ASEAN Heritage Park Conference and honoring Xuan Thuy National Park as an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2025

Leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and representatives of the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB) awarded Certificates to ASEAN Heritage Gardens, including Xuan Thuy National Park (Ninh Binh).

Attending the conference were Mr. Nguyen Quoc Tri, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment; Dr. Jerome Montemayor, Executive Directorof ACB ; representatives of the People's Committees of the provinces: Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh, Nghe An, Dong Nai, Hue city, Ho Chi Minh city.

On the side of Ninh Binh province, attending the conference were comrade Tran Anh Dung, member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Environment; leaders of the Xuan Thuy National Park Management Board.

Comrade Tran Anh Dung, Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of Ninh Binh Provincial People's Committee and delegates attending the conference.

The 8th ASEAN Heritage Parks Conference was held under the theme “ASEAN Heritage Sites: ASEAN’s Contribution to the Implementation of the Biodiversity Plan” to align regional efforts with global biodiversity goals.

The 8th ASEAN Heritage Gardens Conference is jointly organized by ACB and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Vietnam through the Department of Nature Conservation and Biodiversity, with the support of the European Union through the Technical Support Facility for the European Green Team Initiative; and the support of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany through KfW, Metro Pacific Investments Group and Corus International.

The conference brought together national park managers, protected area management agencies, technical experts, institutional partners and key stakeholders to promote cross-sectoral dialogue, strengthen regional cooperation and showcase how ASEAN Heritage Sites contribute to global biodiversity goals through nature-based solutions, climate action, sustainable resource management and inclusive governance.

Speaking at the conference, Dr. Jerome Montemayor, CEO of ACB, affirmed: “We are delighted to cooperate with the Government of Vietnam through NBCA in organizing the AHP8 conference - a forum for knowledge exchange, partnership building and capacity development. We hope this will be an opportunity to emphasize the key role of indigenous peoples, local communities, women and youth in achieving biodiversity goals.”

The AHP8 conference will include plenary sessions, parallel technical discussions, interactive exhibitions and field visits to showcase best practices in protected area management and ecosystem restoration. Technical sessions will focus on nature-based solutions to climate change, the link between health and biodiversity, the involvement of indigenous peoples, local communities, youth and women in conservation, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity targets and sustainable financing for protected areas.

Within the framework of the AHP8 conference, biodiversity-based products will also be displayed and traded, along with many other events.

According to Mr. Le Van Huu, Deputy Director of the Department of Nature Conservation and Biodiversity: “The cooperation with ACB is a testament to Vietnam's commitment to implementing the National Strategy and Action Plan on Biodiversity, while contributing to the broader goals of the ASEAN Biodiversity Plan and the Kunming-Montreal Global Framework on Biodiversity”.

Within the framework of the AHP8 Conference, the ASEAN Heritage Parks Program took place on the evening of December 3. AHP is one of ASEAN's key initiatives, established to recognize and emphasize the importance of biodiversity as well as the value of national parks and typical protected areas in regional and global efforts on nature conservation.

From 11 conservation areas of high conservation value recognized under the ASEAN Declaration on Heritage Sites and Reserves dated November 29, 1984, this network has now expanded to 69 ASEAN Heritage Sites across all ASEAN member countries. Vietnam is proud to be one of the pioneering and most active countries, currently the whole country has 15 areas recognized as ASEAN Heritage Parks.

At the conference, ACB and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment awarded Certificates to 5 ASEAN Heritage Parks, including: Xuan Thuy National Park (Ninh Binh), Pu Mat National Park (Nghe An), Bach Ma National Park (Hue City), Con Dao National Park (Ho Chi Minh City) and Dong Nai Nature-Cultural Reserve (Dong Nai).

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Quoc Tri spoke at the ceremony.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Quoc Tri affirmed: Southeast Asia is one of the world's richest centers of biodiversity. Each heritage site honored today is not only beautiful in landscape but also has special ecological, cultural and historical values. To date, Vietnam has 15 conservation areas out of a total of 69 heritage sites recognized by ASEAN.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment acknowledged the silent efforts of conservation forces and local communities - people who live next to forests, streams, and seas and work day and night to preserve the ecosystem.

In the context of climate change, increasing natural disasters, and many threatened species, the Deputy Minister emphasized: Nature conservation is a matter of survival and hopes that ASEAN will continue to promote its leading role in conservation and sustainable development. From Quang Ninh - a land rich in heritage values, the ASEAN heritage sites honored this year will become symbols of peace, sustainability and responsibility to nature.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment congratulated the conservation areas recognized as ASEAN Heritage Parks and believed that the title would further motivate the units to continue their efforts to protect biodiversity. He sincerely thanked the ASEAN authorities for their efforts in coordinating the successful organization of the AHP8 Conference and the ASEAN Heritage Parks Recognition Ceremony in Vietnam in 2025.

Comment (0)