NOWPAP CEARAC Announces New Activities for 2008-2009

Toyama, Japan — The 6th Focal Points Meeting of CEARAC (Coastal Environmental Assessment Regional Activity Center) of the Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP) was held in Toyama, Japan on on 6-8 March. In conjunction with the Focal Points Meeting (FPM), the First Coastal Environmental Assessment Workshop was organized on 7 March.During the FPM, future CEARAC activities in the 2008-2009 biennium were discussed. All the activities will be undertaken in close communication and collaboration with global and regional partners such as UNESCO-IOC, PICES, IOC-WESTPAC, NEAR-GOOS, YSLME and PEMSEA. Meeting participants adopted the CEARAC work plan and budget and agreed that the main CEARAC activities will be as follows:Implementing HABs (Harmful Algal Blooms) case studies in NOWPAP member states;Developing HAB integrated website, compiling and linking all recent results from NOWPAP and related projects and organizations;Preparing educational materials for utilization of remote sensing data for marine environment monitoring;Organizing 2nd training course on remote sensing data analysis;Developing procedures for assessment of eutrophication status, including evaluation of land-based sources of nutrients, for the NOWPAP region;Implementing NOWPAP Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP MALI).In September 2008, CEARAC is planning to bring together experts of its Working Groups on HAB and Remote Sensing applications to discuss the progress of implementation of CEARAC activities. The activity will be in conjunction with another regional workshop.