ENVIRONMENT
Regional initiatives on the environment continued to be guided by ASEAN Vision 2020 and the 15 objectives set out in the Ha Noi Plan of Action. The Strategic Plan of Action on the Environment (SPAE) sets out specific and measurable actions for each of the 15 objectives of the HPA. Demonstrable progress has been made in planning and undertaking activities to enhance environmental cooperation in the region. The areas of cooperation are: (a) Land and forest fires and Transboundary Haze; (b) Nature Conservation and Biodiversity; (c) Coastal and Marine Environment; (d) Global Environmental Issues; and (e) other environmental issues.
As environmental issues are interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral nature, not to mention its regional and global impacts, concerted efforts have been undertaken to coordinate activities with other sectoral bodies of ASEAN, and other regional and international institutions. Similarly environmental considerations have been incorporated into the development plans of other sectors to ensure the goals of environmentally sound sustainable development are achieved. The ASEAN Secretariat plays an important coordinating and enabling role in integrating environmental factors into other development activities of ASEAN.
Transboundary
Haze
Transboundary
haze pollution arising from land and forest fires continues to be the most
prominent and pressing environmental problem facing ASEAN today. Though the
region was spared of transboundary haze pollution in the period under review,
ASEAN member countries continued to be vigilant and undertook short and medium
term measures to prevent or control any occurrence of land and forest fires.
Member countries recognize that it only takes a short spell of dry weather for
the haze to occur as did happen momentarily in August 2000.
The HPA addresses the transboundary haze issue through the following objectives, namely (i) to fully implement the ASEAN Cooperation Plan on Transboundary Pollution with particular emphasis on the Regional Haze Action Plan (RHAP) by year 2001; (ii) strengthen the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre with emphasis on the ability to monitor forest and land fires and provide early warning on transboundary haze by year 2001; and (iii) establish the ASEAN Regional Research and Training Centre for Land and Forest Fire Management by the year 2004.
Progress has been made in the implementation of the 3 key components of the RHAP namely prevention, monitoring and mitigation. Over the past year, two Ministerial Meetings on the Environment, three meetings of the Haze Technical Task Force, and four meetings of the Sub Regional Fire Fighting Arrangements (SRFA) for Borneo and Sumatra, were held to review, implement and oversee activities of the RHAP.
The Environment Ministers, at their Sixth Informal Meeting in May 2001, released an ASEAN-ADB joint publication entitled Fire, Smoke and Haze – the ASEAN Response Strategy. The publication reviews fire and haze episodes worldwide, its causes and impacts, the social and economic impacts of the 1997-98 haze episode in ASEAN and the ASEAN Response Strategy, particularly with regard to the short, medium and long term strategy of the RHAP.
The
Immediate Action Plans (IAPs) are designed to help local government units and
the communities in developing comprehensive action plans for forest fire
management. The IAP for West Kalimantan was successfully completed, with funding
and technical support from Australia. The activities carried out were (i)
Prevention namely strengthening public awareness and education, training local
extension motivators, and formulation and familiarization of law enforcement
guidelines, (ii) Monitoring, namely intensification of the application of the
early warning system, strengthening early detection system, and promotion of air
quality monitoring system, and (iii) Mitigation, namely preparation of fire
suppression mobilization plans (FSMPs), and field simulation exercise of FSMPs
at provincial and district/local levels.
An IAP Phase 2 was also implemented for the Riau Province, with funding support from the Asian Development Bank. The activities included (i) drafting and socialisation of the Governor’s decree on PUSDALKARHUTLA (land and fire management structure) in Riau Province; (ii) development of a ten-year capacity building plan for effective functioning of PUSDALKARHUTLA and its relevant agencies; (iii) development of a Forest Fire Management Plan with Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), including a glossary of technical terms; and (iv) development of an integrated provincial FSMP for the Riau Province.
The experiences gained from these pilot IAP activities will be further institutionalized and implemented in the identified key fire prone areas namely South Sumatra, Jambi, Lampung (SRFA Sumatra), and Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and East Kalimantan (SRFA Borneo). Funding and technical support is being sought from collaborating institutions for the implementation of these activities.
In
April 1999, ASEAN adopted a “zero-burning” policy and urged all Member
Countries to implement the necessary laws and regulations to enforce this major
decision. Following this, ASEAN convened a number of dialogue sessions with
plantation companies as part of the effort to promote the zero burning policy
among plantation owners and timber concessionaires. The second dialogue session
involving plantation companies and timber concessionaires from Indonesia and the
SRFA members was convened in Jakarta on 26 July 2000. These dialogue sessions
sought to inform and raise awareness on zero burning practices and techniques
among plantation companies, and establish a regular forum in sustaining the
dialogue sessions with plantation companies.
ASEAN
plans to organise more of such dialogue sessions regularly to further raise
awareness and share experience on zero burning practices. ASEAN encourages the
private sector, especially plantation companies to undertake voluntary
initiatives to control fires, and in this respect supported the formation of the
Haze Prevention Group (HPG) of Indonesian Forestry and Plantation Industry.
Malaysia and Indonesia held dialogue sessions with their respective
plantation companies to provide more information on zero burning policies and
practices.
Apart from the above initiatives, ASEAN has implemented some public/ community awareness programmes in fire-prone areas. A workshop was recently conducted in West Kalimantan Province to explore traditional values of Dayak and Melayu tribes in managing fires and haze in or surrounding their areas. This pilot activity was considered successful as the community leaders came to an agreement on the need to further strengthen their existing values applicable for fire-and-haze control. Some follow-up actions include establishment of community groups at the village level to prevent and control land and forest fires, and public awareness programmes on the impact of haze on health.
The centrepiece of RHAP’s monitoring activities is a network of national- and regional-level institutions that include the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), national meteorological agencies, and other related agencies in the region. The ASMC, which is based in Singapore, has been designated to play a lead role in long-range climatological forecasting, early warning activities, and detection and monitoring of fires and haze in the region. Since April 2000, meteorological services from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore meet regularly to discuss regional climate forecasts and address meteorological issues related to fires and smoke haze. Over the past year, the Sub-Regional Climate Review (SRCR) Meeting convened four times. The latest meeting was held on 29 September 2000 in Singapore.
ASEAN
Secretariat’s
RHAP-Coordination and Support Unit continuously monitors the haze situation on a
day-to-day and region-wide basis and shares its findings through its website:
the ASEAN Haze Action Online (www.haze-online.or.id).
The sources of information include reports of ASEAN meetings, relevant
central and provincial government agencies of ASEAN member countries, NGOs,
relevant websites, and the mass media.
Recognizing
the need to further enhance regional cooperation on transboundary haze, the
ASEAN Environment Ministers have agreed to commence negotiations on an ASEAN
Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution. Two Intergovernmental Negotiation
Meetings were held in March and May 2001. Two
more negotiation sessions are scheduled to be held before the Agreement is
expected to be concluded by September 2001.
The draft Agreement addresses policy and technical issues regarding
monitoring, assessment and prevention, mechanisms
for coordination, lines of communication, simplified customs and immigration
procedures for immediate deployment of people and goods across borders in case
of an environmental disaster. UNEP is providing legal advice in the development
of the Agreement, and in cooperation with the Hanns Seidel Foundation is
providing financial support for the holding of these negotiations.
Two
meetings of the SRFA Legal Group on Law and Enforcement were held in August 2000
and April 2001. A
Seminar-Workshop on Law Enforcement for Land and Forest Fires in Indonesia was
held in September 2000 in Riau Province to develop common understanding towards
law enforcement efforts for land and forest fires among judges, prosecutors,
police, relevant government agencies, NGOs, universities as well as mass media,
and build social control and public awareness on law enforcement for open
burning. A
training course on Practical Enforcement was conducted in February 2001 in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. The course improved the performance of the pollution control
officers of Environment Departments in terms of enforcement, specifically when
planning, conducting and following up on-site inspections.
Indonesia
announced that it has promulgated Government Regulation No. 4.2001: Control of
the Environmental Degradation and/or Pollution Related to Land and/or Forest
Fires. ASEAN welcomed this initiative on the part the Indonesian Government,
which would certainly enhance enforcement measures against forest and land
fires.
Other
related activities
A GIS database for Sumatra, Kalimantan and Malaysia has been completed. The GIS database strengthens the capacity of the ASEAN member countries to use spatial data layers for forest fire prevention, planning, early warning, monitoring and assessment. It contains six thematic layers (elevation, hydrology, geology, settlement, land use and infrastructure). The database has been incorporated into CD-ROMs and training workshops have been held to disseminate the database and train end users.
An ASEAN Fire Danger Rating System (FDRS), supported by CIDA is being developed. The FDRS will provide quantitative measurements of the level of risk of fire and haze to which a particular geographic area is exposed. The activities focus on implementing FDRS at national level and strengthening regional fire network systems.
A Video Conferencing Facility has been commissioned and is fully operational. The Facility provides a multi way video conferencing among the ASEAN Secretariat and the SRFA members: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It facilitates more frequent, more effective, and less expensive consultations and meetings among these countries.
Nature
Conservation and Biodiversity
The ASEAN Regional Center for Biodiversity Conservation, an ASEAN flagship project carried out in collaboration with the EU, implemented various activities to enhance the capacity of ASEAN in strengthening biodiversity conservation in ASEAN, through networking, applied research, database and information management, training and technical assistance.
The ARCBC moved into operational phase during the year under review. Four major workshops were held on the following topics: (i) Formulation of an ASEAN Framework Agreement on Access to Genetic Resources, Singapore; (ii) Regional Workshop on Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms, Malaysia; (iii) Data Information Standards and Data Sharing, Indonesia; and (iv) ASEAN Heritage Reserves Programme, Thailand.
In addition, ARCBC assisted in several other workshops in the region including: (i) Description and delineation of Biodiversity Districts of Sarawak; (ii) Conservation Priority Workshop of the Philippines, (iii) Annual Meeting of Wildlife Conservation of Philippines; and (iv) National Training Needs Assessment Meetings (Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand).
Progress was made on the development of several training/awareness materials, including: (i) Protected Areas Managers Handbook and Training Manual; (ii) Protected Areas Rangers Handbook and Training Manual; (iii) ASEAN Mammals Identification Training Pack; (iv) Review of Marine Protected Areas Systems of ASEAN countries; (v) ARCBC Source Book: Biodiversity Guidelines for Development in Coastal and Rural Areas; and (vi) Biodiversity Database Users Training Manual.
Following the Workshop on Standardization of Biodiversity Reporting and Information Sharing, activities for creation and maintenance of electronic repositories of sources of biodiversity data for ASEAN and EU scientific institutions, and establishment of links to other international databases has commenced. The Biodiversity Information Monitoring System (BIMS) software was installed at the focal agencies of Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. The Web/Windows version was developed and is being pilot tested. Training in the use of software supplied was given in several countries, including one international training course held in Los Banos.
The draft Framework Agreement on Access to Biological and Genetic Resources has been circulated to member countries for comments. The draft will be further discussed at the official level and is expected to be finalized thereafter.
On ASEAN Heritage Parks and Reserves, the Guidelines and Criteria for the Selection and Establishment of ASEAN Heritage Parks and Reserves was reviewed at a workshop held in Ha Noi in September 2000. The Guidelines will be used to designate further Heritage Parks and Reserves in ASEAN. Collaboration was also established with UNESCO to facilitate designation of cluster and transborder Natural Heritage Sites in ASEAN. A technical workshop involving all ASEAN member countries in ASEAN was held in April 2001, where potential sites were identified, and specific work plans for the identified sites were started to initiate the nomination process.
To promote applied research in ASEAN member countries, two tranch of research grants were approved in phases, the first tranch comprising 21 projects valued at Euro 1,190,993 in June 2000, and the second tranch comprising 15 projects valued at Euro 1,312,996 in February 2001. The research grants enable applied research on specific issues on biodiversity conservation in ASEAN member countries so as to enhance their conservation and sustainable utilization.
In an effort to protect coastal and marine resources and its environment, ASEAN has moved to strengthen regional cooperation with the appointment of the National Focal Points for seven subject areas, namely coral reef, sea grass and mangroves; oil sludge from tankers and ballast water; management of solid and liquid wasters; coastal erosion; eco-tourism; and coastal wetlands, including protected marine areas; and clean technology. The focal point mechanism is vital to facilitate coordination of activities and the exchange of information among the member countries and other organizations. Greater efforts have been made to enhance surveillance and follow-up action against illegal discharge, and to develop criteria for designating areas to protect coastal marine habitats and resources.
ASEAN continued to assess the possibility of collaborating with other organizations undertaking relevant activities. A project on “Regional Coordination for Integrated Protection and Management of Coastal and Marine Environment” has been prepared for further discussion and consultation with those potential partners.
Global
Environmental Issues
ASEAN continued to play an active role in on-going negotiations of several multilateral environmental agreements. These included the (i) Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol, (ii) the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocol on Biosafety, (iii) the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, (iv) Montreal Protocol on the Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, (v) Convention on Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (the Rotterdam Convention), and (iv) the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
ASEAN continued to promote common position or understanding in the negotiations at these fora. These were done at three levels viz, the ASEAN Working Group on Multilateral Environmental Agreements (ii) Special Session or Workshops prior to the Convention Meetings and (iii) during the Convention Sessions. In view of the importance of the on going negotiations on climate change issues, and at the request of the Environment Ministers of ASEAN, the ASEAN Secretariat attended the 6th Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention and its resumed session, where ASEAN consultative meetings were held concurrently to foster common understanding on the issues. ASEAN has designated lead countries for each MEA to ensure effective coordination and implementation of Convention obligations among ASEAN member countries. Training workshops are being held to promote understanding and facilitate implementation of the Conventions.
In view of the commonality and overlapping issues under MEAs, ASEAN has embarked on promoting synergies among these MEAs. A Workshop was held in February 2001 to identify issues and modalities for synergies among MEAs, and an ASEAN case study was being conducted to facilitate such synergistic approach in member countries. ASEAN is collaborating with the United Nations University in this endeavour.
Other
Environmental Activities
The ASEAN Environment Ministers at their Sixth Informal Meeting in May 2001 launched the ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plan (AEEAP), which was formulated with financial assistance from the Hanns Seidel Foundation and UNEP. ASEAN Vision 2020 envisions a clean and green ASEAN with its rich human and natural resources contributing to its development and shared prosperity. The AEEAP aims to translate that Vision by ensuring that its rich cultural traditions (where the values and practices of the people are in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature), with citizens who are environmentally literate, imbued with environmental ethic, willing and capable to contribute to the sustainable development of the region through environmental education and public participation efforts.
The Plan not only serves as a collaborative framework for ASEAN cooperation, but more importantly guides regional and international organizations to collaborate in a coherent manner in the region on this important endeavour. The Action Plan recommends, among others, appropriate strategies and actions to boost environmental knowledge and awareness in the region. It outlines priority activities that can be implemented successfully by agencies concerned at the national and regional level. Various mechanisms to promote and establish effective networking and collaboration among the Member Countries are also delineated.
Initial activities planned are the inventorying of environmental education resources in ASEAN, and workshops to share experiences of individual member countries.
The ASEAN Environment Year 2000, which carried the theme Our Heritage, Our Future was successfully completed. The campaign, which included seminars, training, and workshops; exhibits and competitions, public relations and promotional activities helped to achieve the following aims: (a) raise awareness of environmental issues at all levels of societies in ASEAN; (b) create better informed and environmentally sensitive societies in order to enhance capacities for the attainment of the goals of sustainable development; (c) highlight ASEAN achievements in the field of environment; (d) promote government-private sector partnership and active involvement of major groups in environmental initiative; and (e) stimulate regional activities in the environmental arena.
The State of the Environment Report 2000 (SoER 2000) was published in July 2001. This is the second in the series of state of the environment reporting of ASEAN. The first Report was published in 1997. SoER takes stock of environmental conditions and their impact and interrelationship with other sectoral development in ASEAN, and serves as a basis for policy intervention to address or promote sustainable development in ASEAN. SoER 2002, the third in this series, is due to be published in time for the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002 (Rio +10). SoER 2002, therefore will serve an additional purpose as an ASEAN regional response to the issues to be addressed at the Summit, and therefore is expected to be much more analytical in nature in terms of assessing the progress of environmental protection over the past decade, and offering insights into future global and regional framework for environmental cooperation.
As
a long term measure, the HPA mandates the need to harmonize the environmental
databases of ASEAN member countries. Towards this end, ASEAN will establish
harmonized quantitative information database at both the national and regional
level to support environmental analysis, modeling and forecasting of issues for
use in the state of the environmental assessment and reporting.
The harmonized system will be useful not only for comparability of data
and information at the national and regional level, but will also provide
significant contribution towards the global environmental assessment process.
The Environment Ministers of ASEAN met twice during the period under review, formally in October 2000 and informally in May 2001. The Ministers reviewed ASEAN cooperation in environment, assessed development at the international level regarding global environmental issues, and provided policy guidance to officials on priority areas of action. The Ministers at their formal Meeting in October 2000 issued the Kota Kinabalu Resolution on the Environment. At their informal Meeting in May 2001, the Ministers, among others, reviewed and strengthened collaborative activities with international organizations such as the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations University, the Global Environmental Facility, the Hanns Seidel Foundation and UNESCO. The Ministers placed particular attention to the preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002 (Rio +10). They viewed the Asia Pacific preparatory meetings to be organized by Cambodia in October 2001, and the final Ministerial-level preparatory meeting by Indonesia in May 2002 as crucial to articulating the needs of ASEAN, and developing countries in general, and setting a new paradigm for sustainable development beyond 2002. In this respect, the Ministers commended the initiatives of Cambodia and Indonesia as testimony to the growing concerns of ASEAN, and its leadership, on global environmental issues.