Project Diaries: 2001
6-7 December
Co-directors Gregorio I. Texon and John R. MacKinnon attended the 2nd Co-Directors' Meeting in Tagaytay City, Cavite, Philippines.
16-26 November
The Training on Participatory 3-D Modeling and Visualizing Local Knowledge for Application in Protected Area Management in Pu Mat National Park, Nghe An, Vietnam, was organized by the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC). This was in collaboration with the Vietnam National Environment Agency, the EU-funded Social Forestry and Nature Conservation Project, the Vietnam National Parks and Protected Areas Association and the management of the National Park. Output of this activity was a 1:10,000 scale model measuring 2.8m x 2.5m, covers approximately 25 percent of the protected area and includes portions of the core and buffer zones.
6-9 November
The 4th Consultative Meeting of the National Biodiversity Reference Unit (NBRU) Coordinators and ARCBC held in Manila, Philippines put in place the project programmes and activities for 2002 in the areas of networking, training, research and database management.
29 October
In collaboration with the National Environment Agency of Vietnam, ARCBC organized a Seminar on Participatory 3-D Modelling (P3DM) in Hanoi, Vietnam. The resource speakers presented the method applied in the context of biodiversity conservation, natural resource management and land use planning in the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
17 October
Memorandum of Understanding between ARCBC and International Union for the Conservation of Nature-The World Conservation Union was signed.
8-12 October
ASEAN Co-Director Gregorio I. Texon and Ms. Walane dela Cruz represented ARCBC in the Regional Workshop on Networking of Marine Protected Areas (Coral Reefs) in the East Asian Seas conducted in Kota Kinabalu City, Sabah, Malaysia. Member countries of the Coordinating Body for Seas of East Asia gathered for the setting up of the East Asia marine protected areas network. Ms. Walane dela Cruz presented a paper on Assessment of Marine Protected Areas in Southeast Asia.
3rd Quarter of 2001
The following ARCBC publications were released: pioneer issue of the "ASEAN Biodiversity", the official newsmagazine of ARCBC ARCBC Annual Report to the Public 2000 ARCBC web flyer Mr. Michael Raymond Appleton assumed position as the new long-term Training Advisor of ARCBC.
17-20 September
ARCBC was represented by Dr. Aida Lapis, Chief of the Research Branch of ARCBC in the Training Course on Bioprospecting of Non-wood Forest Products hosted by SEAMEO, BIOTROP in Bogor, Indonesia.
15-17 August
The First Biodiversity Forum for the Kingdom of Cambodia, Lao PDR and Socialist Republic of Vietnam, sponsored by ARCBC and hosted by the National Environment Agency, ARCBC's NBRU in Vietnam was held in Vinh City, Nghe An Province, Vietnam. ARCBC was represented by Mr. Lauro Punzalan, Chief of the Networking and Institution Building Branch of ARCBC.
02 August
The 4th Meeting of the Steering Committee (SC) of ARCBC held back-to-back with the 11th Meeting of the ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam approved the annual work plan and additional activities of ARCBC for 2002.
24 July
The EU Biodiversity Chair Programme started through the posting of Dr. Eberhard Curio of Ruhr-Universitate Bochum, Germany as research collaborator to one of the research projects funded by ARCBC in the Philippines.
17 July
ASEAN Co-Director Gregorio I. Texon attended the 11th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity held in Melaka, Malaysia. Several matters that involve/concern ARCBC were noted, discussed and agreed upon during the meeting.
July 12
ARCBC hosted cocktails at the conference room of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to launch four Philippine projects approved by the ARCBC Research Grant Programme. The event was attended by Secretary Heherson T. Alvarez of the DENR; Gildo Pivetta, Councilor of the Delegation of the European Commission; ARCBC Co-Directors Gregorio I. Texon and John R. MacKinnon; coordinators of the approved projects and other ARCBC staff. The Philippine projects are: Resource Assessment, Economic Valuation and Identification of Alternative Livelihood Options in the Areas w/in and surrounding the Lamon Bay, Ragay Gulf & Tayabas Bay, Southern Luzon (project of Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau of the DENR) Responses of the Herpetological and Mammalian Fauna of Negros Island, Philippines to Fragmentation of the Tropical Rain Forest (Silliman University Angelo-King Center for Research and Environmental Management) Ecological Assessment, Restoration and Protection of the Northwest Panay Low-Elevation Forest Ecosystem: Developing Community-Based Agroforestry Solutions for Natural Resource Management and Biodiversity Conservation (Bioresource Conservation Trust for the Philippines, Inc.) Inventory of Scleractinian Corals of the Pacific Coast of the Philippines. Part 1: Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao (Marine Environment and Resources Foundation, Inc.)
26-29 June
ASEAN Co-Director Gregorio I. Texon was one of the resource persons in the National Trainers Training on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development Education at the Tertiary Level conducted by the Philippine Association of Tertiary Level Educational Institutions in Environmental Protection and Management (PATLEPAM) in collaboration with the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) and the Environmental Management Bureau. This activity was one of the ten (10) trainings endorsed to ARCBC for ready implementation during the ASEAN Training Needs Assessment Workshop held in 25-27 April 2001 in Bangkok, Thailand. The training was imperative and opportune in line with ARCBC's mission to institutionalize biodiversity conservation through incorporating biodiversity conservation in the primary, secondary and tertiary level curricula and by PATLEPAM's parallel vision of creating and including a 3-unit course on environmental education and sustainable development in tertiary level educational institutions in the country.
June 11
ARCBC's new website was launched at the Visitors Center, Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife in Quezon City during the celebration of the DENR day.
9-13 June
The Research Grant Programme of ARCBC was launched in Cambodia and Lao PDR. ARCBC received 13 research proposals from Cambodia and 11 from Lao PDR.
8 June
Lao PDR confirmed to join the project in a letter sent by Mr. Soukata Vichit, ASOEN Chairman of Lao PDR to ASOEN Chairman of the Philippines. The Department of Environment-Prime Minister's Office-Science, Technology and Environment Agency temporarily served as the NBRU.
6-7 June
Information and Communication Advisor of ARCBC Mr. Giacomo Rambaldi presented the paper entitled, "Participatory 3-D Modeling: Bridging the Gap Between Communities and GIS Technology" in the International Workshop on Participatory Technology Development and Local Knowledge for Sustainable Land Use in Southeast Asia conducted in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
May 28 - June 1, 2001
As part of a planned ASEAN-wide training initiative, ARCBC provided training on Participatory 3-D Modeling (P3DM) to selected staff from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Region IV, Philippines. In the course of the one-week event, a model with a scale of 1:200,000 was constructed by 72 participants from the 11 provinces of Region IV. The model is on display at the DENR Region IV Headquarters in Ermita, Manila. More information on the DENR Press Release.
26-30 May
ASEAN Co-Director Gregorio I. Texon presented the paper entitled, "Overview of ARCBC Project with Special Reference to Limestone Theme and ASEAN Heritage Parks" in the Asia-Pacific Forum on Karst Ecosystems and World Heritage held in Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia.Mr. Lauro Punzalan, Chief of the Networking and Institution Building Branch of ARCBC also represented ARCBC.
22 - 23 May
The Seminar-Workshop on Biodiversity and Management of Alien Invasive at the Century Imperial Palace Suites, Quezon City, Philippines discussed issues, concerns and effects of alien invasive species.
16 May
Mr. Kol Vathana, Deputy Director, Department of Nature Conservation and Protected Areas was nominated as the NBRU coordinator for Cambodia as per letter by Mr. Khieu Muth, Chairman of the ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment of Cambodia.
15-16 May
Co-Directors. Gregorio I. Texon and John R. MacKinnon attended the 6th Informal Meeting of ASEAN Ministers on Environment held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Cambodia applies to joining ARCBC! Mr. Khieu Mutb, Director General of the Ministry of Environment, Kingdom of Cambodia, identified the Department of Nature Conservation and Protected Areas as the potential NBRU.
15 May
The Steering Committee approved the Revised Research Programme (including 2nd tranch) of ARCBC during the Extraordinary Meeting of the SC in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
25 - 27 April, 2001
The ASEAN-wide Training Needs Assessment Workshop was conducted in Bangkok, Thailand.
22-23 April
ARCBC was represented by Mr. Lauro Punzalan, Chief of the Networking and Institutional Building Branch of ARCBC and Dr. Aida Lapis, Chief of the Research Branch in the Technical Workshop on the Preparation of Cluster and Trans-border Natural Heritage Nomination in the ASEAN Region, conducted in Bogor, Indonesia. Mr. Punzalan presented a paper entitled, "Overview of ARCBC and the Guidelines on the Selection and Establishment of ASEAN Heritage Parks".
15 April - 8 May
The Co-Directors visited 23 management, research and training institutions in Europe and conferred with 33 scientists, researchers and project administrators to establish more links and develop collaborative programme and activities with European institutions that deal with policy analysis, database management, research and training on biodiversity. As a result of the visit, new activities were proposed for inclusion in the ARCBC work plan for 2002.
22 - 23 March
The main output of the Workshop on Minimizing the Impact of Forest Fire on Biodiversity in ASEAN held in Brunei Darussalam was a set of guidelines on the protection and conservation of biodiversity against forest fire as well as rehabilitation measures in affected areas.
19 - 20 March
The 3rd Consultative Meeting of NBRU Coordiantor and ARCBC in Brunei Darussalam stressed the need for more consultations with National Biodiversity Reference Units (NBRUs) in planning ARCBC activities.
15 - 16 February
ARCBC sponsored the Planning Workshop on the Development of a Philippine Biodiversity Information Network conducted by the Philippine NBRU, the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau-Department of Environment and Natural Resources at the Visitor Center of the Ninoy Aquino Park and Wildlife Nature Center, Quezon City, Philippines. This activity aimed at seting up a biodiversity information network in the Philippines.
7- 10 February
The 3rd Meeting of the Scientific Experts Committee of ARCBC in Tagaytay City, Philippines resulted in the selection of 14 research proposals for inclusion in the ARCBC Research Grant Programme (2nd Tranch).
1-2 February
The ASEAN Training Needs Assessment in Indonesia identified training needs, groups that should be targeted for training, and institutions that can offer workshops in biodiversity conservation and management
21 January
Mr. Bouaphanh Phanthavong of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Forestry was nominated as the national coordinator for Lao PDR as per letter by Mr. Soukata Vichit, ASOEN Chairman of Lao PDR.