LOS BAÑOS, Laguna -- Beauty, brains, and biodiversity advocacy. All these and more are embodied by the 87 Miss Earth 2022 candidates who gathered in the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) headquarters for the Beauties for Biodiversity event, where they shared their personal advocacies for nature while learning about the status of global biodiversity and the steps they can take to help curb species loss.

The ACB is collaborating with Miss Earth Foundation to scale-up its efforts in raising awareness on biodiversity issues to a wide range of audiences. With this year’s theme, “Miss Earth loves fauna,” the beauty pageant industry can be a strategic and effective platform in calling for collective actions to conserve, protect, and sustainably use the rich biological resources within and beyond the ASEAN region.

“I am confident that together, we can effectively communicate the values of protecting our diverse yet vulnerable animal species, and of biodiversity as a whole. All these animal species play vital roles in the ecosystem that provides us with all our needs to survive.” said Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim, ACB executive director.

In 2021, the ACB launched the #WeAreASEANBiodiversity: Our home, our lives, our stories as a regional campaign for biodiversity, which is aligned with ASEAN’s vision for 2025 where key actors are encouraged to take a more active role in promoting a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient community. Prominent media personalities and influencers from the ASEAN region volunteered to share their voices to amplify the call for an integrated and whole-of-community approach in biodiversity protection among wider local, national, and regional audiences.

“We, at Miss Earth, will endeavor to use our platform to educate the public on the impacts of different issues affecting ecological balance including habitat destruction and wildlife trafficking,” said Catherine Untalan-Vital, representing Miss Earth Foundation.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the ACB and Miss Earth Foundation was signed during the event, formally establishing the partnership between the two institutions. An interactive learning session followed, where the Miss Earth 2022 candidates get to share and discuss various issues affecting the world’s fauna and flora.

At the end of the event, the candidates expressed their commitment to the advocacy through a manifesto stating their pledge for biodiversity. This event serves as a kick-off activity leading to the coronation night, which will be held on 29 November 2022 in Manila, Philippines.

“We thank the 2022 Miss Earth candidates for lending your voices and influence to make ripples of change for biodiversity by living up to the Miss Earth Foundation’s principle— beauties for a cause,” said Lim.

To know more about the #WeAreASEANBiodiversity campaign, log on to www.weare.aseanbiodiversity.org. (ACB)