The woeful eyes of the panda, gentle bearing of elephants, majestic stance of lions and tigers, and the awesome power of whales always bring a sense of wonder to those lucky enough to witness them up close.  Healthy populations of wildlife are a good indication of the status of the world's forests, oceans, rivers and lakes. Unfortunately, many of these animals, as well as thousands of other species, can only be seen on wildlife documentaries, newspapers, and magazines.

Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) is conducting research to generate insights about sustainable development of coasts and oceans by the private sector and the role of "blue economy" for business in East Asia.

During the second NOWPAP Extraordinary Intergovernmental Meeting (2nd EO IGM) held on 1-2 April 2015 in Seoul, RO Korea, NOWPAP member states decided to downgrade two posts in the NOWPAP Regional Coordinating Unit (RCU) following an earlier decision to reduce the number of staff members in RCU from six to four, as agreed at the 1st EO IGM in April 2014.  The restructured RCU will have a Coordinator at the P5 level with a Programme Assistant at G6 level in RCU Toyama office and a Programme Officer at P3 level with a Team Assistant at G4 level in RCU Busan office.

Over its more than 20-year history, PEMSEA has stayed on the forefront of coastal and marine sustainable development, including the introduction and scaling up of integrated coastal management (ICM) across East Asia and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) by 14 countries. As an organization, PEMSEA continues to evolve to meet the needs of its partners and address the most pressing issues related to coasts and oceans in the region.

Oceans provide over US$1 trillion annually to the world economy in market goods and services and many times that in non-market amenities. Yet, our oceans are under growing threat from unsustainable practices, including over-fishing, land-based sources of pollution, invasive species and habitat destruction, compounded by global climate change.

The 20th NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM) was held on 28-30 October 2015 in Beijing, China.  The meeting was attended by representatives of the NOWPAP Member States (the People’s Republic of China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation).  Directors of the NOWPAP RACs, a representative of UNEP Headquarters and RCU staff members also attended the meeting.  A representative of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) attended the meeting as a NOWPAP partner.  

Applications are now being accepted for Year 4 of the Nippon Foundation-POGO Centre of Excellence (NF-POGO CofE) at the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). The training will run from October 2016 to August 2017.

As an archipelago, the Philippines enjoys a long, rich history with the ocean and dependence on food from the sea. However, in modern times, there can be a lack of connection between people and the source of their seafood and little understanding how this food gets to our tables. If we ignore the impacts of unsustainable fishing practices, we put these critical food resources at risk and contribute to the vulnerability of our oceans.

The International Maritime Organization-European Commission (IMO-EC) is embarking on a new project against climate change. The objective of this four year project is to establish a global network of Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres with a focus on developing countries in Africa, Asia, Pacific, Caribbean and Latin America.

PEMSEA’s efforts in Manila Bay, Philippines, which started in 2000 through the implementation of the Manila Bay Environmental Management Project, adopted a watershed management approach engaging national agencies, local governments, academic institutions, the private sector and civil society groups.