Approved by the PNLC members in November 2022, the discussion paper identifies the initial funding requirements, resource mobilization initiatives, and cost-effective measures for supporting the network in line with the PNLC Operational Plan 2022-2027. The operational plan identifies the strategic areas of interest in terms of education, training, research, and project-related pursuits of the PNLC.

Marine biological invasion via the maritime industry is one of the greatest threats to marine biodiversity. While biological invasion by natural means is an ecological process that regulates marine biodiversity, biological invasion mediated by human activity is likely to place ecological communities in disequilibrium which may lead to localized extinctions as well as economic and public health impacts. In the global maritime industry, this is largely through ballast water discharge and biofouling of ships hulls. The ecological effects of maritime industry mediated biological invasion are well documented in the literature.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has recognized the biological invasion threat posed by invasive aquatic species (IAS). The IMO has presented two conventions, the Ballast Water Management and the Anti Fouling Systems that mandate signatory maritime states to implement appropriate measures to prevent the introduction of and manage the adverse environmental impacts of IAS.

The introduction of Invasive Aquatic Species (IAS) to new environments by ships and other mobile marine structures has been identified as a major threat to world’s oceans and the conservation of biodiversity. A multitude of marine species, carried either in ships’ ballast water or on ships’ hulls, may survive and establish in a new environment, become invasive, outcompete native species, and multiply into pest [1]. On the other hand, recent research suggests that the attachment of fouling organisms on ships’ hulls and other mobile marine structures is also a potential vector for the transfer of IAS [2].

The IAS problem begins when a biofouling species attaches on ship hull and being carried (hitching a ride) from one area to another area which has new ecosystem or habitat conditions. If the biofouling species has an invasive nature, that is, it can adapt predominantly, for example, becoming a predator in the new environment, the ecosystem structure of the new environment is potentially changes and turns out to have a negative impact on the environment. The negative impact aroused can be in the form of loss of local species (biological loss), decreased aquaculture yields (economic losses), or even the emergence of new outbreaks [3].

The UN World Ocean Assessment has confirmed the role of Invasive Aquatic Species (IAS) as a major driver for biodiversity change in the world’s freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystem[1]. Globally, about 2,000 marine species have been introduced to new locations through human-mediated movements. When they become invasive, most of them have had negative ecological, socioeconomic and human health impacts. With increased trade and climate change, biological invasions are likely to increase. The main vectors for unintentional transfer of invasive aquatic species are ships' ballast water, biofouling of mobile marine structures and aquaculture.

[1] The Second World Ocean Assessment. United Nations, 2021.
 

Accessible summary for the ASEANO Project Report: Study on Plastics Use and Waste Management in the Food Service Industry (https://pemsea.org/resources/publications/reports/aseano-project-report-study-plastics-use-and-waste-management-food).

As an archipelagic country, the maritime industry plays a critical role in moving goods and people across the more than 7,000 islands, as well as linking the Philippines to international trade and commerce. The maritime industry therefore serves as an integral component of the country’s socioeconomic development and in establishing linkages to the economic growth areas in the East Asian region and beyond. The ports and shipping sector in particular is one of the key ocean-based industries that contributed 12 per cent of the gross value added of the country’s ocean economy in 2016 or around USD 1.4 billion (in constant 2012 prices) employing around 700 thousand people. Of the 1,300 ports in the country, 1,000 are government owned and the rest are privately owned. In addition to seaports, which serve as major hubs for international and domestic/interisland cargo and passenger vessels, there are also fish ports, feeder ports or commercial ports located in many coastal areas around the country. Fish ports, which are also referred to as landing centers provide the facilities for the distribution of fish (PEMSEA and DENR, 2019).

This Baseline Study covers food service establishments (FSEs) in Dasmariñas categorized as (i) full-service restaurants, with full menu and waiting service, (ii) limited-service restaurants or quick service restaurants (QSR), with full menu but pay-as-you-order (iii) cafes/bars/pop-ups (selected menu with few chairs and tables), (iv) kiosks and stalls (purely retail, to be consumed elsewhere), and (v) catering or 100% home delivery. It excludes those unreported, unregulated and unregistered FSEs. It also covers the 6 types of food-grade plastics: (1) Polyethylene Terephthalate, (2) High Density Polyethylene, (3) Polyvinyl Chloride, (4) Low Density Polyethylene, (5) Polypropylene, and (6) Polystyrene.

Methodologies used included surveys conducted of local government units (LGU) and FSEs, field observations, focus group discussions and stakeholder meetings, desk research and interviews. An inception meeting with PEMSEA and the provincial and local government of Cavite was conducted on November 8, 2021. It was followed by a stakeholders’ meeting with public and private stakeholders including the academe was held on November 25, 2021 upon project commencement to agree on the objectives, expected outputs and timelines as well as gather valuable inputs that shaped the contents of this Baseline Study. Follow-on Interviews were also conducted as needed. Considering the pandemic situation, research relied heavily on online data and information as well as reports from institutions. The surveys on FSEs and the Local Government Units (“LGUs”) were conducted from January 21 to February 10, 2022. The surveys determined ‘on the ground’ the sentiments, perceptions and practices of the FSEs. LGUs were also surveyed to determine challenges they faced in addressing the plastic waste issue and implementing their respective plastic waste ordinances.

Completed by the World Bank and PEMSEA.

Solid waste management (SWM) in the Philippines continues to be hampered by gaps and issues despite the passage of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. One of these issues involves plastic waste whose impacts have extended beyond the country’s terrestrial boundaries. Studies have shown that the Philippines, together with China, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, accounts for 55 to 60 percent of plastic waste entering the ocean. Globally, the Philippines has one of the highest rates of mismanaged plastic waste recycling, with only about 28 percent of the key resins it consumed in 2019 being recycled. Unrecycled plastics are disposed of in dumpsites and landfills, remain as litter, or accumulate in sewers, drainage systems, and rivers before being discharged into surrounding marine water bodies. This study assesses national-level policies governing the management of plastics waste in the Philippines. The study aims to support the government’s efforts to improve the management of such waste and to facilitate circular-economy practices. The study included a desk review and analysis of current SWM conditions, existing policies, and current and pending legislation related to recycling and plastics waste management. Consultations with key stakeholders in the private and public sectors in plastics waste management supplemented the review.

The link between ocean health and human health was foremost in our minds in 2021 as we experienced another year of the global pandemic. Mental, emotional, and physical well-being were tested with successive lockdowns and mobility restrictions which caused some temporary setbacks in many of our initiatives. Nevertheless, with collective determination, grit, and perseverance to succeed, Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) managed to have a relatively good year with many accomplishments that can spur us to greater action in the coming decade.

Notable highlights of the year included the successful organization of a nine-month-long, blended (online and face-to-face) East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2021 hosted by the Royal Government of Cambodia. It culminated in the 7thEAS Ministerial Forum, where 11 PEMSEA country partners reaffirmed their commitment to the EAS partnership and agreed to endorse the development of the PEMSEA Roadmap to 2030 that would reset and recalibrate actions to vigorously promote the blue economy pathway in the region and help fulfill our national, regional, and global commitments.

Much has been done to implement the region’s commitment to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but much more is needed to attain our vision of a healthy ocean, people, and economies.

On a fun note, we had to be skillful in adaptive management, embrace uncertainty, and learn to be innovative and creative in the online delivery of knowledge products and technical services to implement the targets under the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA).

Allow us to help you look back on the year that set us off on a new decade of powerful actions through this report.