Manila, Philippines — "You can not manage what you can not measure," goes an old management adage. "Unless you measure something, you don't know if it is getting better or worse."

 

Three provinces along the Manila Bay coastline, namely, Bataan, Bulacan and Pampanga, joined hands to initiate the State of the Coasts (SOC) reporting system under the framework of the integrated coastal management (ICM) programs of the respective provinces.

 

 

Quezon City, Philippines — As I spend my last days in the Philippines, it is interesting to recall my experiences and wonderful memories as an intern for PEMSEA. After four months working and living in Manila, I must say that my life in Manila was truly memorable and rewarding.

 

 

Quezon City, Philippines — PEMSEA welcomes two new editors, Ms. Melissa Borlaza and Mr. Lawrence San Diego, to the PEMSEA Resource Facility. They will be responsible for all aspects of production of various knowledge products and multimedia materials required by implementers of the SDS-SEA, including official publications, the Tropical Coasts magazine and PEMSEA website.

 

 

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam — Soc Trang is a key coastal province in Vietnam's Mekong Delta and is prized as one of the country's rice bowls given its high agricultural productivity. The province's coastal and marine resources are at risk not only from the negative ecological consequences of the expanding shrimp farming industry but also from the impacts of climate change.

 

 

Tagaytay City, Philippines — One thousand nine hundred trees will be planted at the sprawling Tagaytay Highlands this year in an effort to promote a greener environment. The tree-growing activity dubbed "One Tree at a Time" was launched on 25 May to observe the International Day for Biodiversity.

 

Xiamen, PR China — The PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG) ushered in four new regular members and a change in leadership during their Fourth Executive Committee Meeting held in Xiamen on 27 May.

 

The Executive Committee agreed to accept the membership applications of Shima City, Japan; Northern Selangor, Malaysia; and Changyi City and Qinzhou City, both from PR China. The formal induction of the four sites will be held at the General Assembly of the forthcoming PNLG Forum 2013.

 

 

Tokyo, Japan — NOWPAP representatives attended the Forum on 14-15 March in Tokyo which was organized by JEAN (Japan Environmental Action Network).

The Forum reviewed the implementation of the "Law for the Promotion of Marine Litter Disposal" enacted in 2009 in Japan and the role of NGOs in raising public awareness on marine litter and galvanizing local actions, as demonstrated by JEAN and Ocean Conservancy (OC) involvement in the implementation of a Japanese government-sponsored project dealing with the 2011 tsunami-generated marine debris.