Strengthening Biodiversity to Mitigate Climate Change in ASEAN: Insights and Recommendations from the 2025 Biodiversity Science Forum

The ASEAN region hosts some of the world’s richest biodiversity and vital ecosystems—tropical forests, peatlands, mangroves, and wetlands—that play a critical role in carbon sequestration, climate regulation, and food security. Ensuring their long-term sustainability requires integrated strategies that connect biodiversity conservation with climate resilience. This calls for robust policy frameworks, science-based decision-making, and community-driven action supported by regional cooperation and inclusive spatial planning to safeguard ecosystems while addressing the growing impacts of climate change.

The 2025 ASEAN Biodiversity Science Forum (BSF), held in Jakarta, Indonesia, served as a key platform for advancing these objectives under the theme “Strengthening Biodiversity to Mitigate Climate Change in ASEAN.” Organized by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), the World Resources Institute (WRI) Indonesia, and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), with support from the ASEAN–UK Green Transition Fund, the Forum convened scientists, policymakers, and community leaders from across Southeast Asia. Discussions highlighted the essential role of biodiversity in climate mitigation, adaptation, and sustainable development.

ASEAN’s ecosystems, particularly peatlands, mangroves, and wetlands, were emphasized as critical carbon sinks that sustain livelihoods, food systems, and disaster resilience. Case studies from Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, and the Philippines demonstrated how combining advanced tools such as LiDAR, eDNA, and AI-driven bioacoustics with Indigenous ecological knowledge can yield more inclusive, sustainable, and effective restoration outcomes.

The Forum produced five key recommendations for regional action: (1) protect and restore high-carbon ecosystems; (2) strengthen cross-sectoral and transboundary governance under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF); (3) mobilize sustainable finance through biodiversity and carbon markets; (4) enhance biodiversity monitoring through digital and community-based technologies; and (5) empower Indigenous Peoples, women, and local communities as key partners in biodiversity and climate governance.

By bridging scientific evidence, traditional knowledge, and policy innovation, ASEAN can position biodiversity at the core of its climate resilience strategy. A biodiversity-centered approach offers transformative potential to achieve both regional sustainability and global GBF targets, advancing a climate-resilient and nature-positive ASEAN by 2050.

Keywords: ASEAN, biodiversity, climate change mitigation, wetlands, peatlands, Indigenous knowledge, nature-based solutions, Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework