During 11-16 August 2025, COBSEA co-organized three back-to-back meetings namely:
- The Second Meeting of the Regional Working Group (RWG) on Coastal and Marine Ecosystems - Coral Reefs, Mangroves, Seagrass, and Wetlands - of the GEF/UNEP/UNOPS Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand (SCS SAP) Project
- Third Meeting of the Working Group on Marine and Coastal Ecosystems (WGMCE-3) of the COBSEA
- A regional knowledge sharing and exchange workshop on “Understanding and Accelerating Actions on Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in the Marine and Coastal Areas of East Asian Seas”
These strategic joint and back-to-back events created a valuable platform for participating countries, experts, and partners in the East Asian Seas region to exchange knowledge, status and best practices, and share challenges and opportunities while minimizing the duplication of efforts in the region.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
The Second Meeting of the Regional Working Group (RWG) on Coastal and Marine Ecosystems - Coral Reefs, Mangroves, Seagrass, and Wetlands - of the GEF/UNEP/UNOPS SCS-SAP Project
On 11-12 August, COBSEA joined the Second Meeting of the Regional Working Group (RWG) on Coastal and Marine Ecosystems - Coral Reefs, Mangroves, Seagrass, and Wetlands - of the GEF/UNEP/UNOPS Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand (SCS SAP) Project in Iloilo City, Philippines.
The meeting was the first in-person gathering for the RWGs since the inaugural virtual meeting in December 2021. The Working Group reviewed national progress on implementation of the Strategic Action Programme (SAP), shared lessons learned from project sites, discussed the status of the updated Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis/Strategic Action Programme (TDA/SAP 2.0). The meeting also explored potential integration options with COBSEA’s Working Group on Marine and Coastal Ecosystems in ensuring longer term sustainability. More information
COBSEA Third Meeting of the Working Group on Marine and Coastal Ecosystems
On 13 August, COBSEA convened the Third Meeting of the Working Group on Marine and Coastal Ecosystems (WGMCE-3) in Iloilo City, Philippines.
The WGMCE-3 discussed national updates on marine and coastal ecosystems, regional efforts on implementation of first biennial workplan 2025-2026 of the Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Framework which was endorsed by COBSEA’s Twenty-sixth Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM 26) in October 2024. In addition, the WGMCE-3 discussed priorities and opportunities for the next MCE biennial workplan 2027-28. The meeting also reviewed and discussed potential synergies with the UNEP/GEF South China Seas Strategic Action Programme (SCS-SAP) Project and the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM). More information
A field trip to award winning mangrove conservation sites in Iloilo
On 14 August, a joint field trip to the Pedada Integrated Mangrove Ecopark and the Leganes Integrated Katunggan Ecopark (LIKE) was co-organized by COBSEA, the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Phlippines, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, the GEF/UNEP/UNOPS SCS SAP Project, and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
During the field trip, participants were able to learn best practices from the locally managed marine protected areas for the marine and coastal habitats mangroves conservation and restoration. By visiting the community-driven sustainable management of mangrove forests and protected areas, it provided a valuable platform for participants to exchange knowledge and gain on-the-ground insights in between the two meetings of the COSBEA Working Group on Marine and Coastal Ecosystems (13 August) and the regional knowledge exchange workshop on OECMs (15-16 August). More information
COBSEA co-organizes regional knowledge exchange workshop on OECMs
On 15-16 August, with financial support from UNEP’s Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Unit, COBSEA together with the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, and the GEF/UNEP/UNOPS SCS SAP Project jointly organized a regional knowledge sharing and exchange workshop on “Understanding and Accelerating Actions on Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in the Marine and Coastal Areas of East Asian Seas” in Iloilo City, Philippines.
This regional workshop provided an opportunity to exchange information and understanding on OECMs among COBSEA and ASEAN participating countries in support of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. During the workshop, the COBSEA presented a draft COBSEA Guidance document on OECMs for review and feedback.
More than 50 participants representing biodiversity and fisheries sectors, planning agencies and strategic partners, including the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF), IUCN, PEMSEA, Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), the Havs- och vattenmyndigheten, and the UNEP-WCMC participated in this interactive 2 day workshop. More information
For more information: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unep-cobsea
