Acronyms

Access

Logo

Contact

10 October 2003

Draft Plan of Asia-Pacific Forum, EMECS 2003
Bangkok, 19 November 2003

Nobuo Mimura (member of EMECS SPC and APN SPG),
Sombo Ymamura (Director, APN Secretariat), and
Martin Rice (Programme Manager, APN Secretariat)

1. Theme

Research Directions and Policy Interface toward the Sustainable Management of the Asia-Pacific Coastal Zone

2. Background

1) Coastal zones in the Asia and Pacific region have precious ecosystems, such as wetlands, tidal flats, coral reefs, and sea grass beds. The Asian coastal zone is the most productive and richest in biodiversity in the world. It produces abundant fishery resources, which makes fishery an important industry of this region. Tourism and marine transportation are among other activities in the coastal zones. Thus the coastal zone provides an important basis for people’s lives in this region. However, the coastal zone has recently faced tremendous threats and pressures.

2) People in this region occupy over 55% of the world population, and nine of the thirteen mega cities with over 10 million people in the world are in Asia. Most of these mega cities are located on coasts, such as along the semi-enclosed bays and on low-lying deltas. In other areas, large population and industries are also located on the coasts. Rapid urbanization and industrialization are expected during the 21st century. This trend will induce more pressures on the coastal zones through land reclamation, deterioration of ecosystems, and discharge of land-based pollutants. Small island countries are also affected; and despite the preservation of unique traditional societies and cultures, urbanization and cultural changes are on-going and are resulting in severe pressures on the coastal environment. Keeping these factors in mind, urbanization and development in this region should be pursued in a sustainable manner in order to preserve the precious coastal environment.

3) International efforts have been paid to prevent and slow down global warming since the 1990s. Scientific assessment of the effects of global warming on the natural environment and human society is needed to further enhance such efforts. Since the coastal zone is vulnerable to sea-level rise, extreme events such as flooding and storm surge, possible impacts of global warming on the coastal zone should be addressed by various fields including governmental scientific research, policy, education and civil society awareness raising.

4) Cooperation is most essential among countries, international organizations, academic societies, and NGOs in the region to promote the preservation of coastal zones. As a basis of such cooperation, we need a sound understanding of the present status of our scientific knowledge of coastal problems. Furthermore, long-term future perspectives and policy directions should also be identified. 

5) To meet such goals, the Asian Forum (EMECS 2001) proposed a Comprehensive Environmental Assessment for the Asian-Pacific Coastal Zones, which has been planned and implemented since then. At the same time, the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN), which co-sponsored and organized the Asian Forum (EMECS 2001) and the Asia-Pacific Forum (EMECS 2003), has initiated a coastal zone management synthesis project that will identify research gaps and future directions needed to promote the sustainable development of the region’s coastal zone. The Asia-Pacific Forum is a good opportunity to report the progress of these activities, and discuss future directions with the Forum audience, which will consist of a broad range of stakeholders.

3. Objectives of the Asia-Pacific Forum

a) To review, exchange, and discuss the present status, future perspectives, and policy interface of coastal research in the Asian and Pacific region.

b) To identify research gaps and future directions of research toward sustainable development of the region’s coastal zone.

c) To review the progress of EMECS’s Comprehensive Environmental Assessment for the Asian-Pacific Coastal Zones and APN’s Coastal Synthesis Project.

4. Audience

All the participants of EMECS 2003, including researchers, policy-makers, coastal managers and students.

5. Draft Agenda

-Back to EMECS Top-