Bali, 24 September 2026 — SEAMEO Regional Centre for Tropical Biology (SEAMEO BIOTROP) convened its 64th Governing Board Meeting (GBM) on 24–26 September 2026 at Aston Kuta Hotel & Residence, Bali. This high-level annual meeting was attended by Governing Board members from 11 SEAMEO member countries to evaluate programmes, determine strategic directions, and discuss institutional development of SEAMEO BIOTROP moving forward.

The meeting was officially opened on Thursday (24/9) with an opening address delivered by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr. Ir. Suharti. In her address, she highlighted SEAMEO BIOTROP's vital position in strengthening regional cooperation across Southeast Asia. According to her, through its expertise in tropical biology, BIOTROP contributes tangibly to research, innovation, education, and capacity development to address regional environmental challenges and foster sustainable development.

In his opening speech, the Director of SEAMEO BIOTROP, Prof. Edi Santosa, expressed profound appreciation for the dedicated commitment of the Governing Board delegates representing all SEAMEO member countries. He emphasized that this annual forum serves as a crucial momentum to reinforce a shared vision, broaden institutional networks, and enhance the tangible impact of the Centre's mandates. According to Prof. Edi, adaptive programme transformation and scientific innovation are essential to ensure SEAMEO BIOTROP continues to deliver scientific contributions that bring direct benefits to the broader community.

During the 64th GBM forum, SEAMEO BIOTROP deliberated on 23 key working papers covering institutional governance evaluation, financial reporting, and long-term strategic planning. Organizational agendas included follow-ups to the resolutions of the 63rd GBM and CDM 2026, review of the Annual Report and Audited Financial Report for FY 2025/2026, proposed appointment of external auditors, three-year budget plan determination (FY 2027/2028–2029/2030), formulation of the 12th Five-Year Development Plan (FYDP FY 2027–2032), organizational structure evaluation, and optimization of institutional facility utilization.

Beyond institutional governance, discussions centered on technical programme innovations and regional initiatives based on research and education. Featured highlights included the implementation strategy of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for biodiversity conservation, optimization of the BIOTROP Living Laboratory, circular economy, smart urban farming, management of Invasive Alien Species (IAS), and preparations for the Southeast Asian School Environmental Leadership (SEASEL) 2027 capacity-building programme.

Regarding priority programmes, Deputy Director for Program of SEAMEO BIOTROP, Dr. Doni Yusri, explained that SEAMEO BIOTROP also continues to advance the Geopark Educational Model for Schools (GEMS) as a contextual learning space integrating geological heritage, biodiversity, agriculture, and community livelihoods. As a concrete implementation, the GBM programme was coupled with a delegation visit to the Batur UNESCO Global Geopark area on Friday (25/9), following the organization of educator training in Bangli Regency.

Through the organization of the 64th Governing Board Meeting, SEAMEO BIOTROP hopes that the consensus and policy directions formulated alongside delegates from the 11 countries will strengthen the Centre's role in delivering applied research, expanding strategic partnerships, and advancing sustainable tropical biodiversity management across Southeast Asia.

MDM