New State Member and first ever Associate Member join APAP

Two new members have joined APAP since the beginning of 2018. In January, The State Forestry and Grassland Administration (SFA) of the People’s Republic of China became APAP’s newest Country Member; and in March, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) joined as its very first Associate Member.

The SFA brings a wealth of experience to APAP, gained through the Republic of China's vast protected area network, including 12 Natural and four Mixed (natural and cultural) World Heritage Sites, and its pioneering work on the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas^tm. With China now embarking on the creation of a national park system, the SFA's participation in APAP is timely, and will allow China to take advantage of the lessons learned by other countries in the region from their own national park experiences.

© APAP

APAP is also pleased to welcome ICIMOD, its first Associate Member. ICIMOD is a regional intergovernmental learning and knowledge-sharing centre that serves member countries of the Hindu Kush Himalaya. ICIMOD “aims to assist mountain people to understand the alterations to their local environment as a result of climate change, adapt to them, and make the most of new opportunities, while addressing upstream-downstream issues.” The Centre is also dedicated to exchanging experience through strong regional networks and transboundary relationships. APAP will provide a platform for ICIMOD to build on existing relationships and develop new ones, and APAP Members will also benefit from the information ICIMOD brings as a knowledge hub.

APAP now has 16 Country Members from 13 countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Japan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, People’s Republic of China, Republic of India, Republic of Korea, Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam. With the inclusion of ICIMOD as an Associate Member, total membership now stands at 17.

Read more about SFA

Read more about ICIMOD