Bangkok, 24–26 September 2025 — SEAMEO BIOTROPe convened its 63rd Governing Board Meeting (GBM) at the Rama Gardens Hotel, Bangkok, co-hosted with Kasetsart University. The three-day meeting gathered Governing Board Members from across Southeast Asia, representatives from the SEAMEO Secretariat, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Bangkok, high-level officials from Kasetsart University, and BIOTROP staff to review progress, set directions, and strengthen collaboration in advancing tropical biology, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable education in the region.

The meeting was officially opened by Ms. Chitralada Chanyaem, Director of the Bureau of International Cooperation, Ministry of Education, Thailand, who welcomed participants to Bangkok and commended BIOTROP’s contributions to biodiversity conservation and education for sustainable development. She emphasized the importance of aligning the Centre’s work with the SEAMEO Education Agenda, the Sustainable DevelopmentE Goals, and national priorities, while expressing confidence that the Governing Board Meeting would generate fruitful outcomes for Southeast Asia.

During the opening ceremony, remarks were also delivered by Dr. Damrong Sripraram, Acting President of Kasetsart University, who underscored the significance of regional cooperation in tackling global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and food security. Mr. John Carlo Pineda Fernando, Learning Innovation and Information Specialist from the SEAMEO Secretariat, highlighted BIOTROP’s strong role in biodiversity, biotechnology, and bioproducts as central to SEAMEO’s collaborative mission. Dr. Cyti Daniela Aruan, Education and Culture Attaché of the Republic of Indonesia in Bangkok, reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to support BIOTROP’s leadership in biodiversity research, education, and innovation. Representing the Governing Board, Prof. Dato’ Dr. Amirul Al-Ashraf Abdullah from Malaysia, serving as Vice Chairperson, emphasized that the GBM serves as a strategic platform to define the Centre’s future direction and reinforce its role as a regional thought leader.

The Governing Board then elected new officers for the 2025–2027 term. Malaysia was elected as Chairperson, Myanmar as Vice Chairperson, and Brunei Darussalam as Chief Rapporteur. The newly elected officers will guide the Board in overseeing the Centre’s work and ensuring alignment with regional priorities in the coming years.

Following the election, the Board considered nineteen working papers covering biodiversity education, sustainable agriculture, food waste reduction, artificial intelligence for conservation, and regional flagship initiatives. The Governing Board endorsed new training programs on suboptimal land management and smart urban farming for 2026, a Geopark Educational Model and Inclusive Geopark Transformation initiative to promote place-based education and resilience, and the School of Biodiversity to integrate biodiversity and circular economy practices into education systems, with the first pilot training to be held in Timor-Leste in October 2025. The Board also supported the development of the BIONIC platform as part of BIOTROP’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Biodiversity Conservation and reaffirmed the importance of the Sustainability in Waste Awareness and Responsible Action (SWARA) Awards as a biennial regional initiative to raise awareness on food waste reduction.

The Board acknowledged BIOTROP’s Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2024/2025, approved its audited financial report with an unqualified opinion, and commended the Centre for maintaining strong performance despite leadership transition. Discussions highlighted the importance of sustainability, knowledge dissemination, and stronger partnerships across the region to ensure impactful outcomes of BIOTROP’s initiatives.

The 63rd Governing Board Meeting concluded with appreciation for Kasetsart University and the Ministry of Education of Thailand as hosts, and with renewed commitment from all member countries to strengthen regional collaboration. The 64th Governing Board Meeting will be hosted in 2026, with details to be announced.