34th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity

From July 17 to 19, 2024, invited by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity and the National Parks Board of Singapore, the World Coastal Forum Coordination Group (WCFCG) Facilitator (Mr. Alex Hai Zhang) attended the 34th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity.

The AWGNCB Meeting was packed with exciting new information, including updates on the implementation of the AWGNCB Action Plan, ongoing projects that effectively advance the management of protected areas, as well as the introduction of new projects. The meeting also featured the presentation of regional efforts aimed at mainstreaming biodiversity into various economic and development sectors, such as business, agriculture, and forestry. Furthermore, activities promoting synergy with other sectors such as health and climate change.

Mr Zhang introduced and updated the activities of the WCF, including the WCF Partnership and new partners, as well as highlighting the knowledge products being developed by the WCF. Furthermore, he shared relevant collaborative conservation cases involving ASEAN, such as the Regional Flyway Initiative (RFI) program for the East Asian -Australasian Flyway launched by ADB, Sino-Thailand research about reintroducing dugongs building on efforts for seagrass protection and restoration. Moreover, fostering discussions on potential partnerships and collaborations with ASEAN countries for conservation of coastal ecosystems.

In the margins of the meeting, the WCFCG representatives had friendly exchanges with the National Parks Board of Singapore, the Temasek Foundation, the Temasek Trust, the Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory Limited, the BirdLife Asia, the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) and the Mandai Nature, exploring potential opportunities for future collaboration.