Sihanoukville, Cambodia — From a sleepy, laid back coastal municipality a few years back, Sihanoukville is fast catching up with Siem Reap as one of Cambodia's top tourist destinations, attracting more local and international tourists with its relaxing white beaches and seafood restaurants. The steady influx of tourists is also brought in by the opening of the Kangkeng Airport, enhancing mobility among tourists and making it possible for them to hop from one destination to another.

 

Quezon City, Philippines — Twenty-six participants from various regional offices of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the provincial government of Batangas attended a training workshop on the Application of the Integrated Information Management System for River Basins (IIMS-RB) conducted from 12-14 March by PEMSEA and DENR.

Hanoi, Viet Nam — PEMSEA has announced the designation of Mr. Raphael P.M. Lotilla as the new Executive Director of the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF).The announcement was made on 9 April by Dr. Chua Thia-Eng, Chair of the East Asian Seas Partnership Council, during a Reception hosted by PEMSEA at the 4th Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts and Islands held in Hanoi, Viet Nam, from 7-11 April.Mr.

Quezon City, Philippines — During the East Asian Seas Congress 2006, the role of each stakeholder was highlighted as a crucial element in ocean protection, development and governance.

Manila, Philippines — USAID's environmental project Sustainable Coastal Tourism in Asia (SCOTIA) - Philippines recently held its end-of-project conference to share best practices with local governments and resorts outside of its project sites. These project sites included leading coastal tourism destinations like El Nido, Panglao island, Mactan island, Balayan Bay, Moalboal and Puerto Galera.The primary message of the conference was that proper environmental management is critical for protecting the tourism value of our country.

RO Korea — NOWPAP has recently increased exchange with partners through participation in a number of international meetings and workshops.On 7-10 April, NOWPAP activities were presented at the 4th Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts and Islands (attended by over 400 patricians from 70 countries).

Batangas Province, Philippines — Fourteen years have passed since integrated coastal management (ICM) was initiated in the Batangas Bay region. The experience has since been been replicated in two other bays in the province, namely the Balayan and Adjacent Bays, and the Tayabas and Adjacent Bays region. But apart from the geographical expansion of ICM efforts, has there really been progress achieved on the ground. Has ICM created impacts on the sustainable marine and coastal environment and more importantly to the well-being of Batangueños?

 

Manila, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippines, and the PEMSEA Resource Facility have confirmed that the site of the EAS Congress 2009 will be Manila, Philippines. The date for the Congress is set for 23 -27 November 2009.

Guimaras Province, Philippines — Guimaras, an island province of the Philippines, located in the western Visayas, is well-known for its mangoes - its signature product; its pristine beaches and coves; and more recently, as the site of the worst oil spill in the history of the Philippines. On 11 August 2006, two million liters of bunker fuel were spilled into the Guimaras coast, causing an environmental and economic disaster that seriously affected more than half of its population living along its 238-km coastline that depended on the coastal and marine resources for their livelihood..

Manila, Philippines — The Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) received a special recognition from the Sustainable Coastal Tourism in Asia (SCOTIA), a United States-Agency for International Development (USAID) Program, for its continuous support in promoting coastal tourism through its Public-Private Partnership initiatives for the development of adequate infrastructure for sanitation in Puerto Galera. Prof. Raphael P.M. Lotilla, PEMSEA Executive Director, received the certificate from SCOTIA Team Leader, Ms. Grace Favila; US-AID Representative Mr.