| |
East Asian Seas: an introduction
East Asia’s astonishing variety of political, economic
and social systems is matched by its environment: ship-crowded
straits, island groups, wide gulfs, shallow estuaries and
some of the most heavily populated countries in the world,
where millions rely on fish for much of their protein. The
threats to the region are just as varied, such as erosion
and siltation from land development, logging and mining,
blast fishing in coral reefs, cutting and conversion of
mangroves, overfishing, unimpeded coastal development and
disposal of untreated wastes.
The Action Plan for the Protection and Development of
the Marine and Coastal Areas of the East Asian region, otherwise
known as the East Asian Seas Action Plan was approved in
1981, stimulated by concerns on the effects and sources
of marine pollution. It was initially sub-regional, involving
only five countries of ASEAN. Another five were welcomed
in 1994, bringing together ten countries ready to face up
to East Asia’s marine environmental challenges.
Among the Regional Seas programmes, East Asia has steered
a unique course. There is no regional convention. Instead,
the programme promotes compliance with existing environmental
treaties and is based on member country goodwill.
The Action Plan is steered from Bangkok by its coordinating
body, COBSEA. The East Asian Seas Regional Coordinating
Unit (EAS/RCU) serves as Secretariat, and is responsible
for coordinating the activities of governments; non-governmental
organizations; UN and donor agencies; and individuals in
caring for the region’s marine environment. EAS/RCU
works in close cooperation with the region’s non-government
and government organizations and existing regional programmes
and projects to improve co-ordination and co-operation among
parties working on the coastal and marine environment.
The Action Plan encompasses an assessment of the effects
of human activities on the marine environment; control of
coastal pollution; protection of mangroves, seagrasses and
coral reefs; and waste management. Recently this has been
revised to incorporate a long-term Action Plan that includes
technology transfer and environmental governance. The long-term
Action Plan takes into account the East Asian Seas Regional
Programme of Action (RPA) for the GPA, the UNEP/GEF Project,
“Reversing Environmental Degradation Trends in the
South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand,” and the work
of the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN).
The RPA focuses on the following objectives: the identification
of the regional problems of pollution from land-based activities,
with reference to the relevant sections of the Transboundary
Diagnosis Analysis (TDA) for the South China Sea and the
National Overviews of the Effects of Land-based Activities
on the Marine Environment; to establish regional priorities;
to develop and implement management approaches and processes;
the implementation of the activities to mitigate and remediate
land-based sources of harm to the coastal and marine environment
in the region; and the development of pilot projects to
provide experience and knowledge for the entire region.
The First ICRAN Regional Workshop on Experience Sharing
between Demonstration and Target Sites in the East Asian
Seas was held in Phuket, Thailand, in 2002. The workshop
was the first opportunity for the eight demonstration and
target site managers to meet and discuss management issues,
such as successful and non-successful management plans,
existing legislation and needs for improved management at
each site. Other discussion topics included monitoring for
better management, identifying needs to increase public
awareness, attendance at upcoming conferences to promote
the ICRAN Project, and identifying future activities under
ICRAN. The Workshop proceedings including a series of reports
from demonstration sites identifying good management practices
for Marine Protected Areas, Community Based Management,
and tourism as related to coral reef resources, and a series
of reports from target sites identifying areas for improving
management.
A new strategy for COBSEA has been formulated that focuses
on policy-driven processes to implement the Action Plan.
In the coming decade, the overriding aim is to maximize
the Action Plan’s benefits to all our member countries.
The catchword, however, is flexibility: one must be willing
to fine-tune and perhaps even change courses as circumstances
dictate. As long as we stay alert and responsive, we can
hope to minimize the damage to our marine environment, and
perhaps even improve its prospects.
|
