SINGAPORE – As the International Year of Biodiversity draws near, countries all over the world are assessing how they are faring against the 2010 Biodiversity Target of significantly reducing the loss of biological diversity.
The ASEAN member states, home to 20 percent of the world’s known species of flora and fauna, are actively participating in international efforts to determine the real status of biodiversity and to reduce biodiversity loss.
Over 300 key biodiversity stakeholders from the region and other parts of the world gathered for the inaugural ASEAN Conference on Biodiversity (ACB2009) at Republic Polytechnic in Singapore to discuss the pressing issue of biodiversity loss from 21 to 23 October.
The conference, with the theme “Biodiversity in Focus: 2010 and Beyond,” was hosted by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the National Parks Board, Singapore (NParks).
Guest of Honor Ms. Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education, Singapore, encouraged ASEAN member states to pool together their resources, expertise, and experience to jointly tackle the challenges of biodiversity conservation.
Ms. Fu also reaffirmed Singapore’s commitment to play its part in contributing to biodiversity conservation in the international arena. She cited the development of the Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity which, when formalized, will help cities benchmark the success of their efforts to reduce biodiversity loss and hopefully enhance urban biodiversity in the longer term.
“Leveraging on our experience as a Garden City endowed with rich biodiversity, Singapore is now working with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and other partner cities to develop the Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity,” she said.
The ASEAN member states, home to 20 percent of the world’s known species of flora and fauna, are actively participating in international efforts to determine the real status of biodiversity and to reduce biodiversity loss.
Over 300 key biodiversity stakeholders from the region and other parts of the world gathered for the inaugural ASEAN Conference on Biodiversity (ACB2009) at Republic Polytechnic in Singapore to discuss the pressing issue of biodiversity loss from 21 to 23 October.
The conference, with the theme “Biodiversity in Focus: 2010 and Beyond,” was hosted by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the National Parks Board, Singapore (NParks).
Guest of Honor Ms. Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education, Singapore, encouraged ASEAN member states to pool together their resources, expertise, and experience to jointly tackle the challenges of biodiversity conservation.
Ms. Fu also reaffirmed Singapore’s commitment to play its part in contributing to biodiversity conservation in the international arena. She cited the development of the Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity which, when formalized, will help cities benchmark the success of their efforts to reduce biodiversity loss and hopefully enhance urban biodiversity in the longer term.
“Leveraging on our experience as a Garden City endowed with rich biodiversity, Singapore is now working with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and other partner cities to develop the Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity,” she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment