PEMSEA E-UPDATES Vol. VI Issue 08 2005
APEC Ministers Endorsed Bali Plan of Action
BALI, INDONESIA -- The Ocean-related Ministers of APEC member countries
endorsed the Bali Plan of Action at the recently concluded 2nd APEC Ocean-Related
Ministerial Meeting held here on 16-17 September.
The Plan of Action is heralded as an important undertaking as it serves as a guide for the
ocean-related activities of APEC countries and APEC working groups concerning ocean
management. More importantly, the Plan recognizes the need to balance the use of the
ocean resources and environment with economic development.
Actions identified in the Plan focus on three main areas: a) to ensure the sustainable
management of the marine environment and its resources; b) to provide for sustainable
economic benefits from the oceans; and c) to enable the sustainable development of
coastal communities.
The Ministers formalized their commitment to implement the Plan of Action through a
Joint Ministerial Statement and directed the Marine Resources Conservation Working
Group and the Fisheries Working Group to immediately set priorities and to implement
the Bali Plan of Action in collaboration with other relevant APEC bodies.
A total of 20 economies attended the Meeting: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada,
Chile, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, PR China, RO Korea, Singapore,
Thailand, USA and Vietnam. Observers from various regional organizations also
participated in the Meeting, including PEMSEA which was represented by Dr. Chua
Thia-Eng, Regional Programme Director.
The adoption of the Plan of Action is a follow-on initiative to the 2002 Seoul Oceans
Declaration, which further strengthens the member countries' resolve in ensuring a better
ocean environment for the Asia Pacific. It also complements the Sustainable
Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia which was endorsed in 2003 and is being
implemented by the 12 PEMSEA participating countries.
The 3rd APEC Ocean-Related Ministerial Meeting will be hosted by Peru.
Batangas Developing Provincial-Wide Environmental Management Plan
BATANGAS, PHILIPPINES -- The Province of Batangas is currently developing a
Strategic Environmental Management Plan (SEMP) in an effort to strike a balance
between economic development, resource conservation and environmental protection
through the sustainable application of integrated coastal management (ICM) efforts.
The SEMP is being designed to directly support the Philippine Agenda 21 and the
Philippine National Development Plan by adopting and utilizing a community-centered
and multi-sectoral approach in the management of natural resources.
The SEMP envisions Batangas to be "a socially and economically developed community
of responsible citizenry committed and empowered to be good stewards of our
environment and natural resources. Its mission is to mobilize partnerships and strengthen
capability among the local government units, national government agencies, private
sectors, nongovernmental organizations, volunteer groups, social/civic organizations and
coastal community and residents for sustained integrated coastal management."
To attain the goal of sustainable development for the province, the SEMP shall focus on
the following objectives:
· Strengthening multi-stakeholder participation by establishing institutional
mechanisms that will encourage mobilization and capacity building of
communities, organizations, and agencies in the sustainable integrated
management of the province's bay-regions;
· Improving management of municipal solid wastes and industrial and agricultural
wastes, thereby minimizing their pollution impacts on the bays and other water
bodies in the province;
· Restoring and managing the province's terrestrial, coastal marine and freshwater
habitat and ecosystems and conserve its biodiversity for the benefit of the present
as well as the future population of Batangas;
· Protecting and managing groundwater and surfacewater resources of the
province's bay-regions; and
· Protecting the fishery resources of the province that will ensure food security.
The implementation of the SEMP will initially cover a 15-year period from 2005 to 2020
with the first year focusing on organizing multi-stakeholder participation, establishing
information and management systems and the initial implementation of some programs
and projects.
The plan is expected to be finalized and adopted by the province for implementation in
the last quarter of 2005.
Chonburi Builds Conservation Awareness with Seagrass and Cage Culture
Activities for Youth and Community Leaders
CHONBURI, THAILAND -- A series of training programs and field activities on marine
and resource conservation for community leaders and the youth were conducted in
Sriracha Municipality in Chonburi Province. The programs helped increase
environmental awareness among local youth and community leaders and enhanced skills
in seagrass transplantation and fish cage culture activities.
The Training on Seagrass Transplantation and Cage Culture of Local Economic Fish in
Sriracha Bay was held on 7 July and was participated by 75 stakeholders composed of
administrators, community leaders and fishers of Sriracha. A second training was held for
Sriracha's youth on 20 July where over 75 youths from five municipal schools in Sriracha
Municipality (Sriracha, Bansrimaharacha, Darasamuth, Watratniyomtham and
Duangmanee) participated.
The series of training were part of a series of activities organized by Sriracha
Municipality to initiate comprehensive efforts to conserve, protect and restore the marine
and coastal resources in the Sriracha Bay area. The activities are characterized by
stakeholder education and participation, cross-sectoral cooperation and development and
application of sound technical information to support well-informed coastal management.
The trainings were implemented through collaborations between Sriracha Municipality,
Sriracha Fisheries Research Station, Kasetsart University, local fishers and municipal
schools.
As part of the training exercise, actual seagrass transplantation was undertaken. This
kicks off a one-year activity that will involve monthly transplantation of two species of
seagrasses, Enhalus acoroides and Halodule uninervis, from healthy beds in Khung
Kraben Bay, Chanthaburi and Prasae River mouth area, Rayong to selected sites at
Sriracha Bay. The transplanted plots will be continuously monitored for the growth and
survival of seagrasses. Further studies will also be done to investigate the improvement of
local fisheries through questionnaires about catch yields after the transplantation and
restoration of the seagrass beds.
Stakeholders believe that the restoration of seagrasses in Sriracha Bay will not only gain
ecological benefits but economic benefits as well through coastal protection, increased
environmental quality, and a higher yield for small-scale fishers since seagrass beds
provide a healthy environment for local fish stocks. Moreover, the project will serve as a
demonstration project to enhance public awareness on the importance of seagrass beds
for coastal areas and later promote participation of local people and communities.
The fish cage culture training provided information and techniques for local fishers to
create alternative livelihoods and further develop local fisheries through mariculture,
while taking into consideration the environmental sustainability of these activities. The
culture of local fish species (leather jacket and spinefoot) is expected to lead to further
management and development of sustainable fisheries in the Sriracha coastal area.
IAEA PEMSEA Explore Collaborative Arrangements
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES -- A series of meetings between PEMSEA and the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to explore collaborative arrangements
between the two agencies was held at the PEMSEA Regional Programme Office in
August.
IAEA officials visiting the Philippines to review ongoing technical cooperation projects
in the country met, on different occasions, with PEMSEA Regional Programme Director,
Dr. Chua Thia-Eng, to establish possible partnerships and obtain evaluative evidence of
best practices and relevant experiences from completed and ongoing activities that IAEA
can take as feedback for its future programming. IAEA's projects in the Philippines are
coordinated through the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) with which
PEMSEA cooperates on several activities including the Manila Bay Environmental Risk
Assessment and Integrated Environmental Monitoring Project.
At the meetings, Dr. Chua highlighted the success of PEMSEA through
intergovernmental, interagency and intersectoral partnerships, paving the success of the
East Asian Seas Congress in December 2003 where Ministers of the 12 PEMSEA
participating countries adopted the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East
Asia at the Ministerial Forum through the signing of the Putrajaya Declaration.
IAEA, through the RCA Regional Office (RCARO), expressed interest to be a co-sponsor
of the EAS Congress 2006 which will be hosted by PR China in Haikou, Hainan Province,
and to organize a workshop on Radio-isotope Technology for Coastal and Ocean
Management. IAEA also expressed interest to partner with PEMSEA and participate in
the activities of the region in its follow-on phase, an opportunity welcomed by PEMSEA.
IAEA Officials who visited PEMSEA are Dr. Reyad Kamel, Programme Management
Officer, Messrs. Dalibor Kysela and Katsumi Hiroshe, and Dr. Carlito Aleta, Special
Advisor of RCARO.
PEMSEA Welcomes New Staff
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES -- PEMSEA welcomes Ms. Anne Caillaud, Ms. Daisy
Padayao, Ms. Kristine Joy Solito and Ms. Zheng Yanling as new staff.
Ms. Caillaud and Ms. Zheng both join PEMSEA as its newest Interns. Ms. Caillaud will
review the essential framework elements and key processes in integrated coastal
management (ICM) and assess their applications at the municipal level in achieving
sustainable coastal development. She will also review the requirements of the
environmental management system (ISO 14001) and assess how these requirements
could be met by ICM.
Ms. Zheng will learn of PEMSEA's approaches on the establishment and
operationalization of the PEMSEA Network of Local Government for Sustainable
Coastal Development (PNLG) and will likewise work in developing the PNLG and
Xiamen ICM websites.
Ms. Padayao is Technical Assistant for Research. She will conduct data gathering and
analysis as part of a research study investigating the transboundary impacts of the
national economic activities and the tradeoffs between economic development and
ecological benefits.
Ms. Solito joins PEMSEA as an Encoder and will assist in the completion of the
PEMSEA regional database of experts and organizations operating or working in the East
Asian Seas region.
New PEMSEA-Plymouth Partnership to Enhance Knowledge Sharing in Coastal
and Marine Management
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES -- PEMSEA, Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and
Plymouth Marine Applications Ltd. (PMA) recently signed a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) to enhance collaboration and share experiences and knowledge in
the sustainable use and management of coastal and marine areas.
The new partnership includes mutual collaboration on organizing conferences, seminars,
workshops and site visits to build awareness and understanding in integrated coastal and
marine planning and management; share experiences and lessons learned with national
and local government agencies of PEMSEA participating countries; identify
opportunities for staff exchange; and build awareness through website linkages.
The MOU was signed by PEMSEA Regional Programme Director, Dr. Chua Thia-Eng;
Plymouth Marine Laboratory Director, Mr. Henry Durowse; and Plymouth Marine
Applications Ltd. Director, Professor Nicholas J.P. Owens.
Based in the United Kingdom, PML is a collaborative center of the Natural Environment
Research Council and was created to carryout fundamental, core strategic and applied
research on issues of global change and sustainability. PMA is PML's wholly owned
trading subsidiary.
SGP and PEMSEA forged partnership to strengthen implementation of
Community-Based Coastal Resource Management Projects in East Asia
The UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme and Regional Programme on Building
Partnership on Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) forged a
partnership agreement to strengthen the implementation of coastal resource management
in SGP and PEMSEA participating countries.
Recognizing the role of the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Community-
Based Organizations (CBOs) and People's Organizations (POs) in addressing coastal and
marine concerns, the PEMSEA-SGP Partnership aims to strengthen community-based
support by enabling access to technical services among the existing SGP projects in
PEMSEA sites. This mechanism will be done by encouraging the Project Management
Office Staff, CBO, PO and/or NGO SGP beneficiaries and National Coordinators to
discuss ways by which existing projects can be strengthened and collectively address
coastal and marine resource degradation.
Partnership activities will also be extended in the formulation and implementation of new
projects in PEMSEA sites to expand efforts in marine and coastal resources management
and conservation. This will be done by encouraging partner community-based
organizations to identify potential projects for funding through the GEF Small Grants
Programme.
More importantly, the partnership strengthens synergy in the implementation of
community-based coastal resources management projects by enjoining implementers and
the community beneficiaries to come together, share experiences, expertise, information
and resources to facilitate more effective implementation process.
Initially, the partnership covers six countries in East Asia where PEMSEA and SGP are
operational. These include Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and
Indonesia.
The partnership is based on a joint communiqué signed by SGP Global Manager, Dr.
Delfin Ganapin and PEMSEA Regional Programme Director, Dr. Chua Thia-Eng.
SOA and Hainan to Host EAS Congress 2006
The State Oceanic Administration and the Hainan Provincial Government of PR China
have officially confirmed their commitment to host the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress
2006. National and Local Organizing Committees have been created and are now
coordinating with PEMSEA to ensure the efficient preparation and management of the
event. The EAS Congress 2006 will be held in Haikou City in Hainan Province on 12-16
December 2006.
With this development, interest in the Congress is expected to increase. This early, 33
organizations and 35 individuals have confirmed their official roles as Partner
Organizations and Advisors, respectively. The Partners and Advisors will lend both
institutional support and technical expertise in developing a dynamic and meaningful
Congress Programme. More partnerships are expected to develop in the coming months.
As a special feature of the Congress, the Secretariat has adopted an innovative
participatory approach in developing the Congress Programme to make sure that the
topics, formats and discussions will be tailored to the needs of the participants. A
Consultation Process has been created for partner organizations, advisors and delegates to
solicit useful suggestions and comments on how to enhance the present Congress
Programme.
Sriracha Strengthens Local Capacity in Oil Spill Prevention and Management with
Volunteer Group
SRIRACHA, THAILAND -- Sriracha Municipality in Chonburi Province has established
the Marine Environment Protection Volunteers (MEPV) to play a key role in providing
central government agencies with much needed local support in oil spill prevention and
management initiatives.
The MEPV was established during an orientation meeting on 24 August which saw the
participation of over 120 individuals comprising of fishers from the municipalities of
Muang Chonburi, Saensuk, Sriracha, Bangphra, Angsila, Laemchabang, Koh Srichang,
Chaophrayasurasak and Bangsalae and officers from the Sriracha Municipality Disaster
Prevention and Relief Section.
To further enhance the capacity of MEPV members, Sriracha Municipality in cooperation
with the Marine Department, the Environmental Preservation Association of the Oil
Industry Group and the PEMSEA Chonburi Integrated Coastal Management (ICM)
Project organized a Training Workshop on Oil Spill Impacts and Cleanup Techniques on
26 August. The workshop provided MEPV members with increased knowledge,
awareness and techniques in marine environmental protection activities, particularly on
oil spill mitigation. The workshop included a demonstration of shoreline cleanup
techniques that the MEPV members can realistically apply. The workshop also resulted
in the formulation of a draft action plan for the MEPV activities and the identification of
the MEPV initial activities.
Parallel efforts to establish an information center for oil spill and environmental data are
currently being undertaken.
These activities are part of the municipality's efforts in implementing its coastal strategy
in response to the growing concern over the increasing number of shipping activities and
volume of oil passing through the Sriracha area as a result of a major government effort
to transform the area into a major oil business center with stockpiling and fuel refining
facilities.
University Students Practice Civic Consciousness with Manila Bay Cleanup
MANILA, PHILIPPINES -- Over 3,500 officials, faculty members and students of the
Polytechnic University of the Philippines conducted a coastal cleanup along the Baywalk
area of the Manila Bay on 26 August. The cleanup was organized as an activity under the
National Service Training Program (NSTP), a government-enacted program conducted in
all tertiary schools aimed at enhancing civic consciousness among the youth.
Equipped with rakes, shovels and collection sacks, the volunteers collected a significant
amount of shoreline garbage enough to fill six dump trucks. The cleanup was also a
preparatory activity conducted in line with the Annual International Coastal Cleanup held
every 3rd Saturday of September.
The cleanup was conducted with the support of the City Government of Manila, the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Galing Pilipino Movement, the
Philippine Coast Guard, the 106th Squadron of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, and
PEMSEA's Manila Bay Environmental Management Project.
The activity serves as a good start in nurturing volunteerism, a sense of ownership and
awareness among the youth on the need to improve the environmental condition of the
Manila Bay.
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