Setting the Sustainable Development Agenda for the Seas of East Asia beyond 2015

16-21 November 2015

PEMSEA Network of Local Governments (PNLG) Forum 2015

INTRODUCTION

i. The 2015 Annual Forum of PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG) was held at Pullman Hotel, Da Nang City, Viet Nam, on 20 November 2015. The People’s Committee of Da Nang City hosted the Forum.

ii. The Forum was attended by representatives from 26 of the 40 PNLG Regular Members, namely: Cambodia (Sihanoukville); China (Beihai, Changyi, Dongying, Fangchenggang, Pingtan, Quanzhou, Wenzhou, and Xiamen); Indonesia (Bali Province, Buleleng Regency, and Sukabumi Regency); Japan (Shima), Malaysia (Northern Selangor, Port Klang, and Sepang); Philippines (Bataan, Batangas, Cavite and Guimaras); RO Korea (Ansan and Changwon); Thailand (Chonburi); and Viet Nam (Da Nang, Quang Nam, and Thua Thien Hue). Representatives from the two Associate Members, i.e., First Institute of Oceanography (FIO) of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) and Coastal and Ocean Management Institute (COMI) of Xiamen University, China, also attended the event.

iii. Representatives from various local governments and institutions participated as observers, including: Cambodia (Kampot, Kep, and Koh Kong); China (State Oceanic Administration); Japan (Obama City and Omura City); Lao PDR (Champasack Province, Saravanne Province, and Sekong Province); Philippines (Bataan Coastal Care Foundation, Inc.); and Timor‐Leste (Dili Municipality and Liquiça Municipality).

iv. The PNLG Secretariat in Xiamen and the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) served as the Secretariat for the forum, while the Department of Natural Resource and Environment of Da Nang City served as the local secretariat.

v. Technical Session Chair and Co‐Chair of East Asian Seas Partnership Council, PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) and Southeast Asia Secretariat of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability also participated in the event.

vi. The meeting agenda and full list of participants are attached as Annex 1 and 2.

The Inception Workshop on Blue Economy Assessment was held on 28-30 July 2015 at the PEMSEA Building in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Compound in Quezon City, Philippines.

Representatives from seven countries in the East Asian Seas (EAS) region participated, and presented ongoing efforts on blue economy in their respective countries. Group exercises focused on identifying key ocean economic activities and investment opportunities, and examining issues related to data availability and accessibility.

Experts on ocean economy, economic and environment accounting, and valuation of ecosystems and biodiversity were invited as resource persons. They also provided important insights during the discussions.

Based on the definition of blue economy (from the Changwon Declaration 2012), agreement was reached on ways to move forward with the assessment of ocean economy and innovative investments for blue economy development.

The GEF-supported World Bank medium-sized project (MSP) on Applying Knowledge Management to Scale up Partnership Investments for Sustainable Development of Large Marine Ecosystems of East Asia and their Coasts primarily aims to enhance the capacity and performance of investments in the sustainable development of large marine ecosystems (LMEs) and coasts in the East Asian Seas (EAS) region through knowledge and experience sharing, portfolio learning and networking. The MSP addresses the need for the conversion and integration of new information and knowledge into innovative policies and development programs, scaling up and replicating initiatives, and increased commitments of resources and new investments by the public and private sectors. The project will facilitate interaction among policymakers, implementers, networks and investors, as well as address gaps in necessary skills and services to move from policy and planning into actions and investments through intergovernmental arrangements and communities of practice at the regional, national and local levels. The MSP is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and executed by the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) under the supervision of the World Bank (WB) and in coordination with countries and other partners. The Project Inception Workshop aimed to discuss and build consensus on: Priority knowledge management (KM) products and services that would support scaling up and replication of good practices and investments among the projects under the WB/GEF Program Framework, targeting both public and private investors; The processes involved in applying the knowledge products and services (KPS) in relation to the proposed framework for scaling up investments and partnerships in support of sustainable development and management of coastal and marine ecosystem services; The schedule of activities, outputs and events of the KM project that would align with and support the planned activities and outputs of the investment and learning projects; and The coordinating and implementing arrangements between the KM project and the investment and learning projects.

Transforming Good Practices from Demonstration Projects into Scaled-Up Investments and Financing in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) The Second Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters (IW) Regional Workshop for Asia and the Pacific was held from 10–12 March 2014 at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Crowne Plaza Hotel, Manila, Philippines. The regional workshop was organized by the GEF International Waters: Learning Exchange and Resource Network (IW: LEARN) in collaboration with ADB, World Bank (WB) and Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA). The workshop aimed to strengthen the performance of GEF IW projects through: (a) facilitating and promoting good policies and practices; and (b) leveraging increased investments in habitat conservation, nutrient reduction and water resource use. Specifically, the workshop aimed to: (a) review case studies and good practices in the development, facilitation and implementation of investment projects addressing issues under the blue (ecosystem) and brown (pollution) sectors; (b) share knowledge and experience on key aspects of scaling up and replication of good practices and lessons learned from demonstration projects; and (c) explore advances in knowledge harvesting tools and indicators, as well as in developing knowledge services and products that strengthen ownership and commitment among policymakers and investors in scaling up and replication of good practices.

"Achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, New Satoumi and Vitalization of Coastal Area through Integrated Coastal Management"

Shima City, Mie Prefecture, Japan, 30 September – 2 October 2013

A. INTRODUCTION

i. The 2013 PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Development (PNLG) Forum was held at the Nemuno Sato Hotel and Resort, Shima City, Mie Prefecture, Japan, from 30 September to 2 October 2013. The Shima City Government hosted the Forum with support from the Ocean Policy Research Foundation (OPRF).

ii. The Forum was attended by representatives from the PNLG regular members, namely: Cambodia (Preah Sihanouk); PR China (Dongying, Fangchenggang, Haikou, Laoting, Qinzhou, Quanzhou and Xiamen); Indonesia (Denpasar City, Gianyar Regency, Karangasem Regency, Sukabumi Regency and Tabanan Regency); Japan (Shima); Malaysia (Northern Selangor and Port Klang); Philippines (Bataan, Batangas, Cavite and Guimaras provinces); RO Korea (Changwon City and Shihwa); and Vietnam (Danang and Quang Nam). Representatives from the PNLG associate members, the First Institute of Oceanography (FIO) of the State Oceanic Administration and Coastal and Ocean Management Institute (COMI) of Xiamen University, PR China, were also present.

iii. Representatives from various local governments and various institutions served as observers, including: Cambodia (Kampot, Kep and Koh Kong provinces); China (State Oceanic Administration); Indonesia (Bangli); Japan (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; Ministry of Environment; The Nippon Foundation; Tokyo University; Kaiyo Construction Co. Ltd. and Intercom); Lao PDR (Champasak Province); Timor-Leste (Manatuto and Liquica districts and National Directorate for Fisheries and Aquaculture).

iv. The PNLG Secretariat in Xiamen and PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) served as the Secretariat for the Meeting, while the Agriculture and Fisheries Department and Satoumi Promotion Project Team of Shima City served as the local secretariat.

v. The meeting agenda and full list of participants are attached as Annex 1 and 2.

The Fourth PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG) Executive Committee Meeting was held at the Jingmin Central Hotel, Xiamen, PR China, on 27 May 2013. The Xiamen Municipal Government and the PNLG Secretariat hosted the meeting.

The 2012 PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG) Forum General Assembly was held at the Changwon Hotel, Changwon City, Republic of Korea on 8 July 2012. The Changwon City Government hosted the forum. This publication summarizes the outcome of the forum.

The East Asian Seas Stocktaking Meeting was held at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Auditorium A, Manila, Philippines from 28-29 October 2010. The ADB and Government of the Philippines through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources hosted the meeting. The objective of the meeting was to assess the status and identify the constraints to sustainable management of the regional seas, and to prioritize the interventions and the potential role of the GEF over the next 4 years (i.e., 2011 to 2014). The Stocktaking Meeting concluded the following: The Stocktaking Background Paper was well received and considered to be a good and useful document in the context of the stocktaking effort. It will undergo refinement based on inputs provided during the meeting. The refined paper will then be disseminated to GEF agencies, GEF Secretariat, participating countries and concerned regional organizations. Country ownership and country-drivenness to address transboundary issues in the Seas of East Asia have developed and strengthened over the years with GEF support, as evidenced by the development and adoption of the SDS-SEA and the YSLME and SCSLME SAPs with their associated national action plans as well as by the implementation of the pollution reduction investment fund. PEMSEA and the SDS-SEA, respectively, can provide a regional governance mechanism, framework and scope for integrated and collaborative planning, coordination, and monitoring and reporting of outputs and impacts of regional, subregional and national projects for sustainable management of the seas of East Asia, as well as to promote knowledge management and associated good practices. There are recognized needs for increased programmatic GEF investments in the EAS region according to a programmatic agenda covering: Knowledge-sharing, advocacy, communication, development and dissemination and good practices, and capacity development/training, awareness building and education; Thematic priorities including: the blue agenda with marine and coastal habitat and resource conservation and management (with an increase attention to fisheries resources); and the brown agenda: land-based sources of marine pollution. In addition, climate change adaptation is a cross-cutting priority to be mainstreamed in the two above thematic priorities. Scaling up of investments at the local and national levels in support of capital works identified and developed in coastal areas in the context of ICM, when possible, through linkages with the public and private sectors, using domestic and international finance; A shift from projects that have a planning focus to projects that promote good practices, implement agreed plans and result in desired on-the-ground changes. A programmatic agenda to scale up entails: Working across sectors and in several countries; Mobilizing resources programmatically within and across different sources of finance and different sectors; and Making effective and efficient use of available human and financial resources by increasing synergy and alignment. GEF agencies now need to work with countries to develop the regional and national projects using a programmatic approach for submission to GEF in order to support the regional implementation of SDS-SEA (final phase), the YSLME SAP and the SCSLME SAP as well as to scale up country-based actions along the lines of the identified thematic priorities.

The Seas of East Asia (EAS) are bordered by China, Japan and the Korean Peninsula in the north and the Southeast Asian nations in the south. The region harbours a significant part of the world’s coral reefs and mangroves and also produces about 40 percent of the world’s fish catch and more than 80 percent of aquaculture. The human pressure on marine and coastal resources is very high with approximately 2 billion people living in the region. The EAS region encompasses a series of large marine ecosystems (LME), subregional seas and their coastal areas. This includes the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, the South China Sea, Gulf of Thailand, the Sulu-Celebes Sea and the Indonesian Seas — six LMEs of great ecological and economic importance. The physical extent of each LME and its boundaries are based on four linked ecological, rather than political or economic, criteria: (1) bathymetry; (2) hydrography; (3) productivity; and (4) trophic relationships. Globally, the LMEs are centers of coastal ocean pollution and nutrient over-enrichment, habitat degradation (e.g., seagrasses, corals, and mangroves), overfishing, biodiversity loss, and climate change effects. This report is taking stock of results of GEF projects in these LMEs, including overlaps with two LMEs bordering Australia. Yellow Sea (LME #48) East China Sea (LME #47) South China Sea (LME #36) Gulf of Thailand (LME #35) Sulu-Celebes (Sulawesi) Sea (LME #37) Indonesian Sea (LME #38) North Australian Shelf (Arafura Sea, Gulf of Carpentaria) (LME #39) Northwest Australian Shelf (Timor Sea) (LME #45) The countries that border these LMEs are: Australia; Brunei; Cambodia; China; DPR Korea; Indonesia; Japan; Malaysia; Philippines; RO Korea; Singapore; Thailand; Timor-Leste; and Viet Nam.