ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN) expressed full support for continuing the ARCBC project after EU funding support in 2004.

The proposed second phase of ARCBC was discussed during the 5th Meeting of the Steering Committee (SC) of ARCBC held on 17 July 2002 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

The SC, which consists of national ASOEN Chairs, advised the Co-Directors to submit the proposal for the continuation of ARCBC including the identified funding sources for consideration of the national ASOEN Chairs, the ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity and the ASEAN Secretariat.

In addition to the current activities of ARCBC, the SC suggested some activities to be included in the second phase. The SC looked forward for the project to be instrumental in enhancing the region's capacity to implement activities of multilateral environmental activities related to biodiversity. ARCBC was also urged to establish a funding mechanism to support the basic activities of ASEAN Heritage Parks. The SC likewise recommended building the capacity of ASEAN policy makers, administrators, managers and staff in the management of protected areas and conservation of biodiversity. Scientific results can be translated into policies and programmes that would address common needs and problems in the ASEAN by developing a methodology which the SC suggested for ARCBC to carry out in its second phase.

Aside from the project's sustainability, the SC also discussed and approved the research grant proposals from Cambodia and the Lao PDR as recommended by the scientific experts. Six projects from Cambodia and nine from Lao PDR were recommended for funding by ARCBC during the scientific experts meeting in June 2002.

The project activities for next year were also approved including the thematic workshops and transboundary conservation activities that were recommended during the meeting.

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ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN) visited various European policy-making bodies on environment to learn more about the common EU policies and programmes in addressing biodiversity conservation and other environmental issues.

Entitled as Developing Common Biodiversity Environmental Policies for ASEAN, a study tour to Europe of ASEAN Senior Officials for the Environment (ASOEN) was conducted last 23-29 June 2002.

The study tour is part of the two-linked activities of the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC) in supporting biodiversity policy development in the region. The other activity following the study tour will be the review of existing policies/laws of the ASEAN member countries through a policy forum.

The study tour exposed the ASOEN members to the common EU policies and programmes to address biodiversity conservation and other environmental issues at the regional, national and project levels. The ASOEN members studied the approaches and procedures of the EU in formulating, implementing and monitoring common policies and programmes on environment and biodiversity conservation. They gained some first hand knowledge of the practicalities and implications of implementing European policy at regional, national and local levels.

Senior government officials were expected to be able to assess the existing policies and policy-making procedures in their respective countries and decide whether to abolish or continue them or adapt new ones.

Summary of the lessons learned include the following:

1. Environmental policies of EU are based from international conventions and treaties;
2. Environmental policies of EU are further amplified by the series of Strategic Action Plans, Habitat and Birds Directives;
3. Environmental policies of EU are further amplified by member states through legislations and incorporating them in social and economic activities;
4. Further integration of environment policies to other areas is through the planning and budgeting process of the European Commission

ASOEN Chairs from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam joined in the activity. The ASOEN members comprise the project steering committee of ARCBC and approve the project's work plans and reports.

Other participants include three chairs of the ASEAN Working Group under the ASOEN, a representative from the ASEAN Secretariat, representative from the Philippines' Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the project's executing agency and ARCBC staff.

The Brussels-based European Bureau for Conservation and Development facilitated the study tour.

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Based on its training needs assessment in 2001, ARCBC is working to develop a common set of occupational standards for protected areas staff in ASEAN. A regional workshop to identify standards for protected area occupations in ASEAN was conducted from 1-5 July 2002 in Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia.

The over-all goal is to support improved design, delivery and management of training in ASEAN protected areas through establishment of common regional standards.

Participants from ASEAN countries who are involved in protected areas management agreed on a set of general competences and occupation-based competence requirements for protected areas staff. A process of identifying occupational standards in protected area occupation and a chart of generic protected area occupations for the ASEAN were developed.

Following this workshop, small workshops will be conducted all around ASEAN to test the results of the regional workshop. It was suggested that the results of the workshops will be presented as case studies to the World Commission on Protected Areas Regional Workshop to be held in February 2003.

Countries represented in the workshop were Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. European technical specialists from Sabah Wildlife Department-Capacity Building Project, Sarawak-Lincoln Training Programme-Forestry Training School, Wildlife Department of Malaysia and Ministry of the Environment of Indonesia served as resource persons.

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Biodiversity scientists in the ASEAN focused on the relevance of economic valuation to conserving biodiversity.

The scientists convened for the Third Research Conference (Theme: Biodiversity Valuation) organized by the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC) held on 17-19 June 2002 in Quezon City, Philippines. The workshop was facilitated by environmental economic expert Dr. Camille Bann.

The research conference aimed to enhance the capabilities of ASEAN researchers in conducting valuation studies on biodiversity in the region.

The relevance of economic valuation to biodiversity conservation was discussed as well as the relevant environmental economic valuation methods including their advantages and limitations. The participants identified data requirements for undertaking different valuation methods. To apply what they have learned, the participants presented and discussed relevant valuation case studies on biodiversity and developed strategies in implementing tools.

Members of the Scientific Experts Committee from the Centre's participating countries-Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam attended the event. Other participants are 16 project leaders of ARCBC-funded research projects involved in biodiversity valuation, representative from the ASEAN Secretariat, Chairman of the ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity, the ARCBC project management unit and other invited guests and observers. Outstanding scientists from ASEAN and Europe served as resource speakers.

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This year's meeting of the Scientific Experts Committee (SEC) of ARCBC selected six research proposals from Cambodia and nine from Lao PDR, for funding by ARCBC.

Twenty-four research proposals (Cambodia, 13; Lao PDR, 11) were evaluated by the SEC during its fourth meeting on 19 July 2002 in Quezon City, Philippines. Of the 24 research proposals, 15 (Cambodia, 6; Lao PDR, 9) met the specified criteria. Each country has a total earmarked research fund of 125,000 euro.

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ARCBC continues to assist the region in managing its biodiversity data as part of the Centre's effort to standardize and harmonize information sharing among ASEAN member countries.

Training for staff of Thailand

Staff of the Office of Environmental Policy and Planning, ARCBC's national biodiversity focal unit in Thailand received training on creating an online database system using the ARCBC Biodiversity Information Sharing Service (ABISS) Module.

Delivered by the Database and Information Management Systems Branch of ARCBC, the training was conducted on 17-21 June 2002 at the OEPP. Ten participants from the Biological Resources Section of OEPP learned the following using their own Crustacean checklist database:

1. Introduction to SQL and web programming;
2. Installing the Interbase and web servers;
3. Using BDE, ODBC and GenSQL to transfer data between the different database platforms and Interbase;
4. Designing effective and efficient databases;
5. Using SQL commands to create, edit and update databases;
6. Customising the ABISS module for their own use; and
7. Maintaining the website on a US host.

Training for staff of Indonesia

ARCBC extended the training on managing biodiversity data using the ARCBC Biodiversity Information Sharing Services (ABISS) module to Indonesia.

Two staff from Indonesian Institute of Sciences, the national focal point of ARCBC in Indonesia, visited the ARCBC headquarters in the Philippines on 24 June to 5 July 2002 to examine the ARCBC products that would be useful for managing the biodiversity data of Indonesia.

One of these products is the creation of the online database system using the ABISS module. The participants were trained on the module and on image mapping that is, putting hotspots on images in HTML documents.

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All interested individuals, especially environmental policy makers, researchers and managers, can now access the Training Resources Database (TRD) developed by the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC).

The TRD is a web-based repository of training materials in the form of manuals, guidebooks, visual aids, among others. It attempts to provide a widely recognized and consulted source of training advice and information on biodiversity conservation mostly in ASEAN region. The materials contained in the database have been acquired from sources primarily in the ASEAN region and in other parts of the world.

The TRD provides a search engine that allows users to look for a specific material by entering keyword(s) of its "title" or "author". Users can also narrow down their search by selecting specific geographic coverage, subject and taxonomic area enumerated in the dropdown lists.

More information about the materials such as descriptions, abstracts and other bibliographic information, can be viewed by looking to the Full Detail Display. Links for ordering, requesting or downloading copies of these materials are also provided.

To access the database, log on to ARCBC's website: http://www.arcbc.org.
For comments and suggestions, contact: webmaster@arcbc.org.

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The fourth issue of the ASEAN Biodiversity newsmagazine has been released recently with the theme Training: Constraining or Liberating?

The newsmagazine is the quarterly publication of the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, providing the latest news and issues on biodiversity conservation and management in Southeast Asia.

In its fourth issue, ASEAN Biodiversity tackles the biodiversity-related training issues and initiatives in the region. It presents the different training experiences in ASEAN and the many lessons learned from these experiences.

Mr. Tran Lien Phong, head of Nature Conservation Division of National Environment Agency in Vietnam expressed his appreciation for ASEAN Biodiversity Magazine in enabling them to share the results of the first national roundtable in Vietnam. "We do appreciate the offer to us by ASEAN Biodiversity to share the results of the first round table, thus soliciting reactions and contributions from a wider audience," he said. Mr. Tran Lien Phong explained that the first national roundtable is the first of a series of workshops and roundtables that will lead to assessing the current approaches to protected area management in Vietnam and investigate ways to integrate them more effectively with socio-economic development. Meanwhile, ARCBC learned that Mr. Phong has been very ill and wish him a speedy recovery.

Copies of ASEAN Biodiversity Newsmagazine could be downloaded from http://www.arcbc.org/magazine/default.htm

To access the online PDF versions:
http://www.arcbc.org/magazine/arcbcmag.htm

To subscribe to the printed versions: http://www.arcbc.org/subscriptions/magazine/magsubscribe.asp

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ARCBC, together with the Centre's participating countries confirmed the project achievements and discussed the various components, which they plan to sustain and enhance after the project ends in 2004.

ARCBC, coordinators and representatives of the national biodiversity reference unit in ASEAN member countries met for the fifth consultative meeting on 14-16 May in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines.

Countries represented in the meeting were Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The meeting was also attended by a representative from the ASEAN Secretariat and resource persons from United Nations Environment Programme-Regional Resource Centre for Asia-Pacific (UNEP RRC.AP) and the Ministry of Environment, Indonesia.

The delegates agreed on various components of ARCBC that should be undertaken after 2004. The activities that should be continued include those under the networking, research and database components, policy and those to be carried out by the NBRUs.

Issues related to fulfilling the commitments of ARCBC and NBRUs were also discussed in the meeting. These commitments include the:

1. framework agreement on access to biological and genetic resources;
2. ASEAN heritage parks;
3. ASEAN water conservation programme;
4. transborder issues forum; and
5. red listing process within ASEAN.

The delegates also discussed the proposed harmonised reporting scheme for the ASEAN region. International conventions/treaties that the NBRUs and other national institutions are directly responsible in the preparation and submission of reports were identified. It was agreed in the meeting that reporting has to be harmonised first at the national level before implementing it at the regional level. The delegates agreed on the potential roles of ARCBC in supporting harmonised reporting to the international conventions.

Another important discussion during the meeting was on the administration issues particularly on the financial procedures associated with implementing the various activities in the NBRUs. It covers the financing of NBRUs, research grants and procurement.

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The ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation in collaboration with the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Herbarium Bogoriense and the Leiden University ia conducting short-term regional training courses on taxonomy for young taxonomic experts in Southeast Asia.

Training courses on Invertebrate Taxonomy with Special Reference to Less Well-Known Groups is being conducted from 1 July to 11 August 2002 in Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Bogor Indonesia. Seventeen participants from ASEAN member countries benefited from this training. Resource persons were from Indonesia and The Netherlands.

Specifically, this training course aimed to:

1. improve knowledge on invertebrate taxonomy among young scientists of the Southeast Asia Region;
2. promote greater awareness for the need of biodiversity inventory and ecosystem conservation in the region;
3. develop the capacity of scientists in the region to be able to enhance taxonomy research in its protected areas; and
4. strengthen regional network and collaboration among scientists, universities, research institutions and NGOs in Southeast Asia in terms of biological data sharing and exchange for conservation purposes.

Meanwhile, training courses on Aspects of Plant Taxonomy on Biodiversity Inventory and Conservation of Protected Ecosystems in Southeast Asia is being conducted from 8 July to 16 August 2002 in Herbarium Bogoriense, Bogor, Indonesia. Twenty-one participants from ASEAN member countries benefited from this training. Resource persons were from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and The Netherlands.

This training course was designed to:

1. improve knowledge on plant taxonomy among young scientists of the Southeast Asia region;
2. promote greater awareness for the need of biodiversity inventory and ecosystem conservation in the region;
3. develop the capacity of scientists in the region to be able to enhance taxonomy research in its protected areas;
4. review and discuss recent advances on different taxonomic tools, methods, approaches, botanical exploration and herbarium management among others; and
5. strengthen regional network and collaboration among scientists, academic and research institutions and NGOs in Southeast Asia in terms of biological data sharing and exchange for conservation purposes.

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