Twenty-two Asians representing eight countries participated in the recently concluded 3rd Executive Forum on Natural Resource Management: Environmental Economics for Decision-making, which was held at SEARCA Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. The executive forum was conducted on 25-29 June 2007. The Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA) served as a collaborating organization while the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) was a co-sponsor.

The executive forum aimed to help mid-level resource managers and policymakers understand recent trends in global environmental problems such as climate change, biodiversity, and transboundary problems, as well as gain knowledge and appreciation of the tools of environmental economics and how they can apply these tools to inform their respective programs and policies.

It consisted of two major modules. Module 1 dealt with global and regional issues, which included the following topics: Basic Concepts in Resource and Environmental Economics, Economics of Biodiversity, Economics and Science of Climate Change, and Transboundary Issues. Module 2 was all about methods in environmental economic analysis, with focus on environmental and resource valuation.

The executive forum was implemented by SEARCA’s Training Department. On the other hand, Dr. Asa Jose U. Sajise of the College of Economics and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), served as its Technical Coordinator. Resource persons included the following: Dr. Rodel Lasco, Philippine Representative, World Agroforestry Center; Dr. Roberto Yap, SJ, Ateneo de Manila University; Dr. Rex Victor Cruz of the UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources; Ms. Mundita Lim, Director, Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); Dr. Marian de los Angeles, Senior Environmental Economist, Sustainable Development Division, The World Bank Institute; Dr. Herminia A. Francisco, Director, EEPSEA; Dr. Bui Dung The, Senior Economist, EEPSEA; and Ms. Dieldre Harder and Ms. Anbeth Indab, EEPSEA Researchers.

Participants of the executive forum were leaders and resource managers/ researchers from Bangladesh (1), Cambodia (1), China (1), India (1), Indonesia (1), Myanmar (2), the Philippines (13), and Thailand (2).
(, Training Dept.)