Greening Regional Economic Cooperation in Support of Biodiversity Conservation Outcomes

Future Directions for the GMS

Mme Keobang A Keola, WREA, Lao PDR

Green growth and regional economic cooperation

GMS countries and ADB are working together to support Biodiversity through Green Growth strategies to:

• Eliminate or mitigate possible negative environmental impacts,

• improve investment performance, and • achieve sustainable development outcomes under

climate change scenariosTarget sectors: transportation, energy, tourism,

and agriculture & natural resources.

TOURISM

TRANSPORTAGRICULTURE

Approaches to greening growth1. Strategic economic analysis of projected

infrastructure needs • Identification of demand-driven

alternatives• Cost benefit analysis of projected

investments/biod. friendly alternatives• Pilot tested approaches• Improved data baselines and monitoring

approaches for decision makers• Increased environmental safeguards

capacity

GMS Biodiversity Conservation Milestones

• Established the concept of biodiversity conservation corridors in the region

• Pilot tested biodiversity sustainable finance and livelihoods approaches

• Established concept of and need for transboundary biodiversity conservation

• Engaged energy, tourism sectors in SEAs

GMS Biodiversity Conservation Milestones

• Established decision support modeling approaches

• Scaled up pilot biodiversity corridors $69 million in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam

• Established protocols for supporting other sectors

• Established monitoring and decision support protocols through EPA

CEP-BCI emerging role in the GMS

1. Regional coordination of conservation approaches to support the transport, energy, tourism, and A&NR sectors

2. Leading edge institution– Establishing new tools/approaches to

biodiversity friendly economic development

– Build national support unit capacity– Disseminate successes and BPs to

Asia/Pacific and global communities

3. Establish a regional database of development planning and biodiversity conservation data

The way forward

• Regular Assessment of conditions and trends– Improving knowledge of

existing biodiversity– Modeling impacts of

development, climate change

• Recognizing the value of biodiversity and ecosystems – Valuing stocks and flows– Improved decision

support modeling

The way forward

• Improve spatial planning and zoning

• Improving protected area management and enforcement• Establishing climate change adaptation and

mitigation measures in support of conservation outcomes

The way forward

Coordinated sustainable finance approaches for biodiversity conservation

• Investments of biodiversity conservation organizations

• Ecosystem services (REDD+, PES)• Biodiversity friendly private sector business investments (tourism, bamboo, forestry BPs, etc)

• Private sector financing for conservation e.g. CSR, offsets

• Supporting rural investments in education, health care

The way forward

• Strengthening transboundary approaches – clear scientific basis understandable to

policy makers, linkages to national policies, inter regional dialogue

• Developing international institutional support mechanisms for joint management– International protocols, data sharing,

communication mechanisms etc.– Enforcement mechanisms for protocols

Operationalizing the Way Forward

• CEP-BCI is a nationally owned regional platform for achieving biodiversity conservation outcomes through sustainable development

• Achieves conservation landscape outcomes by strengthening linkages coordinating approaches with line agencies and the ADB in the transportation, energy, tourism and agricultural and natural resources sectors.

• CEP – BCI will be used to harness and coordinate support from conservation groups, international funding agencies, private foundations and corporations

Time to act

• GMS is Top-5 Global Biodiversity Hotspots• High economic growth levels represent both

pressures and opportunities• Effective, creative, practical solutions under

development by the countries themselves• CEP-BCI is signature sub-regional model within ADB

– replication to other sub-regions (HoB and CTI) expected

• Makes GMS regionally and globally significant learning laboratory