report (4NR) required up-dating previous biodiversity status reports, which formed part of the annual environmental status report This required collecting updated information and data from the na-tional Clearing House Mechanism (CHM), scientific papers, proceed-ings, reports, newsletters, and others Data was also gathered from relevant agencies related to biodiversity such
Na-as the Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation; De-partment of Marine and Coastal Re-sources; and Department of Agricul-ture Brainstorming sessions were also held with biodiversity scientists and managers, and a peer review was con-ducted to help draft the biodiversity status report Discussions were also held with other stakeholders such as NGOs, business sector and other rel-evant organizations
In drafting the CBD 4NR, ONEP experienced problems with the harmo-
Focal Points to MEAs
Natinal Report Offi ce of Natural Resources and Environment Policy (ONEP)
Annual and Biennial Report National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department
National Report on the Implementation of the Convention on Wetlands
ONEP Thailand National Periodic Report Ministry of Culture
Reporting cycles
Trang 37nization of report categories, as well
as streamlining data for use in other
conventions There was also a need to
increase technical capabilities to help
manage data for the report
Thailand began initiatives to
har-monize reporting to the various MEAs
based on CBD 8th Conference of
Par-ties (COP 8) Decision VIII/14 in 2006
in Brazil The decision welcomed the
initiatives of fi ve biodiversity-related
conventions to encourage parties to
har-monize the gathering and management
of data for the biodiversity-related
con-ventions at the national level
Some of the measures used by
Thai-land to harmonize reporting at the
na-tional level include the:
• Development of National
Clear-ing House Mechanism (CHM)
• Conduct of national
consulta-tions and stakeholder meetings
to ensure reliable sources of data
and information
• Establishment of Joint
Commit-tee between concerned agencies
To harmonize national reports with
other global information, Thailand
hopes to use standard or common mation modules, and develop outcome-oriented reporting that goes beyond the
infor-2010 biodiversity target
CBD and CITES harmonized
The harmonization of reporting to the CBD and CITES stems from the following:
• Development of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) of the CBD
• Decision 14.15: The CITES Plants Committee shall col-laborate with the GSPC of the CBD especially regarding target
XI “No Species of Wild Flora Endangered by International Trade.”
• Other issues related to fl ora cies are included in the CITES Appendices, and the CITES Sec-retariat shall communicate the results of its work in the context
spe-of its MOU with the CBD retariat (Directed to the Plants Committee and the Secretariat)
Trang 38Sec-target 11, noting that CITES is actually contributing to many additional targets
of the GSPC, at least in part Therefore each of the 16 targets of the GSPC were examined to see where CITES work has contributed Based on this analysis, indicators or measures of achievement linking to the CITES Strategic Plan could be developed to demonstrate the considerable progress CITES is making towards achieving Target 11
Other organisations can contribute signifi cantly to the identifi cation of plant species threatened by trade, notably the International Union for the Conserva-tion of Nature (IUCN) through its Red List and Wildlife Trade Programme, and can develop solutions to ensure that trade is sustainable, working in partner-ship with CITES It was agreed that if CITES is to act effectively as the lead agency for Target 11, additional resourc-
es may need to be found Global ronment Facility (GEF) funding should
Envi-be sought, e.g for funding regional riodic reviews of species endangered by trade, and regional collaboration in or-der to achieve this target
pe-The article is based on Thailand’s Country Report presentation, and a presentation by Pirom Charoensri, CITES Management Authority of Thailand for Plants on CBD and CITES, at the ASEAN Workshop
on Harmonization of Reporting to Biodiversity-related Conventions held in Hanoi, Viet Nam on 15-17 April 2009.
CITES and GSPC
At the 13th Meeting of the CITES Plants Committee in 2003, CITES was identifi ed as the lead agency for target
11 of the CBD GSPC Therefore, the working group began considering the ex-tent to which CITES can contribute to
• CITES PC17 in April 2008
The harmonization of reports to
CBD and CITES focused on efforts in
the areas of:
• National Policy and Strategy –
including national action plans
and budgets, as well as Council
of Minister Resolutions
• Research and Monitoring –
ef-forts of the National Research
Institution and other research
organizations
• Implementation and Laws
Enforcement - the Thailand–
Wildlife Enforcement Network
(WEN) Action Plan on Trade in
Wild Fauna and Flora 2009 was
developed to conduct a
Wild-life Trade Review and establish
a CITES Enforcement Task
Force Network for Exchange of
Law Enforcement Information
Regarding Trade in Wild Fauna
Trang 39CASE STUDY ON ORCHID EXPORTS
LAO PDR
to better manage and trade valuable plant and animal species, many of which are signifi cant
being understood There is growing attention domestically and regionally on the over-harvesting of wild orchids from Lao PDR’s forested areas, many of which now exist as forest fragments and as forest areas within working farmscapes The Lao CITES Management and Scientifi c Authorities are concerned by reports of thousands of tons of orchids crossing the border each year to China in the north, and to Thailand in the south.
Recommendations for using the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora to increase sustainable orchid trade
By Assoc Prof VICHITH LAMXAY
Botanist, Department of Biology, Faculty of ScienceNational University of Laos1
This report is a product of the project “Piloting CITES Implementation in Lao PDR: Strengthening Institutions through Case Studies” Supported by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) This initiative was carried out by IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) and partners, including the National University of Laos and TRAFFIC, in 2007-2008.The initiative provided support to the Government of Lao PDR (GoL) to fulfi ll the international obligations that it committed to by acceding to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) on 30 May 2004.
1 The author may be contacted at vlamxay@yahoo.com.
2 Agrobiodiversity, according to the FAO, refers to “[t]he variety and variability of animals, plants and micro-organisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture, including crops, livestock, forestry and fi sheries”.
Trang 40Staff from the National University
of Laos, Faculty of Biology, and
mem-bers of the agribusiness community
are similarly concerned about the
de-creasing numbers of orchids found in
the country’s National Protected Areas
(NPAs)
Orchids are a potentially valuable
tradable resource for Lao farmers and
a good example of how commerce and
environmental management can work
together to provide a “green”
oppor-tunity for economic development, if
managed and regulated properly The
relevance and widespread interest in
orchid harvesting and trade for upland
farming communities makes it an ideal
case study for improving CITES
imple-mentation
The GoL has been working to
im-plement CITES since it became a party
to the convention in 2004 With
techni-cal assistance from IUCN Lao PDR, the
Government has identifi ed a Scientifi c
and a Management Authority and put
in place a National Wildlife Law (revised
in 2008), as per the requirements of the
convention IUCN has also assisted
with the implementation by translating
and producing copies of the
conven-tion in the Lao language; coordinating
a CITES implementation workshop for Customs, Police and Forestry offi cers;
publishing a CITES implementation manual; producing relevant scientifi c and policy briefs; and assisting with multi-stakeholder preparations for the 14th Conference of Parties (CoP)
With the CITES awareness-raising activities completed and with renewed national mobilization for institutional implementation of the convention at the central level, the GoL and IUCN Lao PDR are entering into a new phase
of CITES implementation This quires an intensifi ed mobilization of technical resources and coordination of
re-a wide rre-ange of stre-akeholders, yet offers
an opportunity for real change in tutional processes toward meeting the objectives of the convention
insti-Objective of this study
The objective of this case study is to present the Lao CITES Management and Scientifi c Authorities with recommenda-tions on how to implement and enforce CITES in a way that improves regula-tion and offers incentives for fostering a sustainable orchid industry in Lao PDR that cultivates, produces and exports or-chids in line with the convention
Orchids and the orchid trade in Lao PDR
Status of information
on orchid species
Orchids can be terrestrial herbs (growing on the ground), epiphytic plants (growing on trees or rocks), sap-rophytic herbs (growing on raw humus), and occasionally vines, with rhizomes, corms (pseudo bulbs, i.e underground bulb-shaped stems) or root tubers Or-chids as a species feature many beautiful colored fl owers
The Orchidaceae family includes
775 genera and 19,500 species around the world Thailand is home to 162 genera and 1,100 species, Viet Nam has
142 genera and 751 species, and bodia has 61 genera and 164 species In Lao PDR, 85 genera and 335 species have been identifi ed so far3
Cam-The current checklist of orchids grew out of a UNESCO project entitled
“Systematic Study of the Wild Orchids
in Lao PDR and their Conservation”
The fi rst project was carried out ing 2005 and 146 wild orchids were identifi ed4 The some 700 living orchid samples, collected in various localities in Lao PDR, formed the basis of the fi rst
dur-3 Schuiteman, A and E.F de Vogel 2000 Orchid Genera of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam.
4 Bouakhaykhone, Svensuksa and Vichith Lamxay 2005 Field Guide: The Wild Orchids of Lao PDR.