ASEAN’s Roots and Reefs: Nature’s Strongholds

Deborah (Debbie) Tomasowa is a Jakarta-based visual artist known for her striking ballpoint pen portraits. Passionate about drawing people, animals, and everyday objects, she brings extraordinary detail and precision to life using one of the simplest tools—the humble ballpoint pen. Born and raised in Indonesia, and shaped by her experiences living in the United States, the Philippines, and South Korea, Deborah’s work blends her Indonesian heritage with global influences. Her art reflects culture

The Philippines’ Chairship of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Pillar unfolds at a decisive inflection point for the region. As the ASCC Blueprint 2025 concludes and the ASCC Strategic Plan enters its implementation phase, the People Pillar faces both a reckoning and an opportunity. Past gains must be defended, institutionalised, and scaled—while unresolved and emerging socio-cultural risks demand bolder, faster, and more coordinated responses. The stakes are clear: the well-being, dign

The ASEAN region, endowed with extraordinary biological richness, stands at a defining moment in its sustainable development journey. Its terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems rank among the most diverse and productive on Earth. These ecosystems underpin food security, sustain livelihoods, anchor cultural heritage, and strengthen climate resilience for more than 700 million people. The ongoing triple planetary crisis, characterised by biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution, poses

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

With a population of over 700 million and one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, the ASEAN region is undeniably a rising powerhouse. Unfortunately, few realise that this progress is built on the region’s extraordinary biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides—resources that are currently threatened by the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

Southeast Asia is a unique underwater paradise. Lying between two of the world’s largest oceans—the Pacific Ocean in the east and the Indian Ocean in the west- this vast body of water surrounding the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is considered a global marine powerhouse that provides crucial benefits for the people and the planet.

Focusing on aligning regional efforts with global biodiversity goals, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), in partnership with the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Agency (NBCA) of Viet Nam, organised the Eighth ASEAN Heritage Parks Conference (AHP8) in Quang Ninh Province, Viet Nam.

Amid the coastal wetlands of Myanmar, villagers stand ankle-deep in sticky mud, relentlessly digging holes to plant the mangrove saplings they have nurtured for months. This scene has become a familiar sight in Bogale town, where local communities are at the forefront of restoring the once-dwindling mangrove forest in Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary (MKWS)—a Ramsar site and one of Myanmar’s ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHPs) supported by the Small Grants Programme (SGP) of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiv

In September 2023, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council established the ASEAN Business and Biodiversity Initiative (ABBI), a dynamic platform to accelerate progress in achieving biodiversity and climate goals across the region. This involves building partnerships with the business sector and expanding this network to integrate biodiversity considerations in business operations and promote nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change impacts.

Biodiversity is essential for sustaining the lives of people, animals, plants, and microorganisms, and for creating healthy ecosystems that provide clean air and food. However, biodiversity is under threat from human activities, including overfishing, overhunting, pollution, overdevelopment, and climate change. These disturbances can alter the abundance of organisms, population dynamics, and ecological interactions, thereby affecting infectious diseases. Increased contact among wildlife, livesto

Zoonotic threats emerge where humans, animals, and the environment interact—through livestock production systems, wildlife interfaces, food chains, markets, and ecological conditions that shape exposure opportunities. That is why One Health surveillance is not an “add-on” to epidemic intelligence; it is the core operating model for detecting spillover early enough to prevent amplification.

Illegal wildlife trade is a major driver of biodiversity loss. Conservationists note that most trafficked species are already endangered or at-risk. Poaching and trafficking these species accelerate their depletion and damage the ecological balance.

In the heart of Cambodia, where the ancient stone spires of Angkor Wat reach towards the heavens, a different kind of monumental effort recently took place. The vibrant city of Siem Reap served as the backdrop for the 10th ASEAN Plus Three Junior Science Odyssey (APT JSO-10), held from 22 to 26 July 2024. This prestigious annual event brought together 194 participants, primarily gifted middle and high school students aged 13 to 15, from across the ASEAN region and the “Plus Three” nations of Chi

From the moment we wake up until we fall asleep, we spend much of our time staring at screens. The line between our digital and physical lives has all but blurred, shaping how we work, study, communicate with loved ones, shop, and even commute each day. Yet this convenience comes with vulnerability. The same access that connects us also opens doors for scammers.

ASEAN Entities are accredited organisations that have been formally recognised by ASEAN for their commitment to support the regional bloc’s principles, goals, and initiatives. Article 16 of the ASEAN Charter specifically states: “ASEAN may engage with entities which support the ASEAN Charter, in particular its purposes and principles.”

What if a scholarship did more than fund an education? What if it helped shape perspective, strengthen regional understanding, and quietly prepare young people to give back to where they come from?

Inclusion as a buzzword has grown louder in recent years. While inclusive progress has already been made in some sectors, such as public service or transportation, attention should also be paid to inclusion in the private sector. Businesses have to promote inclusive business practices, which means intentionally integrating marginalised individuals into the value chain of the company at various levels.

Officials from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) walked into the headquarters of the Viet Nam Competition Commission (VCC) on 28 August 2025 with a clear mission: to strengthen consumer protection systems across borders at a time when online marketplaces, cross-border trade, and consumer expectations transform faster than laws can keep pace.

The ASEAN Secretariat initiated the ASEAN Artists Residency Programme (AARP) in 2018 to nurture and support the region’s young and upcoming artists. The programme has since featured several artists from across Southeast Asia. In 2025, the ASEAN Art Residency Programme (AARP) returned with a special edition that coincided with the Osaka Kansai World Expo. Lao PDR artist Souphalak Phongsavath, known as Luck, was selected as the resident and spent a month in Osaka. She received a dedicated space in

The Mango Flavour: India and ASEAN After a Decade of the Act East Policy, written by India’s former Ambassador to Indonesia and ASEAN, Ambassador Gurjit Singh, explores three decades of ASEAN-India relations and the evolution of India’s Act East Policy. Drawing from Ambassador Singh’s diplomatic experience, he examines how this policy has shaped cooperation with ASEAN along the political-security, economic, and socio-cultural dimensions.

Thirty-four-year-old Megawati, a community worker based in Wangi-wangi Island in Wakatobi Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, joined the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity’s Effectively Managing Networks of Marine Protected Areas in Large Marine Ecosystems in the ASEAN Region (ENMAPS) Programme in 2025 at the start of its five-year implementation. Megawati is a perfect fit, having been born and raised on the island renowned for its seascapes and coral ecosystems that span more than 90,000 hectares and susta

Mark Liao’s journey into biodiversity work began in 2017 when he joined the Borneo Eco-Warriors programme under the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI). He was 22 then when he latched onto this idea and, in the same year, established an environmental NGO that similarly focuses on community-oriented conservation.

Twenty-five-year-old Thae Eaindra Hsu was born and raised in Mawlamyine, Mon State, Myanmar. Mawlamyine is known for its golden pagodas and its proximity to the Gulf of Mottama Ramsar site, a coastal wetland area recognised for its biodiversity and the communities that depend on it. Growing up near the coast drew her into conservation work. Since 2021, she has worked with local conservation groups. She also joined a community-based marine conservation externship supported by the National Geograp

Brikko Martillo Dumas, known as Bricx, is a 34-year-old Filipino artist, educator, and climate advocate. He was born in Leyte, in the Philippines’ Eastern Visayas region, and moved to Manila as a teenager. When Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) devastated Leyte in 2013, Bricx returned home to bring his grandmother to safety and volunteer. He ended up staying for two months and handled logistics on the ground. He also helped set up community feeding and arts therapy programmes for childre

Gretel Seet Jia Xuan (25) is the Coordinator of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network Southeast Asia. Her interest in biodiversity began at the Festival of Biodiversity, organised by the Singapore National Parks Board. There, she discovered that Singapore is not only a concrete jungle but also home to a wide variety of species and habitats. That curiosity deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic, when online talks made expert knowledge feel closer and more accessible. Watching biodiversity practiti