Friday, October 15, 2010

Business Opportunities in Biodiversity International Conference and Exhibition

In the world of business, where does biodiversity fit in? This question was answered at the "Business Opportunities in Biodiversity" international conference and exhibition held at the Bayview Park Hotel in Manila. The conference took place last October 8, 2010 while the exhibition was from October 6 to 8. The event aimed to raise the business sector's awareness on the values of biodiversity and encouraged business to raise its stake on biodiversity conservation.

Organized by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) in cooperation with the Philippines' Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the European Union, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Conference featured discussions and presentations on the impact of biodiversity on business sustainability. Media partners were BusinessMirror and the Global News Network.

The conference also focused on the current situation of biodiversity in the ASEAN region. Studies made by international organizations on business and biodiversity and actual business cases by selected corporations from Japan and Southeast Asian nations were presented.

Key speakers included Mr. Rodrigo U. Fuentes, executive director, ACB; Dr. Mario Tabucanon, visiting professor, United Nations University – Institute of Advanced Studies, and advisor, Executive Board, the Sirindhorn International Environmental Park Foundation; Dr. Naoki Adachi, executive director, Japan Business Initiative on Biodiversity ; Atty. Darwin Mariano, public affairs director – Philippines and Asia, CEMEX Asia Pte. Ltd.; Mr. Satoshi Nimura, chairman, Nimura Genetic Solutions, Japan; Mr. Jose ReaƱo, managing director, Broadchem Corporation; Mr. Atsuhisa Takahashi, president, Corporate Environmental Strategy Unit, Fujitsu Limited, Japan; Mrs. Srisurang Massirikul, social and environment division manager, PTT Public Company Limited, Thailand.

The conference highlighted the clear link between business and biodiversity. "At first glance, people do not recognize the crucial connection between business and biodiversity. Business is perceived to be detached from biodiversity. Biodiversity, however, knows no boundaries, cutting across all sectors – the business sector included," Director Fuentes of the European Union-funded ACB said.

For further inquiry on the event, do contact the Center for Philippine Futuristics Studies and Management, Inc. at (+632) 753-5350 or (+632) 753-1061 or visit http://www.aseanbiodiversity.org/.

0 comments:

Post a Comment