TBA Director, Rosie Trevelyan, will describe why capacity building is key to managing natural resources sustainably when she addresses an international audience at the Heart of Borneo conference in Malaysia this month (24-25 October).
Dr Trevelyan has been invited to speak at the annual conference, which is a joint initiative of the governments of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, and hosted by the Sabah Forestry Department.
Inspired by the growing realisation that for conservation to succeed it needs to work across borders, the conference – celebrating its tenth anniversary – has developed a reputation for generating influential commitment to conservation, both on the island of Borneo, and beyond.
Dr Trevelyan is delighted that capacity building is on the agenda: “An exciting part of this year’s conference is a discussion on how capacity building can contribute to conservation and sustainable natural resource management on Borneo,” she said.
One example Dr Trevelyan will highlight is the impact of empowering managers to use ecosystem services valuations in their decision making. She will share knowledge with conference delegates about a resource, known as TESSA (Toolkit for Ecosystem Services Site-based Assessment), which has been successfully introduced in countries on four continents.
The TBA is one of six partners that developed TESSA, and is the lead training organisation for the toolkit. Greater capacity among managers to use TESSA could greatly increase the effective management of ecosystem services for the benefit of people and biodiversity.
“This will be an important opportunity for us to explore how we can work together with other partners in this region to do more capacity building that will have an impact in the heart of Borneo,” said Dr Trevelyan.
