FIO Drives Regional Collaboration at East Asian Seas Congress with Multiple Outcomes

The East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2024 and Xiamen World Ocean Week (WOW) were successfully convened from November 6-8 in Xiamen, China. Organized by Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) every three years, the EAS Congress served as a key platform bringing together high-level government officials from the EAS region, international development organizations, regional secretariats, national agencies, local governments, academe and think tanks, youth leaders and NGOs to discuss the sustainable development of the region. The Congress this year is themed by “Blue Synergy for a Shared Future: One Sustainable and Resilient Ocean”. Thousands of delegates from over 10 countries, including Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam, have participated in the Congress.

Researcher WEI Zexun, Secretary of the CPC FIO Committee and Deputy Director General of FIO, led the FIO delegation of more than ten experts to the Congress. During the Congress, FIO organized one sub-session forum, set up three exhibition booths, released several technical reports, facilitated the launch of a publication prepared by the Ministry of Natural Resources of China (MNR), and participated in multiple PEMSEA activities.

Attend Bilateral Meetings and the 2024 East Asian Seas Exhibition

The East Asian Seas Exhibition is a comprehensive mechanism to showcase new technologies, methodologies, and best practices in marine and coastal management in the East Asian Seas region. At the exhibition, FIO set up three booths, highlighting its achievements in international cooperation of marine science and technology, the work of the China-PEMSEA Sustainable Coastal Management Cooperation Center (China-PEMSEA Center), and the contributions of the UN Decade Collaborative Center on Ocean-Climate Nexus and Coordination Amongst Decade Implementing Partners in P.R. China (DCC-OCC).

Following the exhibition’s opening, Mr. SUN Shuxian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Administrator of the State Oceanic Administration, along with senior maritime officials from over ten countries, visited the booths to inquire about ongoing projects and provide guidance.

During the Congress, WEI Zexun held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Mohamed Muththalib, Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources of the Maldives. Both sides reached a consensus on further advancing inter-institutional agreements under the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two ministries, as well as cooperation in areas such as marine observation system development and capacity building.

Ministers’ exhibition tour

Bileteral meeting between Dr. WEI Zexun and Mr. Mohamed Muththalib

Organize the Workshop on Sharing Experiences and Best Practice in Sustainable Management of MPAs

The sub-session of EAS Congress 2024, namely “Sharing Experiences and Best Practice in Sustainable Management of MPAs” was successfully held, attracting more than 60 international participants on site. Co-organized by FIO and PMESEA, this workshop aims to promote the management effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in the East Asian Seas (EAS) region, understand international commitments for marine biodiversity conservation, and exchange the excellent management practice of MPAs and Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), thus fostering networking of MPAs in the EAS region and exploring potential pathway to realize the Biodiversity Targets.

The workshop was also greatly supported by various organizations who have committed to biodiversity conservation. They are the North-East Asian Marine Protected Areas Network (NEAMPAN), the Third Institute of Oceanography (TIO) of MNR, the National Marine Hazard Mitigation Service (NMHMS) of MNR, Ant Forest Foundation, Beijing Office of WildAid, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Beijing Representative Office, SEE Foundation, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Beijing Representative Office and Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

Dr. LI Li, Director of the International Cooperation Department of FIO, MNR hosted the opening of the workshop. Ms. Aimee Gonzelas, Executive Director of PEMSEA Resources Facility, and Mr. WANG Antao, Deputy Director-General of the International Cooperation Department of MNR, delivered welcome remarks. Mr. WANG highlighted the significance of a healthy, resilient, and sustainable ocean for the East Asian Seas region, which boasts rich marine biodiversity and dynamic economic development. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework serves as a guiding vision. He stressed that China has attached great importance to biodiversity conservation, integrating it into national plans and implementing significant measures, and MNR will continue to strengthen MPA systems and promote effective marine biodiversity conservation through regional cooperation. Ms. Aimee stressed the urgency of achieving the biodiversity targets and highlighted the importance of protected areas in maintaining essential ecosystem services. She praised all organizers for hosting the workshop aimed at exploring MPA management and identifying potential collaborative actions, and expressed her confidence that PEMSEA and its projects would benefit from the best practices shared at the workshop and looked forward to the outcomes of this event.

The workshop has invited 14 speakers from 5 countries, including China, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, and the United States, to discuss the scientific design for MPA networks, experiences in conserving biodiversity through expanding MPAs and OECMs, identification and conservation planning for key marine biodiversity areas based on ecoregions, introductions to cases where social welfare platforms support the development of marine conservation areas, scientific research on OECMs and related cases, sharing of community management experiences, technologies for biodiversity conservation, prospects for the MPA Network development, and introductions to community-led law enforcement efforts in MPAs.

Group photo

WANG Antao, Deputy Director-General of the International Cooperation Department of MNR, delivered remarks

Aimee Gonzales, Executive Director of PEMSEA Resources Facility, delivered remarks

Reports and discussions

 Released Innovative Reports on Marine Protected Area Management and Biodiversity Conservation

During the MPA workshop, FIO, in collaboration with partner organizations and international bodies, released three technical reports in MPA management and biodiversity conservation. These include:

1.The Study Report on Marine OECMs Identification in China, jointly developed with NRDC;

2.The MPA Patrol Framework, co-prepared with WildAid;

3.The Conservation Gaps and Initiative of Spotted Seals, prepared in collaboration with the SEE Foundation.

These outcomes provide valuable experience and insights for biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of MPAs in the East Asian Seas region and beyond.

Technical reports

Participate in and Support PNLG Annual Forum

The Annual Forum of PEMSEA Network of Local Governments was successfully convened during the Congress, where the book “Chinese Solutions for the Sustainable Coastal Development - 30 Years of Implementation of PEMSEA Programs in China”, jointly compiled by the International Cooperation Department of MNR and China-PEMSEA Center was launched by the WANG Antao, Deputy Director-General of the International Cooperation Department of MNR. This publication reviews China's 30-year journey in implementing PEMSEA programs, and traces the evolution of integrated coastal management (ICM) and sustainable development concepts, from their initial introduction in Xiamen to nationwide adoption, from central government directives to local implementation, and from coastal areas to inland regions. The book systematically documents China's innovative and management experiences in marine and coastal integrated management. It also highlights 17 case studies, including Xiamen’s marine and river governance, Dongying's river basin management, and Quanzhou's invasive species control and habitat restoration, covering areas such as pollution control, integrated river basin management, habitat protection, and ecological restoration. The book showcases China's achievements in sustainable marine and coastal management over the past three decades, as well as its innovative outcomes in marine ecological protection and habitat restoration. It provides “China Solutions” for global high-level ocean governance and contributes Chinese wisdom to the building of a maritime community with a shared future.

In addition, with the technical and auditing support of the China-PEMSEA Center, Quanzhou and Changyi were rewarded ICMS Level 2 and 1 certificates respectively during the annual forum.

Mr. WANG launched the new publication

ICMS Rewarding of Quanzhou and Changyi

China-PEMSEA Center, established on December 9, 2014, is the first national center organized by PEMSEA. Supported and guided by the Ministry of Natural Resources of China and PEMSEA jointly, the Center operates as a technical service provider for sustainable coastal management, coordinating and organizing the implementation of Sustainable Development Strategy for Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) in China. It focuses on the efficient implementation of SDS-SEA, integrating international integrated coastal management (ICM) with China’s marine ecological civilization initiatives, replicating successful models conducive to the blue economy and partnership, and providing technical support for the advancement of ICM.