Routes and Roots: How ASEAN Scientists in the Diaspora Protect Biodiversity Back Home

In line with the Berlin Science Week festival theme, “In Touch,” the BÖLT Meer project at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) and the Philippine Embassy in Berlin will bring together scientists from the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and provide them with an opportunity to share how their research contributes to biodiversity conservation, reflect on their motivations for doing science abroad and how their work impacts their countries of origin. 

The workshop will focus on scientists in the diaspora who are from the 11 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), especially those working on environmental issues in the region. The workshop is being held within the framework of the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairship, underscoring the country’s leadership in advancing regional cooperation on sustainability, climate action, and biodiversity conservation. It also serves as a networking platform for ASEAN scientists in the diaspora following the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference of Parties (COP) 17 in Yerevan, Armenia and prior to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)  Conference of Parties (COP) 31 in Antalya, Turkey.

Through participatory approaches, the event encourages participants to discuss how doing science abroad has changed them, how it contributes to positive change in the ASEAN region, and how they can remain “in touch” with their roots despite being in the diaspora.