This publication summarizes the results of one of the workshops held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 on the Future Role of Fisheries in an Urbanized World. This workshop tackles the issues that have been ailing the fisheries sector and how it is impacting the sustainability of fisheries resources in the context of ensuring food security. Providing seafood for consumers, in a time when the resources have been severely depleted, and where ecosystems have been altered (in most places, irreparably), had remained a fisheries management’s dilemma. Attempts to solve fish problems within the sector have proved difficult in most cases. With other problems arising external to the sector, but having a negative impact as well, fisheries management is anything but an easy walk in the park. It is in fact complex if not mind boggling. This publication attempts to thread the information and several perspectives from the workshop, distill some lessons and link fisheries management to PEMSEA’s advocacy of an integrated approach to ocean and coastal governance.

This publication summarizes the results of one of the workshops held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 on the Contributions of Marine Economic Sectors to Regional and National GDP in an Uncertain Climate. The economic contribution of marine activities is considered to be an increasingly important part of the economy and international trade within and across East Asian Seas (EAS) countries. Given the archipelagic nature of the South East Asian economies and the rapid development of coastal and marine areas in the EAS economies, it appears that the approaches to most of the national economic and development plans are still land-based. How will these marine economic sectors continue to contribute sustainably to regional and national GDPs at these levels, as the impacts of climate change shape the economics of the region in the coming century? With countries forecasting further development of their marine sectors, the challenging question is not only how countries will achieve their planned objectives, but also how they can ensure that such development will serve as an enabling vehicle for sustainable development, uplifting of the quality of life, addressing the current issues of mitigation and adaptation policies and strategies in response to climate change, and the movement of populations from rural hinterlands to the coasts.

This publication summarizes the results of one of the workshops held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 on Indigenous Approaches to Habitat Protection and Restoration: Experiences in Sato-umi and other Community Initiatives. The workshop aimed to: (1) share information on community-based innovative approaches and good practices on habitat prevention, restoration and management initiatives applying low-cost technologies; (2) identify and distill lessons from specific case studies; and (3) examine how such local community initiatives can be further developed, packaged and extended within and across jurisdictional boundaries. The workshop focused on introducing case studies on indigenous knowledge and innovative low-cost technology with respect to the protection, restoration and management of key habitats and on analyzing sato-umi and sato-yama as a community-driven working model for integrated management from mountain to sea.

This publication summarizes the results of one of the workshops held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 on Livelihood Management and Sustainable Coastal Tourism. Tourism is a major contributor to the GDP and employment of the South East Asian countries. In the Philippines the tourism industry is projected to have a direct output exceeding US$ 5 billion, generating an additional 200,000 jobs by the end of the decade. But are the revenues in tourism accruing and creating livelihood among the coastal communities? Is coastal tourism a sustainable source of income for local coastal communities? In what ways are the private and public sectors collaborating to ensure the sustainability of coastal tourism initiatives? In the light of climate change and its challenges, can coastal tourism be sustained as a source of livelihood for coastal communities? These are only some of the questions that the Livelihood and Sustainable Coastal Management workshop aims to answer.

As a follow-on workshop on the Discussion Group Meeting on Capacity Development on Coastal and Ocean Governance held in 2006 and the Xiamen meeting, this meeting/workshop focused on the recent initiatives undertaken related to capacity development in the region. The discussions included:

Efforts to maximize regional intellectual capital towards coastal and ocean development;
Short-term training initiatives and the development of curriculum towards ocean and coastal governance;
Contribution of regional and international initiatives in promoting capacity development;
and Human resource requirements of the region and available services.

The workshop attempted to answer the following questions and concerns:

Have we met the demands of training and education in coastal and ocean governance in East Asia?
Are the current initiatives sufficient enough to address capacity needs?
What are the current opportunities for short-term training and degree-granting education?
A "matching exercise" of articulated training needs of the countries in the region vis-à-vis available supply provider
Way forward: Packaging trainings so that donors can readily come in.

The workshop was able to draw in a wider set of participants representing a bigger set of perspectives in providing capacity building in ocean and coastal governance. The participants came from United Nations agencies, international development initiatives, research institutions, international NGOs, donor (ASEAN) as well as representatives from local and national governments, the academe and learning centers in the ASEAN countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam) participating in PEMSEA activities particularly from PEMSEA's Learning Centers and those recommended by national governments who responded to the PEMSEA-initiated "Survey of the Demand and Supply of Human Resources for Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) for the East Asian Seas Region." A total of 42 participated in the Workshop (eight were supported by the ASEAN Foundation while others were supported by other donors).

This publication summarizes the results of one of the workshops held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 on the Development and Advances on Marine Biosafety in the Context of the Convention on Biodiversity. The workshop on Development and Advances on Marine Biosafety in the Context of the Convention on Biodiversity reviewed current global and national actions to address the challenges associated with marine biosafety. Specifically, the workshop highlighted the adverse environmental impacts on marine biodiversity, public health and certain marine economic sectors, among others, as well as the potential transboundary and long-term impacts. International efforts to address the translocation of invasive species as well as to mitigate the environmental impacts through the promulgation of environmental instruments, adoption and application of standards, research, technology and the promotion of public awareness and capacity building were discussed.

This publication summarizes the results of one of the workshops held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 on Coastal/Ocean Policy and Legislation: Implementation and New Initiatives. This workshop highlights the importance of coasts and oceans and discusses the various initiatives and efforts at central and local level in developing and implementing ocean and coastal policies and legislation. The three sessions provided lessons from the practical implementation related to coastal and ocean governance.

This publication summarizes the results of one of the workshops held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 on Local Action, Global Contribution: Best Practices in Community-based Approaches to Sustainable Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management. Best practices in community-based approaches to sustainable coastal and marine ecosystems management are emerging. Case studies from East Asia are highlighted in this report showcasing how the local communities in the region have been a rich source of creative and productive experiences in managing coastal and marine ecosystems. The case models have been chosen from a number of projects implemented by community-based organizations, people's organizations and other community constituents within the SGP Country Programmes in the East Asian Seas region. While these initiatives were directed to contribute to global environmental benefits, they help, more importantly, in uplifting the communities' economic and social wellbeing.

The special session on disaster management tackled two main topics, the Science and Technology for Marine Disaster Prevention and Management and Good Governance on Disaster Management.

The special session was chaired by Dr. Shigeko Haruyama from the International Geographical Union (IGU) and Dr. Cherdsak Virapat, Executive Director of the International Ocean Institute (IOI).

The specific objectives of the special session were to:

Take stock of available resources that can be optimized to create a more effective disaster management framework with due consideration to the unique settings of each locality/country.
Assess the effectiveness and determine the value of applying science and technology as a tool for disaster management.
Share information on the new ways of collaborating among various sectors of the society.