A S E A N B I O D I V E R S I T Y 1 ASEAN CENTRE BIODIVERSITY FOR www.aseanbiodiversity.org Conserve Biodiversity, Save Humanity! ASEAN’s Rich Biodiversity Despite occupying only three percent of the earth’s surface, the ASEAN region hosts 20 percent of all known species that live deep in the region’s mountains, jungles, rivers, lakes and seas. The region includes three mega-diverse states (Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines); several bio-geographical units (e.g., Malesia, Wallacea, Sundaland, Indo-Burma and the Central Indo-Pacific); and numerous centers of concentration of restricted-range bird, plant and insect species. ASEAN has one-third, translating to 284,000 square kilometers, of all coral reefs, which are among the most diverse in the world. Common land and water borders have allowed the ASEAN states to share many species that are biologically diverse from the rest of the world. All these make the ASEAN region significant to global diversity. The Threat The region’s rich biodiversity is heavily under threat. Out of 64,800 known species, two percent or 1,312 are endangered. Seven of the world’s 25 recognized biodiversity hotspots are in the ASEAN region. If the rate of deforestation continues, the region will lose up to three-fourths of its forests, and up to 42 percent of its biodiversity by 2100. Eighty percent of coral reefs are at risk due to destructive fishing practices and coral bleaching. Forest conversion, forest fires, shifting cultivation, large-scale mining, wildlife hunting and trading, population growth and poverty, climate change, and lack of conservation resources greatly contribute to biodiversity loss. Biodiversity loss could trigger enormous effects on food security, health, shelter, medicine, and aesthetic and other life sustaining resources. Without a concerted effort to protect and conserve biodiver- sity, the ASEAN region’s 567 million people and the entire human race would be in danger. ASEAN’s Response: ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity As an intergovernmental regional centre of excellence, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) facilitates cooperation and coordination among the members states of ASEAN, and with relevant national governments, regional and international organizations, on the conservation and sustainable use of bio- logical diversity guided by fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of such biodiversity in the ASEAN region. ACB aims to contribute to the reduction of the current rate of loss of biological diversity by enhancing regional cooperation, capacitating stakeholders, promoting awareness for biodiver- sity conservation, and maintaining the regional biodiversity database. To contribute to the achievement of socially respon- sible access, equitable sharing, utilization and conservation of natural ecosystems and the biodiversity they contain, ACB builds strategic networks and partnerships geared to mobilize resources towards optimally augmenting effective programmes on biodiversity conservation. Contact Us ACB Headquarters 3F ERDB Bldg., Forestry Campus College, Laguna 4031,Philippines Tel/Phone: +6349 536-2865, +6349 536-1044 Website: www.aseanbiodiversity.org General Inquiry: contact.us@aseanbiodiversity.org A S E A N B I O D I V E R S I T Y 3 Inside Vol. 7, No. 2 n April - June 2008 Message ‘We must kick the carbon habit’ 5 Global Conservation News 6 Special Reports Climate and Biodiversity 10 The twin planetary environmental challenges of the 21st Century By Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf European Union Policies on Climate Change 18 By Juan Echanove Linkages Between Biodiversity and Climate Change in Vietnam 22 By Prof. D. Sc. Truong Quang Hoc More Perfect Storms 28 Climate Change + biodiversity loss = disaster in Asia By Sahlee Bugna-Barrer Profiles Malaysia Gunung Ledang Johor National Park 30 Tanjung Piai Johor National Park 35 Vietnam Chu Mom Ray National Park 39 4 A P R I L - J U N E 2 0 0 8 n w w w . a s e a n b i o d i v e r s i t y . o r g Letters, articles, suggestions and photos are welcome and should be addressed to: The Editor-in-Chief ASEAN Biodiversity ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity College, Laguna E-mail: publications@aseanbiodiversity.org Editor- in-Chief Monina T. Uriarte Managing Editor Bridget P. Botengan Creative Artist Nanie S. Gonzales Writer-Researcher Sahlee Bugna-Barrer EDITORIAL BOARD Rodrigo U. Fuentes Executive Director Clarissa C. Arida Director, Programme Development and Implementation Ma. Consuelo D. Garcia Director, Biodiversity Information Management Gregorius Wisnu Rosariastoko Director, Networking, Partnership and Resource Mobilization Rolando A. Inciong Head, Public Affairs ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) Headquarters: 3F ERDB Bldg. Forestry Campus University of the Philippines-Los Baños College, Laguna, Philippines Telefax: +63-49.536-2865 E-mail: contact.us@aseanbiodiversity.org Website: www.aseanbiodiversity.org ACB Annex: Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center North Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City 1156 Philippines Printed by: Dolmar Press, Inc. No. of Copies: 2,000 Disclaimer: Views or opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent any ofcial view of the European Union nor the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat. The authors are responsible for any data or information presented in their articles. asean BIODIVERSITY Conserve Biodiversity, Save Humanity Bookmarks Urban Biodiversity Conservation Tops Agenda of SEA Environment Ofcials 43 ACB National Contact Points Hold First Meeting 44 ASEAN States Strengthen Transboundary Collaboration to Protect Truong Son Range 44 ASEAN Develops Long-Term Plan to Save Biodiversity 45 EU Engages RP Media to Help Heighten Awareness on Climate Change 46 ACB Steps Up Biodiversity Information Management in ASEAN 47 ACB to Develop Biodiversity Management Courses 48 French Embassy and ACB Discuss Possible Research Collaboration 49 Youth and Teachers Ride the Green Wave! 50 Top UN CBD executive discusses strategic partnership with ACB and various sectors to help protect the Earth’s biodiversity 51 ASEAN Member States Discuss Safety in Biotechnology 55 Surfing the Web of Life 55 Policy Brief Gap Analysis of Protected Areas Coverage in the ASEAN Countries 57 Certication Programmes for Ecotourism Development and Biodiversity Conservation 58 A S E A N B I O D I V E R S I T Y 5 A DDICTION is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us, makes us deny important truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions. Our world is in the grip of a dangerous carbon habit. Coal and oil paved the way for the developed world’s industrial progress. Fast-developing countries are now taking the same path in search of equal living standards. Meanwhile, in the least developed countries, even less sustainable energy sources, such as charcoal, remain the only available option for the poor. Our dependence on carbon-based energy has caused a sig- nificant build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Last year, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change put the final nail in the coffin of global warming skeptics. We know that climate change is happen- ing, and we know that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that we emit are the cause. We don’t just burn carbon in the form of fossil fuels. Throughout the tropics, valuable forests are being felled for timber and making paper, for pasture and arable land and, increasingly, for plantations to supply a growing demand for biofuels. This further manifestation of our carbon habit not only releases vast amounts of CO 2 ; it also destroys a valuable resource for absorbing atmospheric carbon, further contribut- ing to climate change. The environmental, economic and political implications of global warming are profound. Ecosystems – from moun- tain to ocean, from the Poles to the tropics – are undergoing rapid change. Low-lying cities face inundation, fertile lands are turning to desert, and weather patterns are becoming ever more unpredictable. The cost will be borne by all. The poor will be hardest hit by weather-related disasters and by soaring price infla- tion for staple foods, but even the richest nations face the prospect of economic recession and a world in conflict over diminishing resources. Mitigating climate change, eradicat- ing poverty and promoting economic and political stability all demand the same solution: we must kick the carbon habit. This is the theme for World Environment Day 2008. “Kick the Habit: Towards a Low Carbon Economy”, recog- nizes the damaging extent of our addiction, and it shows the way forward. Often we need a crisis to wake us to reality. With the cli- mate crisis upon us, businesses and governments are realizing that, far from costing the Earth, addressing global warming can actually save money and invigorate economies. While the estimated costs of climate change are incalculable, the price tag for fighting it may be less than any of us may have thought. Some estimates put the cost at less than one per cent of global gross domestic product – a cheap price indeed for waging a global war. Even better news is that technologies already exist or are under development to make our consumption of carbon- based fuels cleaner and more efficient and to harness the renewable power of sun, wind and waves. The private sector, in particular, is competing to capitalize on what they recog- nize as a massive business opportunity. Around the world, nations, cities, organizations and businesses are looking afresh at green options. At the United Nations, I have instructed that the plan for renovating our New York headquarters should follows strict environmental guidelines. I have also asked the chief executives of all UN programmes, funds and specialized agencies to move swiftly towards carbon neutrality. Earlier this year, the UN Environment Programme launched a climate neutral network – CN Net – to energize this growing trend. Its inaugural members, which include countries, cities and companies, are pioneers in a movement that I believe will increasingly define environmental, eco- nomic and political discourse and decision making over the coming decades. The message of World Environment Day 2008 is that we are all part of the solution. Whether you are an individual, an organization, a business or a government, there are many steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint. It is mes- sage we all must take to heart. ‘We must kick the carbon habit’ Message delivered by Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, for World Environment Day 2008 6 A P R I L - J U N E 2 0 0 8 n w w w . a s e a n b i o d i v e r s i t y . o r g GLOBAL CONSERVATION NEWS Mining project endan- gers pristine forest June 30 – Residents in Kaeng Krachan district have protested a move by the government to approve a new mining project near the Kaeng Krachan forest, a proposed World Heritage site. The mining firm wants to dig for dolomite depos- its near the Kaeng Krachan National Park. The pristine tropical forest, which covers the Kaeng Krachan National Park and a wildlife sanctuary in Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan, has been declared a heritage site for Southeast Asia. Dolomite, which contains magnesium, is used for soil adjustment in farming or in drug produc- tion. – Bangkok Post Looming tropical disaster needs urgent action June 25 – A major review published in the Ecological Society of America’s journal, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, shows that the world is losing the battle over tropical habitat loss with potentially disastrous implications for biodiver- sity and human well-be- ing. Research shows that up to 15 million hectares of tropical rainforest are being lost every year and species are being lost at a rate of up to 10,000 times higher than what would happen randomly without humans present. Majority of the world’s population live in the tropics and what is at stake is the survival of species that pollinate most of the world’s food crops, purify our water systems, attenuate severe flood risk, sequester carbon and modify climate. The review “ Tropic turmoil: a biodiversity tragedy in progress”’ can be found at www.frontiersinecology.org. – University of Adelaide Viet Nam launches programme to combat desertication June 12 – Thousands of hectares of land and about 20 million people are being threatened with desertification in Viet Nam according to the Deputy Minister of Agri - culture and Rural Develop - ment. According to a survey conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the UNESCO, the country has 462,000 hectares of sand along its coasts, more than 419,000 hectares of which is concentrated in 10 central coastal provinces. In the past 40 years, about 10 to 20 hectares of agricultural land was annually encroached by sand. To fight desertification, the government launched a national action programme, funded by the World Bank, the Global Environment Fund and the Tropical Forest Fund. The country has already invested about VND1 trillion ($55.6 million) in growing 200,000 hectares of forest per year. As a result, forest cover- age increased from 28.3% in 1995 to 38% in 2007. – Viet Nam News Service Saving Cambodia’s Great Lake May 29 – Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and is known to Cambodians as the Great Lake. It is an area of extraor - dinarily rich biodiversity and a key breeding ground for fish, which migrate upstream from the Mekong to spawn in seasonally-flooded forest areas. However, it faces threats from over exploitation and illegal fishing methods, destruction of key wildlife habitats, pollu- tion, and deforestation. The Asian Development Bank- financed Tonle Sap Environ - mental Management Project (TSEMP) has been leading efforts to address environmen- tal concerns regarding the lake. TSEMP is helping villages create community fisheries to protect and preserve their own resources, develop alternative livelihoods to reduce stress on the environment, and promote ecotourism so that visitors may enjoy the various species that live in the lake. – BBC UN set for IPCC-type panel on biodiversity May 29 – A scheme to set up an independent authority on species loss on the lines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was approved in principle by a committee vote at the UN Convention on Biodiversity in Bonn. Biodiversity advocates have struggled for decades to sound alarms about the accel- erating rate of species extinc- tion, and its potentially dire consequences for mankind. Calls to action however have been largely ignored. The IPCC report played a major role in raising awareness on climate change and is a very strong model that could be emulated for any assessment on biodiversity. An authorita- tive panel would lend scientific credibility and underscore the urgency of biodiversity issues. – Agence France-Presse Ecosystem destruction costing hundreds of billions a year May 30 – The new Economics of Ecosystems and Biodi- versity, a review of the costs and benefits of forests, rivers and marine life, state that the steeply accelerating decline of the natural world is already costing hundreds of billions of dollars a year. The report warns of severe consequences to all economies if forests continue to be felled, seas overfished and if land is turned to intensive farming. The report says that the world has lost 40% of its forests in 300 Kaeng Krachan forest www.nature-thailand.com Tonle Sap river www.tsbr-ed.org A S E A N B I O D I V E R S I T Y 7 years, and half its wetlands in just 50 years. More than one third of mangroves have disappeared in just 20 years and there is increasing soil loss, as well as severe erosion, and growing water scarcity. Details on how to estimate the costs associated with this environ- mental degradation will come in the final report, due by 2010. – Guardian Our dying planet May 17 – The Living Planet Index, produced by WWF, the London Zoological Society and the Global Footprint Network tracks 4,000 species including nearly 241 fish, 83 amphibian, 40 reptile, 811 bird and 302 mammal species. The report reveals that almost a third of the world’s wildlife has been lost in the past 35 years. The number of animals per species fell by an average of 27% between 1970 and 2005 - with land animals down 25 percent, marine, 28 percent, and fresh- water, 29 percent. The main threats to species are pollution, habitat destruction, over-ex- ploitation, invasive species and climate change. The expan - sion of humankind, however, posed the biggest threat. The global population is up to 6.5 billion from 4 billion and people are using 25% more resources than can be replaced. – Mirror 191 nations convene for global biodiversity conference May 18 - The ninth confer- ence of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity was held in Bonn, Germany and aimed to ensure the survival of global biodiversity amid grow- ing global threats. Officials also reviewed the goals set in 2002 at the U.N. Earth Sum - mit, which called for slowing the loss of biological diversity by 2010. The conference also hoped to address the need to renew agricultural diversity of crops and livestock to address food security concerns. – As- sociated Press Global warming has changed behavior of plants and animals May 15 – Scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration say there are now more than 27,000 examples of how nature has responded to warmer tempera- tures around the world since the early 1970s. They range from earlier springs in Britain and the movement north of insects and birds in Europe to avoid warmer weather, to changes in the hunting behav- ior of polar bears at the North Pole because of melting ice. Only life in the Antarctic ap - pears to be largely unaffected by the warmer climate. Re- searchers say the study, which covered nearly 30,000 pieces of research and is published in the science journal Nature, is the first global picture that demonstrates the effect of hu- man-induced climate change. – Daily Mail Cyclone Nargis and its impact on biodiversity May 14 – Environmental- ists are concerned about the status of biodiversity in Myanmar in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. The Wildlife Conservation Society says that Myanmar is probably the most biodiverse country in Southeast Asia, and large areas of habitats still remain to be explored. Conserva - tionists warn that the human needs resulting from the disaster could have a devas- tating impact on forests and wildlife as hunting, non-for- est product extraction, and logging are likely to increase. Critically endangered animals in Myanmar include endemic species of rhinos and bats, as well as Asian elephants, red pandas, capped leaf monkeys, and the world’s largest tiger re- serve. Populations of so-called estuarine Irrawaddy dolphins, saltwater crocodiles and nest- ing Olive Ridley sea turtles are also vulnerable. The fates of rare spoon-billed sandpipers, which are down to only 200- 300 pairs, are also unknown. – National Geographic News Palm oil wiping out key orangutan habitat in Indonesia May 10 – The Centre for Orangutan Protection in Indonesia warned that one of the biggest populations of wild orangutans on Borneo will be extinct in three years if drastic measures are not done to stop the expansion of palm oil plantations. More than 30,000 wild orangutans live in the forests of Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan province, or more than half the entire orangutan population of Borneo Island, which is shared between In - donesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Experts believe the overall extinction rate of Borneo orangutans is 9 percent per year, but in Central Kali - mantan they are disappearing even faster due to unchecked expansion of palm oil planta- tions. Orangutans are found only on Borneo and Sumatra and are listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union. It says numbers of the ape have fallen by well over 50 percent in the past 60 years as a result of habitat loss, poach- ing and the pet trade. – Agence France-Presse Philippines launches food security programme April 29 – The Philippines will have to continue import- ing rice until 2011 after years of under-investment in farm- ing and failure to modernize the agricultural industry. The Philippines imports 10 percent of its annual rice requirement, and last produced enough rice for domestic consumption in 1994. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo recently unveiled a $1.05 billion master plan for food security that involves more funding for fertilizer, seeds, irrigation and better roads and post-harvest facilities. – Reuters GLOBAL CONSERVATION NEWS A boy inspects imported rice in Quezon City, Metro Manila. Orangutan 8 A P R I L - J U N E 2 0 0 8 n w w w . a s e a n b i o d i v e r s i t y . o r g Funds generated to preserve Asia’s Coral Triangle April 29 – The Asian Devel- opment Bank (ADB) said the Global Environment Facil- ity (GEF) and the ADB will jointly support the preserva- tion of Asia’s Coral Triangle, with the GEF committing $63 million to fund conserva- tion of this area known as “the Amazon of the seas”. Under ADB’s leadership, the GEF contribution will catalyze at least $425 million of co-fi- nancing for the Coral Triangle Initiative to introduce sustain - able fisheries management and conserve coral ecosystems while reducing poverty. The Coral Triangle, which crosses Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor- Leste, has the highest marine biodiversity in the world. – Thomson Financial News Human health depends on biodiversity April 28 – A new book called “Sustaining Life” provides a comprehensive view on the impact of species extinctions and biodiversity loss on a new generation of antibiotics and medical treatments. The natu - ral world holds secrets to the development of new kinds of safer and more powerful pain- killers, anti-cancer medicines and possibly ways of re-grow- ing lost tissues and organs. Experts warn that we may lose many of the land and marine- based life forms of economic and medical interest before we can learn their secrets, or, in some cases, before we know they exist. The book demon - strates that although extinc- tion is alarming in its own right, many species can help save human lives. Sustaining Life provides more justifica- tion for action to conserve species, and offers dozens of dramatic examples of both the why and how citizens can act in ways that will conserve species that enrich our lives. – IUCN Sri Lanka launches mangrove protection programme April 28 – Sri Lanka launched the Mangroves for the Future (MFF) initiative with the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the United Nations Development Programme to conserve coastal mangroves that were affected by the 2004 Indian tsunami. The waves of the tsunami killed 31,000, displaced a million, and flooded coastal regions. The mangroves that were along the coast in some parts of the island took the brunt of the wave, reducing the damage to inland structures and vegetation. Mangroves play an important role in the lives of coast dwellers as it is a breeding ground for fish, prawns and shrimp. Man- groves also promote nature tourism, which helps local communities get additional employment and income. – lanka business online Researchers nd rare giant turtle in Viet Nam April 17 – After three years of searching, biologists have identified a soft-shell giant turtle of cultural significance in northern Viet Nam that was believed to be extinct in the wild. The turtle, identified as Rafetus swinhoei and is the only known living specimen of its kind, was found in a lake west of Hanoi. The search was funded by the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in the United States through its Asian Turtle Program. R. swinhoei is one of the most critically endangered species of turtle in the world and has a legendary status among the people of Viet Nam, where its appearance is believed to be a portent of an extraordinary event. Only three other specimens of the turtle are known to scientists, two at zoos in China and one in the storied Hoan Kiem Lake (The Lake of the Re - turned Sword) in the centre of Hanoi. The turtles can weigh up to 136 kg (300 pounds) and live more than 100 years. They have become virtually extinct because of hunters who killed them for food, loss of nesting habitats and pollution. – Reuters Rice terraces should be protected as critical watershed April 16 – Philippine Govern- ment officials are promoting the Banaue Rice Terraces as a tourist and economic develop- ment zone but local officials said the world’s “Eighth Won- der” needed to be promoted as a critical environment area. Though considered as one of the Philippines’ premier tourist destinations, the rice terraces must be viewed as part of a watershed that need to be nurtured and protected in light of the threats of cli- GLOBAL CONSERVATION NEWS www.coraltriangle.org Centuries old rice terraces in Banaue, Ifugao, Philippines. Photo courtesy of Melvin Gascon, Inquirer Northern Luzon. A S E A N B I O D I V E R S I T Y 9 mate change. Activities that threaten the life of the terraces must be disallowed since it will affect the environment and culture of the people of the Ifugao province. There is no rice shortage in Ifugao, and the rice terraces alone could sustain the province’s need for two months. – Philippine Daily Inquirer Change in farming can feed world April 16 – Sixty countries backed the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development [IAASTD] that states that the world produces enough food for everyone, yet more than 800 million people go hungry. The report called for radical changes in world ricultural science has decreased yet there is an urgent need to develop sustainable ways to produce food. Governments must focus on agriculture that is less dependent on fossil fuels, favors the use of locally available resources and explores the use of natural processes such as crop rotation and use of organic fertilizers. – guardian.co.uk Malaysia rejects coal project in Borneo rainforest April 14 – Malaysia has rejected a $408 million coal-fired power plant near a protected rainforest in Sabah, on the island of Borneo. The Sabah Cabinet has decided that they would rather not risk the welfare and health of the community in the area and any adverse impact on the environment. The govern - ment also announced the need to look for more environ- mentally friendly sources of energy. The project could have adversely affected Sabah’s nature-based tourism industry. The government of Sabah is putting increased emphasis on the state’s natural attractions including world-class diving, biodiverse tropical rainforests that house the orangutan and other endangered species, and Mt. Kinabalu, Southeast Asia’s highest peak. – mongabay.com Philippines will suffer from greater incidence of diseases like dengue and lower levels of fresh water due to global warming. – AFP Frog with no lungs found in Indonesia April 10 – Researchers have discovered a frog in a remote part of Indonesia that has no lungs and breathes through its skin, a discovery that could provide insight into what drives evolution in certain spe- cies. David Bickford, an evo - lutionary biologist at the Na - tional University of Singapore, Google Earth to highlight endangered species April 11 – Google has launched the Google Earth Outreach programme that uses Google Earth and Maps to enable conservationists to raise awareness of their activities with endangered species across the globe. The programme will allow organizations to highlight their work by plotting points that can be accessed to provide written, audio and video information in what is known as a “layer”. These can then be seen by millions of users. Organiza - tions working with the Google Earth Outreach Programme include Wildscreen, a charity that raises awareness of the world’s biodiversity. Wild- screen is currently working with the ARKive project, a collection of thousands of films and photographs of endangered species, to create “layers” that highlight critically endangered species. – tele- graph.co.uk GLOBAL CONSERVATION NEWS farming to avert increas- ing regional food shortages, escalating prices and growing environmental problems. The report - the first significant at- tempt to involve governments, NGOs and industries from rich and poor countries - took 400 scientists four years to complete. The present system of food production and the way food is traded around the world has led to a highly un- equal distribution of benefits and serious adverse ecological effects and is now contribut- ing to climate change. Science and technology should be targeted towards raising yields but also protecting soils, water and forests. Investment in ag - Philippine schoolchildren in an environmental parade The Philippines includes climate change in school curriculum April 9 – The Philippine government has directed the Department of Education, other state agencies and the private sector to prepare lesson guides on global environmen- tal issues for public school teachers in elementary and secondary schools. Education Secretary Jesli Lapus empha- sized the importance of “inter- governmental cooperation” in reducing the effects of climate change. Experts have said the said that the aquatic frog, Barbourula kalimantanensis, is the first frog known to science without lungs and joins a short list of amphibians with this unusual trait, including a few species of salamanders and a worm-like creature known as a caecilian. The frog is known to be “evolutionarily unique”, and scientists surmised that the frog had evolved to adapt to its difficult surroundings, in which it has to navigate cold, rapidly moving streams that are rich in oxygen. – Associated Press Rice is a staple crop that is under pressure across the developing world. Photo courtesy of Romeo Gacad/AFP/Getty Images Danum Valley. Photo by Rhett A. Butler Indonesia’s lung-less frog. Photo courtesy of the Associated Press 10 A P R I L - J U N E 2 0 0 8 n w w w . a s e a n b i o d i v e r s i t y . o r g CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITY The twin planetary environmental challenges of the 21st Century By Dr. AHMED DJOGHLAF SPECIAL REPORTS hen visiting Manila, the Philippines last June, I witnessed the devastating damage of the Tropical Storm Fengshen that killed more than 1,300 people. In Hong Kong, Tropical Storm Frank forced schools and the stock exchange to close owing to the huge waves in Victoria Harbour. A couple of weeks before, Tropical Cyclone Nargis devastated Myanmar and brought back memories of the horror of the 2004 tsunami, as well as Hurricane Katrina. Last year alone, the United Nations broke a record when it launched 13 appeals for humanitarian assistance. Twelve of these were for climate-related disasters. W 10 A P R I L - J U N E 2 0 0 8 n w w w . a s e a n b i o d i v e r s i t y . o r g [...]... tropical marine biodiversity Therefore, climate change and the loss of biodiversity are the two major planetary threats facing mankind In fact, I would argue that loss of biological diversity is one the most serious effects, and at the same time driver, of climate change The relationship between biodiversity and climate change is a two-way street Yes, climate change is an important driver of biodiversity. .. to Climate Change Once approved by the Government, the Programme will be the basic orientation and strategy of the State to respond to climate change, upon which the ministries and local authorities will build their action plans The links between biodiversity and climate change run both ways Climate change threatens biodiversity, but biodiversity, if managed properly, can reduce the impacts of climate. .. be extremely salty and crops will be severely damaged as a result of flooding The estimated cost associated with such a situation is USD 17 billion (Van Urk and Misdorp, 1996; Pilgrim, 2007) INTER-LINKAGES: BIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE The links between biodiversity and climate change run both ways: Climate SPECIAL REPORTS change threatens biodiversity, but proper management of biodiversity can reduce... impacts of climate change The links between biodiversity and climate change run both ways: Climate change threatens biodiversity, but proper management of biodiversity can reduce the impacts of climate change on agricultural production, particularly crop cultivation Abnormality in the agro -climate cycles will lead to not only an increase in crop diseases, but also a decrease in crop yield and other... 146-150 Chaudhry, P and G Ruysschaert, 2007 Climate Change and Human Development in Vietnam IPCC, 2007a “Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change: WGI: “The Physical Science of Climate Change , WGII: “Impacts, Adaptation & Vulnerability”, WGIII: “Mitigation of Climate Change IPCC, 2007b Climate and Human Health Impacts Kelly, P.M., T.V Lien, N.H-u Ninh, 1996 Climate Scenarios... the Workshop Climate Change Adaptation in Development Policies, Plans and Programmes in Vietnam”, Hanoi, 22nd October 2007 (Organized by MoNRE, ICEM, SEMLA and IIED):2-16 Vietnam Association for the Conservation of Nature and Environment, 2008 Climate Change and Adaptation Measures by Vietnam Hanoi, 26-29/2/2008 ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 27 SPECIAL REPORTS More Perfect Storms Climate change + biodiversity. .. mitigate climate change impacts Climate change considerations should also be integrated into planning, designing and implementing development activities Can biodiversity help? T he IPCC technical paper on climate change and biodiversity provides details on a number of strategies on how biodiversity can mitigate the impacts of climate change Forests, agricultural lands and other terrestrial ecosystems... point of intersection for the fauna and flora in the IndiaMyanmar, South China and Indo-Malaysia regions (MARD, 2002) Ecosystem diversity Viet Nam has a high diversity of terrestrial / forest, wetland and marine ecosystems Wetland ecosystems include 30 types of natural wetland, 11 types of coastal wetland, 19 types of inland wetland, and 9 types of man-made wetland Marine biodiversity occupies 20 ecosystem... Quang Hoc, 2007b Climate Change, Biodiversity in relation with Life and Social Development Environmental protection magazine, No 96/ 5.2007 Truong Quang Hoc, Tran Duc Hinh, 2008 Climate Change and Disease Vectors The 6th National Conference of Entomology, Hanoi, 9-10/ 5/2008 Truong Quang Hoc, P Bertilsson and J Noven, 2007 Integrating Climate Change Adaptation Issues into Land-use Planning and Related Progresses... the International Conference on Climate Change and Sea level Rise Impacts Center for Environment Research Education and Development, Hanoi Tri, N.H., W.N Adger and P.M Kelly 1998: Natural Resource Management in Mitigating Climate Impacts: The Example of Mangrove Restoration in Vietnam Global Environmental Change 8, 49-61 Truong Quang Hoc, 2007a Biodiversity and Climate Change – General Issues ISGE Newsletter, . ef- fects, and at the same time driver, of climate change. The relationship be- tween biodiversity and climate change is a two-way street. Yes, climate change is an important driver of biodiversity. articles, suggestions and photos are welcome and should be addressed to: The Editor-in-Chief ASEAN Biodiversity ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity College, Laguna E-mail: publications@aseanbiodiversity.org Editor-. 1 ASEAN CENTRE BIODIVERSITY FOR www.aseanbiodiversity.org Conserve Biodiversity, Save Humanity! ASEAN s Rich Biodiversity Despite occupying only three percent of the earth’s surface, the ASEAN