SDGS AROUND THE GLOBE

ACSDSD interviewed three members of the Strategic Leadership Cohort entrusted with advancing the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity’s (ACB) mission:

• Dr. Jerome L. Montemayor, Executive Director

• Mr. Jerome Cayton Barradas, Public Engagement Division Director

• Ms. Wipada Wunthunyarat, Country Manager for Thailand

They shared insights on regional biodiversity governance, cross-sector collaboration, and the urgent need to safeguard ASEAN’s natural heritage for future generations.

🌿 Biodiversity as the Foundation of ASEAN Well-being

During the interview, the Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) emphasized the Centre’s role in fostering collaboration to protect the region’s rich natural heritage—an essential pillar of sustainable development.

“We work with ASEAN Member States to integrate biodiversity considerations into national and regional strategies, ensuring fair and sustainable use of our shared natural resources,” he stated.

“From food security to public health and well-being, biodiversity is the foundation of life in ASEAN. But it’s finite, and there is an urgent need for us to work together in conserving and restoring these natural resources.”

– Mr. Jerome Cayton Barradas, Director of the Public Engagement Division, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM GBF) provides a global roadmap to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2050. Regionally, the ASEAN Biodiversity Plan aligns the KM GBF with national priorities, guiding ACB’s flagship initiatives, regional cooperation efforts, and cross-border technical collaboration.

 

🤝 Partnerships for Nature-Based Solutions

The ACB leads biodiversity protection across ASEAN by forging strategic partnerships with academic institutions, governments, and communities. These collaborations support nature-based solutions and sustainable resource management in pilot biodiversity sites.

Ms. Wipada Wunthunyarat highlighted the Effectively Managing Networks of Marine Protected Areas in Large Marine Ecosystems in the ASEAN Region (ASEAN ENMAPS), the ACB’s partnership with the UNDP and ONEP in its implementation in Thailand as one of the pilot sites. ENMAPS aims to strengthen the networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) in key large marine ecosystems across ASEAN. She also noted support from the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, and different private sector partners in implementing flagship projects of the ACB. As host country, the Philippine government has committed international development funds through multilateral agreements and its partnership with the ACB to support conservation efforts.

🌱 Interesting Flagship Initiatives

• The ASEAN Heritage Parks Programme is a network that now includes 69 diverse terrestrial, marine, and wetland protected areas. Covering about 11.87 million hectares, these areas were chosen for their outstanding biological and conservation significance.
• The ASEAN Green Initiative aims to encourage the planting of 10 million native trees across the region within the next decade—boosting climate resilience and ecosystem restoration.
• The ASEAN Youth Biodiversity Programme (AYBP) was designed to empower the youth of ASEAN in biodiversity conservation and governance. One of its subprogrammes is the Young ASEAN Storytellers (YAS), which enhanced the capacities of young professionals, artists, singers, poets, and community leaders to creatively share stories about ASEAN Heritage Parks. Through culturally rooted narratives, YAS inspires communities to adopt nature-friendly lifestyles and thrive in harmony with the environment.

Sustainable development is a shared responsibility across borders for every generation. ASEAN thrives better when working together from policy to ecosystems, from dialogue to synchronised action.

 

• ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD)
• ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB)