New Activities Set for NOWPAP Regional Activity Centers

RO Korea — Three NOWPAP Regional Activity Centers (DINRAC, MERRAC and POMRAC) held their Focal Points Meetings in May and June (CEARAC held its Meeting in March). All four NOWPAP Regional Activity Centers (RACs) have reviewed their progress and agreed on new projects for the 2008-2009 biennium.In addition to continuing their routine tasks, NOWPAP RACs will implement the following activities:Improve the Internet Communication System among NOWPAP members to provide relevant data and information about marine environment quality in the region in order to serve as a clearing house;Carry out case studies on harmful algal blooms (HAB) in NOWPAP member states, develop HAB integrated website and procedures for assessing coastal eutrophication, conduct second training course on remote sensing data analysis;Organize the 2nd NOWPAP Joint Oil Spill Exercise in Qingdao, PR China, in 2008 and a regional workshop to share the experiences in the cleanup of the Hebei Spirit oil spill that occurred in December 2007 in RO Korea);Integrate Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) into the existing NOWPAP Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan, develop HNS response operations guidelines, training manual and database;Carry out activities related to Integrated Coastal and River Basin Management (ICARM) with involvement of all NOWPAP RACs and in cooperation with partners such as PEMSEA, organize a workshop during the 2009 East Asian Seas Congress; andImplement the NOWPAP Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP MALI).For more information on NOWPAP and its RACs, visit www.nowpap.org.