Effective management of wastewater remains a persistent problem in East Asia, with discharge of untreated wastewater from domestic, industrial and agricultural sources a common occurrence. Across Asia, a majority of sewage still finds its way to rivers, lakes and coastal zones and oceans without any treatment. The impacts on freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities have been significant, including hypoxia, loss of fisheries productivity and biodiversity, and damage to human health.

 

 

Training participants with trainers and organizers from PML, PEMSEA and UPV on Day 1 of Satellite Data Training Course.

 

Kickstarting the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress in Iloilo, participants from 9 countries - including representatives from the PEMSEA Network of Learning Centers - joined Day 1 of the Training Course on Accessing and working with state-of-the-art satellite data for marine applications, at the University of the Philippines Visayas.

 

 

ILOILO CITY, PHILIPPINES—Some 1,000 local and international delegates attended the 2018 East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress, a triennial event widely recognized as a platform for dialogue, knowledge-exchange, strategic action, partnership building and cooperation in support of the region’s common vision of sustainable development of the Seas of East Asia. The theme for this year’s conference is “25 Years of Partnerships for Healthy Oceans, People and Economies: Moving as One with the Global Ocean Agenda.”

 

 

 

 

PEMSEA welcomes the first PNYL Council

 

PEMSEA has always had a strong belief in the potential of the creativity and passion of youth, and a desire to grow youth involvement in promoting the sustainability of our shared seas. With this in mind, we are proud to announce that at the recently concluded Fifth East Asian Seas (EAS) Youth Forum at the EAS Congress 2018, we launched the PEMSEA Youth Programme and welcomed the first batch of the PEMSEA Network of Young Leaders (PNYL).

 

 

Coral being transplanted off Serangan Island (I Ketut Sudiarta)

 

PEMSEA’s 25 years of working towards healthier oceans, people, and economies throughout the seas of East Asia have provided a wealth of experience implementing integrated coastal management (ICM). A holistic approach to sustainable development requires the consideration of how each development will affect the rest of an area.

 

 

Led by PEMSEA Executive Director Aimee Gonzales, PEMSEA staff joined the solidarity walk held 27 January to support the launch of the Manila Bay Clean-up, Rehabilitation and Preservation Program (MBCRPP). Together with some 5,000 participants from government and non-government organizations, agencies, academe, students, civic and religious groups, they walked from Quirino Grandstand to the Baywalk area along Roxas Boulevard, with Manila Bay to their right.