By Sim YH –
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 3 OCT – The responsibility of managing the country’s biodiversity resources is not only shouldered by a government agency alone, but in order for its management to be carried out in an orderly and effective manner, it needs understanding and cooperation from various parties, whether from government or non-government agencies.
Therefore, it is very important for us to foster an integrated approach that harmonizes environmental conservation with socio-economic development.
The matter was stated by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (KSSUP), Hajah Tutiaty binti Haji Abdul Wahab in his welcome speech at the opening of the National Biodiversity Policy and Strategic Action Plan (NBPSPA) Update Workshop which took place at Dewan Setia Pahlawan, KSSUP , recently.
He also stated that the importance of biodiversity is not only aimed at the stability of the environment but it is also the social and economic development of the country.
The workshop organized by KSSUP through the Forestry Department which was held on 1 to 2 October was attended by government agencies, institutions of higher education and non-government agencies interested in biodiversity management and conservation.
The two-day workshop is Brunei Darussalam’s commitment as a member of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UN CBD), particularly towards the coordination and updating of the country’s biodiversity policy in line with the guidelines contained in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
With the coordination and updating, it is hoped that biodiversity management and conservation initiatives at the national and international levels will have a significant impact to reduce the loss or extinction of biodiversity by 2030.
Through the workshop, it is also hoped that the updated biodiversity policy is comprehensive, includes and takes into account all the interests from the aspects of all stakeholders.
Brunei Darussalam and also member countries of the CBD will share their respective national biodiversity policies at the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference for Members of the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP CBD 16) which is scheduled to be held on 21 October to 1 November in Cali, Colombia.
Brunei Darussalam is always committed and continues to provide support for any initiative related to biodiversity management and conservation.
Sustainable management of biodiversity is necessary for the sake of social, economic and environmental stability, not only for the present generation but also for future generations.
