Protecting wildlife and biodiversity: US, DENR, and ASEAN partners hold conservation financing confab
Manila—More than 90 experts from the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) region and the United States gathered in Pasay City to
support increased financing to protect the region’s rich biodiversity.
The two-day, “International
Conference on Conservation Finance” was organized by the U.S. Embassy Manila’s
United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Economy and Environment Program
for Southeast Asia, and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity. Delegates from Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia,
Burma, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines came together to discuss
effective approaches to fund and sustain ecosystems.
USAID's Office of
Environment, Energy and Climate Change Director Jeremy Gustafson said: “The
U.S. government supports developing conservation financing programs to
sustainably manage Southeast Asia’s protected areas. In the Philippines, this aligns with our
long-term commitment to boost environmental resiliency and help the country
become more stable and prosperous.”
Southeast Asia is known as a
biodiversity hotspot. Millions of communities depend on the health of the
region’s rich natural resources. In the
Philippines, more than 200 protected areas cover 2.5 million hectares of
terrestrial and marine areas, as declared under the 1992 National Integrated
Protected Areas System Act. However, a 2011 study by the Asian Institute of
Management found that only 47% of these areas are supported with
funding—leaving the majority dependent on unreliable sources.
The conference, which
coincided with the World Wildlife Day Celebration, also highlighted the need
for increased resources to help combat wildlife trafficking and stopping
wildlife crime, including illegal fishing.
“Conservation financing
provides incentives and other economic benefits to communities so they do not
have to poach or traffic wildlife illegally,” Director Gustafson said.
The U.S. government, through
USAID, partners with government, civil society and the private sector to
improve the management of more than 800,000 hectares of protected areas and
critical watersheds by strengthening environmental governance, combating
wildlife trafficking, increasing economic benefits to local communities, and
building national and local capacity for adaptive planning and natural resource
management.
About USAID:
The United States Agency for International Development is
the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and
enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. In the Philippines, USAID partners with the
national government to create a more stable, prosperous and well-governed
nation. For more information, visit http://www.usaid.gov/philippines or email infoph@usaid.gov.
Comments
Post a Comment