ARCBC prepares for 2003 Asean Environment Year

The ASEAN Regional Center for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC), a foreign assisted project with DENR as executing agency, will launch the 2003 ASEAN Environment Year in Ankor Wat, Seam Reap City, Cambodia on March 3, 2003 with the theme "Biodiversity and Culture", according to ARCBC co-director Gregorio I. Texon.

This was one of the decisions made by the ARCBC member countries during the conference held in Cambodia on Nov. 19-22, 2003. Ankor Wat was a Hindu shrine and one of the world’s heritage sites. Built in 1300, it also features 256 faces of smiling women. the latest launching, which was in 2000, was held in Brunei.

The purpose of the activity is basically for public awareness on environmental benefits, issues and concerns. Director Texon believes that such awareness will contribute in paving the way towards enhanced environment in general and biological and conservation in particular.

Cambodia is being proposed as venue for this activity. Last Nov. 6-9, it hosted a meeting on "Harmonization and Management Action Plans of Transborder Protected Areas". ARCBC and UNESCO Regional Office in Jakarta sponsored the meeting. It was aimed at formulating solutions on the problem of conserving protected areas along the borders of Asia.

A few years ago, Touch Seang Tana, of Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, in his country paper reported that among others, biodiversity philosophy was very new in Cambodia, and in general, perception of the environment and biodiversity conservation was negligible, except among the educated people in the country.

With the launching of 2003 ASEAN Environment Year in Cambodia the ARCBC will again demonstrate its capability as central focus in networking and institutional linkaging among ASEAN member countries and between ASEAN and European Union partner organizations in enhancing capacity of ASEAN to promote biodiversity conservation.