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37 projects under the ARCBC Research Grant Programme approved for EU funding

Thirty-seven research projects on biodiversity conservation were approved for funding by the European Commission. To date, a total of 2,499,124 euro, equivalent to 99.9% of the 2.5-million grant allocation were divided among the seven participating countries of the ASEAN

he research grant program organized by the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC) aims to: provide solutions to issues on biodiversity conservation throughout ASEAN; improve standards of research in terms of methodology and skills; promote collaboration among ASEAN institutions, and between ASEAN and EU; provide direct benefits for poverty alleviation, and gender-and-development; prepare and package research results that are accessible and digestible for non-scientists. 

Individual scientists, technicians, researchers, institutions, government agencies and non-government organizations of participating ASEAN countries were called upon to submit grant applications. The call for the submission of project proposals was made in two separate tranches. All submitted grant applications were pre-evaluated and screened by the Country Coordinators of the National Biodiversity Reference Units (NBRUs). Selected proposals were presented by the NBRU Coordinators during the second (14-16 June 2000) and third (07-10 February 2001) meetings of the Scientific Experts Committee that were held in the Philippines. The national members of the Scientific Experts Committee, NBRU Coordinators and Independent Panel of nominated European and ASEAN senior scientists were convened to these SEC meetings to select applications.

Selected grant applications were approved and included in the grant programme because they fitted the research themes of the programme, namely: Biodiversity Uses and Values; Taxonomy and Systematics; and Ecological Restoration. Table 1 gives the summary of approved grant application per country and theme.

Table 1: Summary of approved grant application per country and theme (euro)

Studies in valuing biodiversity

Many problems relating to deteriorating ecosystems are suspected of being caused by a general under-appreciation of the enormous economic value of biodiversity and ecosystem services. This is, an under-appreciation by: the general public; by industries; by government planners; and by policy makers. Studies therefore, should be encouraged that demonstrate to such target groups the values of biodiversity in convincing, economic and socio-environmental terms. These studies should then be widely publicized through the activities of ARCBC, related institutions and the media.

Studies in ecological restoration

Forests, wetlands, reefs and other important habitats of most ASEAN countries are damaged to such an extent that urgent measures are required to restore them to productivity and to repair their important ecological functions (e.g. water catchments, climate regulation, purification, flood control, germplasm conservation). In many cases, degraded habitats are left as unused, barren land or are replanted with exotic monocultures that fail to preserve local biodiversity or restore original ecological functions. Studies are required for both terrestrial and marine habitats into appropriate ways in which natural vegetation can be re-established, e.g. by way of establishing complex habitats that will be able to sustain and enrich themselves without further human intervention.

Studies in taxonomy and systematics

The current situation throughout the ASEAN region is that, such systematics studies do not have prioritization, have poor financial support and offer low career prospects. These are the reasons that have caused ASEAN expertise in taxonomy and systematics to fall at low levels. Thus, training and research need to be encouraged to strengthen this field of study.

For comments and inquiries relevant to this project component, please contact: ARCBC Research branch. research@arcbc.org