ENB @ East Asian Seas Congress, Haikou, China, 12-16 December 2006

[The East Asian Seas Congress 2006]

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The East Asian Seas Congress
Haikou, China | 12-16 December, 2006

The East Asian Seas Congress Opens in Haikou

The East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2006 opened on Tuesday in Haikou City, Hainan Province, People's Republic of China. Convened by the GEF/UNDP/IMO Regional Programme on Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), this five-day event is expected to provide a region-wide platform for dialogue, knowledge exchange, capacity building, strategic action and cooperation for the sustainable development of the seas of East Asia.

In the morning, delegates attended the opening ceremony and heard a keynote address by Thailand's former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai. Delegates also convened in the Conference's thematic sessions on, inter alia: communities in sustainable development; securing the oceans; ecosystem-based management; certifying sustainability; and applying management-related science and technology.

Tuesday, 12 December
Opening Ceremony
Li Haiqing, Master of Ceremonies, introduced speakers during the opening ceremony.	Yu Xun, Vice Governor, Hainan Province, emphasized that local coastal management and conservation on Hainan Island has benefited from international experience.	Chen Lian-zeng, Deputy Administrator, State Oceanic Administration, China, expressed hope that the Congress will boost capacity at all levels to implement integrated coastal resources management.
Chen Ci, Mayor, Haikou City, emphasized the value of oceans legislation and zoning measures for sustainable marine management.	Wang Junyin, student, China, described growing up by a sea full of garbage and dead fish, and asked, "Please give us back the beautiful sea."	Jenio Mickael Bermas Atrigenio, student, the Philippines, described coral reef destruction, and urged participants to keep working hard to protect oceans for the children.
Chua Thia-Eng, PEMSEA Regional Programme Director, emphasized the need for an innovative partnership approach for East Asian seas management.	Alfred Duda, Senior Advisor, International Waters, GEF, noted that marine and coastal areas in East Asia are among the world's most threatened ecosystems.	Chuan Leekpai, Thailand's former Prime Minister, gave the keynote address calling for a wider vision for protecting the region's coasts, oceans and waterways.
Workshops
Kuribayashi, Keio University and Zhiguo Gao, China Institute for Marine Affairs, co-chaired the workshop on the Tokyo Ocean Declaration: Upholding the Advocacy.
Arthur Hanson, IISD, gave an overview of the theme "Certifying Sustainability."	Chang Hee Lee, Myongji University, presented on the implementation of new integrated water quality initiatives in his country.	Arun Abraham, Marine Aquarium Council, presented an overview of trends in the marine aquarium trade.
Meryl J. Williams, Australian Center for International Agricultural Research, Pitiwong Tantichodok, Walailak University, Thailand, and Robert Bernard, UNDP, during a panel discussion on achieving the MDGs through Enhancing Local Capacities for ICRM.
Erna Witoelar, UN Special Ambasssador for the MDGs in Asia and the Pacific, co-chaired the workshop on achieving the MDGs.	S. Subasinghe, INFOFISH, discussed trends in and challenges of the live fish trade in Asia.	Robert Beckman, National University of Singapore, discussed protection of the marine environment from ship-source pollution in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.
Chan Won Lee, Masan Bay Community Advisory Council, Republic of Korea, presented on the contribution of the Council to integrated marine environmental management.	Ravadee Prasertcharoensuk, Sustainable Development Foundation, Thailand, described a participatory approach to the development of a GIS for integrated coastal management in southern Thailand.	Clive Wilkinson, Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, co-chaired the workshop on the use of GIS and Database Tools for Natural Resource Management.
Shang Chen, First Institute of Oceanography, China, spoke during a panel on Implementing a Science-based Water Pollution Reduction Allocation Scheme through Stakeholder Consultation.
Anond Snidvongs, Chulalongkorrn University, Thailand, spoke on a web-based information system which aims to facilitate stakeholder communication and better management of Thailand's Similan Island National Park.	David Nemazie, University of Maryland, outlined two approaches to restoring the Chesapeake Bay (US) living resources and their habitats.	Alan Tan, National University of Singapore, highlighted recent developments in regional law.
Robert Beckman, John de Silva, Alan Tan and Stella Regina Bernad during the panel discussion on the Tokyo Ocean Declaration.
Around the Congress