Two new members join the ASAP Governing Council

We are pleased to welcome two new members to the ASAP Governing Council: Novia Sagita, representing Yayasan Planet Indonesia, and Dr Akchousanh Rasphone, representing WWF-Laos.  

As Co-Founder and CEO of Planet Indonesia, Novia Sagita has built her work around community-led approaches to conservation. She brings extensive experience in aligning strategy and governance with local leadership, equity and ecological resistance, ensuring communities are at the heart of conservation action.  

Akchousanh is Conservation Director at WWF-Laos, where she provides leadership and oversight for national conservation programmes focused on biodiversity protection, protected area management and inclusive conservation. Her expertise brings a valuable perspective on the challenges and opportunities of species conservation in Laos and across the region.  

Together, Akchousanh and Novia bring a wealth of experience and perspectives that will strengthen ASAP's work to address the complex challenges facing threatened species and the people working to protect them across Southeast Asia.  

Kanitha Krishnasamy said,

“We are honoured to have two more committed and dedicated leaders in Southeast Asian conservation join the ASAP Governing Council.  As ASAP continues to scale-up efforts, it is an exciting time to have these two individuals, who bring not only their can-do attitude, but also their personal and organisational wealth of knowledge and expertise to help shape and strengthen the Partnership. We are fortunate to have them, and we look forward to making a difference, together.”

Akchousanh and Novia join seven other members, bringing the number of organisations represented on the Governing Council to nine.

We also extend our sincere thanks to Mirza Kusrini from Bogor Agricultural University and Long Thang Ha from GreenViet, who are stepping down from the Governing Council after eight years. Their expertise, commitment and guidance have made an important contribution to ASAP's work over the years. We are particularly pleased that Long will continue to support the Governing Council as an Advisor.  

We warmly welcome Akchousanh and Novia to the Governing Council and look forward to working with them as we continue to strengthen collaborative conservation action for threatened species across Southeast Asia.  

Novia Sagita, Co-Founder and CEO, Yayasan Planet Indonesia

Dr Akchousanh Rasphone, Conservation Director, WWF Laos