Summary Report
APBON Web Seminar Kick-off Meeting1.

Date: 29th of June,2020
15:00-17:00 in Japanese Standard Time (UTC 06:00-08:00am)(13:00-15:00 in Thailand, Indonesia, 14:00-16:00 in Philippines, China)

2.

Location, Participants
Webex Meeting Room
27 participants (24 participants and 3 from Secretariat) and 11 Nationalities

3.

Programs
15:00 Opening: Secretariat of APBON (Mr. Saito: Biodiversity Center of Japan)
The agenda and rules of the meeting were proposed.
Rules of this meeting⁻

Mute a microphone/turn off a camera unless you are not speaking

⁻The presentation materials will be uploaded on APBON website⁻

If you have question or comments, use a chat room first for asking a floor

15:05-15:10 Introduction: Dr. Testsukazu Yahara (Japan, Co-chair of APBON)
Due to the pandemic of COVID 19, holding regularly scheduled web seminars (around twicein three months) was proposed (this idea was raised by APBON’s three co-chairs meeting)
The secretariat of the APBON (Ministry of the Environment of Japan) is kindly offering theIT infrastructure supports for holding web seminars.
15:10-15:50 Presentation 1: Dr. Yongyut Trisurat (Thailand)“Digital Atlas of Trees and Wildlife in Thailand: Transforming Analog Localities to Web-based
GIS Maps”
Q and A session
Have you considered the newly proposed protected area target on Aichi Biodiversity Targets(ABT) (30% of the land should be protected)?
⁻Thirty percent is quite ambitious. I believe 24-25% is suitable for Thailand when I
consider the forest coverage in Thailand.

The year 2020 is time for evaluation of the ABT. In Indonesia, we are re-designing the next
10,20,30 years for the post ABT. How do you think of the design of the post ABT? Does
Thailand have its own design for evaluation?
⁻Even though Thailand has 21 protected areas, the assessment of the protected area
management effectiveness has not completed in Thailand. The quality of the protected
1/4

area is very important. I was luckily invited to make a master plan of the protected areas.
Thus, I would like to use this opportunity and make a contribution.
Do you register the distribution data to GBIF?
⁻No. The distribution map in low resolution can be checked and downloaded on the data
paper of the Ecological Research. The data on animal and plants are also available on
the website below. Your data can be posted to the website as well.
(http://geospecies.dyndns.org/GeoSpecies/examples/tree/)

What is the most critical part of Climate change impacts on biodiversity prediction?
⁻The data resolution is different between Climate change-related ones and biodiversity
data.

Do you have any plan to evaluate the impact of human disturbance/climate change on rare
species? I was wondering if you might need more occurrence data for these species for robust
analysis. It means we need more filed observation.
⁻I do not conduct any research about that but my student from Nepal is researchingclimate change impact on wildlife in national parks.

Do you have any data about OECM in Thailand?
⁻

No. You would better to ask to a CBD focal point of Thailand (the department of nationalparks).

15:50-16:30 Presentation 2: Dr. Sheila Vergara(ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, Co-chair of APBON)“Status of Coastal and Marine Conservation in the ASEAN region”
Q and A session
How can we regulate and manage MPAs in efficient ways? Even in Japan, most MPAs arepractically not in good management (i.e. called paper MPAs), and thus just increasing thearea coverage 10% is not sufficient. We need to think about how we can install MPAs withgood management. Do you have any ideas on this point?
⁻There is a very low management effectiveness right now. A lot of MPA management plans
have been copied from other MPAs one. Capacity building is needed. However, countries
are moving forward. We should find out what are the issues (e.g. the participation fromlocals communities, policy gaps between local policy and governmental policy). There
has to be collaborations with local plans and MPA plans. It has to be institutionalized
and have collaborations with industries, education, etc. We have to have acomprehensive gap analysis.

Could you show the last slide that shows MPA map? In the case of Japan, most of the coastal
areas are covered by any regulation. But not like that in the offshore. I suspect a limited
number of the offshore protected areas also in the AP region. Is there any discussion forOffshore (within EEZ) , High Sea(Beyond EEZ) MPA?
2/4

⁻The data on the slide is based on the ABT reporting. It means MPA in the jurisdictions.
Setting MPA in offshore and outside of EEZ has not been discussed during the last 6th
national report meeting. During the recent webinar on MPA, conservation of the offshore
area and transboundary MPA was discussed but not extended. The establishment of theMPA network is under discussion. A peace park in the West Philippines Sea / South
China Sea was under discussion as well but the political situation is very difficult rightnow.

Is there any collective effort regionally (within/beyond ASEAN by NGO or member states) tolook at conservation of marine animals (eg. marine mammals or turtles) that istransboundary in nature?
⁻National sea turtles corridors have been made supported by the Conservation
International (CI). Sea turtles conservation plan has been submitted by CI as well. DFN
or Asean Primarily? Network has set up the network of ASEAN seabird surveys.

I am wondering if one reason the ASEAN region lags behind MPA area establishment versus
the world is because so much of the ASEAN coastline has high human population. Whilelarge MPAs around the world have been in remote island chains (Northwestern HawaiianIslands, for example, which has very few people) and other remote areas?
⁻Coastal management in the ASEAN region is complicated. Some countries have highhuman population in the coastal area. It is also related to overexploitation and pollution
etc. as well. For terrestrial, transboundary discussion is more advanced. However, thetransboundary arrangement of MPA is under discussion. For example, the Philippines,
Palawan, Sabah are under discussion but there was an issue and had not happened yet.

Is there any assessment of the representation of the marine ecosystem?
⁻Marine ecosystem assessments are carried when MPA plans are made. Coral reef,
seagrasses, mangrove, etc. Several NGOs (e.g. Mangrove for the future assessesmangroves) also carry surveys. The different organization has different focus andaspects/process.

How well-represented coastal ecosystems are?
⁻It was very few inland ecosystem protected areas before. The establishment of the Asia
Flyway Network has been changed the situation.

3/4

16:30-17:00
General Discussion: Chaired by Dr. Yahara
How can we promote these kinds of web activities in the future? How do you think about thismeeting? Is it effective?
⁻The webinar was good. Targets of the webinar could be younger scientists (e.g. postdoctoral students). It would be informative. The webinar part and discussion part canbe divided and webinar would be held with more people.

Has the GEOSS meeting canceled?
⁻Tentatively, it will be held on next Feb. It is going to be decided in September. China
GEO is planning to host capacity-building events. Coordination boards will decide thedetail.

We have time before the IUCN meeting and CBD meeting. We can have a meeting about how
we can use these opportunities. It could be very important.
⁻Input to CBD and IUCN is important. It has been prioritized on the new APBON
strategic plan as well. We may be able to discuss that on the next APBON webinar orwith a small group of people.

⁻

We are still flexible to organize APBON meeting/ webinar. We can focus on strategic
action as well.

How the next strategic plan will be discussed on CBD?
⁻The secretariats of the CBD launched the first draft of post ABT (the updated version ofthe zero draft of the post ABT) last week. SBSTTA24 and SBI3 will be held probably on
this October. IUCN Congress is planned to be held on January 2021, CBD COP15 is May
2021. (all of these are tentative)

How about doing a meeting with this structure during this year? Small business meetings
can be held as well.
⁻Dr. Alice Hughes can make a presentation about “COVID 19 and conservation sector”
next time.

⁻The presentation from freshwater researcher is also expected. (Dr. Yahara will ask Dr.
Kano to recommend a presenter)

17:00
Closing and Announcements: Secretariat to APBONThe next meeting will be held at the end of August, with 2 presentations. One is by Dr. Alice,
and the other will be recommended by Dr. Kano. The agenda will be later informed by theSecretariats.

4/4