Driving Conservation Impact: How the EU Helps Protect ASEAN’s Natural Treasures
Biodiversity is the thread that that connects every life in Southeast Asia. From mangrove roots that cradle young fish to mountains fostering rare species, nature sustains over 600 million people across the region. Yet these landscapes are under pressure.
At the recent 8th ASEAN Heritage Park Conference (AHP8) in Ha Long, Vietnam, organised by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), the European Union (EU) joined and supported ASEAN partners to advance efforts to safeguard these irreplaceable ecosystems.
This year, the EU’s participation—implemented through the Technical Assistance Facility to the Green Team Europe Initiative (TAF-GTEI) —was hands-on, technical, and deeply collaborative.
Applying ROAM to unlock restoration potential
The first EU-led session at AHP8 introduced participants to ecosystem restoration—an urgent priority as forest loss continues across the region. In small country groups, participants explored ways to apply the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM) to identify restoration options in their respective AHP landscapes.
“ROAM gives us more holistic lens to identify the right intervention,” shared Nguyen Vu Linh from Bach Ma National Park, Viet Nam. He reflected how restoration traditionally relied on silvicultural guidelines, selecting sites by forest or land status and applying prescribed interventions. “Although structured, this traditional approach doesn’t fully consider broader ecological, social, and climate-related factors.”
The initiative supports ASEAN’s plan to expand the ASEAN Green Initiative (AGI)—a region-wide efforts to increase tree cover and restore degraded ecosystems multi-stakeholder participation.
As a follow-up to the session, TAF-GTEI, together with the ACB and ASEAN Secretariat, will prepare a shortlist of AHP sites for the selection of two pilot landscapes where ROAM will be applied through feasibility studies, to be submitted to the ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity. This reinforces regional efforts aligned with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
Empowering parks through nature-based solutions
Another EU-led session focused on Nature-based Solutions (NbS). Park managers, local leaders, and regional partners engaged in a lively “innovation lab”, exploring conservation challenges in wetland restoration, marine recovery, regenerative agriculture, and indigenous-led conservation efforts, while identifying potential NbS practices as solutions to the challenges.
Participants worked through stakeholder mapping, benefit-risk assessments, and early steps for shaping NbS concepts into fundable project proposals, guided by TAF-GTEI experts and the ADB Nature Solutions Finance Hub. Case studies from Pasonanca Natural Park (Philipines), Lorentz National Park (Indonesia), and Tram Chin National Park (Vietnam) illustrated how well-designed conservation approaches can help nature recover while supporting communities.
In her presentation, Elisabet Rismauli Wahyuni from the Lorentz National Park highlighted the crucial role of indigenous people in park management. “This collaboration ensures that conservation efforts respect local customs and create harmony between nature protection and cultural identity,” she shared.
Strengthening management effectiveness with IMET
The AHP8 also showcased a powerful tool for protected area management: the Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool (IMET). Developed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre, with support from the EU, IMET has been successfully applied in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East, helping park managers monitor, evaluate, and strengthen their management system in a structured, evidence-based way.
Participants were guided step by step through how IMET collects data, identifies gaps, and visualises the strength and weaknesses of a protected area’s management system. Globally tested and now introduced to ASEAN, IMET offers a structured way for park authorities to monitor and strengthen management effectiveness—essential for long-term conservation impact.
A partnership that keeps growing
The EU-led sessions at AHP8 reflect more than just a one-off contribution - they are part of a broader, long-standing collaboration between the EU and ASEAN to protect biodiversity across the region.
From the Biodiversity Conservation Management of Protected Areas (BCAMP) project to the Small Grants Programme (Phase III), and the Nature Solutions Finance Hub, which aims to mobilise more than EUR 1.48 billion in nature-positive investment by 2030, the EU remains a steady and committed partner in strengthening ASEAN’s conservation efforts.
At the opening of the Conference, Cyril Loisel, First Secretary of the EU Delegation to Viet Nam, emphasised the EU’s shared ambition with ASEAN to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030: “These are principles that guide our global partnerships and align deeply with ASEAN’s direction,” he said, underscoring the EU’s commitment to conservation, restoration, resilience, and inclusive governance.
