This issue of Tropical Coasts examines some of the regional arrangements that have been adopted and the lessons learned, as well as the trends in regional cooperation relating to the environment, regional seas and their associated river basins. Some of the featured arrangements are well established while others are relatively new. Beyond the recognition of intergovernmental cooperation as a concept, the aim of this issue is to show some of the practicalities involved in operationalizing the ideals and modalities of regional arrangements.

This issue of Tropical Coasts presents seven articles which look at the status of important species in trade, the nature and magnitude of the threats, some recommended and tested management measures being undertaken to ensure sustainable use of resources, as well as the successes and challenges in enforcing and implementing CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

Increasing demands on coastal and marine resources have been felt and it is recognized that the capacity of coastal ecosystems to provide bounteous goods and services is decreasing. This issue of Tropical Coasts examines the various coastal management approaches such as integrated coastal management (ICM), co-management, fisheries cooperative associations, integration of ICM with population and gender-related issues and establishment of marine parks. Of essence is the evidence of benefits that are derived from the implementation of these approaches to coastal management.

This issue of Tropical Coasts looks at seven partnership arrangements in environmental management. The partnership varies in scope in terms of the kinds and number of organizations or sectors involved; the area and population to be affected; and the objectives to be achieved. Partnership has become a byword in environmental management in recent years. There is rarely any project initiative, big or small, that does not advocate for some sort of partnership arrangements. What is often overlooked, however, is that partnership is not simply a matter of pooling together the concerned individual or institutional partners. While it involves certain tried-and-tested procedures, it also requires a complicated aspect of building human and corporate relationships.

This issue of Tropical Coasts focuses on environmental issues that are shared by countries in the East Asian Seas region as well as some of the possible responses to these issues. The challenges include those relating to the sea transport of ultrahazardous radioactive materials, navigational safety, ballast water control and management, and oil spills.

This issue of Tropical Coasts is about new approaches in policies related to our marine environment. The focus is primarily on national efforts towards developing coastal, marine and ocean policies in the East Asian Seas region through an examination of recently enacted policies or efforts to develop them. As may be gathered from the articles, there are no clearly agreed upon definitions of what exactly a national "coastal," "marine," or "ocean" policy is. Despite semantic differences, the key is that these policies represent new integrative approaches towards the marine environment. They identify the major issues that need to be addressed and establish a process for treating them in an integrated, inter-sectoral, and inter-agency manner in order to promote sustainable development of the coastal and marine areas.

This issue of the Tropical Coasts presents various legal remedies both domestic and international on liability and compensation for damages that occur as a result of accidents, such as oil and chemical spills. Each regime has its own strengths and weaknesses.

This issue of the Tropical Coasts tackles several very controversial stories, which took place in the last few years. At the height of these controversies, these stories occupied headlines of the major newspapers and were covered extensively by the broadcast media. The story of Boracay, for example, even took on national significance and was taken up in a Cabinet meeting of the Philippine government. These controversies were also highly emotional for the parties concerned. Bolinao, a small coastal town located in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines, was polarized into warring groups because of a proposal to set up a large cement plant complex in the town. Families and friends became bitter enemies as they became embroiled in the feud.

As reflected in this issue of Tropical Coasts, the challenge of developing a "public-private partnership working model" is being taken up in Eat Asia, South Asia, the Caribbean and Central America. The reported efforts cover a variety of environmental issues, ranging from port development and operation, to protection of a coral reef, to integrated waste management, and each evolved as a mechanism to respond to a practical local problem. Although the described public-private partnership mechanisms have been developed and tested in isolation of one another, there are common elements that were expressed by each, namely: (1) enhancement of the ability of the local community, and the stakeholders therein, to manage their local environment; (2) sustainability of environment programs and (3) socioeconomic benefit derived to the local community as a result of improved environmental programs.