PEMSEA E-UPDATES Vol. V Issue 05 2004
Regaining What Is Lost in Manila Bay
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES -- PEMSEA and the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR) have jointly presented the results of the environmental risk
assessment of Manila Bay on 4 August at the Sulo Hotel. Stakeholders from various
national government agencies, local government units in the Manila Bay area, private
sector, civil society, academe and media attended this ceremonial launch.
The Manila Bay: Refined Risk Assessment is a product of concerted efforts of a
Technical Working Group composed of scientists, academicians and government
personnel from different agencies. A synopsis of the report was presented by Dr. Vicente
Tuddao of the DENR, drawing attention to the priority risks and areas of concern in the
bay area. The report highlights the urgent need for decisive steps to reduce the disturbing
levels of fecal coliform, pesticides and heavy metals, which have also contaminated fish
and shellfish.
PEMSEA's Senior Programme Officer, S. Adrian Ross, identified some of the priority
areas of concern, short-term actions, and goals mentioned in the report, such as
eliminating public health concerns and maintaining water quality to support the aquatic
living resources and habitats; protect and restore habitats that are vital to the survival of
priority living resources of the bay and its rivers; to better understand and benefit from
the interconnectivity between the bay's important living resources and the health of the
entire ecosystem; and to promote collaboration and partnerships among government and
non-government stakeholders, and to mobilize individuals and communities to take an
active role in the sustainable development and management of the bay's resources. DENR
Undersecretary Rolando L. Metin expressed the commitment of DENR to play an active
role in addressing the risks and challenges in Manila Bay.
"As agents of sustainable development, we share the view that development can be
pursued while conscientiously ensuring that threshold limits are not exceeded, but
managed at levels that will promote human health and environmental protection," wrote
DENR Secretary Elisea G. Gozun in her message to stakeholders and readers of the
Manila Bay: Refined Risk Assessment. "The recommendations presented in this
document provide a map towards reaching our shared vision, and regaining what was lost
to Manila Bay's grandeur."
Working Group Meets on SDS-SEA Implementation
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES -- Following the adoption of the Sustainable
Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) at Putrajaya, Malaysia, last
December 2003, PEMSEA is organizing a working group meeting to discuss approaches
for its implementation. The Working Group Meeting on the Implementation of the SDS-
SEA will be held from 23-27 August in Metro Manila, Philippines and will be hosted by
the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Republic of Philippines.
Senior government representatives from PEMSEA participating countries, resource
persons and the PEMSEA Regional Programme Office are expected to attend the meeting
to review a draft concept brief on the implementation of the SDS-SEA, prepared by
PEMSEA based on the inputs from an earlier preparatory meeting held in Chengdu, PR
China, in March. The meeting will also discuss approaches to mobilizing commitments
and support from participating countries and other stakeholders for implementing the
SDS-SEA.
A document initiated and prepared by PEMSEA, in consultation with 12 participating
Governments and other stakeholders of the Seas of East Asia, the SDS-SEA is a package
of applicable principles, action programs, agreements and instruments for achieving
sustainable development for the Seas of East Asia. It represents implementation
approaches for the integrated management and the sustainable use of the environment and
its resources.
Decision Support System for Chonburi
CHONBURI, THAILAND -- Local stakeholders enhanced their understanding of
database management, the Integrated Information Management System (IIMS) software,
and its linkages to the geographic information system (GIS) during a training workshop
on the IIMS Query System and Linkage with GIS held from 24-27 May.
Sixteen participants from government, research, and academic institutions involved in
PEMSEA's integrated coastal management (ICM) demonstration site in Chonburi
attended the training. The four-day course provided participants with hands-on
experience on data management and processing and report generation in the form of
graphs and tables. The participants also learned to link IIMS and GIS and generate
reports and maps for decision-making purposes. The training also included the
development of a plan to ensure the sustainability of Chonburi's IIMS. The plan
highlights the use of IIMS at the municipal level to support a variety of applications.
During the training workshop, Hon. Veravit Vivattanavanich, Vice Governor of Chonburi,
acknowledged the assistance provided by PEMSEA in Chonburi, especially in
strengthening the capacity of its staff. He also encouraged the participants to learn as
much as they could during the training workshop and apply them in their work. He also
emphasized the importance of ICM in Chonburi -- being an industrial and tourism area,
and that there is a need to have an integrated approach to resolve issues on environment,
economic and social concerns. He particularly mentioned the industrial sites in
Laemchabang and the tourist areas in Pattaya as major areas.
The IIMS is an environmental information management system that handles a wide range
of data on coastal and marine environment. It is intended to provide timely, reliable and
cost-effective data that would aid in planning, management, assessment and decision-
making; organize data in a uniform manner that would speed up data interpretation and
analysis; and a venue for sharing information among PEMSEA's ICM and pollution
hotspot sites which will be essential in developing regional mechanisms for sustainable
development of coastal and marine environment. The IIMS of Chonburi ICM site has
been established since 2001 following the first training program conducted in November
2001, which provided necessary technical assistance on organizing and managing data at
the site.
Port Klang Focus on Youth Awareness
PORT KLANG, MALAYSIA -- A batch of 80 students from the Kuala Kubu Baru Camp
and the Universiti Putra Malaysia participated in a special awareness building training on
mangroves held at PEMSEA's integrated coastal management (ICM) demonstration site
in Port Klang. The training was held on 27 and 29 May and was organized by the
Malaysia National Service in cooperation with the Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS).
The training took place at the Fisherman's Wharf at Kampung Perajurit, Telok Gong. The
students trained in water quality sampling procedures, and recorded a number of
parameters such as pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO) and turbidity. Furthermore, they
were taught how to read the tide table and the interim marine water quality standard.
The students were then taken to the mangrove replanting site in Kampung Perajurit,
which is being implemented under PEMSEA's ICM demonstration site by LUAS. There
they were briefed on the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem as a nursery for
fisheries source, natural protection and birds' migrating points. The students enjoyed
identifying the flora and fauna species found in the site, such as mangroves trees,
mudskippers, crabs and birds, as well as being taught how to identify the species caught
by local fishers. The students shared what they learned through presentations and the
winning group was awarded with a mangrove sapling, which they planted in front of the
Fisherman's Wharf.
The training of students is a means to share and extend awareness on the importance of
preserving and rehabilitating the environment in the coastal zone area for future
generations.
PEMSEA Shares ICM Experiences in UNITAR Hiroshima Workshop
HIROSHIMA, JAPAN -- PEMSEA shared its experiences and lessons learned in
integrated coastal management (ICM) and marine management during the
UNITAR/HOAP Training Workshop on Sea and Human Security, capturing wide interest
from participants. The training, held from 4-8 July, aimed at enhancing national policy
making and institutional capacity building in the management and protection of seas and
oceans.
PEMSEA Senior Programme Officer, Dr. Huming Yu, at the invitation of the United
Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Hiroshima Office for the Asia and
Pacific (HOAP), participated in the workshop as resource person and introduced to the
participants the experiences and lessons learned from PEMSEA's ICM demonstration
sites. PEMSEA's practices drew broad interest from the participants who were keen on
understanding approaches, which enabled PEMSEA project results to be absorbed into
local programmes, and be sustained locally after the termination of assistance.
In view of interests, UNITAR/HOAP Director, Dr. Nassrine Azimi, indicated the
possibility of supporting professionals from countries like Cambodia, Sri Lanka and
Vietnam to participate in PEMSEA training activities.
The Hiroshima workshop was attended by 46 participants, including 29 trainees mostly
of mid-level government officials from Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
and Vietnam.
Coastalink: Sharing ICM Experience
PORT KLANG, MALAYSIA -- PEMSEA integrated coastal management (ICM)
demonstration sites in Danang, Vietnam and Port Klang, Malaysia recently held training
workshops on Web Development and Networking. The workshops were aimed at helping
Danang and Port Klang establish their own presence on the Internet and provide the two
sites with a new means of sharing local lessons and experiences in environmental
management to a much wider online audience.
The Web Development and Networking workshops were held on 14-18 June in Danang
and 26-30 July in Port Klang. Both events were co-organized by PEMSEA with local
partners -- the Department of Science and Technology in Danang and the Lembaga Urus
Air Selangor (LUAS) in Port Klang.
The training tackled basic web jargons, effective web content development, web design
tips, promotion and marketing of websites and good practices in web development. Web
development and application softwares, such as Adobe Photoshop for web designing, MS
FrontPage for HTML programming, FTP Voyager for file transfer applications,
Macromedia Dreamweaver and Ulead GIF Animator, were also discussed for dynamic
page applications.
The workshops are part of a series of on-site training programs being organized by
PEMSEA for the creation of ICM websites, referred to as Coastalinks, to be used in
strengthening a regional "C2C" (Coast to Coast) networking and parallel knowledge
sharing on the East Asian seas. PEMSEA is targeting the simultaneous launching of
Coastalink websites during the 10th PSC Meeting in October 2004.
Experts Pinpoint Key Elements for a Well-Functioning Ocean Governance
Mechanism
LONDON, U.K. -- Attempts to strengthen regional ocean governance were given a boost
when experts from Europe, North America and Asia came together to attend the Planning
Session for the Research Task Force on the Dynamics of Regional Cooperation on
Oceans and Coasts. The meeting, which was co-organized by the Nippon Foundation and
PEMSEA, was held at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Headquarters in
London, United Kingdom from 9-11 June.
Co-chaired by Professor and Former International Ocean Institute (IOI) Executive
Director, Dr. Gunnar Kullenberg and PEMSEA Regional Programme Director, Dr. Chua
Thia-Eng, the discussions revolved around the importance of the regional approach and
the need to provide more information and expert advice on coastal and ocean governance.
The participants (many of whom were present or former representatives of regional
bodies or international organizations) shared their insights and experiences regarding the
nature of cooperation and the regime-building process. They identified several areas -
vision, institutional arrangements, monitoring and evaluation, capacity building, public
awareness, and sustainability - as being among the many key elements of a well-
functioning governance mechanism. These areas were also pinpointed as possible topics
for studies that will be conducted in line with the Research Task Force's objectives.
The Research Task Force is a project of the Nippon Foundation. It aims to strengthen the
implementation of ocean governance and to ensure the sustainable use of the ocean
through educational, scientific and institutional capacity-building.
Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam Address Oil Spill
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA -- Subregional project task team representatives from
Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam discussed effective approaches in implementing
PEMSEA's Gulf of Thailand (GOT) Project at the national and subregional levels, in a
meeting held on 28 June. The representatives shared their experiences and initiatives
related to oil spill preparedness, planning and response, progress made and options for
addressing encountered problems.
The main challenge in the GOT Project implementation for the delegates from Cambodia
was coming up with laws governing the agencies, industries and other stakeholders in
response to oil spills. It was suggested that the project team should focus efforts on
developing an oil spill contingency framework plan, based on the spill risk. The
Vietnamese delegates reported project progress in information collection, and the
development of a National Contingency Plan, but identified the problems of
communication among concerned national agencies as the major constraint.
Thailand, on the other hand, already has a National Contingency Plan in place so the
GOT projects in Thailand focuses on two capacity building initiatives: Port Safety,
Health and Environmental Management System (PSHE-MS) and Natural Resource
Damage Assessment. The Thai delegates gave a positive assessment of the results gained
from the PSHE-MS in Bangkok Port. The issue is how to apply the experience gained
from the project implementation in a government-managed port (Bangkok Port) to the
increased number of private ports. Mr. Pakorn Prasertwong, Chief of Environment
Division at the Marine Department of the Ministry of Transport, believed that the
project's success in Bangkok Port was demonstrable elsewhere in Thailand, including the
private ports. His department will make it a policy to encourage application of the PSHE-
MS on a voluntary basis and see if the regulatory approach is necessary based on the
feedback from the practices.
The GOT Project focuses on capacity building at the national and subregional levels and
aims to develop an operational framework which can mobilize stakeholders to undertake
preparation, response and cooperative activities against oil spills in the GOT subregion.
PEMSEA New Staff and Intern Experience ICM First-Hand in Exposure Trip
BATAAN, PHILIPPINES -- Experiential learning for its new staff is part of PEMSEA
activities to enhance appreciation on the process of integrated coastal management (ICM)
implementation and to assist in human resource development in ICM especially at the
local levels. Through field visits, it is hoped that the staff could situate the greater context
of socioeconomic, political and environmental dimensions within which these projects
are being implemented.
PEMSEA new staff and Mr. Yang Yafeng, PEMSEA's professional intern from the
People's Republic of China, experienced first-hand ICM-in-action through their exposure
trips to the Bataan and Batangas ICM Sites. The field visits provided them with the basic
concepts and principles of ICM and increased their awareness and understanding on ICM
projects their nuances, challenges and strengths.
The staff visited the Bataan ICM Program, locally known as BIGKIS-Bataan, on 25 June,
with the visit to the Batangas ICM Demonstration Site following on 29 June.
The Bataan exposure trip began with their visit to the mangrove rehabilitation project in
Brgy. Limay (Alangan) and provided the participants with better insights on the
important role mangrove ecosystems play in maintaining biological diversity and
preventing shore erosion. To gain an appreciation of the various industries and the coastal
character of Bataan, the staff also went to observe the Mariveles Port and the Bataan
Economic Zone. The trip likewise exposed the staff to the industries lining the coast of
Bataan, giving them an increased understanding on how the industries affect the
environment and the socioeconomic state of Bataan. The staff also went to the historical
Mt. Samat Cross, site where the Death March during World War II began, that also
provided a view of the extensive coast of Bataan.
Bringing with them the knowledge gained from the Bataan exposure trip, the staff's
Batangas exposure trip proved to be just as productive. They met with Ms. Evelyn
Estigoy, head of the Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office
(PG-ENRO) who briefed them on the Batangas Bay ICM Program and activities, such as
the Coastal Environmental Profile of Batangas, the Legal/Institutional Mechanisms,
Public Awareness strategies, Strategic Environmental Management Plan (SEMP), Water
Quality Monitoring activities and the sustained partnership of the Public and Private
Sector.
Ms. Connie Dimayuga of the Monitoring, Laboratory Section of the PG-ENRO gave
them a short tour of their newly inaugurated Water Quality Monitoring Laboratory,
which would regularize water monitoring in the province. The staff then proceeded to the
town of Mabini to meet with Ms. Luzviminda Villas of the Municipal Environment and
Natural Resource Office of Mabini (MENRO). Frequent divers of Mabini -- where the
famous dive spot, Anilao, is located -- are welcoming the charging of a pay-per-dive fee
for the conservation of its reefs and waters, as well as other environmental and coastal
concerns. Mabini also practices 100-percent waste segregation in its barangay and
household levels, eliminating the need for garbage collection, exposing the staff to the
importance of environmental awareness and local political will in addressing the problem
of waste disposal.
Both the Provinces of Bataan and Batangas are also benefiting from successful private-
public partnerships through the Bataan Coastal Care Foundation (BCCF) and the
Batangas Coastal Resource Management Foundation Inc. (BCRMF), which implements
their own corporate social responsibility projects and reflects the commitment of various
public and private institutions in coastal management.
PEMSEA Welcomes New Staff
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES -- PEMSEA welcomes Ms. Belyn Rafael as new staff.
She assumes the post of Technical Assistant for Integrated Coastal Management.
Belyn earned a Master's degree in International Studies from the University of the
Philippines and was a Senior Officer of the Research and Information Management Unit
of the Institute of Social Order, Ateneo de Manila University prior to joining PEMSEA.
Belyn also worked for JICA-funded projects developing project indicators.
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