Regional State of Ocean and Coasts 2021: The East Asian Seas Region (VOLUME 1)
PUBLICATION DATE:
Thursday, December 02, 2021
PUBLICATION TYPE:
Books
STATUS:
Only Available Online
DESCRIPTION:
The ocean covers 70% of the surface of our blue planet and constitutes >95% of the biosphere. Life originated in the ocean, and it continues to support all life today by generating oxygen, absorbing carbon dioxide, recycling nutrients, regulating global climate and temperature, and providing food, energy, water, and other resources.
The ocean wealth of the EAS region.
Ocean in the national income accounts. The ocean economy in the EAS region is around US$1.5 trillion in value added in 2015.
Employment in the ocean economy. There are 61 million people directly employed in the ocean economy, however, more are dependent on the ocean for their livelihoods as small-scale, household, and informal activities are not included in the current accounts.
Blue capital and coastal and marine ecosystem services. The EAS region is home to a third of the world’s mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs. These coastal and marine ecosystems, together with the tidal flats and salt marshes, are estimated to be worth around US$2 trillion. The blue carbon value is estimated to be US$68 billion for mangroves and US$40 billion for seagrass.
But our ocean is under stress… from climate change, pollution, habitat and biodiversity loss, overfishing and destructive fishing, and other unsustainable human activities. Bold and innovative actions are needed to protect ocean health, build more sustainable and resilient economies, reduce poverty, and help the most vulnerable.
Why blue economy?
The ocean has a major role to play in humanity’s future. As the EAS Region is gearing up to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Blue Economy offers a development strategy anchored on sustainable and inclusive prosperity, low-carbon growth, and protection of ocean ecosystems to ensure food security, jobs and livelihoods, resiliency, recreation, and wellbeing. The blue economy can help the region by:
- Creating nature-based jobs, such as aquaculture, ecotourism, restoration of coastal habitats, and managing protected areas
- Offering new economic opportunities and jobs to reduce poverty through the sustainable development of key oceanic sectors, such as fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, ports, shipping, shipbuilding, and marine renewable energy, and their value-chains, and supporting new industries like marine biotechnology
- Helping the region to mitigate and adapt to climate change through blue carbon, offshore wind and ocean energy, decarbonization, and new technologies
- Fostering nature-based infrastructure, such as mangroves, to provide protection from coastal erosion, flooding, storm surge, tsunami, and other natural disasters (as well as other ecosystem services)Improving fisheries by addressing the underlying causes of overfishing and IUU fishing, and addressing aquaculture sustainability, quality, and safety
- Mitigating the threats to human and ocean health due to marine pollution, including nutrients and marine and land-based plastics, through establishment of more wastewater treatment facilities with reuse applications, integrated solid waste management systems, and reuse of plastics and other recyclables
- Advocating the inclusion of women, small-scale fishers, informal workers (such as those in the aquaculture, ports, shipping, tourism, trade and logistics industries)Advancing connectivity and trade through ports, shipping, submarine communications, and digitalization
- Promoting science, innovation, and technologies to transform the ocean economic sectors to become sustainable, climate-smart, low-carbon, resilient, and more efficient and productive
- Promoting sustainable ocean financing and new financing modalities to support climate action, biodiversity conservation, and blue economy development.
- Informing policymakers and stakeholders about the value of the ocean, and the need for bold actions now for the benefit of the future generations
More information in the brochure. A Supplemental Report is also available.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
PEMSEA Annual Report 2024: A Year of Collaboration: Driving Blue Synergies Towards Resilient Coasts and Ocean in the East Asian Seas Region
2024 was a landmark year for PEMSEA with the successful organization of the EAS Congress 2024 and the 8th Ministerial Forum as key highlights. These milestone events led to stronger and renewed commitments to drive synergistic actions towards sustainable, inclusive and resilient coasts, ocean and communities, aligned with national priorities and global and regional targets.
Check out progress and plans of PEMSEA's projects that address complex interconnected environmental challenges in the region: marine plastic pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change through rigorous baseline data collation, analysis and reporting; enhancing governance and investment plans and programs; knowledge management and technical skills and capacity development.
PEMSEA eBulletin - April 2025
Dear PEMSEA community,
April is packed with exciting progress and developments across the region!
PEMSEA is making waves at the 10th Our Ocean Conference in Busan by organizing a side event that brought together regional partners committed to support governments in meeting their 30x30 conservation targets while enhancing protection of our valuable marine ecosystems.
Looking toward the future, PEMSEA's Executive Committee (EC) Meeting in Busan endorsed plans to extend our Sustainable Development Strategy implementation to 2030. The EC also noted progress on our regional Blue Carbon Program and finalized the timeline for upcoming Partnership Council elections.
We're also proud to announce the release of "Threads of Resilience," the sixth edition of our Integrated River Basin Management Project newsletter. This issue tells inspiring narratives of women from the Sasmuan Pampanga Coastal Wetlands alongside the impactful work of female environmental leaders driving change across Southeast Asia and critical conservation needs for key project sites, including Indonesia's Ciliwung River.
Other important developments include the PNLG Executive Committee's announcement of upcoming elections and General Assembly in Jakarta, the successful launch of the GEF/UNDP/ASEAN Integrated River Basin Management Project in Viet Nam, and regional training initiatives to enhance blue carbon knowledge and integrated coastal management strategies in Xiamen, China.
Integrated River Basin Management Project Newsletter - Edition 6
"Threads of Resilience” marks the sixth edition of the Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) Project's newsletter, spotlighting inspiring narratives of women and advancements in project implementation.
This issue features threads of resilience in the stories of women from the Sasmuan Pampanga Coastal Wetlands of the Pasac-Guagua Watershed in the Philippines, alongside the impactful work of women leaders driving environmental change across Southeast Asia. It also highlights the need to conserve key project sites, including the Ciliwung River in Indonesia.
Key project activities and milestones from the first quarter of 2025 include the ongoing formulation of a framework and solutions template for pilot project development in the seven priority river basins, Lao PDR's approval of the 2025 Work Plan and State of the River Basin Report for the Nam Tha River Basin, and stakeholder validation workshops for the State of River Basin Reports for the Imus-Ylang Ylang and Rio Grande Rivers, as well as the Pasac-Guagua Watershed.
These interconnected efforts are key components of a strengthening web of partnerships and collaboration within the ASEAN region.
Proceedings of the 2025 MEP Program Planning Workshop
The planning workshop for the 2025 Marine Environment Protector (MEP) Program was conducted on 18-19 March 2025 at Parañaque, Philippines and brought together representatives from MEP partner organizations across six Philippine sites.
Representatives from the four existing MEP program sites presented their 2024 accomplishments and shared lessons learned from implementation. The workshop also served as an introduction for new MEP partners from Bulan and Calbayog who will begin implementation in 2025.
The participants discussed various campaigns and identified effective practices that could be applied across different sites. Together, they drafted comprehensive work plans and timelines aligned with the 2025 implementation guidelines established by the Regional Project Management Unit (RPMU).
The two-day workshop successfully established target outputs for 2025 implementation and developed strategies to effectively impact local communities in their respective sites. Participants focused on ensuring engagement and full support of their respective local government units for proposed marine plastic waste management initiatives.
PEMSEA eBulletin - March 2025
Dear PEMSEA community,
On International Women’s Day, the world unites in a bold call for action to advance the rights of women and girls. This year carries special significance as it marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action—yet deep gender inequalities persist. #IWD2025 serves as a moment to demand progress and reaffirm commitments to building a more equal world for all.
For over a century, International Women’s Day has been a platform for celebrating achievements, raising awareness of discrimination, and taking action toward gender parity. Since 1911, it has belonged to all who champion equality, embracing diverse efforts to drive change.
This month, we highlight the leadership of five women as examples of implementing gender responsive actions on the ground. We also take a look at the 2025 Marine Environment Protector (MEP) Program Workshop where we partner with local organizations in addressing marine plastic pollution; celebrate the successful conclusion of the GloFouling Partnerships Project. Meanwhile, efforts to protect our coasts continue to gain recognition as PEMSEA is honored by Cavite State University in the Philippines as a valued partner in sustainability.