SPECIAL FEATURE

 

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—For many countries worldwide, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many people’s lives, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) plunged, and unemployment rates soared along with a host of environmental challenges as countries focused on response and recovery efforts, making it challenging to achieve international, regional and national commitments on climate change, biodiversity conservation, marine pollution, and other aspects of coastal and marine governance.

 

 

Oceans are home to a wide variety of species such as plants, algae, fish and micro-organisms, with some organisms finding new worlds in which to thrive. In the marine environment, IAS are capable of altering adoptive habitats, competing with native organisms for limited resources, and reducing biodiversity by causing the extinction of native plants and animals. This can lead to considerable economic impacts and the fundamental disruption of coastal and lake ecosystems.

 

 

Original article can be found on IMO's website.

 

 

Original article by Thea Arcella Bohol in the ATSEA Q2 Newsletter (April – June 2021)

 

 

The United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (the “Informal Consultative Process”) held its twenty-first meeting in a virtual format from 14 to 18 June 2021. The meeting focused its discussions on the topic “Sea-level rise and its impacts”. The discussion panel was organized into two segments structured around (a) understanding the issue of sea level rise, its impacts and related challenges, and (b) international cooperation and coordination in addressing the impacts and challenges related to sea level rise.

 

 

Every year the 26th of July is commemorated as World Mangrove Day. To mark the day, the members of the Tangerang Regency Government Fisheries Service, Tangerang Regency Bappeda, and coastal volunteers were taught to plant mangrove trees at Ketapang Urban Aquaculture, Mauk District, on Saturday, 24 July 2021.

 

 

 

 

NEWS RELEASE

 

Following the launch of the 2021 East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress website (https://dev-pemseaorg.pantheonsite.io/node/91) last April, Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) is pleased to announce that the website has been expanded to include a detailed calendar of events and event-specific pages to guide participants interested in joining the pre-Congress events and the Main Conference.