Climate change and biodiversity in ASEAN
Southeast Asia is on the frontlines of the interconnected triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. However, the region is among the most vulnerable globally, with climate change and biodiversity loss emerging as the most pressing challenges. Rising sea levels, the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, growing food insecurity, and widespread ecosystem degradation are already threatening livelihoods and long-term development prospects across the region (ASEAN Secretariat, 2021).
At the same time, Southeast Asia is home to some of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems, including tropical forests, peatlands, mangroves and coral reefs (ACB, n.d.). These ecosystems provide essential resources for livelihoods and economic growth, as well as critical services such as climate regulation and coastal protection, and social and cultural values. These dual realities highlight both the urgency of addressing climate change and biodiversity loss, and the opportunity to pursue integrated climate–biodiversity solutions rooted in nature.
ASEAN Member States are Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Paris Agreement, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), reflecting their shared commitment to collective and coordinated action at all levels (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, n.d.; Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, n.d).
This commitment is further reinforced by the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, which identifies sustainability, resilience, and environmental protection as central to the region’s long-term development. Climate and biodiversity have also featured consistently as priorities under successive ASEAN Chairmanships, reflecting sustained political commitment. The ASEAN Joint Statement on Climate Change to the UNFCCC COPs and ASEAN Joint Statement on Biodiversity to the CBD COPs, for example, are regularly adopted at the ASEAN Leaders’ level and delivered by ASEAN Chairs in respective global fora, demonstrating ASEAN’s continued efforts to translate global commitments into concrete collective action. Both commitments highlighted the important nexus between climate change and biodiversity, emphasising the role of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as integral to addressing climate change while simultaneously safeguarding biodiversity and advancing the broader triple bottom line of environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
The latest ASEAN Joint Statement on Climate Change to COP30, adopted in 2025, particularly emphasises the need to prioritise nature-based and ecosystem-based approaches and inclusive solutions to ensure effective and equitable climate action rooted in the region’s natural and cultural heritage. The Joint Statement also calls for integrating nature-based and community-led ecosystem approaches into national climate instruments, such as National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS). In doing so, ASEAN is well positioned to demonstrate how NbS can operationalise global commitments under the UNFCCC and the CBD in ways that are context-specific and regionally relevant.
Key COP30 outcomes and ASEAN Pavilion highlights NbS
Building on this regional context, the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) held from 10 to 21 November 2025 in Belém, Brazil, presented a timely opportunity for ASEAN to translate global policy commitments into concrete regional action and strengthen engagement with stakeholders to advance NbS in line with ASEAN priorities on climate change and biodiversity.
The growing prominence of NbS was reflected across COP30 discussions and prominently showcased through the ASEAN Pavilion, organised for the first time alongside national pavilions of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Structured around thematic daily programmes, the Pavilion demonstrated ASEAN’s commitment to multilateral climate action, including scaling up NbS, enhancing climate finance, mobilising private-sector participation, and supporting just-transition approaches.
During the thematic day on “Nature and People: Forests, Oceans, and Biodiversity,” sessions highlighted that effective implementation must be people-centred, responding not only to climate and biodiversity objectives but also to local socio-economic realities. Community stewardship, indigenous knowledge, and equitable benefit-sharing were recognised as essential to ensure NbS support sustainable livelihoods, cultural continuity, and long-term resilience. Experiences in forest and peatland management, agroforestry, and blue carbon initiatives highlighted the importance of community ownership and smallholder participation. At the same time, cultural practices and local narratives were acknowledged as important drivers of climate awareness and social cohesion. ASEAN knowledge products were also presented, including the ASEAN loss and damage study and regional guidelines supporting NbS and ecosystem-based adaptation through sustainable forest management and social forestry.
NbS perspectives also emerged across broader thematic discussions. Adaptation sessions emphasised integrating nature-based and community-based approaches into infrastructure planning and National Adaptation Plans. Food systems discussions highlighted agroforestry and ecosystem-based agricultural practices for resilience and food security, while carbon market dialogues identified forests, peatlands, mangroves, and other blue carbon ecosystems as high-integrity NbS supporting Article 6 cooperation. Discussions on loss and damage further recognised the role of healthy ecosystems in reducing climate risks and addressing both economic and non-economic losses.
A consistent message across sessions was that scaling NbS depends on accessible and well-structured finance. High-integrity carbon markets, including regional initiatives such as the ASEAN Common Carbon Framework and Article 6 cooperation, were highlighted as mechanisms to mobilise investment. Ecosystems such as forests, peatlands, mangroves, and seagrass were increasingly viewed as bankable NbS assets when supported by clear legal frameworks, strong safeguards, transparent benefit-sharing, and robust Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems, alongside strengthened regional cooperation on data and institutional readiness.
Discussions among ASEAN and partners identified priority actions, including strengthening ecosystem-based adaptation and biodiversity conservation, scaling up investment for blue carbon and peatland and coastal ecosystem management, improving science–policy–finance integration and data systems, promoting inclusive participation of local communities and Indigenous Peoples, and expanding partnerships with development partners, the private sector, and research institutions to support implementation at national and regional levels.
Integrating NbS into ASEAN’s broader climate, biodiversity, and development agenda
The momentum from COP30 enables ASEAN to further integrate climate, biodiversity, and development actions through NbS. NbS offer a practical pathway to advance the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 by linking sustainability, resilience, and inclusive growth, while strengthening coherence across key regional frameworks such as the ASEAN Biodiversity Plan (ABP), the forthcoming ASEAN Climate Change Strategic Action Plan (ACCSAP), and the Post-2025 ASEAN Strategic Plan on Environment (ASPEN).
From a biodiversity perspective, priority actions from ABP include restoring degraded terrestrial and marine ecosystems; strengthening protected areas such as ASEAN Heritage Parks and biodiversity corridors; mainstreaming NbS across sectors including agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and urban development; expanding urban green spaces; and integrating natural capital and ecosystem services into planning and financing decisions.
From a climate perspective, ACCSAP presents further opportunities to embed NbS into adaptation and mitigation efforts. This includes promoting high-integrity and inclusive NbS approaches, strengthening regional cooperation on data and monitoring systems, and creating enabling conditions to mobilise public and private finance, including through Article 6 cooperation and emerging regional carbon market initiatives.
In this context, ASPEN can serve as an overarching framework to align climate and biodiversity actions, ensuring a coherent and implementation-focused approach to scaling up NbS across ASEAN.
The way forward: Strengthening ASEAN cooperation on NbS beyond COP30
Building on the outcomes of COP30, ASEAN has a clear opportunity to consolidate NbS into a coherent regional cooperation agenda. First, ASEAN can strengthen partnerships to scale up NbS through existing ASEAN-led mechanisms and platforms, including the ASEAN Working Group on Climate Change and related environmental cooperation platforms. These serve as key entry points to operationalise NbS and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) guidelines at national and sub-national levels. Continued engagement with dialogue and development partners, regional organisations, research institutions, and the private sector will be essential to translate these guidelines into practical implementation, while sustaining the ASEAN Pavilion as a platform for collaboration, visibility, and knowledge exchange beyond COP30.
Second, scaling up NbS will require stronger mobilisation of public, private, and blended finance. Ongoing initiatives such as the Technical Assistance Facility to the Green Team Europe Initiative (TAF-GTEI), the ASEAN–EU–Germany Climate Action Programme (CAP), and the ASEAN-UK Green Transition Fund (GTF) provide a strong foundation to support capacity-building, pilot implementation, and the development of bankable NbS project pipelines. Greater emphasis should be placed on mobilising investment through high-integrity carbon markets, sustainable finance mechanisms, and partnerships with financial institutions, while ensuring strong social and environmental safeguards and transparent benefit-sharing. Particular attention should be given to financing community-led and locally driven NbS initiatives, recognising the central role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in delivering sustainable outcomes.
Third, ASEAN can reinforce its regional leadership by preparing coordinated NbS-focused deliverables for upcoming global platforms, including the CBD COP17 and UNFCCC COP31. This includes coordinated preparation of ASEAN Joint Statements, showcasing regional NbS experiences and knowledge products, and continuing the ASEAN Pavilion as a strategic platform to demonstrate ASEAN’s integrated approach to climate and biodiversity action. Progress on key regional frameworks, including the ACCSAP and the ASPEN, will provide important milestones to communicate ASEAN’s collective ambition and progress in implementation.
Finally, strengthening information-based development will be critical to enhance the credibility, comparability, and scalability of NbS across ASEAN. Priority actions include improving regional data systems, MRV methodologies, and knowledge-sharing platforms to support evidence-based policymaking and investment decisions. Expanding research collaboration, technical exchanges, and capacity-building initiatives will support ASEAN Member States in developing high-integrity NbS approaches and strengthening institutional readiness, bridging gaps between science, policy, and implementation.
By strengthening coherence across partnerships, finance, global engagement, and knowledge systems, ASEAN can position itself as a regional leader in advancing integrated climate and biodiversity action through NbS beyond COP30. Sustained collaboration among the ASEAN Member States, ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN centres/entities, and partners will be essential to maintain momentum and translate commitments into measurable outcomes, including through leadership of and close coordination with the Philippines as the 2026 ASEAN Chair for the upcoming COP31.
