TOWARDS A REGIONAL COOPERATION
ON BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH FOR DEVELOPMENT
Executive Summary (photos)

November 28-29, 2005 - More than 60 representatives from local, regional and Dutch institutions, who are in one way or another involve in biodiversity research gathered at Discovery Suites, Ortigas Center, Metro Manila to participate in the SEARCA-BRP sponsored Regional Conference-Workshop "Towards a Regional Cooperation on Biodiversity Research-for-Development".

The event was hosted by the Biodiversity Research Programme (BRP), a project of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) funded by the Netherlands Ministry for Development Cooperation (DGIS), as part of the program's effort to share the results of and the lessons drawn from the conduct of its 19 research projects on biodiversity conservation in Mt. Malindang, Misamis Occidental, southern Mindanao. It brought together stakeholders in biodiversity research such as scientists and researchers, policymakers, members of the government and non-government organizations, and donor communities to determine a possible regional collaboration as well as potential regional research agenda and priorities for biodiversity conservation in the Philippines, Lao-PDR, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia through a consultative process. From this research agenda, a collaborative regional biodiversity research programme was envisioned to be conceptualized and developed for funding.

The presentation of five country papers detailing the current state of biodiversity in each country served as one of the highlights of the conference. The paper presentations centered on the number of threatened, endangered, and newly discovered species; the ineffective implementation of policies and laws created for biodiversity conservation; the need for more research and capacity building on biodiversity; and the need to strengthen institutions that conduct biodiversity conservation projects. Paper presentors from the Philippines, Lao-PDR, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia include Dr. Perry S. Ong (University of the Philippines Diliman) and Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr. (SEARCA), Dr. Sengdeaune Wayakone (National University of Lao-PDR), Dr. Le Xuan Canh (Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources), Mr. Chay Kong Kruy (Royal University of Agriculture), and Dr. Linawati Hardjito (Bogor Agricultural University), respectively. Dr. Percy E. Sajise, Regional Director for Asia, Pacific and the Oceania of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) in his keynote speech on "Biodiversity Research for Sustainable Development: Can it be achieved?" highlighted that a new paradigm of research for development rather than the traditional research and development, can link biodiversity with poverty alleviation and environmental protection to enhance the attainment of sustainable development.

At the end of the conference-workshop, an agreement was reached among the regional partners to form a working group, to be assisted by SEARCA, whose main task is to draft a proposal for a regional collaboration through consultation with the different Southeast Asian countries. A Manila Declaration, to be signed by the participants of the conference-workshop, would also be drafted stating the willingness of each to support and pursue a regional collaboration for biodiversity research-for- development.

Filipinos and Dutch researchers discuss N-S collaboration on biodiversity research

The Biodiversity Research Programme (BRP) conducted a seminar on Biodiversity and Economic Development in SE Asia (A SE Asian Initiative): Lessons Learned from Demand Driven Research on 15 December 2005 in the Hague, the Netherlands.

The seminar served as the venue to discuss the future perspective of biodiversity research-for-development with the support and involvement of the Netherlands, and the roles of Dutch institutions in relation to other actors in this regional initiative of joint research, capacity building and resource mobilization.

As a background, a major agreement in the SEARCA BRP-organized conference held two weeks earlier was to pursue a regional collaboration on biodiversity research-for-development. The Philippine-Netherlands cooperation developed under the BRP could stimulate the design and implementation of such a regional cooperation, by sharing its experiences with demand driven, participatory and interdisciplinary research.

The presentations focused on the research results, achievements and lessons learned in the implementation of the BRP, as well as the highlights and agreements made in the conference. Paper presentors were Dr. Marc Lammerink, Vice Chair of the BRP Joint Programme Committee (JPC) and Director of Forestry Manpower Development (FMD) Consultants, Dr. Perry S. Ong, Chair of JPC and Associate Professor of Biology at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Dr. Paul Hillegers, BRP Consultant, Dr. Erik de Ruyter van Steveninck, BRP research collaborator from UNESCO-IHE, and Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr., JPC member and SEARCA Deputy Director for Administration.

The seminar was attended by representatives from the Netherlands Development Assistance Research Council (RAWOO), the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV), Policy and Operations Evaluation Department (IOB) of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and researchers from UNESCO-IHE, The Netherlands Museum of Natural History, Nationaal Herbarium Nederland-Leiden, Centre of Environmental Science (CML), and Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR).

The BRP-Support and Liaison Office (SLO) hosted by ETC Foundation in the Netherlands facilitated the activity.