Coastal communities are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change on the ocean, including depleted marine ecosystems, sea-level rise, and coastal hazards such as storm surges. These climate change-related impacts have been experienced by Guimaras, a small island province located in Western Visayas, Philippines. IGES and PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) launched a pilot project that aims to facilitate the formulation and implementation of appropriate and timely Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) measures, in coordination with Guimaras Local...
Cambodia’s National SOC Report provides information on the status of seas and coasts of the country, including its ocean economy; coastal and marine resources; the existing and potential uses of such resources, and the corresponding benefits and impacts. The NSOC report of Cambodia aims to:
• support the Information Management System for the Coastal Zone and compile data and information collected from different concerned agencies to serve as baseline information for the assessment of coastal and marine areas of Cambodia;
• contribute to the blue economy assessment and...
The National State of Oceans and Coasts (NSOC) report of Indonesia aims to:
• Compile data and information related to the country’s ocean uses and values, ocean health and pressures, ocean governance structure, and blue economy initiatives to serve as baseline information on blue economy development in Indonesia;
• Contribute to the regional and national blue economy assessment and monitoring of the implementation of the National Ocean Policy, Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA), SDGs, other related international agreements, and national laws...
This National State of the Oceans and Coasts (NSOC) 2018: Blue Economy Growth Report of the Philippines aims to contribute to the over-all assessment and monitoring, not only of the SDS-SEA implementation, but also the SDGs and other related international agreements and national policies. As expressed in the Changwon Declaration 2012, PEMSEA and the EAS countries believe that blue economy offers a useful framework and organizing principle for the sustainable development of coastal and marine areas. With a growing global population, mounting pressures on the environment and existing...
The National SOC Report provides information on the status of seas and coasts of RO Korea, including the ocean economy, the existing and potential uses of coastal and marine resources, and the corresponding benefits and impacts. Responding to the issues and pressures affecting both the ocean economy and ocean health, RO Korea adopted policies, laws, and institutional reforms as well as invested in research and development for innovative technologies, and more sustainable ocean industries.
Singapore’s SOC Report aims to facilitate our understanding of the role of the ocean and its contribution to the national economy; impacts of human activities on ocean health and sustainability; potential areas for investments in environmentally-sound technologies and infrastructure; and the interventions and innovative mechanisms needed to respond to changing environment and climate. Knowing that sustainable use of the oceans is coupled with the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, Life Below Water, it is evident that preserving the health of our oceans is a fundamental prerequisite...
The NSOC report provides a comprehensive picture of the ocean economy and its contribution to national economy, incomes, jobs, and well-being as well as the transition towards blue economy – emphasizing the best practices, innovations, investment opportunities, and challenges. It contains information on the state of ocean health upon which the blue economy relies on, in particular, marine water quality; coastal and marine resources; the existing and potential uses of such resources; and the pressures. The report also presents the governance structure – policies, laws, plans, capacity...
With the establishment of the ICM program in 1994, the Province of Batangas became aware of the issues and challenges associated with pollution prevention and management. Prior to ICM, monitoring data were fragmented and inconsistent: data came from studies conducted by different academic institutions and private entities. There was no regular monitoring program in the Bay. This proved inadequate for determining the environmental conditions in the Bay, inputs into planning and decision making for development of the Bay, and benchmarks to compare changes that occur as a consequence of the...
Coastal and marine ecosystems are extremely complex, highly diverse, and complicated systems. They are home to various species and habitats that provide a wide variety of products and services to coastal communities and society in general. Various economic activities take place in the coastal area including aquaculture and coastal fisheries, tourism and marine transportation of goods, among others. With such competing demands, local leaders oftentimes face difficulty in making decisions that will strike a balance between protecting the functional integrity of natural resource systems while...
The districts of Ngu Hanh Son and Son Tra in Danang, Vietnam, are endowed with rich coastal and marine resources that offer huge tourism potential. The rapid growth of coastal tourism along the coasts of these districts resulted in increased solid waste generation, sewage discharges and beach erosion. Public security at swimming beaches and seafood safety were also issues of high concern.