ASEAN Centre for Biovidersity

The ASEAN region has the richest biodiversity, the most extensive coastline and most diverse coral reefs in the world. However, it is also one of the most threatened regions in terms of coastal marine resources degradation. Marine protected areas in Southeast Asia were assessed and reviewed to analyze the increasing threats such as coastal development, collecting of endangered species, ornamental trading, overexploitation, pollution and tourism that lead to the depletion of the biodiversity resources of the marine protected areas in the region.

The competence standards in this book were developed through a one-year consultative process conducted by the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation. They consist of recommendations for the skills and knowledge ideally required for 24 key protected areas jobs, divided into 17 technical categories and five levels. The book contains details of all the standards and guidance as to how to use them.

This booklet presents a multitude of ways in which careless development can cause great damage to biodiversity. It presents two scenarios: the left picture represents careless development, and the right, the recommended alternative.

ARCBC’s Annual Report to the Public 2000 details the Centre’s achievements for2000 and its contribution in building the capacity of ASEAN countries to protect andconserve their biological diversity.

The year 2002 saw the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC) operating to its full potential, with a wide range of important achievements.The inclusion of Cambodia and Lao PDR has generated new activities, notably the extension of the research grant programme and support for further transboundary protected area cooperation between these two countries and Vietnam.

For the year 2001, the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation hasincreased and strengthened its networking and linkage-building activities to realiseits primary goal of intensifying biodiversity conservation through improvedcooperation among the 10 ASEAN member countries.