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LARGER THAN TIGERSStrategic approach to halting environmental

degradation and biodiversity loss in the ASEAN region

Madhu Rao Wildlife Conservation Society (Report Authors)

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Extensive consultation

Input from over 100 organizations and over 500 individuals and experts

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25 countries [26.6 million sq.km; 18% of Earth’s Land mass][5316 threatened species, including 1038 (20%) species classified as

Critically Endangered]

[ASEAN

Region]

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Key Biodiversity Features

Conservation Challenges

Conservation Efforts

Lessons Learned

Proposes strategic approaches for support by the EU, donors, Governments, civil society

STUDY OBJECTIVES

A Global Conservation Priority Region

Sodhi et al. 2004

Southeast Asia is highly important for species richness and endemism.Four biodiversity hotspots.

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ASEAN’s Extraordinary Economic Journey

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KEY FINDINGS# 1 CONSERVATION CHALLENGES

Wildlife Crime Unsustainable

exploitation

Agricultural expansion Land-use

change

Extractive industries, energy and

infrastructure

Dams Hydropower

Development

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Aquaculture

Logging

Overgrazing

Invasives

Urbanization

Pollution

Climate Change

Other Direct Threats

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Population growthChanging

consumption patterns

Economic development

Weak governance of natural capital

Tenure insecurity and inequitable

access

DRIVERS

Protected Areas

Coverage

Effectiveness

Governance

Regional cooperation

on PAs

Landscape Seascape scale conservation

Government Actions

Civil Society Local

Communities

Private Sector

Wildlife Crime

Government Actions

Civil Society

Private Sector

International collaborative mechanisms

ASEAN WG on Nature Conservation and

Biodiversity

EU_ASEAN Cooperation

ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity

#2 ONGOING CONSERVATION EFFORTS

ASEAN Wildlife

Enforcement Network

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Scaling up, institutionalization of successful models

Opportunities to expand Community-managed reserves, private land holdings [Conserved Areas]

Diversification and expansion of financing

[Government and other sources]

Strong, innovative Governance

# 3 KEY LESSONS - PROTECTED AREAS

Overall PA effectiveness is Low

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KEY LESSONS Landscape and Seascape Approaches

Integrated land-use and development

planning

Platform to allow for multi-stakeholder

engagement

High level political support

Enabling national policy and fiscal

environment

Good data and independent monitoring

Improved safeguards, financial

incentives and disincentives

Long-term donor and Government

commitment

Complex, impacts are uncertain and

difficult to measure

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KEY LESSONS- Tackling wildlife crime

Long-term: Demand reduction and supply

control

Short Term: Enforcement, prosecutions

(not just seizures)

Education campaigns + Law Enforcement

Law enforcement to go beyond hunters to focus on drivers and kingpins

Intelligence-based enforcement and

stronger penalties

Pressure at all points of the trade chain

Effective international cooperation for

prosecution

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STRATEGIC PRIORITIES FOR

INVESTMENT

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Investment Priorities

Priority regions

Protected Areas

Wildlife Crime

Landscape/Seascape

approaches

Civil Society Private sector

Improved Data and

Information Mgmt

PRIORITY GEOGRAPHIES: Where to invest?

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Why identify priority areas?

Most critical areas to focus site-based conservation funding

Areas where mainstreaming biodiversity into other funding streams is necessary

Priority Regions for Conservation

Global priorities- hotspots, G200 ecoregions, endemic bird areas, wilderness areas

Key Landscapes for Conservation

Identified at national, regional level or for specific species

(mostly) larger than individual sites- Key Biodiversity Areas

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Priority Regions for Conservation and Key Landscapes for Conservation

Greater Mekong: Priority Regions and Key Landscapes for Conservation

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KLCs defined by:

- Key Biodiversity Area corridors

Key KLC groups in the Greater Mekong Region

# KLC Group # KLC Group # KLC Group

1 Upper Chindwin-Ayeyarwady

10 Southern Thailand

19 Central Annamites

2 Chin Hills-Rakhine Yoma

11 North East Thailand

20 Northern Annamites

3 Bago Yoma-Sittaung

12 Eastern Forests 21 Red river coast

4 Ayyearwady-Chindwin

13 Mekong river 22 Chu River

5. Thandwin 14 Mekong delta 23 Northern Indochina Limestone

6. Tanintharyi 15 Cardamom 24 Sino-Vietnamese limestone

7. West Thailand 16 Tonle Sap 25 Nam Et- Phou Louey

8. Greater Western Forest Complex

17 Central Plains Forests and Grasslands

26 Nam Ha

9. Inner Gulf 18 Southern Annamites

Island South-East Asia: Priority Regions and Key Landscapes for Conservation

# KLC Group # KLC Group # KLC Group

1 Indonesian Borneo 4 Philippines 7 Papua New Guinea

2 Timor-Leste 5 Indonesian Sundaland

8 Indonesian Papua

3 Indonesian Wallacea 6 Peninsula Malaysia 9 Malaysian Borneo

Marine geographic priorities

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Source: Beger, M. et al. 2015 Integrating regional conservation priorities for multiple objectives into national policy. Nature communications, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9208

KLCs defined as combination of highest conservation benefit for:- Representation of marine habitats- Grouper spawning aggregation- Sea turtle habitat- Larval dispersal between reefs for coral

trout and sea cucumbers- Reefs with lower vulnerability to climate

change

• Improving the status of ‘Threatened’ species through direct conservation action

• Targeted implementation of species-focused action and recovery plans

• Site-based and policy interventions to reduce/eliminate threats to species

Recovery of species on the brink in the ASEAN region

© Andrew Walmsley

© Roland Wirth

C

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Position PAs as a national asset; Develop a public constituency of support

Secure priority PAs through expanded use of best practices such

as SMART

Enhanced funding and support for PA

management [priority PAs under threat]

Extend, create new PAs including unprotected

known KBAs

Innovative Finance for PA management

Address livelihood and conflict issues driving

illegal and unsustainable exploitation of PAs

Strengthen legal frameworks for PA management and

protection

Protected Areas: Strategic Priorities

Short -term Medium-term Long-term

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Establish institutions and mechanisms for coordination

and integration across landscapes/seascapes

Establish mechanisms for donor coordination across landscapes

[sustainable financing]

Strengthen legal and policy frameworks to

support resource use and management by local

communities

Short -term Medium-term Long-term

Landscape and Seascape Conservation: Strategic Priorities

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Strengthen enforcement in key locations along the wildlife-crime trade chain.

Scale up collaborative operations [Govt. agencies; NGOs]Secure prosecutions of key actors

Increase capacity and resources for investigations, seizures, processing cases etc.

Policy priorities: Legality of ImportsRestricting growth and operation of ‘farms’

Demand-reduction campaigns and education in priority consumer countries

Strengthen national legal frameworks to tackle wildlife crime

Short -term Medium-term Long-term

Tackling Wildlife Crime: Strategic Priorities

Civil Society EngagementStrategic Priorities

Strengthen legal and policy frameworks to support resource use and management by

local communities

Strengthen and support CSO capacity and

engagement in high priority sites

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Engaging Private Sector: Strategic Priorities

Effective regulations on ‘no net loss of biodiversity’ requiring investors to avoid or

reduce impacts

Incentives for legal and sustainable production and trade in specific

sectors (eg FLEGT)

Support mechanisms for independent oversight of compliance to voluntary

commitmentsAddress perverse incentives and legal constraints to the implementation of

corporate sustainability commitments

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Address key gaps in knowledge on threatened species, ecosystems,

application of sustainability criteria

Data and Information Management: Strategic Priorities

Capacity development to use available information and analysis in planning

Integrate ecosystem and biodiversity concerns into ongoing and new work on

climate change

Create/strengthen effective data sharing mechanisms

The EU and Biodiversity Conservation in Asia

Biodiversity Conservation

in Asia

EU Biodiversity

Strategy

EU Consensus on

Development

EU Timber Regulation

EU FLEGT Action Plan

EU Agenda on Security

EU Action Plan against

Wildlife Trafficking

Development Partners International Agendas Trade Bilateral Aid Capacity Building

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Asia's unique biodiversity is in

decline

Economic Development -Unsustainable

Opportunities for scaling up working models and positive

initiatives [Governments, civil society, businesses

Biodiversity /Sustainably managed ecosystems

- Key to green economies

- Foundation of economic development

Economic activity to

contribute to social equity

and environmental sustainability

TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE

CONCLUSIONS

WILDLIFE

CONSERVATION

SOCIETY

Thank you