THE
ROLE OF SEAMEO BIOTROP
IN EAGA HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Prof. Dr.
Soekotjo,
Director, SEAMEO BIOTROP,
Bogor, Indonesia
INTRODUCTION
SEAMEO BIOTROP stands for the SEAMEO Regional
Centre for Tropical Biology. One of the “centres of excellence”
under the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO),
it is located in Bogor, Indonesia. The Centre’s mission is to
provide leadership in critical and strategic areas of tropical biology
relevant to the region and promote regional networking and partnership
in human resource development, research, consultancy, information
dissemination, and other related activities in these areas, all the
while ensuring their sustainability.
The current issues of global concern is to ensure
sustainable management and sustainable development of all biological
resources to increase their contribution to the overall socio-economic
development and environmental protection for our people’s present
and future quality of life.
With so many actors directly and indirectly involved
in biological resource management, it is easy to see that sustainability
does not only depend on direct activities within the biological resource
itself. The sustainable management of biological resources depends
on a number of political, institutional, socio-economic, human resource,
and technical processes.
Except for political and socio-economic aspects,
all other attributes for sustainable management of biological resources
are relevant with BIOTROP’s mission and thrusts. These thrusts
are: (1) Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development, (2)
Tropical Ecosystems and Environmental Impact, and (3) Environmental
and Forest Biotechnology.
These three thrusts are relevant with the development
of EAGA. Hence, BIOTROP is keen in participating in EAGA’s development
programme.
BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Biodiversity is more than just the sum of species
numbers. It encompasses the variety, variability and uniqueness of
genes, species, and the ecosystems where they occur. The Southeast
Asian tropical rain forests harbour the world’s greatest diversity
of flowering plants as well as a rich and diverse fauna. The species
richness of this region makes it a natural staging ground for investigations
of the factors that contribute to the development and maintenance
of biological diversity in tropical rain forests.
For Indonesia, biological resources are of a vital
importance to the nation’s welfare and economy. Timber ranks
second only to oil in terms of export revenues. 86 percent of timber
exports come from the Kalimantan lowland dipterocarp and swamp forests.
Many of Southeast Asia’s biological resources
are economically important. Several plant species of global, regional,
and national importance such as black pepper, sugarcane, clove, and
other fruit species, originate from this region. Recently, some of
our vascular plants were reported to have clinically produced biologically-active
compounds (e.g., antitumor, antihypertensive, antiinflamatory, proteolytic,
etc.).
The global interest in conserving tropical rain
forests is in part stimulated by the recognition that it is a treasure
house of potentially useful species, whether as a gene pool of domesticated
species, as a source of timber of minor forest products, or biologically
active compounds.
The demand for forest products has promoted the
use of improved genetic material and the putting-in-place of measures
to preserve genetic diversity, from a perspective of implementing
sustainable development and enhancing the competitiveness of the forest
sector.
It is essential to have an adequate understanding
of the genetic variability in natural populations of the forest species
that we are trying to improve, as well as the genetic structure of
the populations and the preferred reproductive systems. Such information
would make it possible to optimize selection and inter-and intra-population
hybridization programmes to develop improved synthetic varieties.
Any integrated activities in forest genetics and
tree improvement is a long-term undertaking. It is crucial not only
that the information acquired and transmitted be used in orienting
harvesting and allocation of forest seed stocks, but also that the
material improved or identified as genetically superior be used as
quickly as possible in hybridization programmes to speed up the anticipated
genetic gains.
Since conservation of genetic materials fulfill
several crucial functions and are key elements in improving our forest
resources and stimulating sustainable development, various organizations
are interested in using these materials and are involved directly
and indirectly in that use. Thus, it is imperative for our region
to develop appropriate and efficient means for conserving genetic
materials, for using these materials in future research, and for educating
others in the proper techniques for its conservation and sustainable
use.
Based on this information, the specific components
of biodiversity education and training will effectively contribute
to human resource development. These include:
(1) Strengthening of training programmes at
the technical and vocational levels, including training of trainers/teachers,
and developing curriculum and teaching materials.
(2) Special training for young staff of universities
and national agencies in areas such as research, project formulation,
and evaluation.
The systems, methodology, and know-how generated
from these human resource development agenda will help improve efficiency
in implementing the programmes.
TROPICAL ECOSYSTEMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT
An ecosystem means a dynamic complex of plant,
animal, and micro-organism communities, and their non-living organisms
interacting as a functional unit. Ecosystems often exist naturally
in very different sizes, and can be identified at several geographical
scales and levels of detail in a hierarchical manner, ranging from
site specific ecosystems to groups of spatially related systems known
as regions.
For sustainable development, there is a need to
try to predict and evaluate the smallest unit of ecosystem’s
response to management and resource production capability. These smallest
units are the bases for estimating ecosystem productivity and the
probable responses to management practices. To make such estimates,
relationships between the needed production information and ecosystem
classes must be developed.
The smallest unit of ecosystem is called the ecological
unit. These ecological units can be mapped. This map is developed
by interdisciplinary teams based on quantitative and qualitative multi-
landscape component factors. Maps are accompanied by a report of descriptions
that characterize the map units and resource management interpretations.
Resource maps have traditionally focused on individual
components such as soils, geology, land surface form, and geomorphology,
and planners and managers are left by themselves to attempt to integrate
the information. This approach falls short in providing information
on ecosystems. To implement ecosystem management, a comprehensive
ecological information system is needed on the nature and distribution
of ecosystems at small and large scales. The maps and distributions
help to understand ecological patterns and processes and the interrelationships
of physical and biological systems. Research has a critical role in
obtaining this information.
Research in classifying tropical ecosystems has
been accomplished by several research activities in Indonesia. For
example, a phytogeographic province have been developed for Sumatra
by Laumonier (1990). Also, tropical vegetation mapping has been accomplished
by BIOTROP for Sumatra, and other locations by Blasco, Laumonier,
and Purnadjaja (1983). This work will be very useful in developing
the ecological classification and mapping project of Indonesia and
the region.
Management of ecosystems and dependent species
requires several sources of information. This includes information
on: ecological units that identify potentials, existing conditions
including the location of rare elements and communities, processes
that maintain or change ecosystems, and human socio-economic systems
and needs. Our ability to manage ecosystems therefore hinges upon
our knowledge of all these themes; no single theme is sufficient for
a comprehensive ecosystem management.
This ecological map can also be used to monitor
the effect of management on the condition of ecosystems at different
spatial scales. By establishing baselines for ecological units and
monitoring changes, we can protect landscape-, community-, and species-level
of biological diversity and other resource values such as forest productivity,
and air and water quality.
An ecological map also provides a basis for evaluating
the linkage between terrestial and aquatic systems. This linkage is
due to the interdependence of aquatic systems with surrounding terrestial
systems through the process of runoff, sedimentation, and migration
of biotic and chemical elements.
HUMAN RESOURCE FOR SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
The global concern for biological resources and
wise use of these resources, as I mentioned earlier, need professional
staff who can formulate, select the environment, and develop policies
for decision making. To fulfill this requirement, it will be important
to enhance their scientific understanding, improve long-term scientific
assessment, and strengthen the capacities of higher education institutions
to ensure that the science curriculum they offer is responsive to
emerging needs.
For young scientists, we have to identify their
research training needs; how they can conduct simple management-related
research using simple field techniques, short courses, and workshops.
It is necessary to build a database on training opportunities and
resources.
Education is critical for promoting sustainable
development and improving the capacity of people to address environment
and development issues.
It is necessary to strengthen national capacities,
particularly in scientific education and training, to enable governments,
employers, and workers to meet their environmental and developmental
objectives and to facilitate the transfer and assimilation of new
environmentally-sound, socially-acceptable, and appropriate technology
and know-how.
Training is one of the most important tools to
develop human resources and facilitate the transition to a more sustainable
world. Donor agencies should strengthen the training component in
all development projects, such as EAGA, emphasizing a multi-disciplinary
approach, promoting awareness, and providing skills for transition
to a sustainable society.
It is also necessary that governments, industries,
trade unions, and consumers should promote an understanding of the
interrelationship between good environment and good business practices.
REFERENCES
Blasco, F., Y. Laumonier, Purnadjaja, 1983. Tropical
vegetation mapping: Sumatera. BIOTROP Bulletin No. 22, 60 p. SEAMEO
BIOTROP, Bogor, Indonesia.
Laumonier, Y. 1990. Search for phytogeographic provinces in Sumatera.
In P. Bass et al (eds.). The Plant Diversity of Malaya,
pp. 193-211. Kluwer Academic Publisher, The Netherlands.
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