State of the regional environment

GEO 2000 State of the Environment: Asia and the Pacific

Global Enviroment Outlook 2000. GEO is:

GEF Projects in the region

Projects under implementation

UNDP - GEF - International waters:
Building Partnerships for the Environmental Protection and Management of the East Asian Seas
The objective of the project is to assist the riparian countries of the East Asian Seas to collectively protect and manage their heavily stressed coastal and marine environments through intergovernmental and intersectoral partnerships. These countries include the Republic of Korea which for the first time is a GEF recipient. Building upon the methodologies, approaches, typologies, networks and lessons learned from the pilot phase, the project would enhance and complement national and international efforts by removing or lowering critical barriers regarding policy, investment, capacity, which are having negative effects on the management of the coastal/marine environment in the region. Together with several waterbody-based projects in the area, these projects constitute GEF's programmatic approach to these coastal and marine waters with globally significant ecosystems that are experiencing severe degradation.

UNDP - GEF - International waters:
Prevention and Management of Marine Pollution in the East Asian Seas
Development of policies and plans to control marine pollution from land and sea- based sources, upgrading of national and regional infrastructures and technical skills, and establishment of financing instruments for project sustainability. Project will include selection of demonstration sites, establishment of regional monitoring and information network, and involvement of regional association of marine legal experts to improve capacity to implement relevant conventions.

UNDP - GEF - Biodiversity:
Wetland Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use, People's Republic of China
The Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan, Agenda 21 and the draft National Wetland Conservation Action Plan provide the foundation for the conservation and better management of China's wetland resources. However, barriers to effective conservation of global wetland biodiversity remain. These include: i) a lack of integration of wetland management and biodiversity conservation into development planning; ii) no institutional mechanisms for multi-sectoral wetland management; iii) limited awareness of wetland values and functions at all levels; iv) lack of examples of sustainable development of wetland resources and involvement of local communities; and v) lack of technical capacity at national and local levels to manage and conserve wetlands and their biodiversity. The proposed project will remove these barriers at four demonstration project sites with high global biodiversity importance in four areas (Sanjiang Plain, Ruoergai Marshes, Yancheng Coast and Dongting Lakes). Each represents a different ecosystem and are, collectively, representative of China as a whole. A national coordination component will also ensure that lessons learned from this project will be appropriately transferred to other wetlands throughout the country. GEF support will be closely allied with new Government programmes that conserve biodiversity and ensure locally sustainable development.

Other actors, initiatives and resources

International Centre for Living Aquatic Resources Management, ICLARM
An international research organization "devoted to improving the productivity, management and conservation of aquatic resources for the benefit of users and consumers in developing countries". ICLARM is one of the research centres of CGIAR, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. ICLARM, in collaboration with the the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and other partners, and with support from the European Commission, has developed FishBase, a global information system on fishes for research scientists, fisheries managers, zoologists and many more. FishBase contains full information on 23,500 species. ICLARM has also developed similar systems on coral reefs and their resources (ReefBase) and management of fish stocks in Asia (TrawlBase).

International Coral Reef Initiative, ICRI
An environmental partnership that brings stakeholders together with the objective of sustainable use and conservation of coral reefs for future generations. ICRI is an informal mechanism that allows representatives of over 80 developing countries with coral reefs to sit in equal partnership with major donor countries and development banks, international environmental and development agencies, scientific associations, the private sector and NGOs to decide on the best strategies to conserve the world's coral reef resources.

Coral Health and Monitoring Programme, NOOA
The mission of the NOOA Coral Health and Monitoring Program is to provide services to help improve and sustain coral reef health throughout the world. Long term goals:Establish an international network of coral reef researchers for the purpose of sharing knowledge and information on coral health and monitoring.Provide near real-time data products derived from satellite images and monitoring stations at coral reef areas. Provide a data repository for historical data collected from coral reef areas. Add to the general fund of coral reef knowledge.See also Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, GCRMN.

Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainable Development
A policy-oriented research and consulting organization. Nautilus promotes international cooperation for security and ecologically sustainable development. Programs embrace both global and regional issues, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region. Nautilus produces reports, organizes seminars, and provides educational and training services for policymakers, media, researchers and community groups. A number of papers on marine environment, sustainable development and environmental cooperation in Northeast Asia can be found on the web site.

The East China Sea - a Large Marine Ecosystem (LME)
A Large Marine Ecosystem, LME, is a "region of ocean space encompassing coastal areas from river basins and estuaries to the seaward boundary of continental shelves and the seaward margins of coastal current systems. It is a relatively large region characterized by distinct bathymetry, hydrography, productivity, and trophically dependent populations." See also Rhode Island University map of LMEs.

GIWA Subregional Task Team