Integrated River Basin Management Project Newsletter - Edition 9
PUBLICATION DATE:
Friday, January 23, 2026
PUBLICATION TYPE:
Magazines and Newsletters
STATUS:
Only Available Online
DESCRIPTION:
The final quarter of 2025 marked a period of steady progress for the GEF/UNDP/ASEAN Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) Project, as participating countries continued moving from planning toward implementation. Across the region, this transition was shaped by strengthened governance arrangements, deeper stakeholder engagement, and sustained awareness-raising efforts that anchored the Project more firmly at national and local levels.
A key milestone in November was the official launch of the IRBM Project in Indonesia, alongside the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the PEMSEA Resource Facility and the Ministry of Environment. This agreement formalized the implementing arrangements and collaboration for project implementation in the Ciliwung River Basin in Indonesia.
Earlier in October, a series of consultations in Indonesia, Viet Nam, and Malaysia brought together representatives from national, state-level, and local government agencies to identify and confirm priority issues and pilot solutions for the Ciliwung, Vu Gia–Thu Bon, and Kedah river basins. While each basin reflected its own social and ecological context, the discussions revealed shared challenges—wastewater and solid waste management, flooding, sedimentation, competing water uses, and saltwater intrusion. These common concerns underscored the growing urgency of integrated governance and management approaches in the face of accelerating development and climate pressures.
In December, the Project extended its outreach in the Philippines through participation in the Cavite Coastal Summit and the Cavite Sustainable Development Strategy Workshop. These events provided opportunities to raise awareness on Integrated River Basin Management, share updates on Project implementation in Cavite Province, and introduce the Source-to-Sea approach to local government officials, academe, and stakeholders engaged in environmental planning and management.
During the same month, the Project also convened an online inception meeting to initiate the development of the IRBM Training Manual and Training-of-Trainers (ToT) Program. Representatives from the six participating ASEAN Member States discussed the approach, methodology, and timeline for developing the training manual and ToT program, which will incorporate global practices while being grounded in regional and local contexts and practical application.
Taken together, the activities of the past quarter reflect a year of converging efforts and collective momentum. This journey is captured in the 2025 photo gallery featured in this edition, offering a visual walkthrough of the engagements, partnerships, and milestones that have marked the Project’s steady progression throughout the year.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
PEMSEA Regional Methodology for Blue Carbon Project Accounting
A Harmonized Guide for Estimating Carbon Stocks, Sequestration, and GHG Reductions in Coastal Ecosystems
Differences in measurement methods, carbon pool inclusion, and monitoring frameworks have made blue carbon projects in East Asia hard to compare. PEMSEA’s Regional Methodology addresses this with a single accounting framework for mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes. It is designed to be compatible with national greenhouse gas inventories and technically aligned with voluntary carbon credit certification requirements.
The Main Methodology sets out project eligibility and additionality, boundaries and stratification, baseline and project scenarios, uncertainty management, a tiering system, leakage, permanence and risk management, and monitoring, reporting, and verification. Five technical annexes provide the field and analytical detail:
- Annex A – Mangrove Ecosystems: carbon stock and sequestration assessment methods
- Annex B – Seagrass Ecosystems: carbon stock and sequestration assessment methods
- Annex C – Salt Marsh Ecosystems: carbon stock and sequestration assessment methods
- Annex D – Mapping Blue Carbon Ecosystems: remote sensing, validation, and change detection
- Annex E – Monitoring Environmental Parameters: the environmental conditions that influence blue carbon ecosystems
The methodology was prepared under the guidance of the Blue Carbon Technical Working Group of the EAS Partnership Council, with contributions from experts across the region. It is intended for project developers, national agencies, researchers, and verifiers working to bring high-integrity blue carbon projects to market.
INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON BLUE CARBON ECOSYSTEM VALUES: Accounting and Crediting Guidance Frameworks
The Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) and Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) convened the International Seminar on Blue Carbon Ecosystem Values in Busan, Republic of Korea. The seminar gathered representatives from six East Asian countries, academic institutions, and regional partners to validate enhancements to the Regional Blue Carbon Accounting Protocol (RBCAP), review biodiversity accounting and crediting approaches, and define PEMSEA’s role in governance, verification, and market development. Key outcomes included expert recommendations to strengthen the RBCAP, shared insights on biodiversity crediting pathways, and a clearer vision of PEMSEA’s added value as a regional platform for advancing blue carbon and biodiversity markets.
The 2026 PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG) and PEMSEA Network of Learning Centers (PNLC) Joint Learning Forum
The 2026 PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG) and PEMSEA Network of Learning Centers (PNLC) Joint Learning Forum, themed “Empowering Coastal Cities for a Blue Future,” was organized by the PNLG and PNLC in collaboration with the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Coastal 500, and the PEMSEA Resource Facility. The Forum was hosted by the Metropolitan City of Busan, Republic of Korea. The Joint Learning Forum took place on 8 September 2026 at Paradise Hotel Busan as part of the 2026 PNLG Annual Forum (8-10 September 2026). It featured two panel discussions: Local Pathways for Blue Carbon and Nature-Based Solutions, and Capitalizing on Coasts: Financing and Innovating Local Blue Economies.
Proceedings of the 5th PEMSEA Network of Learning Centers (PNLC) Executive Committee Meeting 2026
The document contains the proceedings from the PNLC Executive Committee (EC) held 9 September 2026 in Busan, Republic of Korea.
The meeting was participated in by the President and Vice-President of the PNLC, the PEMSEA Executive Director, and the PNLC Secretariat from IPB and the PEMSEA Resource Facility. The agenda included:
- Workplan 2026-2027
- Updates on PNLC Expenditure and Financial Sustainability
Other Business:
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PEMSEA Blue Carbon Program Updates
PEMSEA eBulletin - September 2026
September connected regional decisions with local action—from a new declaration in Busan to community-led work across the region.
In Busan, the 2026 PNLG General Assembly adopted the Busan Declaration on Promoting Local Coastal Resilience and Sustainable Blue Economy and welcomed Atauro Island, Timor-Leste, as the Network’s newest member. Meanwhile, PEMSEA Founder Dr. Chua Tia-Eng returned to the PEMSEA Resource Facility for a discussion with colleagues on PEMSEA’s history, lessons, and continuing role in advancing sustainable coastal and ocean governance.
PEMSEA project updates include the GEF/UNDP/ASEAN IRBM Project advanced planning for food and biodegradable waste management in the Pasac-Guagua Watershed, while the PRICELESS Project brought stakeholders together in Regions 3 and 4A to tackle challenges and priorities for the Philippine Rise.
In the Philippines and Timor-Leste, MEP partners under the MOF/PEMSEA Marine Plastics ODA Project mobilized communities, schools, government agencies and civil society organizations for International Coastal Cleanup activities, turning awareness of marine plastic pollution into action on the ground.