http://www.pemsea.org PEMSEA News chronicles on-the-ground experiences and activities in PEMSEA sites and hotspots. Community-based initiatives, such as mangrove planting, coastal cleanups and waste management, are highlighted in the articles, as well as other workshops, conferences and programs organized or participated in by the Regional Programme. daily 1 2008-12-01T20:03:25Z http://www.pemsea.org/about-pemsea/pemsea-news/pemsea-transformation-prioritized-at-the-8th-executive-committee-meeting Beijing, PR China — PEMSEA's transformation into a self-sustaining international organization was a major topic of discussion during the recently concluded Executive Committee meeting in Beijing, PR China. No publisher webmaster 2011-03-22T09:48:12Z News Item http://www.pemsea.org/about-pemsea/pemsea-news/joint-planning-for-sustainable-coastal-development-in-the-philippines-kicks-off Philippines - As a signatory to the Putrajaya Declaration and the Haikou Partnership Agreement, the Philippines has committed to develop and adopt a national coastal and ocean policy and contribute to the target of scaling up ICM to cover 20 percent of the region's coastline. These two objectives have been adopted by PEMSEA participating governments as two measurable milestones in implementing the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia over the next 5 years. No publisher webmaster 2011-03-22T09:46:34Z News Item http://www.pemsea.org/about-pemsea/pemsea-news/pemsea-welcomes-new-librarian Quezon City, Philippines - PEMSEA welcomes its new librarian, Mr. Michael Villanueva. Michael is responsible for the maintenance and update of the PEMSEA's library databases, as well as the management of the library’s collection of books and periodicals. Michael also provides current awareness services for the PEMSEA Resource Facility. No publisher webmaster 2011-03-22T09:45:07Z News Item http://www.pemsea.org/about-pemsea/pemsea-news/good-practices-in-water-management-highlighted-in-tropical-coasts-issue Quezon City, Philippines – PEMSEA released a new issue of Tropical Coasts that expounds on the challenges and good practices in water supply and management. The new issue features the discussions held during the International Conference on Sustainable Coastal and Ocean Development during the East Asian Seas Congress in Manila, Philippines, on 23-27 November 2009. No publisher webmaster 2011-03-22T09:43:09Z News Item http://www.pemsea.org/about-pemsea/pemsea-news/of-prawns-and-mangroves-green-mindedness-in-orion-bataan Orion, Bataan, Philippines – On a normal day, these fishers are offshore making a living, today they are shaping their future. No publisher webmaster 2011-03-22T09:40:19Z News Item http://www.pemsea.org/about-pemsea/pemsea-news/local-oil-spill-contingency-plans-launched-in-thailand-and-viet-nam Chonburi, Thailand - East Asia's and probably the world’s first provincial-level oil spill contingency plans were recently launched in Thailand’s Chonburi province and in the two Vietnamese southern provinces of Tra Vinh and Ben Tre. Professor Raphael P.M. Lotilla, PEMSEA Executive Director, emphasized their significance since 80 percent of oil spills are classified as small (below 7 tons) and require localized response while major oil spills almost always require the involvement of local governments. No publisher webmaster 2011-03-22T09:39:13Z News Item http://www.pemsea.org/about-pemsea/pemsea-news/tourism-sites-get-into-the-zone-sustainable-tourism-now-possible-in-sihanoukville Sihanoukville, Cambodia - Sihanoukville is one of the favorite tourist spots in Cambodia, next to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. It has been identified by the Royal Government of Cambodia as one of the strategic development areas in the country in order to improve the national economy. No publisher webmaster 2010-12-21T05:20:20Z News Item http://www.pemsea.org/about-pemsea/pemsea-news/seventh-executive-committee-meeting-charting-the-future-of-pemsea Manila, Philippines - In line with the recognition of PEMSEA as an International Legal Personality, PEMSEA has embarked on a transformation process towards building PEMSEA into a full-fledged international organization. No publisher webmaster 2010-12-21T05:19:56Z News Item http://www.pemsea.org/about-pemsea/pemsea-news/delegates-to-the-fourth-gulf-of-thailand-national-contact-points-meeting-learn-new-techniques-in-shoreline-assessment-and-clean-up Chonburi, Thailand - Participants from Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam were enlightened with the new techniques that they have learned during the recently conducted training workshop on Shoreline Assessment and Clean up. The training was aimed to enhance awareness and understanding of relevant personnel on the principles and process of assessing oiled shorelines, environmental effects of various clean up techniques, and principal shoreline methods and guidelines in planning and developing a shoreline clean up plan. Dr. Ruth Yender and Mr. Jordan Harris Stout from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USA, served as resource persons for the workshop, which was organized by PEMSEA from 24 to 25 November 2010 in Sriracha, Chonburi, Thailand. No publisher webmaster 2010-12-21T05:18:24Z News Item http://www.pemsea.org/about-pemsea/pemsea-news/more-programmatic-investments-needed-in-the-east-asian-seas-region Manila, Philippines - Representatives from East Asian countries and regional programmes and organizations convened for two days to assess the status and challenges to sustainable management of the East Asian Seas region, and to identify the future role of and support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). No publisher webmaster 2011-01-21T07:06:14Z News Item