1.2 The “30×30 initiative”

immediate gain? The World Bank (World Bank, 2021a) estimates that neglecting nature and biodiverse ecosystems and continuing business as usual will lead to the collapse of select nature-based ecosystem services, such as food provision from marine fisheries, wild pollination and timber from natural forests, amounting to US$2.7 trillion per year. This constitutes a drop of 2.9% in global GDP. Moreover, the impact will be felt hardest by low- and lower-middle income level countries, which tend to be more reliant on nature-driven sectors. For these countries, the impact is likely to be a 10% or higher drop in GDP. For instance, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia would suffer the biggest relative contraction in ecosystem services of 9.7% and 6.5% respectively. To avert such economic losses, a carefully designed mix of nature smart policies, which include the expansion and effective management of protected areas, need to be implemented with urgency.

How Southeast Asia can become a model for Socio-Economic Development

Although Southeast Asia only covers 4%of Earth’s surface in landmass area, the region is blessed with abundantly rich terrestrial and marine biodiversity, including 18% of all species as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Southeast Asia is also home to three of the world’s 17 megadiverse nations and biodiversity hotspots, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The region abounds in endemic species of mammals, birds, and vascular plants besides being the world’s centre for marine biodiversity. It encompasses the most extensive and diverse coral reefs and major mangrove areas in the world. Within this vast pool of biodiversity resources resides the much sought-after potential for the discovery of new products in medicines, foods, materials and amenities for humankind.

Global biodiversity league tables provide data that support Southeast Asia’s richness in biological diversity. One such data set is the global Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII), which examines the percentage of natural biodiversity that remains across the world and in individual countries. It reveals that tropical countries, including in Southeast Asia, have best retained their biodiversity and house 80% of the world’s biodiversity (Scholes & Biggs, 2005). In contrast G7 countries, like the UK, occupy the bottom 10% of the league table, having depleted their natural capital to alarming levels in the wake of rapid industrialisation and economic development. In fact, the UK ranks lowest among the G7 nations registering a BII of less than 50% (Briggs, 2021). Southeast Asia therefore serves as a hotbed for further biodiversity research, development and innovation that could drive new and exciting economic development to meet the environmental ecosystem service needs of the global community. If managed responsibly the region could even be the vanguard to realign the global nexus between biodiversity and sustainable economic growth that guarantees both fiscal and non-fiscal returns.

Historically, economists and policymakers have considered conservation as a ‘nice-tohave’, but in many cases oppositional to the more conventional model of exploitation

of natural resources. Emerging evidence demonstrates the path of biodiversity conservation is not only not oppositional to economic growth, but that it may well be the unique engine of Southeast Asia’s growth. Already, natural capital generates 30% of Asia’s GDP. Instead of trying to follow the conventional development model of the West, which has brought us to the brink of disaster, Southeast Asia would well learn from the mistakes of those who have gone before them and embark on a positive trajectory of sustainable growth built on planetary health. If planned and executed properly, Southeast Asia could move from an economic model based on natural resource exploitation to one based on natural resource enrichment and could become a role model of economic development through nature protection.

One area of emphasis for the region could be marine conservation. Southeast Asia has great potential for a dynamic blue economy given its rich marine biodiversity. The ASEAN territorial waters are about three times its land area and it is estimated that about 625 million people from the 10 ASEAN countries depend on the ocean for their livelihoods. This is significantly higher than for most countries across the globe (Spalding, 2017). The ASEAN region is responsible for 15% of the world’s fish production, and harbours one of the most extensive seagrass beds, coral reefs and mangrove acreage. In fact, the oceans of Southeast Asia contribute significantly more to its GDP than those of developed countries (ASEAN Catalytic Green Facility, 2021) and the economic earnings from coral reefs especially tourism are about $23,100 to $270,000 per square kilometre of healthy coral reef annually (ADB, 2014). Governance frameworks and policy tools are going to be imperative in protecting Southeast Asia’s fragile marine ecosystem and stimulating a sustainable blue economy.

Additionally, Southeast Asia holds the largest global concentration of carbon for investments in nature-based solutions with its abundance of carbon-rich ecosystems like mangroves and peatlands (Raghav et al., 2020). A study by the National University of Singapore Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions identified Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar as the top five countries in the region for returnon-investment from nature-based carbon projects (Raghav et al., 2020). Nature-based solutions (NbS) present a substantial opportunity for businesses and investments in Southeast Asia. The world demand for high-quality carbon credits in the voluntary carbon market is projected to increase at least fifteen-fold in the next decade to reach 2 billion tonnes in 2030, with more than 1,800 companies globally pledging to reach net zero emissions (Parker, 2021).

Perhaps most evident is the opportunity that Southeast Asia has to further leverage its rich biodiversity to create jobs and enhance the livelihoods of neighbouring communities through ecotourism. Investing in improving and expanding our conserved and protected areas for ecotourism as part of the new 30% global goal could be an effective rural development strategy. This paper highlights numerous case studies that show where this is already happening. For example, a recent report on Kuala Tahan National Park, which occupies 54% of the Taman Negara National Park, in Pahang,

Malaysia, describes how ecotourism (tourism industry within protected areas) has brought about income generation and poverty reduction (Mukrimah, 2015). Research revealed that an average of about 47% of the monthly household income for the village was derived from activities within the PA (harvesting rattan, bamboo and honey) or outside it (related to forestry and ecotourism, including spill-over business activities, such as from food and beverage outlets, souvenir shops and chalet operations, tour guiding, boatman activities etc.).

Similar examples of clear and significant socio-economic benefits have been reported for many ecotourism spots in various parts of Southeast Asia, such as Betung Kerihun National Park, the largest conservation area in West Kalimantan (Sekartjakrarini et al., 2015). To quote Reef Watch Malaysia (2019), “Research suggests that eco-tourists are often prepared to pay a premium to visit undisturbed destinations, with intact ecosystems and cultures. Perhaps this is an alternative tourism model for Malaysia to contemplate in order to protect its fragile ecosystems and ensure they are sustainable for future generations.”

The Need for Nation States to Embrace Science-Based Targets and a Holistic Approach

This paper argues that it is only possible to fully realise biodiversity conservation’s significant socio-economic benefits by taking a holistic approach, rather than advancing discrete policies or actions in isolated sectors or geographies. To accomplish this, we propose the full adoption of an ecosystem framework characterised by 8i enablers (ASM SO2020, 2021), namely, infrastructure (natural and man-made infrastructure), info-structure (advanced technologies), intellectual capital (talent stock), integrity systems (rules of engagement and good governance), incentives (fiscal and non-fiscal, from both supply and demand sides), institutions (institutional governance and stewardship to manage the environment and biodiversity conservation initiatives), interactions (cooperation and collaboration among stakeholders), and internationalisation (adherence to global best practices and standards to help move up the biodiversity conservation value chain).

We consider the 30x30 global target as a fundamental pillar of this holistic approach. Given the robust scientific and economic support for protecting or conserving at least 30% of the world’s terrestrial and marine areas, we recommend that Southeast Asia nation states embrace and support the 30x30 target at the global level in the U.N. CBD negotiations and that they work in partnership with each other to increase the extent and effectiveness of protected and conserved areas across the region as a means of contributing towards the global 30% figure.

If each nation state in Southeast Asia dutifully adopts the ecosystem supported by the 8i enablers and the 10×10 STIE Framework, recently adopted by Malaysia (10-10 MySTIE Framework - ASM, 2020b) and now adapted for Southeast Asia (see Section

6.1), the combined effort, bolstered by the 30×30 initiative, should enable the region to become a powerful advocate for biodiversity conservation as well as sustainable socioeconomic development.

Key Findings:

1. Evidence globally and from the ASEAN region shows that continued degradation of global biodiversity could lead to catastrophic economic risks and that the net benefits of moving to an ASEAN regional development model based on natural resource enrichment far outweighs the status quo alternative model based on intensive human use and natural exploitation.

2. Evidence demonstrates that biodiversity conservation is not only not oppositional to economic growth, as has often been considered the case by policy makers, but that it may well be the unique engine of Southeast Asia’s growth and sustainable economic future.

3. Evidence globally and from the ASEAN region has found that supporting the global target of 30% protection of land and ocean by 2030 in negotiations at the UN CBD, and investment in expanding and improving protected and conserved areas in the region as part of achieving that global goal, would be an effective development for job creation and as a socio-economic growth strategy.

4. ASEAN's abundance of biodiversity means Southeast Asia could become a global role model of economic development through a number of pathways including expanding nature protection ecotourism and carbon storage for investments in NbS (Nature-based Solutions). This region could be the vanguard to realign the global nexus between biodiversity and sustainable economic growth that guarantees both fiscal and non-fiscal returns.