QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- The ASEAN formally launched today a region-wide programme that aims to ramp up restoration efforts and plant at least 10 million native trees in a span of 10 years.

Ahead of the celebration of the 54th anniversary of ASEAN, the virtual launch of the ASEAN Green Initiative (AGI) on Zoom was led by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the ASEAN Secretariat and joined by representatives of the ASEAN Member States, civil society organisations, and the private sector.

Demonstrating the strong cooperation and commitment among the 10 ASEAN Member States (AMS) to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration in the region, the AGI aims to set standards for the recognition of  tree-planting activities and programmes across the region that not only regrow our forests but contribute to peoples' well-being, livelihood improvement, and resilience-building.

“Across the ASEAN, there are ongoing commendable efforts in nature restoration. With the AGI, we hope to give recognition to the outstanding initiatives that comprehensively address the concerns of the people and the environment,” said ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita Lim.

Lim cited various tree planting movements in the ASEAN, such as the aim of Singapore to plant a million trees over a period of 10 years and Malaysia’s 100 million tree-planting campaign.

Dr. Lim, H.E. Kung Phoak, ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, Ms. Norsham binti Abdul Latip, Senior Undersecretary for Biodiversity and Forestry Management, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Malaysia, opened the virtual launch.

DSG Kung emphasised that among the main objectives of the ASEAN Green Initiative are to continue building and sustaining momentum for more robust collective actions in awareness-raising and enabling ownership, which can be done by “as simple as planting trees in your backyard.”

Convention on Biological Diversity Executive Secretary Elizabeth Maruma Mrema will take part in the event through a recorded video message.

In a talk show dubbed as “BiodiversiTalks,” representatives of the Communities Organized for Resource Allocation, Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, Boon Rueang Wetland Forest Conservation Group of Thailand, and the ASEAN Member States exchanged insights and updates on ongoing biodiversity conservation efforts that may be aligned with the AGI.

The AGI is supported by the European Union and the German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) through the Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in ASEAN (BCAMP) Project, and the Institutional Strengthening of Biodiversity Sector in the ASEAN II Project, respectively.

Ambassador to the Mission of the European Union to ASEAN H.E. Igor Driesmans and Deputy Head of Mission of Germany in Jakarta, Indonesia Thomas Graf also graced the event and delivered their messages.

The launch and implementation of the AGI are aligned with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global movement to accelerate restoration goals and commitments, which commenced this year. The campaign is a rallying call on the urgent need to prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide to ‘end poverty, combat climate change, and eliminate mass extinction.’

The region plays a vital role in this global call for ecosystem restoration and biodiversity conservation. At least 60 per cent of the world’s tropical peatlands, 42 per cent of mangroves, and 15 per cent of tropical forests are in the ASEAN. While the region is known for its rich biodiversity, it is also vulnerable to climate-related risks and human-driven activities that drive biodiversity loss.

“Restoring the condition of our ecosystem to its healthy state will take a whole-of-society approach. Through concerted and collaborative efforts that support this initiative, we can achieve incredible results and transform a more sustainable future for the ASEAN community,” Lim said.

Moderated by UN Environment Programme’s National Goodwill Ambassador Antoinette Taus, and actor and host Paul Foster, the ASEAN Green Initiative launch can be watched live on the ACB’s official Facebook page www.facebook.com/ASEANBiodiversity.

For more information about how to participate in the ASEAN Green Initiative, visit www.agi.aseanbiodiversity.org.  (ACB/PIA-NCR)