Launched in 2017, the ASEAN Biodiversity Heroes is a flagship programme of the ASEAN to showcase the impactful actions of environmental champions to inspire more people to stand up for biodiversity.

This year’s awardees are Liaw Lin Ji, Founder, Biodiversity and Natural History Society (BruWILD) and Head of Environmental Solutions and Brunei Country Manager, DHI Water & Environment; Chak Sokhavicheaboth, Deputy Director of Biodiversity Department, Ministry of Environment, Cambodia; Dr Anhar Lubis, Coordinator, Leuser Wildlife Rescue Team and Veterinarian, Leuser Conservation Forum, Indonesia; Khamphay Xayyalad, Manager, The National Eld’s Deer Sanctuary Areas, Laos; Prof Ibrahim Bin Komoo, Professor Emeritus, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; Nay Win Swe, Forester, Inlay Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, Myanmar; Senator Loren Legarda, Senate President Pro-Tempore, The Philippines; Prof Chou Loke Ming, Emeritus Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore; and Prof Suchana Chavanich, Professor of the Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.

The ASEAN Biodiversity Heroes were selected based on the relevance of their contributions to biodiversity conservation, the impact of these contributions to biodiversity conservation efforts in their respective countries and the region, the replicability of their actions, and the recognition they received in communities where they belong.

Each awardee received a Heroes’ fund worth 5,000 EUR (5,009 USD), an ASEAN trophy and a certificate.

An awarding ceremony, which took place recently in Bogor, Indonesia, was one of the highlights of the 7th ASEAN Heritage Parks Conference organised by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry-Directorate of Biodiversity Conservation of Species and Genetics.

Since its inception, the ASEAN Biodiversity Heroes programme has been supported by the European Union through the Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in ASEAN project. This year, the ASEAN also partnered with Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC)./. VNA