NOWPAP Holds Coastal Cleanup Activities in Vladivostok and Dalian

Vladivostok, Russian Federation — As part of activities under the Northwest Pacific Plan's Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP MALI), the 2008 NOWPAP International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) and Training Workshop was held in Vladivostok, Russian Federation on 26-28 September. Representatives of NOWPAP member states and the Regional Activity Centres (RACs), partners such as the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME) and Ocean Conservancy, as well as students, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the media and other stakeholders attended the event.The three-day event was kicked off with a training workshop on 26 September. National case studies on ICC campaigns and other related activities in the NOWPAP region as well as beyond the region (i.e., East Asian countries) were shared in various presentations. The Ocean Conservancy presented its global vision for the ICC campaign to become a year-round movement. On 27 September, an on-site training for beach cleanup was conducted in Schitovaya Bay, Vladivostok. After the on-site training, the 50 participants discussed outreach strategies to address marine litter issues that included the annual ICC campaign in the NOWPAP region. The meeting encouraged China and Russia to continue their efforts to organize national ICC campaigns since they have been active in NOWPAP projects on marine litter implemented over the last three years.A working meeting was held on 28 September to discuss the current progress on the implementation of the RAP MALI, as well as further activities to be carried out in the 2008-2009 biennium. The RAP MALI has been implemented since March 2008, after its approval by the four NOWPAP member states.