QUEZON CITY—The Philippines, through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Biodiversity Management Bureau ,(DENR-BMB), together with the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), officially launched five major regional conservation initiatives during the ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP) Forum 2026.
The Forum is the Philippines' flagship biodiversity event as ASEAN Chair for 2026, convening more than 400 delegates, protected area managers, and policymakers from across the region under the theme "Navigating a Sustainable Future for ASEAN Heritage Parks."
Among the green initiatives launched were:
The AHP Regional Action Plan (AHP RAP) 2026-2035, a 10-year roadmap to strengthen ecosystem representation and management across the AHP network, built around two central goals: ensuring the region's ecosystems are fully represented in the network, and ensuring every park is effectively managed, protected, and conserved.
The Philippine ASEAN Heritage Parks Network (PAN), a national coordination platform to strengthen peer learning, science-based monitoring, and reporting among Philippine AHPs, and to support protected area sites pursuing AHP designation.
The Philippines Biodiversity Financing Program, implemented by DENR's Biodiversity Management Bureau with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF). Approved by the Global Environment Facility under the GBFF's first programming tranche, the project runs from July 2026 to July 2032 and aims to scale up public and private investment in biodiversity aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The Small Grants Programme III (SGP III), an ACB initiative supported by the Federal Republic of Germany through KfW and the European Union, providing direct micro-grants for community-led conservation projects in protected area buffer zones across Cambodia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, and Viet Nam from 2026 to 2031. In the Philippines, Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park serves as one of the programme's implementation sites.
The AHP Programme Operations Manual, to be advanced through a dedicated capacity-building workshop bringing together AHP Committee Members and site managers to finalize a common operational reference for the network.
“Regional initiatives such as these inspire and spark positive action among the ASEAN Member States to work together and pursue greater international cooperation that advances cross-border conservation action”, said Atty. Jonas R. Leones, DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning, and International Affairs and ASEAN Senior Official on Environment - Philippines.
The Second ASEAN Green Initiative (AGI) Recognition Ceremony was also held as part of the Forum. This honors different grassroots tree-planting and ecological restoration projects across the region in support of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Four Philippine projects were recognised during the ceremony, the ALIMA Eco, Agri, and Heritage Park Development, and the Daang Kalikasan Native Trees Arboretum and Ecological Restoration Initiative, as medium-scale awardees, and the Mongkayo Pag-asa Carbon Forest and the Luntiang Kyusi: One Million Trees Initiative as large-scale awardees.
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"We count on your voice to help tell the stories of our shared natural heritage, and to amplify the message that investing in nature is an investment in our collective future," said Dr. Jerome Montemayor, Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, in his opening remarks at the Forum.
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