Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will preside over the opening ceremony of the International Conference on Biodiversity (IBD) 2019 on May 22 at Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, Bangkok.
The three-day event will run until May 24. It will be hosted by the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and the Biodiversity-Based Economy Development Office.
According to NSTDA president Dr Narong Sirilertworakul, the event aims to promote research and innovation in Thailand and from abroad to achieve sustainability.
"Thailand has very high biodiversity. Our country is ranked No.8 in the world and No.3 in Southeast Asia for the diversity of the ecology. We have about 12,000 types of plants, or 8% of all plant species found in the world," he said, adding that it would be significant for Thailand to learn and share knowledge or to exchange experiences with others to achieve the goal of sustainability.
The three-day event will feature two parts. One is paid seminars, and the other is a free exhibition, which is open to the general public.
For the conferences, there will be 116 speakers from 27 countries, including experts from the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Peru, Tanzania, Japan, China and the Philippines.
Topics will include conservation, impacts and threats, species, management, and innovations such as "Sustainable Management On Biodiversity", "Potential Climate-Change Impacts On Protected Areas In Southeast Asia", and "Modelling And Prediction For Sustainable Biodiversity".
Two keynote topics after the opening ceremony are "The Phadaeng Botanic Garden: A Model For A Regenerative Tropical Botanic Garden" and "Technical Aspects Of Mine Reclamation In The Rhenish Lignite Basin And Possible Ways Of Biodiversity, Bioeconomy And Public Use".
The exhibition zone will be hosted under the theme of "Bio-Wealth Country". There will be 89 booths to showcases works or R&D projects from the academic sector, government agencies and 25 communities. Examples of the exhibition are Satun Geopark, listed as the country's first Unesco Global Geopark; the study of gibbons and the impact on biodiversity in Khao Yai National Park; and techniques to dye fabrics with natural materials, food and cosmetic products.
The exhibition zone will be open from 9am-5pm.
For more information, visit ibd2019.org or call NSTDA at 02-564-6700 ext 3379/ 3328.
