Manila, Philippines — The ASEAN Ports Association (APA) and German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) are jointly implementing the "Sustainable Port Development in the ASEAN Region" project, designed to help a selected number of ports comply with international environment and safety standards while improving their efficiency.The three-year project is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development. Nine ports in five countries have been selected to actively participate in the project.

Guimaras Province, Philippines — A three-day consolidation and validation of data and information gathered for the State of the Coasts (SOC) indicators was conducted on 18-20 January 2010 as part of the ongoing activities of the Province to develop its SOC Baseline. The SOC Baseline aimed to set the baseline environmental and socioeconomic conditions of the island Province, upon which changes over time can be compared. It also aimed to document existing management interventions being undertaken in the area to address the environmental issues.

Tagaytay City, Philippines — Thirty-three participants from the central office and various regional offices of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) around Manila Bay, the provincial governments of Batangas, Bataan and Cavite and De La Salle University in Lipa, Batangas completed a training workshop on the Integrated Information Management System for Coastal and Marine Environment (IIMS) conducted from 23-26 February by DENR and PEMSEA.The training workshop trained regional and provincial staff newly-designated for IIMS and updated staff previously trained in

RO Korea — In March 2010, NOWPAP organized an International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) activity and a Workshop on Marine Litter Management. The 14th NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting also decided to develop a project on assessment of the current status of marine and coastal biodiversity in the NOWPAP region.NOWPAP Marine Litter Workshop and ICC in HiradoWith the kind support of the Japanese government, the NOWPAP International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) and Workshop on Marine Litter Management were successfully organized on 26-28 March 2010 in Hirado, Nagasaki, Japan.

Quezon City, Philippines — Mr. Choe Rim of the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea has joined PEMSEA for a six-month period as part of PEMSEA's Professional Upgrading Program for 2010.Mr. Choe Rim is the Division Director of the General Bureau for Cooperation with International Organizations (GBCIO), Ministry of Foreign Trade, DPRK. He is in charge of implementation of projects in trade, electricity, coal production and tourism sectors.

Beijing, PR China — The 6th Meeting of the Executive Committee (EC) of the East Asian Seas Partnership Council was held on 12-13 March in Beijing, PR China.

Manila, Philippines — November 26, 2009 marks a historical event as the representatives of East Asian countries to the Third Ministerial Forum signed the Agreement Recognizing the International Legal Personality of the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA).

Manila, Philippines — Three organizations have recently joined hands with PEMSEA. The International Union for Conservation of Nature-Asia Regional Office (IUCN-ARO), the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG) became non-Country partners of PEMSEA during a special meeting of the EAS Partnership Council at the East Asian Sea Congress 2009.

 

Manila, Philippines — On 25 November, Coastal and Management Institute (COMI) of Xiamen University and Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) in England jointly organized the workshop "The Science in Ecosystem-based Management", a branch workshop of the Third East Asian Seas Congress 2009 hosted in Manila, Philippines, which also served as an important platform for the first cooperation between COMI and PEMSEA."The Science in Ecosystem-based Management" highlighted how the various ocean and coastal sciences are utilized to improve ocean and coastal government efficiency on the way to sustainable

Boracay, Philippines — Clear water. Blue skies. Clean air. Powder-fine sand. Picturesque and picture-perfect. The best tropical paradise this side of the world.This is Boracay, in words found in every print publication and among stories from the mouths of those who have been there.Yet paradise is far from perfect. Unknown by many, Boracay's precious marine resources are under constant stress, while its watersheds and critical habitats are giving way to man-made structures. Its ongoing development is pushing the island to reach — and exceed — its carrying capacity.