Batangas Province, Philippines — Fourteen years have passed since integrated coastal management (ICM) was initiated in the Batangas Bay region. The experience has since been been replicated in two other bays in the province, namely the Balayan and Adjacent Bays, and the Tayabas and Adjacent Bays region. But apart from the geographical expansion of ICM efforts, has there really been progress achieved on the ground. Has ICM created impacts on the sustainable marine and coastal environment and more importantly to the well-being of Batangueños?

 

Manila, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippines, and the PEMSEA Resource Facility have confirmed that the site of the EAS Congress 2009 will be Manila, Philippines. The date for the Congress is set for 23 -27 November 2009.

Guimaras Province, Philippines — Guimaras, an island province of the Philippines, located in the western Visayas, is well-known for its mangoes - its signature product; its pristine beaches and coves; and more recently, as the site of the worst oil spill in the history of the Philippines. On 11 August 2006, two million liters of bunker fuel were spilled into the Guimaras coast, causing an environmental and economic disaster that seriously affected more than half of its population living along its 238-km coastline that depended on the coastal and marine resources for their livelihood..

Manila, Philippines — The Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) received a special recognition from the Sustainable Coastal Tourism in Asia (SCOTIA), a United States-Agency for International Development (USAID) Program, for its continuous support in promoting coastal tourism through its Public-Private Partnership initiatives for the development of adequate infrastructure for sanitation in Puerto Galera. Prof. Raphael P.M. Lotilla, PEMSEA Executive Director, received the certificate from SCOTIA Team Leader, Ms. Grace Favila; US-AID Representative Mr.

Thua Thien Hue, Viet Nam — Thua Thien Hue is one of four provinces in Viet Nam's central region economic zone. The province is bordered on the north by Quang Tri Province, on the south by Danang City, on the west by Lao PDR, and on the east by the East Sea. The lagoon system in the coastal area embodies a unique eco-system, and has significant potential for development as an ecotourism site.

 

Quezon City, Philippines — PEMSEA welcomes Ms. Maida Aguinaldo, Mr. Renato Cardinal, Mr. John Eric Dylan Saet and Mr. Andre Jon Uychiaoco to the PEMSEA Resource Facility.Ms. Maida Aguinaldo joins PEMSEA as Technical Assistant of the Learning Center. Prior to joining PEMSEA, Ms. Aguinaldo worked as Coastal Resource Management/Collection Area Management Planning Specialist at Reef Check-Philippines. Maida has a degree in Community Development from the University of the Philippines.

Xiamen, PR China — The Xiamen Municipal Government is aiming to exceed the achievements of the 2007 XWOW, which was attended by 500 participants from 33 countries. To meet the challenge, the Xiamen Oceans and Fisheries Bureau brought together representatives from the State Oceanic Administration, the United Nations Development Programme in China, Xiamen University, the Fujian Provincial Oceans and Fisheries Bureau, and PEMSEA to plan and discuss the organization of the 2008 XWOW, scheduled on 7-13 November. The First Organizing Committee meeting was held in Xiamen on 23 April.

 

Virginia, USA — A third of reef-building corals around the world are threatened with extinction, according to the first-ever comprehensive global assessment to determine their conservation status. The study findings were published today by Science Express.Leading coral experts joined forces with the Global Marine Species Assessment (GMSA) - a joint initiative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Conservation International (CI) - to apply the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria to this important group of marine species.

RO Korea — Three NOWPAP Regional Activity Centers (DINRAC, MERRAC and POMRAC) held their Focal Points Meetings in May and June (CEARAC held its Meeting in March).

Mindoro, Philippines — The Municipal Government of Puerto Galera, Province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines, invites interested participants to the Build-Transfer (BT) tendering of its Sewage Collection and Treatment System (SCTS) Project. The project involves the financing, design, construction and commissioning, though the BT scheme, of a sewage collection and treatment system in Barangay Sabang, Puerto Galera.