Page 121 - The Ethics of ASEAN

Ethics of Sustainability and Biodiversity in ASEAN

share of the benefits of biodiversity. This comes in the forms
of financial support for research and innovation, investment in
knowledge and training, and direct economic compensation for
preserving its wealth of plants, animals, genetic material and
ecosystems.
Ethically, the UN message balances the virtue of doing the
right thing with a results-based ethics incentivised by concrete
benefits for taking action.

Dr Marie Kristerie Baleva: regional ethics are
essential because biodiversity has no borders

Representing the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity based in
Phillipines, Dr Baleva notes that all the ten ASEAN Member
States are parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC).
Southeast Asia’s astounding biodiversity has been
described throughout history and was put into numbers by
Bianca Lisboa de Camara Brasil. Of this biodiversity 37% is
classified as endemic which means that these species only Figure 2: Dr Mary
exist within the region. In fact, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Kristerie Baleva External
Relations and Policy
Many more species are expected to be discovered in the future. SpecialistExternal Relations
and Policy Specialist ASEAN
That is why protection and preservation of wild areas are Centre for Biodiversity
so important. Within ASEAN alone, there are 2587 protected
areas, making up 804,000 square metres, and 40 heritage parks
in total.
The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity facilitates cooperation
and coordination among the ten ASEAN Member States and
with regional and international organisations with the mission
of conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and
a fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of
such natural treasures.
Following the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD),
Dr Baleva helpfully defines biodiversity as variability among
living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine
and ecosystems. An ecological complex is the diversity within
species and between species.
Biodiversity itself is studied at three component levels:
the genetic, species, and ecosystem level. One form of life is
dynamically related to others.
Ecosystem services are the benefits that people derive
from ecosystems-- the air we breathe, the water we drink, the

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