Conserving AHPs Through Regional Cooperation docx

In Article 6 General Measures for Conservation and Sustainable use of the Con-vention on Biological Diversity, it states that each Contracting Party Na-shall “develop national strategies

letters, articles, suggestions and photos are

welcome and should be addressed to:

Head, Public Affairs

ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB)

Headquarters:

3F ERDB Bldg Forestry Campus

university of the Philippines los Baños

College, laguna, Philippines

Telefax: +63-49.536-2865

E-mail: contact.us@aseanbiodiversity.org

Website: www.aseanbiodiversity.org

ACB Annex:

Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center

North Avenue, Diliman,

Disclaimer: Views or opinions expressed

herein do not necessarily represent any official

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

Disclaimer: This publication has been developed with the assistance of the European union The contents

of this publication is the sole responsibility of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity and does not reflect the views of the European union

Winning formula

I’ve been a netizen for some time now and I turn to Yahoo and Google each time I want to learn more about almost anything under the sun and

to get vicarious experience, among other things, from the adventures detailed in the blogs of fellow nature lovers But you better believe it when I say that ASEAN Biodiversity is

“disrupting” that habit For

one thing, your magazine

is not only a compact and one-stop shop for readers wishing to know who’s who and what’s going on where

in the region’s biodiversity affairs; it is also a trea-sure trove of ideas for pilferage, if you may, for people like me who are tasked

to look for environment and natural resource conservation areas “worth dying for.”

As a publications student myself,

I think your magazine struck a ning formula in terms of reader appeal and content for enticing lay people

win-and hard-nosed academics alike to get interested in biodiversity Personally, every time I get a new copy, the scent

of its pages, the feast of colors it fers, and the expectation of discovery

of-and new learning it evokes, all combine to resurrect the delicious feeling that I used

to get as a child when (to keep us from chasing drag-onflies, catching tadpoles from the carabao pond, or climbing starapple trees too much) my mom bought, borrowed or rented for us kids komiks or when (after

a week-long absence due

to his teaching assignment

in a faraway school) father brought home a new book and I always won wars with

my sisters as to who would read the komiks or the book first

Charles P Castro

Freelance ENRM Consultant

88 Amistad Road, Camp 7Baguio City, Philippinescharlzcastro@yahoo.com

The Next Issue

For the first issue of 2008 – January-March,

we will highlight articles relating to the tional Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) of each ASEAN Member Country For some AMCs especially those without biodiver-sity laws, NBSAPs are important frameworks that would guide their biodiversity conservation activities In Article 6 (General Measures for Conservation and Sustainable use) of the Con-vention on Biological Diversity), it states that each Contracting Party

Na-shall “develop national strategies , plans and programmes for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity or adapt for this purpose existing strategies, plans or programmes which reflect, inter alia, the measures set out

in this Convention relevant to the Contracting Party concerned.”

Other articles to be included are: State of biodiversity in the ASEAN; how ACB addresses and intends to address biodiversity issues in Southeast Asia; and the regular features on profiles of ASEAN Heritage Sites and other pro-tected areas

Volume 6, Numbers 3 & 4  July-December 2007

From the Desk

Conserving AHPs Through

Regional Cooperation 4

Biodiversity News 5

Programme of Work

on Protected Areas:

Progress and Prospects 8

ASEAN Heritage Parks

Country Reports 11-27

ASEAN Guidelines on Competence

Standards for Proteced Area Jobs:

A Tool for Developing Capacity

Building Programme for

AHP Staff 28

Status of Marine Protected

Areas in Southeast Asia 31

Integrating Fisheries and Habitat

Management in the uNEP/GEF

Habitat Demonstration Sites 33

The Kinabalu Action Plan 35

ACB’s Biodiversity Information Management:

Moving Information Forward 37

Scaling up: Protecting the Global Centre of Marine Biodiversity

in the Coral Triangle 38

Establishing Regional Standards

in Protected Area Management 53

Community Conserved Areas and Indigenous Peoples Take the Spotlight 54

Surfing the Web of Life 55

Roadshows Help Increase ACB Visibility in ASEAN 56

Workshop Discusses Peatland Conversion and Biodiversity 58

Determining Risks from GMOs and lMOs

What are GMOs and how do they affect biodiversity? 59

Sharing Data to Save Biodiversity in Southeast Asia 60

11

17

31

From the Desk

This issue features some articles and reports

about ASEAN Heritage Parks and other

protected areas, their importance to the

con-servation and sustainable use of biodiversity

resources of Southeast Asia (SEA), and the

issues and threats that need to be addressed

These Heritage Parks embody the aspirations

of the peoples of Brunei Darussalam,

Cambo-dia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar,

the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet

Nam to conserve their natural heritages that

represent the bounty and diversity of living

organisms of their nations The abundant and diverse

biological resources protected through the AHPs ensure

the continuous flow of goods and ecosystems services for

the present and future generations, not only of the region

but globally as well

The ASEAN Declaration on Heritage Parks and

Re-serves was signed on 29 November 1984 by six ASEAN

Member Countries (AMCs) - (Brunei Darussalam,

In-donesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand),

and 11 sites in four countries were first listed Then in

2003, the Governments of the the 10 AMCs revised

the 1984 Declaration as they all agreed that “common

cooperation is necessary to conserve and manage the ASEAN Heritage Parks for the development and implementation of regional conservation and management action plans as well as regional mechanisms complementary to national efforts

to implement conservation measures.” With

the signing of the 2003 ASEAN Declaration

on Heritage Parks on 18 December 2003, the number of AHPs declared was increased from 11 to 27 (Please see the list of AHPs below)

Furthermore, in light of the global grammes and directions adopted during the 5th World Parks Congress in South Africa in 2003 and also in compliance with the Programme of Work (PoW) on PAs

pro-of the 7th Conference pro-of Parties (COP) pro-of the CBD, the AMCs through the heads of the PAs and other authori-ties saw the need to review the AHP Programme and re-assess their programmes of activities

The 2nd ASEAN Heritage Parks Conference was thus conducted back-to back with the 4th Regional Confer-ence for Protected Areas in Southeast Asia on 23 – 27 April 2007 in Sabah, Malaysia During the Conference, Conserving AHPs Through Regional Cooperation

n leuser National Park

n Kerinci Seblat National Park

n lorentz National Park

lAo PDR

n Nam Ha Protected Area

MAlAySIA

n Kinabalu National Park

n Mulu National Park

n Taman Negara National Park

MyANMAR

n Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park

n Inlay lake Wildlife Sanctuary

n Indawgyi lake Wildlife Sanctuary

n Khakaborazi National Park

n lampi Marine National Park

n Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary

PHIlIPPINES

n Mt Apo National Park

n Mts Iglit-Baco National Park

SINGAPoRE

n Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

THAIlAND

n Ao-Phangnga – Mu Koh Surin –

Mu Koh Similan Marine National Parks

n Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex

n Khao yai National Park

n Tarutao National Park

VIET NAM

n Ba Be National Park

n Chu Mom Ray National Park

n Hoang lien Sa Pa National Park

n Kon Ka Kinh National Park

THE ASEAN HERITAGE PARKS

Turn to page 61

Protect deep sea

ecosystems!

December 29 – A study by

Roberto Danovaro of the

Poly-technic university of Marche, in

Italy shows that the

function-ing of deep sea ecosystems

is closely dependent upon the

number of species inhabiting the

ocean floor There is little data

on the effects of biodiversity

loss on the ocean floor, despite

the fact that the deep sea

covers 65% of the Earth and

is the most important

ecosys-tem for the cycling of carbon,

nitrogen, and phosphorus of the

biosphere The deep sea also

supports the largest “biomass”

of living things, including a

large proportion of undiscovered

species The study examined the

biodiversity of nematode worms

and several independent

indica-tors of ecosystem functioning

and efficiency at 116 deep-sea

sites Nematodes are the most

abundant animals on earth and

account for more than 90% of

all life at the bottom of the sea

The study found that sites with

a higher diversity of nematodes

support exponentially higher rates

of ecosystem processes and an

increased efficiency with which

those processes are performed

Efficiency reflects the ability

of an ecosystem to exploit the

available energy in the form of

food sources The study shows

the need to preserve biodiversity,

especially deep-sea biodiversity,

because otherwise the negative

consequences could be

unprec-edented It is important to care

about species that are far and

essentially invisible – Cell Press

Thailand can support

more tigers

December 28 – Thailand’s parks

and wildlife reserves could hold

up to 2,000 wild tigers if the

government steps up efforts to

control poaching The country’s

Western Forest Complex,

cover-ing 18,000 km 2 of protected

jungle habitat, currently holds

720 tigers, according to a

study by Thailand’s Department

of National Park, Wildlife, and

Plant Conservation and the New

york-based Wildlife Conservation

Society (WCS) However, the

area could support more tigers

as long as the government keeps its remaining forests intact and beefs up its anti-poaching efforts The number of tigers across Asia has decreased from 100,000 more than 150 years ago to only about 5,000 today

Threats come from habitat loss and poachers who sell the skins and body parts of tigers to booming medicinal and souvenir markets mostly in China The WCS stated that Thailand hosts some of the biggest tiger traf- fickers in the region, and there

is no chance for tigers to come back until those traffickers are

put behind bars – WWF

Barcoding an entire Ecosystem

an ambitious project to create a comprehensive inventory of all non-microbial life on the island

Supported by a $5.2 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Moorea Biocode Project is the first effort to cata- log and barcode an entire tropical ecosystem, from the bottom

of the ocean to the top of the mountains The researchers are constructing a library of genetic markers and physical identifiers for every species of plant, animal and fungi on the island, and will make the database publicly avail- able as a resource for ecologists and evolutionary biologists around the world Additional information about the Moorea Biocode Project

peatland areas can be a

cost-ef-fective way to reduce as much

as 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions according to a report coordinated by the Global Environment Center Peatlands are wetland ecosystems that accumulate plant material over time to form layers of peat soil

up to 20 meters thick and store

an average of 10 times more carbon per hectare than other ecosystems Peatlands are also home to a large share of the world’s freshwater resources and are critical in the conservation

of endangered species However, destruction of peatlands emits more than 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide—equivalent to 10% of global emissions from fossil fuels The new report is the first-ever assessment of the relationship between peatlands, biodiversity and climate change

on a global level The authors urge the integration of wetlands conservation into climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies since investments in peatland protection and restora- tion can be up to 100 times more cost-effective than other carbon sequestration measures

– Worldwatch Institute

Study reveals severe decline of Europe’s common birds

December 26 – The State of

Europe’s Common Birds 2007 says that almost half (45%)

of Europe’s common birds has declined over a 26-year period

The report’s analysis of 124 of Europe’s common birds, published

by the European Bird Census Council, RSPB and Birdlife International, has revealed that

56 species of Europe’s birds declined across 20 European countries between 1980 and

2005 Of the 10 common birds showing the greatest declines, five are farmland birds such as

the crested lark, which declined

by 95%, and the lapwing, whose numbers more than halved Seven are regular nesting birds

in the uK, and include the lesser spotted woodpecker, which has suffered an 81% decline, the grey partridge, a 79% decline, and turtle dove, whose numbers are down by 62% Intensifica- tion of farming is thought to be the main cause of the decline

– Environment News Network

Traditional medicinal plants fast disappearing

December 19 – Poor collection

controls are threatening the survival of many plant species used in traditional and modern medicines Some estimate that 15,000 of the 50,000 — 70,000 plant species used for medicinal purposes and mostly collected from the wild may be threatened,

as a direct result of able collection practices To ad- dress the problem, the new Inter- national Standard for Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (ISSC-MAP) has been produced by the IuCN-SSC Medicinal Plant Specialist Group, TRAFFIC (the wildlife monitoring network), WWF Germany and the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), with support from IuCN-Canada The document is designed to help the people involved in the harvest, management, trade, manufac- ture and sale of wild-collected medicinal and aromatic plant resources to understand and comply with the conditions under which sustainable collection of these resources can take place

unsustain-– WWF

Urban farming needed to adapt to climate change

December 19 – The World

Meteorological Organization urged Asian nations to invest more in urban and indoor farming to help feed the hundreds of millions of people in their growing cities Climate change has affected the production cycle making it necessary to improve sea- sonal prediction, early warning systems, and monitoring for regional droughts, to help farm- ers decide which crops to grow There is also growing interest

Photo by Elizabeth Kemp, courtesy of WWF-Canon

Photo courtesy of RSPB

Numbers of the Grey Partridge have fallen by 79% since 1980.

in indoor and urban agriculture

to secure food supplies Of the

10 countries most affected by

extreme weather in 2006, seven

were Asian Afghanistan, China,

India, Indonesia, North Korea, the

Philippines and Vietnam These

countries will likely face more

weather, climate and water

prob-lems in the future – Reuters

servationists to estimate the distribution of birds may vastly underestimate the actual popula- tion size of threatened species and those with specific habitats, according to a study published in Conservation Biology The study found that species ranges tend

to get overestimated, and this trend is particularly pronounced for birds that are threatened, rely on specialized diets or have small habitats This suggests that many threatened species

of birds may be even rarer and are in greater danger of going

extinct – University of California

- San Diego

More than 1 billion trees planted in 2007

December 10 – The United

Nations announced that it had reached its goal of planting 1 billion trees in 2007 through its Billion Tree Campaign The campaign is a sign of the response to climate change, the penultimate challenge for the current generation Half of the participants in the uN plantings were private citizens or house- holds planting as many as three trees, while the private sector

planted roughly 13% –

World-watch Institute

Bird extinctions to rise with climate change

December 6 – Rising

tem-peratures have forced habitats and species to move to higher elevations, and soon there will

be nowhere else to go Habitats will simply vanish, and species will go extinct By 2100, climate change could cause up to 30%

of land-bird species to go extinct worldwide These are the results

of a study of extinction rates that incorporated climate change scenarios set forth in the reports

of the Intergovernmental Panel

on Climate Change (IPCC) The

researchers modeled changes

to the elevational limits of the ranges of more than 8,400 species of land birds using

60 scenarios The scenarios consisted of various combinations

of surface warming projections from the 2007 IPCC report, habitat loss estimates from the

2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (an evaluation of the planet’s ecosystems by 1,360 experts around the world), and several possibilities of shifts in elevational range limits Increas- ing habitat loss exacerbates the effects of climate change because organisms seeking more suitable conditions will be less likely to find intact habitats A worst case scenario of 6.4 0 C warming was used, but even with an intermediate 2.8 0 C warming, 400 to 550 land-bird

extinctions are expected –

Stan-ford University

1,000th rare whale shark identified

in Mozambique

November 28 – The 1,000th

whale shark, a rare and ened species, has been discov- ered by researchers of ECOCEAN,

threat-a globthreat-al progrthreat-amme ththreat-at trthreat-acks individual whale sharks around the world’s oceans using a Web- based photo-ID library (www whaleshark.org) which catalogues each whale’s unique spots Par- ticipation in the ECOCEAN library has increased dramatically in recent years It took three years

to identify the 500th shark but only one additional year to reach 1,000 ECOCEAN’s Web site tells readers how to photograph a whale shark, warning swimmers

to stay at least three meters (10 feet) from the shark for fear of upsetting it It also explains how

to photograph the left and right side spot patterns above the pec- toral fins, which create a unique

“bodyprint,” for identification

The data will help determine their numbers, movements and identify critical breeding and feeding grounds that need to be protected This will build a better understanding of this threatened species and help save the largest fish in the ocean from extinction

– Reuters

Sea turtles can recover

December 18 – A study in the

journal Global Ecology and

Bioge-ography states that the

conser-vation of sea turtle nesting sites

is paying off for the endangered

reptiles Researchers from IuCN

and Conservation International

found that green turtles (Chelonia

mydas) nesting on four beaches

in the Pacific and two beaches

in the Atlantic have increased by

4 – 14% annually over the past

two to three decades as a result

of beach protection efforts This

shows that green turtle

popula-tions can be recovered in spite

of drastic population declines in

the past long-term protection of

habitats and reduction of survival

threats are working, and

endan-gered species can be recovered

– mongabay.com

Acid seas threaten

coral reefs

December 18 – New research

claims that in less than 50

years, oceans may be too acidic

for coral reefs to grow because

of carbon emissions from the

burning of fossil fuels by

hu-mans And unless still rising

car-bon dioxide emissions fall in the

near future, existing reefs could

all be dying by 2100 The first

casualties will include Australia’s

Great Barrier Reef, the world’s

largest coral expanse, and the

Caribbean reefs – Reuters

Threatened birds may

be rarer than geographic

range maps suggest

December 10 – Geographic

range maps that allow

con-Asian nations face

“unprecedented”

water crisis

November 29 – The Asian

Development Bank released

the “Asian Water Development

Outlook,” which warned that

developing countries in Asia

could face an “unprecedented”

water crisis within a decade due to mismanagement of water resources The effects of climate change, rapid industrialization and population growth on water resources could lead to health and social issues that could cost billions of dollars annually The report, written by a team of water specialists, covers Bangla- desh, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Samoa, Sri lanka and Vietnam The ADB report recommends major changes in water governance practices, and learning from successful models such as in Singapore and Cambodia which had improved monitoring of water consumption

run-decades and Indonesia, Thailand,

Vietnam and the Philippines are

now in the top 12 fish-producing

countries in the world Increasing

numbers of fishers and more

ef-ficient fishing gear are increasing

the capacity of fishing fleets but

severely depleting fish stocks

Although Southeast Asian

fisher-ies are serviced by a plethora of

regional bodies and agreements,

few have acted effectively on

illegal fishing and shared stock

management – Reuters

UN expert seeks

moratorium on biofuels

october 26 – The United Nations

Special Rapporteur on the right to

food called for a five-year

mora-torium on biofuels, saying it was

a “crime against humanity” to

convert food crops to fuel Fears

over climate change have boosted

the demand for alternative fuels,

but the rise of biofuel has been

criticized by some who say it

uses land needed for food A

moratorium would allow scientists

to develop ways to make biofuels

from other crops, without

divert-ing land from food production

october 18 – WWF-Brazil joined

eight other Brazilian mental organizations to launch a pact to reduce deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon to zero by 2015

non-govern-The pact proposes to reduce forestation by adopting a system

de-of reduction targets through nomic mechanisms, mainly based

eco-on the payment for envireco-onmental services Scientists estimate that approximately 17% of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest has already been destroyed High deforestation rates are leading to an accelerated depletion of biodiversity and are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions The new pact is pushing for a 25% deforestation rate drop in the first year com- pared to the 1,400,000 hectares

of forest lost in 2005-2006, and

an overall reduction in tion of 6,873,780 hectares in

a black-and-white crest) migrates

to eastern Chinese coasts between May and September

A Chinese survey conducted over recent successive breeding seasons found that the number

of crested terns had fallen to 50 birds, about half the population found three years ago, according

to Birdlife International The group warns that the crested tern could become extinct in five years if protection efforts are

not stepped up – Associated

Press

“Mutual feedbacks maintain both

genetic and species diversity in

a plant community”, which is

one of the first studies to show that genetic diversity and species diversity depend on each other The study offers clues to how these losses relate to one anoth-

er information that is essential

as scientists and land managers strive to protect the remaining

natural variation – Environmental

News Network

More than 15,000 species face extinction

September 12 – The World

Con-servation union announced that 16,306 species are threatened with extinction, and are now in- cluded in the IuCN Red list The result came after an assessment

of 41,415 species all over the world Critically endangered spe- cies include the Western lowland Gorilla, which is declining due

to the Ebola virus and cial hunting The yangtze River dolphin is possibly extinct due

commer-to developments in the yangtze river system including changes in river flows due to dams, pollu- tion, over-fishing, use of electric shocks to fish, and heavy river

traffic – IUCN

Demand decimates Myanmar wildlife

September 8 – Besides rows of

fruit, vegetables and cheap tic sandals, the Mong la market

plas-in Myanmar offers a grisly array

of animal parts, as well as many live specimens Bear paws and gall bladders, elephant tusks and chunks of hide, tiger and leopard skins, as well as big cat teeth and deer horn are all openly on display next to crudely welded cages of live macaques, cobras, Burmese Star Tortoises and pan- golins These creatures, some of which are critically endangered, are destined for exotic animal restaurants in China Food stalls

oceans soaking

up less Co 2

october 20 – A 10-year

study by researchers from the

university of East Anglia has

shown that the uptake of CO2

by the North Atlantic ocean

halved between the mid-1990s

and 2002-2005 There is also

evidence of a slowdown in the

uptake of CO2 by the Southern

ocean The scientists based their

findings on data collected by

merchant ships fitted with

equip-ment to automatically measure

the levels of carbon dioxide in

the water The oceans are one

of two major carbon “sinks”

for CO2 emissions, the other

being the land biosphere, which

together absorb about half of all

CO2 emitted into the atmosphere

If the oceans soak up less

CO2, it means CO2 levels in the

Philippines bans fishing

to revive biggest reef

october 2 – The Philippines has

tightened laws banning fishing and collecting of species on the 27,400-hectare Apo Reef to help

it recover from near tion located off the coast of Mindoro, Apo Reef was severely damaged by heavy fishing, and

destruc-by dynamite and cyanide, which left only a third of coral cover

by the early 1990s A ban on fishing in 1994 has helped restore some of the reef so that around half is now alive Now the reef has been declared a

‘no-take zone’ to allow the reef and the various species around

it ample time to recover from years of fishing The marine park would be opened for tourists

to help generate funds for its protection as well as provide an alternative livelihood for hundreds

of fishermen in the area Some endangered species are returning

to the reefs, such as scalloped hammerhead sharks, manta and eagle rays, whale shark and sperm whales, which indicate

biodiversity levels – Reuters

The link between genetic and species diversity

September 26 – Human

ac-tivities are eliminating biological diversity at an unprecedented rate, which is critical when one considers that variation in plants and animals gives us a rich and robust assemblage of foods, med- icines, industrial materials and recreation activities Diversity within a species is necessary to maintain diversity among species, and at the same time, diversity among species is necessary

to maintain diversity within a species And if any one type is removed from the system, the cycle can break down, and the community becomes dominated

by a single species These sults are found in a paper called

re-extinction Cloning animals involves taking the nuclei of cells from adults and fusing them into other egg cells that are implanted into a surrogate mother Malaysian agricultural and veterinary experts will join scientists in domestic and for- eign universities on the five-year project The cloning procedure would first be carried out on green turtles, which are abun- dant in Malaysia’s northeastern state of Terengganu, where the leatherbacks nest Rantau Abang in Terengganu used to

be the nesting home of one of the seven largest leatherback populations in the world but its population has declined by more than 99% percent since the

1960s leatherbacks

(Dermo-chelys coriacea) get their name

from their leathery carapace, and have distinctive long front flippers Threats include the loss

of nesting and feeding places, excessive egg-collection, fatal entangling in fishing nets, pol- lution and coastal development

– Reuters

in the market openly advertise

dishes of pangolin or black bear

Wildlife experts believe that most

of the specimens come from

Myanmar’s still vast tracts of

virgin forest, and some come

from as far as India – Reuters

Asian farm animals

face extinction

September 3 – “The State

of the World’s Animal Genetic

Resources” compiled by the Food

and Agriculture Organization,

(FAO), which surveyed farm

animals in 169 countries,

showed that many breeds

of African, Asian, and latin

American livestock are at risk

of extinction Since nearly 70%

of the world’s remaining unique

livestock breeds are found in

developing countries, scientists

called for the rapid establishment

of genebanks to conserve the

sperm and ovaries of key animals

critical for the global population’s

future survival The report says

that an over-reliance on just a

few breeds of farm animal

spe-cies, such as high-milk-yielding

Southeast Asia (SEA) is significant to global biodiversity because

it contains 40% of all species on Earth despite covering only 3% of the world’s surface It includes three mega-diversity countries (Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines), several biogeographical units (e g., Malesia, Wallacea, Sundaland, Indo-Burma and the Central Indo-Pacific), and numerous centres of concentration of restricted-range bird, plant and insect species

Saving the ASEAN Dream is a testament to the

richness of the region’s biodiversity, as well as an illustration of numerous threats to local resources

Saving the ASEAN Dream provides information on the

significance of biodiversity, the wealth of habitats, species and ecosystems of the SEA, and various threats to the environment The video also highlights the formation of the ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHPs) Programme and the need for trans-boundary cooperation It includes video vignettes on the wonders and dangers faced by specific species, habitats and AHPs It was produced by the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (now the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity) with the support of the European union

Available in DVD and VCD format To get a copy, log on to www.aseanbiodiversity.org.

Holstein-Friesian cows, egg-laying White leghorn chickens, and fast-growing large White pigs, is causing the loss of an average of one livestock breed every month

The black-and-white Friesian dairy cow, for example,

Holstein-is now found in 128 countries and in all regions of the world

An astonishing 90% of cattle

in industrialized countries come from only six very tightly defined breeds Setting up genebanks is

a first important step towards

a long-term insurance policy for livestock Individual countries are already conserving their unique animal genetic resources

– Reuters

2008 is the year

of the Frog

August 31 – Conservationists

have declared 2008 the year

of the Frog to highlight the campaign to save threatened amphibians from extinction The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) said that

up to half of amphibian species could be wiped out in coming years through habitat loss and climate change WAZA also set

up an Amphibian Ark captive breeding programme, which will bring priority amphibian species into dedicated facilities at zoos, aquariums, and other institutions around the world for safekeeping and breeding The IuCN- World Conservation union, which is taking part in the Amphibian Ark programme, said that 1,856

of the 5,743 known amphibian species were threatened with

extinction – Reuters

Malaysia to clone threatened turtles

July 12 – Malaysia is launching

a $9 million project to try to clone some of its threatened leatherback Turtles in a last- ditch bid to save them from

n By PETER SHADIE, CBD Secretariat

PROTECTED areas (PAs) are

an extremely important part

of programmess to conserve

biodiversity and ecosystems,

espe-cially for sensitive habitats Recent

assessments have shown that at the

global and regional scales, the

cur-rent PAs, while essential, are not

sufficient for the conservation of the

as enforcement is difficult and much of the world’s oceans lie outside national jurisdictions

Based on a survey of management effectiveness of a sample of nearly 200 PAs in 34 countries, only 12% was found to have implemented an ap-proved management plan The assess-ment concluded that PA design, legal establishment, boundary demarcation, resource inventory, and objective set-

the lowest appropriate level has led

to decentralization in many parts of the world, with variable results The key to success is a strong institution at all levels, with security of tenure and authority at the lower levels essential

to providing incentives for sustainable management

As part of the preparatory cess that led to the adoption of the Programme of Work (PoW) in 2004,

pro-PROGRAMME OF WORK ON PROTECTED AREAS:

full range of biodiversity PAs need

to be better located, designed, and

managed to deal with problems like

lack of representativeness, impacts of

human settlements within protected

areas, illegal harvesting of plants and

animals, unsustainable tourism, effects

of invasive alien species, and

vulner-ability to global change

Marine and freshwater ecosystems

are even less protected than terrestrial

systems, leading to increasing efforts

to expand PAs in these biomes

Ef-forts to expand marine PAs are also

spurred by strong evidence of positive

synergies between conservation within

PAs and sustainable use right outside

their boundaries However, marine PA

management poses special challenges,

ting were relatively well addressed

The design and management of PAs will need to consider the impacts

of climate change Changes in climate will increase the risk of extinctions

of certain species and change the nature of ecosystems Current species conservation plans may incorporate adaptation and mitigation aspects for this threat

Governance approaches to support biodiversity conservation and sustain-able use are required at all levels, with supportive laws and policies developed

by central governments providing the security of tenure and authority essential for sustainable management

at lower levels The principle that biodiversity should be managed at

the World Parks Congress (WPC) was held in September 2003, which

is considered as the “largest gathering

of PA experts.” Its outputs include

the Durban Accord and Action Plan that contains a vision statement for PAs in the 20th Century and broad implementation mechanisms At the WPC, the Convention on Biologi-cal Diversity (CBD) Secretariat also expressed the need to undertake the following: identify and fill gaps in the existing global PA system; insti-tute mechanisms to ensure necessary participation and equitable sharing

of PA benefits; and create enabling conditions for PA management such

as a well-managed system, ate institutional and human capacity,

appropri-sound policy, legal framework, and

adequate financial support

The Conference of the Parties

(CoP) to the CBD, at its seventh

meeting in 2004, adopted the PoW

for PAs with the overall objective of

establishing and maintaining, by 2010

for terrestrial areas and by 2012 for

marine areas, a “comprehensive,

effec-tively managed and ecologically

repre-sentative systems of protected areas” that,

collectively, will significantly reduce

the rate of loss of global biodiversity

Implementation of the PoW for PAs

is expected to contribute to the three

objectives of the Convention, its

strategic plan, the 2010 biodiversity

target, and the poverty alleviation and

sustainable development targets of the

Millennium Development Goals

The PoW elements are: 1) Direct

actions for planning, selecting,

estab-lishing, strengthening, and managing

PA systems and sites; 2) Governance,

participation, equity and benefit

shar-ing; 3) Enabling activities; and 4)

Stan-dards, assessment, and monitoring

Element 1 primarily deals with

what PA systems need to conserve and

where; Elements 2 and 3 cover how

to implement PA systems effectively,

including issues such as the policy

environment, governance,

participa-tion, finance, and capacity building;

and Element 4 covers the steps needed

for assessing and monitoring the

ef-fectiveness of actions taken under

Elements 1-3 Each Element has one

or more goals, which are

outcome-oriented statements of the ultimate

purpose intended Each Goal is

ac-companied by a more specific Target,

which in most cases sets a specific

date by which the desired outcome

is to be accomplished Each Target

is accompanied by a set of suggested

Activities of the Parties

Progress on the implementation of

the PoW was discussed in a workshop

during the 8th CoP Meeting on 17

– 18 March 2006 in Curitiba, Brazil

The workshop revealed that by 2006,

most countries had established national

PA targets and indicators and had increased initiatives to establish PAs

in large intact areas Some countries still need to implement national gap analyses and evaluate management ef-fectiveness of their PA systems Parties

to the CBD also reported partial action

on protecting freshwater systems and addressing the need for capacity build-ing Targets for 2008 include:

• Establishment of EIA processes and guidelines for projects with potential impacts on PAs

• Assessment of threats and velopment of mitigation strate-gies

de-• Increased marine representation

in PA systems

• Integration of PAs into broader

• Competition for access to finite land and resources in the face of rapid socioeconomic growth;

• Degradation and tion of natural resources through

over-exploita-a rover-exploita-ange of chover-exploita-ange fover-exploita-actors over-exploita-and threats;

• Significant gaps in the tion of key ecosystems, habitats and species specially in marine environment;

protec-• Increasing pressure from ism;

tour-• Trade in wildlife;

• Lack of human and financial capacity to effectively manage existing PAs;

• Inadequate considerations to livelihood issues resulting in variable and sometimes hostile relations between local com-munities and PAs;

• Poor awareness and appreciation

of the values and benefits of PAs; and

• Increasing international attention and transboundary efforts Approaches to PA management in the region should be adapted to reach PoW targets Suggested focus areas include optimizing regional approaches

to building ASEAN Heritage Sites; developing the ASEAN as a global showcase for marine PA establish-ment and conservation; and creating conditions that enable a variety of PA governance mechanisms to support participatory management

The region already has an excellent framework for cooperation that should

be built upon National efforts and working with partners will ultimately drive the successful implementation

of action for PAs There is however,

a real opportunity to promote action regionally by sharing capacity and learning; developing joint awareness raising; sharing data and information; fostering better links with the tourism sector and other private sector interests; optimizing intergovernmental support from ASEAN countries; and showcas-ing the region internationally

The region already has an excellent framework for cooperation that should be built upon

National efforts and working with partners will ultimately drive the successful implementation

of action for PAs.

landscapes

• Implementation of sustainable financing plans

• Partial action on broadened governance types, as well as the development and imple-mentation of management ef-fectiveness systems and enabling frameworks for participatory PA management

In Southeast Asia where 16.4% of the region has been protected, there are many areas important for biodi-versity or natural values that have not yet been established Other challenges include the following:

A ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHPs) are “protected

areas of high conservation importance,

preserv-ing in total a complete spectrum of

representa-tive ecosystems of the ASEAN region.” These AHPs

embody the aspirations of the peoples of Brunei

Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR,

Ma-laysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand

and Vietnam to conserve the natural heritage that

protects the bounty and the diversity of living

or-ganisms of their nations These bounty and diversity

further represent the continuous flow of goods and

ecosystems services for the present and future

gen-erations In the ASEAN Declaration on Heritage Parks signed on 18 December 2003, the ASEAN

Member Countries (AMC) agreed that “common

cooperation is necessary to conserve and manage the AHPs for the development and implementation of regional conservation and management action plans as well as regional mechanisms complementary to national efforts to implement conservation measures.”

The following pages (12 to 27) show the marized country reports that were presented by representatives of Protected Area authorities from each AMC during the 2007 AHP Conference.

sum-C O u N T R y R E P O R T S

TASEK MERIMBUN

HERITAGE PARK

Established in 1978, the Tasek

Merimbun Heritage Park covers

around 7,800 hectares and has a

tropical equatorial climate Its terrain

is characterized mainly by swamplands,

with some lowlands and undulating

hills Forest cover consists of

mixed-dipterocarp forest, peat-swamp forest

and freshwater forest

At least 800 species of plants

have been recorded, and this number

may increase after more studies are

conducted The Park also has four

species of pitcher plants (Nepenthes

ampullaria, N mirabilis, N

bical-carata and N gracilis), one species

of agar wood or Gaharu (Aqualaria

beccariana) and one species of ramin

(Gonystylus maingayi) Gaharu is the

most threatened species, as it is

con-sistently gathered illegally

Biodiversity Conservation

and Management

Tasek Merimbun has been

super-vised by the Natural History Section

of the Brunei Museums Department

since 1999, and receives funding from

the national government The Parks has

no rangers, but Park laws are enforced

by the Police Reserve Unit

Tasek Merimbun has become a

popular venue for recreation, education

and research The exhibition hall has

displays on the local natural history,

archaeological discoveries within the

Park, and the traditional lifestyle of

the Dusun people Activities revolve around research, nature education, seminars and workshops, motivational courses, and training programmes

Awareness of the Park has been ated through various efforts, including

cre-a Memorcre-andum of Understcre-anding (MoU) between Radio Televisyen Brunei (RTB) and Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) to produce a special documentary film in 2006 on the park RTB and Singapore MediaCorp also created a documentary on Tasek Merimbun’s natural heritage

Issues and Challenges

Intrusion into the Park is mainly associated with the extraction of agar wood or gaharu The Police Reserve Unit has to be reinforced since the lack of patrols has resulted in heavy exploitation of the Agar wood where every single tree has been marked

or felled for its very precious ing nuggets Otherwise, the Park has few pressures There is very little hunting of wildlife, since the

and smallest species of dragonflies

THE protected area (PA) system of

Cambodia is governed by several

laws and legislation whose major goals

include conservation of biodiversity;

sustainable use of natural resources

and keeping a balance ecosystem;

world and regional biodiversity

con-servation; education and recreation;

and research

The country has a total of 23 PAs,

covering a total area of 3,273,200

hectares or 18% of the country’s total

land area, which is 181,035 square

kilometers These PAs are the

responsi-bility of the Ministry of Environment,

and are divided into four categories:

national parks (7); wildlife sanctuaries

(10); landscape (3); and multiple-use

(3) Three of the PAs are RAMSAR

sites, and two are ASEAN Heritage

Parks: Preah Monivong (Bokor) and

Virachey National Parks

PREAH MoNIVoNG (BoKoR)

NATIoNAl PARK

Preah Monivong (Bokor) was

es-tablished as a National Park in 1993

and covers 160,000 hectares Found

in the Southwest region provinces of

Kampot, Kompong Speu, Koh Kong, and Sihanoukville, Bokor is generally mountainous with elevations ranging from 0 to 1,079 meters The Park is managed mainly for ecosystem protec-tion and recreation Dominant habitat types are evergreen and semi-evergreen forest with smaller areas of mixed deciduous and deciduous dipterocarp forest, grass, shrubs, and bamboo It has a tropical monsoon climate with two distinct seasons: dry and cool with heavy rainstorms

VIRACHEy NATIoNAl PARK

Established as a National Park in

1993, Virachey is a major watershed and catchment area, and has significant cultural, ecosystem protection, and recreation values It has a total land area of 332,500 hectares consisting of Montana slopes, middle valley reaches, valley floors, western lowlands, isolated granite outcrops, and wetlands within the northeastern provinces of Ratana-kiri and Stung Treng The climate in the Park is tropical monsoon with two distinct seasons: dry and cool with heavy rainstorms

sharing - Government policy:

participation of indigenous and local communities

participation of relevant stakeholders in the management of existing PAs

social-economic frameworks

PA management:

technology have to be identified, developed, and implemented for

PA establishment and management

financial requirement for

PA management

CAMBODIA

Issues and Concerns

Though the PA system is known within the country, stakeholder par-ticipation in PA management is limited and should be enhanced There are insufficient policies and laws on PA management Technical and financial supports should be strengthened and a national regional cooperation network should be developed

These concerns have to be dressed since Cambodia also plans to identify 30 potential PAs in partnership with BirdLife International There are also plans to extend the area coverage

ad-of the Ream National Park (seascape) and expand forest protection activities

to Mondolkiry, Preah Vihear, and Kompongcham

Preah Monivong (Bokor) National Park

GUNUNG lEUSER

NATIoNAl PARK

Gunung Leuser National Park

(GLNP), covering an area of 1,092,692

hectares, is located in the two provinces

of North Sumatra (20%) and in

Nang-groe Aceh Darussalam (80%) Due

to its global biological significance,

GLNP was established as a Biosphere

Reserve by UNESCO in 1981 The

ASEAN Heritage status was also given

to GLNP in 1984 The latest global

recognition from UNESCO came

in 2004 with the establishment of

Gunung Leuser along with Kerinci

Seblat and Bukit Barisan as a Tropical

Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra

Management Resources

The GLNP is managed by a

Technical Management Unit of the

Directorate General Forest Protection

and Nature Conservation, Ministry

of Forestry Funding for management

implementation of GLNP regularly

comes from central government, with

additional funding provided by

the World Heritage Center and

the Spanish Government (through

UNESCO)

SPECIAL REPORT

INDONESIA

Issues and Challenges

For many years, the area around the Park experienced a civil war and massive social unrest This situation ended when the central government reached a mutual agreement with the Aceh Freedom Movement As such, from 2000-2004, substantial management measures could not be implemented, particularly since most rangers were forced to abandon their posts Strategic problems focus on logging in Aceh Tenggara, and land claims and encroachment in Besitang, Langkat district (from 5,000 to 10,000 hectares) However, the total degraded areas are predicted at 22,000 hect-ares Other issues include the lack of technical capability and infrastructure, limited operational funding support, as well as lack of strong monitoring and evaluation of Park performance

KERINCI SEBlAT NATIoNAl PARK

Kerinci Seblat National Park (KSNP) is located in Sumatera Is-land, Indonesia and covers 1,389,509 hectares The Park is part of Bukit Barisan Mountain Range with el-evations that range from 200 to 3,

805 meters above sea level Tropical mountain rainforests cover most of

Biodiversity Resources of Kerinci Seblat National Park

Sumatran Tiger and Sumatran Rhino

Mt Kerinci

the area The Park stretches from

the southeast to the northwest in the

middle of Sumatera and is

character-ized by steep slopes in more than 70%

of its area KSNP makes up a large

proportion of the catchments areas

of 23 major rivers in four provinces

The Park has four ecosystem types:

lowland forest, hill forest, mountain

forest, and wetland

Management Resources

The KSNP is managed by the

Technical Management Unit of

Di-rectorate General Forest Protection

and Nature Conservation, Ministry

of Forestry Funding for management

implementation regularly comes from

the central government From 1996 to

2002, additional funding was provided

by the GEF – World Bank through

the ICDP program

Management Activities

Management activities of KSNP

are based on three principles:

Protec-tion, ConservaProtec-tion, and Utilization

Protection activities include routine

patrols, law enforcement, intelligence

work, confiscations, and legal processes

Conservation focuses on transect

walks, biodiversity monitoring, fix

point photography, camera trapping,

researches, and habitat management

A priority activity, local community

empowerment aims to develop the

socio-economic condition of local

communities to prevent extraction of

Park resources Other priority actions

include ecotourism development and

biodiversity cultivation

Issues and Problems

Factors that affect KSNP

manage-ment include the lack of conservation

awareness, economic and political

crises in the country, and poor law

enforcement Direct threats to the

Park resources include encroachment,

illegal logging, poaching, theft of

non-timber forest products, small

scale illegal gold mining, and road

construction

SPECIAL REPORT

the precipitous southern fall, plunging dramatically for thousands of meters Elevation ranges from 0 to 5000 meters above sea level

Conservation and Management

Since the establishment of the Park, the government has provided funding to support its management Other organizations that support the Park include The Wet Tropic Authority and WWF Indonesia Park activities include data collection for management plans, conduct of stud-ies to support the development of the local community, and boundary delineation

Issues and Challenges

Some of the challenges faced by Park management include limited pro-fessional personnel; lack of appropriate infrastructure and other necessary sup-porting facilities; incomplete boundary delineation; and lack of distinct zones

A Management Plan has yet to be developed that will provide details to the environmental management pro-grammes of the Park Aside from the weak institutional management, other threats include increasing road and urban developments within the Park, mining, illegal fishing and logging, and the introduction of species Measures

to protect archaeological resources, which can be found in caves and peat bogs, also need to be strengthened since these provide evidence of the evolution of the biota of Papua, and thus contribute to the World Heritage values of the Park

loRENTZ NATIoNAl PARK

Lorentz National Park was mally established in 1997, and covers 2,505,600 hectares of terrestrial and marine extensions In 1999, the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO listed Lorentz National Park as a World Heritage Site Lorentz National Park provides a transect of the full altitudinal range of the island of New Guinea, ranging from tropical ice-cap down to tropical marine environment and includes important and rare alpine and sub-alpine environments

for-The central mountain range, with its glaciated summit regions, glacial lakes, glaciated pavements and huge rocky and rainforest clad escarpments on

Biodiversity Resources of lorentz National Park

Papua’s 172

and reptiles

Rainbow lorikeet Tree kangaroo

Mt lorentz

LAO PDR

IN terms of habitat diversity, there

are seven habitats in Lao PDR

that are of high international

con-servation significance These include

the evergreen forest of the Sai Phou

Luang and foothills; Central Indochina

limestone karst; dry dipterocarp forests

in the Mekong plain; Boliven plateau;

northern highlands; Mekong River;

and other rivers and streams

The country’s national protected

areas (NPAs) system was officially

established in 1993, by Decree No

164/PM The total number of NPAs

rose to 20 after two were added in

1995 and 1996 The system currently

covers 3.4 million hectares or 14% of

the total land area of Lao PDR

Institutional Arrangement

for NPAs Management

The Ministry of Agriculture and

Forestry (MAF) has overall

responsibil-ity for the management of all categories

of forests including those within the NPAs Responsibility is delegated to the Department of Forestry (DOF), with the Department of Forestry Re-source Conservation (DFRC) as the technical unit Other responsibilities are with the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office (PAFO) and District Agriculture and Forestry Office (DAFO), which manage the conservation forests, aquatic animals

and wildlife within their jurisdiction The DAFOs themselves must in turn cooperate with people living inside and on the periphery of the relevant forests

The NPA management strategies largely focus on participatory PA management; co-management of PAs; land use planning and land allocation inside NPAs; integrated conservation and development; and ecotourism

Issues and Threats to NPAs

Some of the recognized threats

to NPAs include habitat tion due to agricultural practices; livestock grazing; wildlife and trade; non-timber forest products harvest-ing; illegal logging; and development projects

degrada-NAM HA PRoTECTED AREA

The Nam Ha National Protected Area (NPA) was established in 1993 with the introduction of the Lao PDR protected area (PA) system It is situ-ated in the extreme northwest of the country in Luang Namtha Province and stretches as far as the Chinese border The NPA spans five districts and covers 222,400 hectares The NPA’s evergreen and broadleaf forests harbors 288 spe-cies of birds and at least 38 species of mammals In a biological prioritiza-tion of the country’s 20 PAs, Nam Ha ranked 3rd for birds and 5th for large mammals in a national species analysis Overall, Nam Ha ranked third in the national management priority index based on biodiversity and watershed values, eco-tourism potential, and the level of pressure on the site The NPA harbors the endangered Asian Elephant; four large cat species that includes the globally threatened tiger and Clouded Leopard; Sun Bear and Asiatic Black Bear, and six ungulate species including the vulnerable gaur and Southern Serow

Biodiversity Resources

of lao PDR

KINABAlU NATIoNAl PARK

Kinabalu Park was established in

1964 under the National Parks

Ordi-nance of 1962, covering a land area of

75,370 hectares It is located in

Dis-tricts of Ranau, Kota Belud and Kota

Marudu, all in the province of Sabah,

in the island group of Borneo

Kinabalu Park has several major

topographical features, including three

main mountains: Kinabalu (4,095m),

Tambuyukon (2,579m) and Templer

(1133m) The flora of Kinabalu Park

is diverse, estimated to contain

be-tween 5000 – 6000 species in over

200 families and 1,000 genera At

least 90 species of lowland and 22

species of montane mammals have

been recorded

The main issues concerning the

Park’s management are development

pressures, alien invasive species, illegal

harvesting of Aqualaria sp., and

envi-ronmental and tourism pressures

Biological Features

Based on a faunal diversity within

Kinabalu Park, Payne (1996) revealed

that at least 90 species of lowland

mammals, including 21 species of bats,

and 22 species of montane mammals

have been recorded A study by Biun

MALAYSIA

(1999) disclosed that a total of 326 bird species in 180 genera and 47 families have now been recorded within Kinabalu Park Records also indicate nine families of fishes and 61 species

of frogs and toads About 200 butterfly species have been recorded and are found mostly below 2000 meters on Kinabalu, and about 112 ‘macro’ moth species commonest at 2000 meters and above (Holloway, 1996)

Status of Protected Areas

Sabah Parks will be revising the Master Plan for Kinabalu Park and draw up new management plans for Tunku Abdul Rahman Park and Tawau Hills Park under the 9th Malaysia Plan

(2006 -2010) In April 2005, Malaysia’s Ministry of Natural Resources com-missioned an assessment of a total

of 18 parks (845,701 hectares) in Malaysia Of the figure, three parks

in Sabah with a total area of 243,261 hectares were assessed: Kinabalu Park, Tawau Hills Park and Crocker Range Park The methodology used was the Rapid Assessment and Prioritiza-tion of Protected Area Management (RAPPAM)

SARAWAK:

MUlU NATIoNAl PARK

The 52,865-kilometer Park covers primary rainforest and is dominated

by three mountains: Gunung Mulu

Biodiversity Resources

of Kinabalu National Park

the famous slipper orchid

(Paphiopedilum rothschildianum)

are endemic to Kinabalu

5 are endemic to Kinabalu

(2,376 m), Gunung Api (1,750 m),

and Gunung Benarat (1,585 m) The

Park has eight different types of forest

– including peat swamp, heath and

mixed dipterocarp, moss forest and

stunted upper montane vegetation

The flora is rich with 1,500 species

of flowering plants, 1,700 species of

mosses and liverworts and an estimated

3,500 species of plants There are 170

species of wild orchids and 10 species

of the carnivorous pitcher plants

Endemic calcareous species include

Monophyllae beccari, M horsfieldii

and Cytandra spp Fauna includes

75 species of mammals, 262 species

of birds (including all eight species

of hornbill found in Sarawak), 74

species of frogs, 47 species of fish,

281 species of butterflies, 52 species

of reptiles, 458 species of ants and

20,00 species of invertebrates

PENINSULAR MALAYSIA:

TAMAN NEGARA

NATIoNAl PARK

Taman Negara National Park has

a land area of 4343 square kilometers

(km2 ) or 434,351 hectares, and covers

three states in Peninsular Malaysia:

Pahang (2,472 km2), Terengganu (828

km2) and Kelantan (1043 km2)

Taman Negara is generally hilly

and mountainous, with the lowland

area covering only about 10% of the

Park The centre of the Park is

moun-tainous and lies on sedimentary rock,

and the remainder comprises granite

and scattered outcrops of limestone

The highest point is Gunung Tahan

(2,187 meters above sea level) and

the lowest is Kuala Atok (about 75

m asl) Only 1% of the Park is above

1,524 meters Gunung Tahan marks

the Pahang-Kelantan border

Biological Features

Forest types in Taman Negara

include lowland dipterocarp, hill

dip-terocarp, riparian, forest, heath, and

lower and upper montane forests

Lowland rainforests consist of tall

evergreen trees and woody tree

spe-cies Meranti (Shorea spp) and keruing (Dipterocarpus spp) are common and

frequently occur in association with

the tall, buttressed tualang (Koompassia excelsa), the tallest tree in Southeast

Asia The forest species in the higher elevations consist mostly of oaks

(Fagaceae spp.) and some conifers (Dacrydium spp., Podocarpus spp., and Agathis spp.), and the shrub layer has many rattans and dwarf palms (Arega spp and Licuala spp.) At the summit

of the highest hills, ericaceous species

(Rhododendron and Vaccinium spp.)

predominate The riparian vegetation

is characterized by medium-size trees

which include neram (Dipterocarpus oblingifolius), mempening (Lithocarpus wallinchianus), and berangan (Cas- tanopsis spp.)

Status of PAs in Peninsular laysia

Ma-Several measures have been dertaken to maintain, restore and rehabilitate the ecological integrity

un-of protected areas in Peninsular laysia These measures include; (a) demarcating boundaries on the ground using qualified land surveyors; (b) highlighting issues related to PAs at the National Biodiversity and Biotech-nology Council; (c) integrating PAs in various spatial plans so that PAs are recognized and protected, and develop-

Ma-ments at buffer zones are minimized; and (d) ensuring mandatory EIA for any development within PAs and areas adjacent to PAs under the Environ-ment Quality Act Local stakeholders are constantly consulted to provide inputs into management plans.The Master Plan on Capacity Building and Strengthening of PA System in Peninsular Malaysia (1996) outlines 60 actions that have to be initiated or strengthened for the 39 PAs managed by DWNP The PA Division, which monitors and evaluates activities in PAs, was established by the Department as recommended in the Plan The Department was restructured

in 2003 to strengthen its capacity to manage and conserve biodiversity in Peninsular Malaysia

Biodiversity Resources of Taman Negara National Park

sumatrensis)

equinus)

including: great argus pheasant

(Argusianus argus), crested fireback pheasant (Lophura ignita), Malaysian peacock pheasant (Polyplectron

malacense)

peacock pheasant (P inopinatum), hill prina (Prina atrogularis) and crested argus (Rheinardia ocellaia

nigrescens)

including viper (Trimeresurus hageni) and soft-shelled turtle (Chitra

indica)

species are endemic

Canopy walk

MYANMAR contains part of

the three sub-regions of the

Indo-Malayan Realm, specifically the

(1) Indian sub-region covering about

6% of the country bordering with

Bangladesh in the west and India in

the northwest; (2) Indochinese

sub-region covering the greater part of the

country (91%) with a long common

border with China; and (3) Sundaic

sub-region with 3% of Myanmar

ter-ritory bordering Thailand

Myanmar’s protected area (PA)

percentage is the lowest in Asia,

cover-ing only about 7.24% of the country’s

total area Based on the 1989 Landsat

TM imageries, the area of closed

for-ests was 43.34% and degraded forest

was 7.53% of the country’s total area

The rate of depletion of actual forests,

closed and degraded forests, from

1975 to 1989, was 220,000 hectares

annually (Kyaw Tint, 1995)

Manage-ment of biodiversity in the country

is largely ineffective and suffers from

inadequate scientific direction and

weak enforcement

Myanmar is one of the biodiversity

hotspots of the world The Indo-Burma

hotspot, which includes Myanmar, is

one of the eight in terms of biological

diversity, one of top five in terms of

critically endangered wildlife, and one

of the top two where international

support to prevent species extinction

is most urgently needed (CI, 2001)

Although Myanmar deserves highest

priority in terms of biodiversity

con-servation, it is still slow in developing

a protected area (PA) system

Biological Resources

The forest types vary according

to the ecological zone in which they occur These are classified generally as mangroves and estuarine forests in the delta region; mixed deciduous forests and deciduous dipterocarp forests in regions with a pronounced dry season;

wet evergreen forests in tropical areas with high rainfall; and dry torn forests

in places with low rainfall

Issues and Challenges

Issues that affect biodiversity in Myanmar include land-use conflicts;

gaps in knowledge about biodiversity that hinder proper conservation and management; low PA percentage of the country; unbalanced representa-tion of ecosystems in the protected area network; ineffective management

of PAs and weak law enforcement; insufficient institutional and legislative provisions for biodiversity conserva-tion and PA management; and illegal trade of forest products, wildlife and wildlife products

AlAUNGDAW KATHAPA NATIoNAl PARK

With an area of 159,761 hectares, the Park covers a range of vegetation types including upper mixed decidu-ous forests up to 1,400 meters, dry upper mixed deciduous forests, lower mixed deciduous teak forests, indaing dry dipterocarp forests and some pine forests on higher ridges Common

timber species include teak, Xylia labriformis, Pterocarpus macrocarpus, Dalbergia oliveri, Shorea obtuse, and

do-S siamensis Wildlife species include

elephant, tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, black bear, gaur, banteng, sambar, barking deer, serow, goral, wild boar, wild dog and primates

At least 90 bird species have been recorded including the great hornbill, oriental pied hornbill, redheaded trogon, hoopoe, endemic hooded treepie, winous-breasted starling, hill, myna, velvet-fronted nuthatch, streak-eared bulbul, endemic white-throated babbler and white-bellied Yuhina

are tree species

Sambar deer

Teak flowers

INDAWGyI lAKE WIlDlIFE

SANCTUARy

Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary

was established in 1999 and covers

an area of 299.32 square miles in the

Mohnyin Township of Kachin State

The Lake supports vast numbers of

waterfowl, and eight globally

threat-ened bird species: green peafowl (Pavo

muticus), white-winged duck (Cairina

scutulata), masked finfoot (Heliopais

personata), greater spotted eagle (Aquila

clanga), white-rumped vulture (Gyps

bengalensis), slender-billed vulture

(Gyps tenuriostris), spot-billed pelican

(Pelecanus philippensis), and lesser

adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) The

five globally near-threatened species

are: ferruginous pochard (Aythya

ny-roca), great hornbill (Buceros bicornis), lesser fish eagle (Ichthyophaga humilis), grey-headed fish eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus), black-necked stork (Ephip- piorynchus asiaticus), plus two new

species for Myanmar: Himalayan

griffon vulture (Gyps himalayensis)

and chestnut-crowned bush warbler

Threats to these species are: ing human settlements and agriculture along most of the southern half of the wetland and unregulated fishing throughout the Lake

increas-INlAy lAKE WIlDlIFE SANCTUARy

Established in 1985, the Wildlife Sanctuary covers 642.32 square miles

in the Nyaung Shwe, Pinlaung and Peh Kon Townships of Southern Shan

State Recorded wildlife includes 37 species of birds; 27 species of wetland birds; 14 species of migratory birds; and 40 species of freshwater fishes, otters and turtles Opportunities for study and recreation include the ob-servation of a world renowned wetland ecosystem 2, 950 feet above sea level; research on various types of birds; study of endemic fish species such as

ngapweh (Chaudhuria caudata) and ngaku-shinpa (Silurus bumanensis);

and the traditional floating agriculture practiced by lake dwellers

KHAKABoRAZI NATIoNAl PARK

Khakaborazi National Park is located in the Naungmung township

of Kachin state, the northernmost state of Myanmar The Park was established in 1996 with an area of 1,472 square miles Forest types in-clude evergreen, hill pine, and moist upper mixed deciduous forests Rare species include takin, musk deer, blue sheep, black barking deer, and phet gyi

(Muntiaus putaoensis) Khakaborazi

was established to conserve the vast variety of flora and fauna endemic to Myanmar, including the rare orchids and medicinal plants found at the foot of the mountains Conservation programmes include the institutional-ization of effective prohibitory actions against poaching and illegal trade of

Inlay lake

rare species Field studies have also

been conducted to reveal new plant

and animal species Programmes to

conserve the traditional culture of

local indigenous peoples have also

been established

lAMPI MARINE

NATIoNAl PARK

The 20,484-hectare National Park

was established in 1996 and comprises

a section of the Mergui Archipelago

including the large island of Lampi,

other islands and the seas around them Lampi Island is about 48 ki-lometers long and has a maximum width of six kilometers The Park comprises seas, coral reefs, beaches, mangroves and lowland tropical ev-ergreen forests

Wildlife is plentiful, and bird species include various types of kingfishers, hornbills, Pacific reef egrets, white-bellied sea eagles and herons Other notable birds include

the nicobar pigeon (Caloenas

nico-barica) and the edible-nest swiftlet (Collocalia fuciphaga) that inhabits

the caves of Pub Tika Mammals clude an indigenous sub-species of the

in-lesser mouse deer (Tragulus javanicus lampensis), small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinera), crab-eating Macaque ( Macaca fasicularis) and langur (Presbytis sp) Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak)

and wild boar are abundant, possibly because of the absence of predators

A small herd of wild elephants can also be found and there are stories

of tigers on Lampi

Raptors include Pandion haliaetus, Haliastur indus and Haliaeetus leuco- gaster Reptiles include monitor lizards (Varanus sp), pythons and mangrove

snakes Hawksbill and logger-headed turtles have been recorded Sea turtles such as green, hawksbill, olive ridley and leatherback nest on many beaches

on the islands There are also a number

of whales (long-finned pilot whales, false killer whales, Bryde’s whales and Minke whales), and dolphins (spinner, spotted and striped dolphins) Dugong

(Dugong dugon) has also been recorded

in the area

MEINMAHlA KyUN WIlDlIFE SANCTUARy

The 52.79-square mile Wildlife Sanctuary, established in 1986, is located in the Bogalay Township of Ayeyawaddy Division

The objectives of the Sanctuary are to: (a) protect the remaining mangrove forests, consisting of 29 different tree species, as seed production areas for plantations; (b) implement conser-vation programmes for endangered estuarine crocodiles; (c) establish a bird sanctuary for resident, migratory and shore birds and their habitats; (d) promote ecotourism; and (e) es-tablish the area as an environmental education centre

Otter, sambar, hog deer, wild boar, crab-eating kra, wild dog, turtles and tortoises, estuarine crocodiles, fish, prawn, crab and 34 bird species are known to occur in the area

Storks

Nicobar pigeon Estuarine crocodile

Mangroves

THE Philippines is one of 17

mega-diverse countries in the world and

is home to 70-80% of the world’s

endangered species This makes the

country one of 34 global biodiversity

hotspots The law that primarily

man-ages the Philippines protected area (PA)

system is Republic Act (RA) 7586 or

the National Integrated Protected Areas

System (NIPAS) Act of 1992

Currently, there are 104 proclaimed

PAs covering 3.33 million hectares Of

these, 74 are terrestrial (1.84 million

hectares) while 30 are marine PAs (1.49

million hectares) Key Biodiversity

Ar-eas (KBAs) have been used to identify

and scale conservation priorities using

vulnerability, irreplaceability, and

con-gregatory species as criteria As such,

128 KBAs have been identified for 209

globally threatened, 419 endemic and

62 congregatory species At least 46 of

these KBAs are proclaimed PAs

Since the 7th Meeting of the

Conference of Parties, nine additional

PAs have been proclaimed The most

important is the Tubbataha Reefs

National Marine Park, which is also

a World Heritage Site

A significant legislation in Philippine

biodiversity conservation is Executive

Order (EO) 578 (November 2006)

that established the National Policy on

Biological Diversity for implementation

in the country, particularly in the

Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME) and

the Verde Island Passage Marine

Cor-ridor The EO requires the integration

of biodiversity impact assessment into

Environmental Impact Assessments and

Environmental Risk Assessments Also,

a Memorandum of Understanding has

been signed among the Governments of

Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines

for the SSME, which is a network of

Marine Protected Areas The Philippines

also has an agreement with Malaysia

regarding the management of the Turtle

Islands Heritage Protected Area

MTS IGlIT-BACo NATIoNAl PARK

Proclaimed through RA 6148 (November 1970), the Park is lo-cated in Mindoro Island and covers 75,445 hectares Habitat types include grassland and evergreen forest, and its most important fauna is the tamaraw

(Bubalus mindorensis)

Management activities for the Park include forest protection and law enforcement; conservation re-search for the tamaraw; awareness, education and public relations; and ecotourism

Issues and Challenges

The PA system in the Philippines faces many challenges, including sus-tainable financing; increasing aware-ness to support management of PAs; conflicting land uses (e.g mining and timber production over biodiversity conservation); growing human popula-tion and lack of economic opportuni-ties outside PAs

MT APo NATIoNAl PARK

Mt Apo, the highest peak in the Philippines, was proclaimed a National Park through RA 9237 in 2003 and covers an area of 54,974 hectares with

a buffer zone of 9,000 hectares

Mt Apo is characterized by a rugged terrain, a tropical climate,

as well as many waterfalls and hot springs Major habitat types are low-land forests, grasslands, mossy forests, and lakes The Park has been rated as Extremely High Urgent for biodiversity conservation

Management activities include est protection and law enforcement;

for-coordination and linkages with local government units and other govern-ment agencies; conservation research for the Philippine Eagle; sustainable livelihood management; awareness, education and public relations; and ecotourism

Biodiversity Resources

of Sungei Buloh

hermaphroditus)

nebularia)

THE natural areas of Singapore

serve multiple functions such as

for recreation, education, scientific

research, and maintenance of essential

ecological life processes But, with its

scarce land, Singapore is faced with

a challenging task of balancing the

conservation of its natural heritage

with a multitude of other land uses

Singapore thus developed the

Singa-pore Green Plan (SGP) 2012 that

aims to chart the strategic directions

for Singapore to protect and sustain

the environment Key thrusts of the

Plan are: quality living environment;

active participation of all sectors; and

contribution to global environmental

efforts

The National Parks Board, as the

Sci-entific Authority on Nature Conservation

in Singapore, monitors and coordinates

measures to maintain the health of all

nature areas in the country All

develop-ment plans with potential impact on

biodiversity conservation are scrutinized

by the Conservation Division, National

Parks Board, and required to undergo

Environmental Impact Assessments

SUNGEI BUloH

WETlAND RESERVE

Sungei Buloh, an ASEAN Heritage

Park, is a waterbird network site in

the East Asian Australasian Flyway

partnership programme The total

area of Sungei Buloh is 130 hectares

(land is 30 hectares and water, 100

hectares), with a 2-kilometer long

coastline Its elevation ranges from 0

to 6 meters

The Sungei Buloh Wetland

Re-serve has a coastal wetlands system

comprising a number of habitat types

Mangroves and mudflats occupy the

inter-tidal zone along the waterways

and the coast Mature mangroves exist

on a small island (Pulau Buloh) and

in the north-east sector of the Reserve

Brackish water ponds and freshwater

marsh, secondary forest and grassland habitats are found further inland, with abandoned agricultural land and sec-ondary scrub vegetation in the western and southern sectors

Issues and Problems

The Wetland Reserve is surrounded

by farms and light industries Water pollution through accidental leakage and discharge of chemicals and ef-fluents could threaten the ecological character of the site over the long term

Occasional poaching activities take place, mainly in the coastal fringes of the Reserve and upstream of Sungei Buloh Besar Coastal flotsam and debris rubbish washed in by the tides are adversely affecting the biodiversity

The water quality in the waterways and coast is affected by surrounding developments

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

SPECIAL REPORTS

THAILAND

THAILAND comprises six diverse

ecological zones making it one of

the richest countries with regard to

biodiversity The country now has

103 national parks covering a total

area of 52,782.20 square kilometers

or 10.27% of the country’s total

area Of these national parks, four

are ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHPs)

and three are undergoing

nomina-tion process as AHPs: Had Chao

Mai Marine National Park, Mu Ko

Libong Non-Hunting Area, Mu Ko

Ang–Thong National Park

KHAo yAI NATIoNAl PARK

The Park, which is located in

north-eastearn Thailand, has the following

habitat types: mixed deciduous forest,

dry evergreen forest, moist evergreen

forest, hill evergreen forest and

grass-land and secondary forest Presently,

some protection units in Khao Yai

National Park cannot work efficiently

due to issues with funding, vehicles,

equipment and tools, and patrol

re-quirements Although air patrols are

often carried out, land patrols, arrests,

and evidence transportation are still

facing problems

TARUTAo NATIoNAl PARK

The Park was established on 19

April 1974 and was one of the original

AHPs listed in 1982 Located in Satun,

Southern Thailand, the Park has a

total area of 1,490 square kilometers

Habitat types include moist evergreen

forest, dry evergreen forest, mixed

deciduous forest, mangrove forest,

secondary forest and old agricultural

land, beach forest, coconut plantation

and scrub forest

KAENG KRACHAN

FoREST CoMPlEX

The Kaeng Krachan Forest

Com-plex comprises (1) Kaeng Krachan

National Park; (2) Kui Buri National

Park; and (3) Mae Nam Phachi life Sanctuary

Wild-KAENG KRACHAN NATIoNAl PARK

Established on 12 June 1981, the Park covers 291,500 hectares in southwestern Thailand Key fauna in-clude the Spike Racked-tailed treepie, hornbill, Asian tapir, Sumatran tiger, Malayan white-handed gibbon, dusky langur, serow, and gaur

Threats to biodiversity resources include infrastructure development that can cause habitat fragmenta-tion, and road construction, which has divided forestland into small patches thereby inducing ecosystem fragility Agricultural intensification

around the Park has destroyed the forest area, increased monoculture, and may increase toxicity in soil if chemical fertilizers and insecticides are used Illegal logging and poaching create long-term effects if dominant tree species are cut and rare animal species are hunted

Species Recorded at Kaeng Krachan National Park

SPECIAL REPORTS

KUI BURI NATIoNAl PARK

Encompassing 969 square

ki-lometers in the Amphur Pranburi,

Samroiyod and Muang, Prachuap

Kiri Khan Province, the Kui Buri

was established as a National Park

in 1998 The Park is

character-ized by dry evergreen and moist

evergreen forest Important trees

include Dipterocarpus tuberculatus,

Hopea odorata, Terminalia chebula

and palm Wildlife is abundant and

includes elephants, gaurs, Malayan

tapirs, wild pigs, serow, gibbons,

macaques, langurs, sambar deer,

bears, barking deer, banteng and

Lesser mouse deer

MAE NAM PHACHI

WIlDlIFE SANCTUARy

The 48,931-hectare Wildlife

Sanctuary was established on 01

August 1978 and is located in Rat

Buri Province in the northern

por-tion of peninsular Thailand nant habitat types are semi-evergreen and dry evergreen forest, with dry dipterocarp and mixed deciduous formations Commercially valuable

Domi-tree species include Dipterocarpus alatus, Hopea odorata, Afzelia xylo- carpa, Pterocarpus macrocarpus, Xylia kerii, Shorea obtusa and Pentacme suavis (RFD, n.d.; Sayer, 1981)

Much of the forest is secondary and degraded, and large areas are defor-

ested Elephants (Elephas maximus)

have been estimated at between 25 and 75 individuals in 1985 The combined elephant population with Kaeng Krachan National Park may exceed 200 individuals, including seasonal migrants from Burma

Other large mammals include tiger

(Panthera tigris), leopard (P pardus), sambar (Cervus unicolor), Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak), gaur (Bos gaurus), serow (Capricornis

sumatraensis) and tapir (Tapirus dicus) (RFD n.d.; Sayer, 1981)

in-MU Ko SURIN NATIoNAl PARK

This 135-square kilometer National Park was established on 09 July 1981 and is located southwest of Thailand

in the Andaman Sea Mo Ku Surin comprises a variety of forest types (evergreen, mangrove, and beach), and has extensive coral reefs There are 91 types of birds, including migratory species such as little heron, common sandpiper, and little tern There are

22 species of mammals including the pig-tailed macaque, common wild pig, and 12 types of bats such as the island flying fox and black-bearded tomb bat Six types of reptiles have been found: Indian or Bengal monitor, water moni-tor, skink, and reticulated python

MU Ko SIMIlAN NATIoNAl PARK

Established on 01 September 1982, the National Park has an area of 128 square kilometers Forest resources are categorized into beach, scrub, and ev-ergreen forest Recorded species include

27 species from 13 mammal families;

66 species from 23 bird families; 22 species from 10 reptile families; and

4 species from 3 amphibian families Majority of mammal species are bats and rats

Ao PHANG–NGA NATIoNAl PARK

The 400-square kilometer National Park was established on 29 April 1981 and is located in southern Thailand Evergreen forest and mangrove forests are the dominant habitat types The fauna recorded include:

vIET NAM

VIET NAM has an area of 320,000

square kilometers, is 1,650

kilome-ters long, and has a 3,260-kilometer

coastline and thousands of islands

Biodiversity resources include 11,458

species of flora, 21,017 species of fauna

and 3,000 species of microorganisms

There are 128 declared protected

areas, covering 7% of the country’s

total area At least 10 nature reserves

are recognized internationally:

• 2 World Heritage Sites,

• 4 Biosphere reserves,

• 2 Ramsar sites, and

• 4 ASEAN Heritage Parks

HoANG lIEN SA PA NATIoNAl PARK

The Hoang Lien Sa Pa National Park covers 29,845 hectares in the mountainous Province of Lao Cai

The Park contains Vietnam’s highest mountain, Phan Xi Pang or Fansipan, which has a height of 3,142 meters

The lowest point is 380 meters but most of the nature reserve lies above 1,000 meters Three forest types dominate the Park: sub-montane dry evergreen; tropical montane deciduous;

and sub-alpine

Hoang Lien Sa Pa NP has nearly 2,850 floral species, 400 of which are considered to have medicinal properties Rare plant species include the globally-threatened Fujian cypress

(Fokienia hodginsii) and the bac xanh

(green cypress tree) Endemic animal species include the soc trau (squirrel),

doi tai so (bat), and vuon den tuyen tay bac (gibbon), which are all on the brink of extinction Several endemic and globally threatened amphibians are also found in the Park There are 350 recorded bird species, and endemics include the slender-billed scimitar babbler, sapphire flycatcher, Gould’s shortwing, yellow-billed blue magpie, crested finchbill and white-collared yuhina

BA BE NATIoNAl PARK

Considered the eighth national park of Viet Nam, Ba Be National Park is a valuable natural heritage Covering more than 23,000 hectares, this beautiful region is a tropical rainforest with over 410 named plant species and 300 wildlife species It

is surrounded by steep mountains reaching as high as 1554 meters Ba

Be means three lakes, which is in fact the Park’s main feature Ba Be’s three-linked lakes have a total length

of eight kilometers and a width of about 400 meters The deepest point

in the lakes is 35 meters Nearly 50 kinds of freshwater fish reside there

Ba Be Lake is surrounded by many limestone mountain chains, which have numerous caves and understreams

KoN KA KINH NATIoNAl PARK

The National Park is situated on the Kon Tum plateau in the central Annamite mountains Altitudes within the Park range from 570 meters in the Ba river valley, to 1,748 meters at the summit of Mount Kon Ka Kinh The Park contains 33,565 hectares

of natural forest, equivalent to 80%

of the Park’s total area The Park supports a range of montane habitat types, including 2,000 hectares of mixed coniferous and broadleaf forest

containing Fokienia hodginsii Globally

threatened mammal species within the

Protected Areas in Viet Nam

Park include the grey-shanked douc

(Pygathrix cinerea), yellow-cheeked

crested gibbon (Hylobates gabriellae)

and tiger (Panthera tigris).

Kon Ka Kinh is situated within

the Kon Tum Plateau Endemic Bird

Area, and supports six restricted-range

bird species One of these species,

the globally vulnerable chestnut-eared

laughingthrush (Garrulax

konkakin-hensis), which is endemic to the Kon

Tum plateau, was discovered at Kon

Ka Kinh in 1999 The Park also

sup-ports a number of amphibian species

endemic to the Annamite mountains,

including four species assessed as

globally threatened: Leptobrachium

banae, L xanthospilum, Rana attigua

and Rhacophorus baliogaster.

CHU MoM RAy

NATIoNAl PARK

Chu Mom Ray National Park is

situated in western Kon Tum Province,

in the Central Highlands, close to the

point where Viet Nam, Cambodia

and Laos meet

Medium-high mountains dominate

the Park, the highest of which is Chu

Mom Ray at 1,773 meters, from which

the National Park gets its name Main

forest types are lowland evergreen and

lower montane evergreen, followed by

a range of secondary vegetation types

such as large areas of bamboo and a

central grassland area Various species

recorded include: 1,149 species of

vascular plants, 97 species of

mam-mals, 201 species of birds, 47 species

of reptiles, 17 species of amphibians

and 18 species of fish These include

two newly described orchids species

believed to be endemic to southern

Indochina: Coelogyne schltesii and

Bulbophyllum amitinandii

The Park also supports small

popu-lations of the endangered tiger, Asian

elephant and gaur Bird species include

the globally threatened Germain’s

Pea-cock Pheasant (Polplectron germaini)

and the globally near-threatened

Black-hooded Laughingthrush

bio-by local communities

These threats pose major challenges

to resource managers Currently, a policy framework is needed for bio-diversity conservation and sustainable use at different levels Planning of general conservation and of specific biodiversity issues is not comprehensive and synchronized More laws have

to be created to protect biodiversity and ensure bio-safety Management systems are weakened by overlapping and unclear functions and responsi-bilities, and weak coordination among agencies Management capacity in biodiversity is also limited, and cannot meet the demands of socio-economic development

Current Actions

The Viet Nam government’s vision

is to conserve and effectively develop genetic resources, species and ecosystems

to achieve sustainable development, tribute to conserving global and regional biodiversity, and fulfill obligations to international agreements

con-Guiding principles in biodiversity management activities stress decision-making that supports sustainable use; focuses on communities and poverty alleviation; and promotes equitable sharing of the benefits of genetic re-sources Planned activities include the development of a database; development

of information exchange mechanisms,

a Biodiversity Forum and training programmes; expansion of scientific research and monitoring systems; cre-ation of a model for sustainable use

of biodiversity; and mobilization of community participation in biodiversity conservation Collaboration among nations is also important to better improve conservation and management

in PAs and AHPs Programmes must also be directly linked to poverty al-leviation to ensure sustainable use of biodiversity

Water dragon

THE ASEAN Guidelines on

Competence Standards for

Protected Area Jobs was

for-mulated in 2002 and identified 250

jobs in the protected area (PA) sector

together with the recommended

atti-tudes, skills and knowledge that would

be needed to effectively perform these

jobs The jobs are divided into 24

categories, of which 17 are technical

and 7 are non-technical

The ASEAN Guidelines is a

non-prescriptive tool to assist PA

manage-ment authorities, training and

educa-tional organizations and conservation

projects to improve human resource

development, staff performance and

training The Guidelines is intended to

be adapted as required by those using

these to meet specific national

require-ments and training and development

contexts It was developed from best

practices reviewed in the region

Figure 1 shows the complete

process involved in the development

of the ASEAN Guidelines The main

components of the standards are:

1 Levels – based on job

respon-sibilities and education These

form the basis for defining the

skills required for the PA jobs

2 Jobs or Occupations –

devel-oped based on organizational

charts for PA authorities in

ASEAN countries

3 Competencies – focus on skills,

scope and context, and

knowl-edge

4 Standards – define the ideal

competencies expected of any

job

SPECIAL REPORT

ASEAN GuIDElINES ON COMPETENCE STANDARDS

FOR PROTECTED AREA jOBS:

A Tool for Developing Capacity

Building Programmes for AHP Staff

n By DR MoNINA T URIARTE, GREGoRIo I TEXoN and MICHAEl R APPlEToN

Fig 1 Process for Developing occupational Standards for Protected Areas in the ASEANASEAN Guidelines on Competence Standards for Protected Area Jobs 5

STAGE 3 Skills Compendium

STAGE 4 Competences and Standards Workshop

STAGE 5 Adoption and adaptation

Determine generic job levels (1-5)

Determine generic

at levels 1-5

Edit skilss into categories (300 skills in 16 Categories)

Review of development and use

of occupational standards and

of specific contents for environmental and protected areas (PA) management STAGE 1

Context

STAGE 2 Regional Review

Figure 1 Process for developing occupational standards

for protected areas in ASEAN

Identify competence and levels required for each job

Edit skills into categories (250 skills in 17 Categories) Add a level to each skill Add knowledge requirements and define range and context of skills Circulate, collate feedback and revise

Gather published information

on training courses, curricula, capacity reviews, protected area reviews from all countries Collate list of skills identified

in 30 relevant regional and international publications

ASEAN Protected Area Skills Competences

ASEAN Protected Area Competences (Levels 1-5 for 17 Categories)

Add guidelines for Use Translate into ASEAN Languages Launch, Publicise and Promote Standards

Occupational Standards for Protected Areas Management Staff in ASEAN

Support Use and Implementation of Standards

Review of Human Resource Development in PA Authorities in ASEAN

Identify potential institutions

to make use of standards

National reviews of PA human resource development in

10 ASEAN countries Interviews with managers and staff from PA Authorities and PAs Collate regional PA human resource development review and recommendations Identify potential role of occupational standards in addressing recommendations

5

ASEAN Guidelines on Competence Standards for Protected Area Jobs

Knowledge requirements for

spe-cific functions of PA Managers include

the following:

1 General Personal and Work

Skills

These focus on knowledge of

policies, procedures, structure and

staff of the organization Managers

should also be aware of sources of

work place tension and stress, as

well as cultural, ethnic and gender

issues The job also requires

knowl-edge of standard First-Aid and CPR

techniques

2 Financial and Physical

Resources Management

Management of physical and

fi-nancial assets requires knowledge on

laws and rules on contracts, tenders

and agreements, as well as financial

management, accounting, and

nego-tiation skills

3 Human Resources

Supervising as well as bringing

out the best in the staff requires the

ability to develop the vision, mission

and mandate objectives, programmes

and projects of the organization The

ability to create an effective

organi-zation structure, provide adequate

staff, and craft Human Resource

Development policies and procedures

is another significant skill Managers

of PAs should also develop interview

techniques for recruitment, appraisal,

exit, and other purposes

4 Staff Development and

Training

Effective PA managers require

knowledge of principles and practice

of structured training needs assessment

and analysis as well as good knowledge

of training design and specification

They should also know a wide range of

local academic and vocational training

providers as well as good understanding

of principles and practices of capacity

development

5 Communication

This category deals with skills for informal and formal communica-tion of information at work These skills include conflict resolution and negotiation techniques, and high technical knowledge Managers must also be knowledgeable on current PA and other related legislation, con-tractual formats, and international protocols

6 Technology and Information

Use of information technology and electronic equipment is a neces-sary function of managers, and thus requires knowledge of basic computer functions and common software pack-ages, and familiarity with manuals of common equipment used

7 Project Development and Management

This covers the planning, ment and supervision of structured programmes, projects and work plans

manage-This requires a wide range of agement techniques, use of problem analysis, alternative analysis, and development of logical frameworks

man-Managers should also have a wide range

of PA funding options, and awareness

of priorities of donor organizations and the positions and policies of other relevant agencies

8 Field Craft

Managers and staff of PAs require skills that would ensure that they can work safely and effectively in remote areas This requires first-hand knowledge of the terrain and topog-raphy of the PA and familiarity with available maps, common equipment and radio protocols There should

be standard procedures for cies, as well as a range of options for securing assistance in search and rescue operations

emergen-9 Natural Resources Assessment

For a more effective evaluation and monitoring of natural resources,

managers should be aware of the purpose and objectives of biological and physical surveys, local terrain, and local flora and fauna including key and protected species Conduct-ing such evaluations will also require field craft skills as well as knowledge

of local languages and culture

• Ecology and conservation biology of relevant species ecosystems and habitats

• Ecology of species for reintroduction

• Ecology of species to be controlled/culled/eradicated, and techniques and protocols for eradication/control

• Care, maintenance and genetic management of captive populations of animals

• Maintenance and genetic management of plant collections and storage of seeds and germplasmManagers should also be aware of laws, regulations and conventions relat-ing to the capture, transport, keeping, and export of species

11 Socio-Economic and Cultural Assessment

Information on the culture, hoods and economics of communities that interact with PAs are integral to efficient PA management Managers and staff should have the ability to conduct stakeholder analysis, plan and facilitate information gathering activities as well as analyze and pres-ent data

liveli-12 Sustainable Development and Communities

Skills for working with and aging local support require knowledge

encour-on the following:

SPECIAL REPORT

• Legislation concerning land

tenure, customary rights

• Policies and laws affecting

and Development Project

approaches and techniques

13 Protected Areas Policy,

Planning and Management

Higher-level specific skills required

for modern PA management include

detailed knowledge of the PA, its

values, objectives, cultures, current

and future threats, problems and

opportunities Managers should be

aware of the role and responsibility

of authorities, agencies and other

relevant organizations They should

also be familiar with relevant national

laws, Environment Management

Systems (EMS), methods for

assess-ing management effectiveness, best

practices in PA management, and

management planning and

process-ing formats

14 Site Management

Site management entails the

practi-cal management of the infrastructure

and landscape of the PA Managers

should know a range of design options

for infrastructure; expected levels and

types of use of infrastructure;

regula-tions and requirements for visitor

accommodation; develop policies on

accommodations and other visitor

facilities; and understand visitor

expec-tations (e.g recreational opportunity

spectrum)

15 Enforcement

Law enforcement to ensure the protection of natural resources re-quires detailed knowledge of relevant conventions, acts, decrees, laws and regulations; understanding of legal processes and procedures; contacts among communities, the police and the judiciary; detailed knowledge and understanding of wildlife trade links and markets; and contacts with na-tional and international enforcement investigation agencies

16 Recreation and Tourism

The provision and management

of recreation opportunities and structure for PAs require knowledge

infra-of strategic and operational planning, tourism operations, and health and safety obligations, policies and pro-cedures Managers should have good contacts in the tourism sector as well

as have a wide range of approaches and models for commercial activities

recreation and tourism plans and strategies of the PA; public relations management; and awareness of the details of the current PA manage-ment plan

Applications and Uses

of the occupational Standards

A key principle throughout the development process has been that the standards are not prescriptive

These are intended to provide a recommended level of competence, but should be adapted and used according to the specific need and context The standards development process identified several ways wherein the standards can support capacity

SPECIAL REPORT

development for PAs in ASEAN Member Countries and elsewhere These are by:

• Providing a clear description

of best practices, based on real regional experience

• Providing a common language of skills, enabling inter-agency communication and collaboration and improving transboundary and international cooperation

• Defining functions, job descriptions, terms of reference and forming the basis for appraisals and performance assessments

• Developing a more performance-based focus for training and development

• Designing training needs assessments, training strategies and programmes, and developing, delivering and assessing in-service training

• Revising tertiary education programmes and syllabi, and designing new courses at universities and colleges

• Encouraging institutional ownership of training, enabling PA authorities to specify more clearly to donors and partners their training requirements and gaps

There is no single way to use these standards These are not blueprints but a reflection of documented good practices in the ASEAN As such, these should be regarded and used

as tools to be adapted according to the need, with the aim of improving effectiveness of conservation training and work While the compilation and development process has made extensive efforts to ensure that these are complete and representative, users are encouraged to edit, adapt and add to these as they wish, to fit specific local needs and circum-stances

SPECIAL REPORT

IN a world surrounded by water,

it is sadly apparent that there are

not enough efforts to protect marine

ecosystems In Southeast Asia (SEA),

only 10% of all Marine Protected Areas

(MPAs) are effectively managed, and

88% of coral reefs are under threat

Studies also show that only 8% of all

coral reefs is within MPAs, and only

1% within MPAs is effectively

man-aged Some scientists even stated that

the “Present MPA system is extremely

ineffective for marine biodiversity

conser-vation and that an increase in physical

Status of Marine Protected

Areas in Southeast Asia

n By Dr l.M CHoU, National university of Singapore

World Heritage Sites (WHS) ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHPs) Biosphere Reserves:

x Ujung Kulon National Park (Indonesia)

x Komodo National Park (Indonesia)

x Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park

(Philippines)

x Ha Long Bay (Vietnam)

x Tarutao National Park (Thailand)

x Lampi Marine National Park (Myanmar)

x Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (Singapore)

x Mu Ko Surin-Similan Marine National Park (Thailand)

x Ao Phang-nga Marine National Park (Thailand)

x Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (Singapore)

x Komodo National Park (Indonesia)

x Tanjung Putting National Park (Indonesia)

x Gunung Leuser Nature Reserve (Indonesia)

x Siberut Nature Reserve (Indonesia)

x Palawan and Puerto Galera Biosphere Reserve (Philippines)

coverage of MPA system alone will not improve marine conservation” (Cheung

et al., 2002)

Effective management of MPAs should focus on marine biodiversity (since SEA is known as the epicenter

of global marine biodiversity); habitat health (one third of the world’s coral reef is located in the region); provision

of goods and services; and fisheries (80% of the coastal population is dependent on fishery resources)

The table below shows the MPAs

of Special Significance

Currently, as shown in Figure 1, priority areas of outstanding universal value for WHS consideration include the following:

• Spratly Islands

• Northern Borneo/Balabac/Turtle Islands

• Berau Islands

• Cagayan Ridge

• Sempora/Tawitawi

• Raja Ampat

• Banda and Lucipara

In the past 10 years, regional tives that have sought to strengthen

initia-MPAs in ASEAN include the

fol-lowing:

1 ASEAN Heritage Parks

Declara-tion;

2 ASEAN Regional Centre for

Biodiversity Conservation

(AR-CBC) review of MPAs in the

Region in 2002;

3 Identification of coral reef areas

worthy of consideration as WHS

in 2002 by the National Oceanic

and Atmospheric

Administra-tion (NOAA);

4 International Coral Reef Action

Network (ICRAN) project on

demonstration and target sites

coupling for MPA capacity

wherein 22 MPAs were proposed

for consideration as WHS due

to their marine biodiversity

significance

Examples of other initiatives related

to MPAs include:

1 Global Coral Reef Monitoring

Network – assesses the status

of coral reefs every two years

ge-3 UNEP/GEF South China Sea Project – conducts review of coastal/marine living resources, national legislation, manage-ment (demonstration sites for

Fig 1 Priority Areas of outstanding Universal Value (WHS Consideration)

reversing degradation trends)

4 UNDP/IMO/GEF Partnerships

in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia Project – which uses the Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) framework

5 Global International Waters sessment – identified root causes and policy options

As-6 C O B S E A RC U / E A S a n d ASEAN – specifies water qual-ity criteria

7 WWF – Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

These and other projects have determined the gaps that affect ef-fective management of MPAs These gaps include management effective-ness and the need for transboundary management; representation (effective connectivity network); prioritization and identification of sites of global/ regional significance (to preserve bio-diversity); and coordination (to share information, combine resources and develop capacity building)

Addressing these needs requires the development of a synergy between ongoing and past initiatives to opti-mize resources, particularly through the following process:

• Policy formulation of regional guidelines to draw from larger platform activities;

• Identification of gaps for future focus;

• Enhancement of capacity for management; and

• Rationalization of MPA protection to facilitate poverty alleviation

Information coordination, regional cooperation, sharing of best practices and lessons learned can only improve the current state of MPAs It is envi-sioned that more active research and actions directed towards establishing MPAs will allow countries to reach the CBD PoW target for MPAs by

2012

THE South China Sea and

Gulf of Thailand is a global

centre of shallow water marine

biological diversity, supporting a

sig-nificant world of fishery that is

impor-tant to the food security of, and as a

source of export income for, Southeast

Asian countries Regional fisheries are

significant in the context of food and

nutritional security Estimates of the

value of fisheries production indicate

that the contribution of capture

fisher-ies to GDP is more than 2.0 percent

in majority of the countries bordering

the South China Sea

The Regional Working Group on

Fisheries (RWG-F) of the South China

Sea Project is establishing a regional

system of fisheries refugia in the South

China Sea and Gulf of Thailand, to

build the resilience of Southeast Asian

fisheries Participating countries in the

Project include Cambodia, China,

Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,

Thailand and Vietnam The Project

has also engaged 14 government

de-partments, 16 universities and research

institutes, and one NGO as specialized

executing agency

Demonstration sites were chosen

based on regionally agreed criteria,

data and information, such as

Figure 1 shows the habitat

demon-stration site recommended by RSTC

These demonstration sites have been selected for the implementa-tion and experimentation of new management models and methods

The knowledge, experiences and best practices documented in these sites are then expected to form the node of a regional learning network for the South China Sea Common activities at the demonstration sites shall include the:

1 Development and operation

of multi-sectoral management boards

2 Preparation and adoption of management plans for sustain-able use

3 Involvement of local ers in planning and enforce-ment

stakehold-4 Monitoring of habitat health and living resources

5 Capacity building for habitat and resource management, and rehabilitation

6 Enhancement of public ness

aware-7 Development and application

of mechanisms for financial sustainability

Common threats to the habitat demonstration sites come from fish-ing, particularly:

1 Over capacity and tion - large number of fishers operate in sensitive habitats

overexploita-2 Use of destructive fishing gear/practices – including cyanide fishing, blast fishing, digging of benthos, use of push nets/trawls over sensitive habitats

3 Pollution from fish processing cilities and small fishing vessels

fa-SPECIAL REPORT

Integrating Fisheries and Habitat

Management in the UNEP/GEF

Habitat Demonstration Sites

n By Dr Vo SI TUAN and CHRISToPHER PATERSoN, South China Sea Project Coordinating Unit

Figure 1 Habitat Demonstration Sites Recommended by RSTC