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Imagine yourself carrying a fashionable bayong (native market bag) for the charcoal briquettes you will buy, while briskly walking on a clean and green sidewalk made of eco-friendly bricks. Then you harvest or buy organic vegetables grown in your community using compost as a soil enhancer. This is how officials of the Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO) of Cavite province imagine life should be in pursuing various programs to get rid of the province’s burgeoning garbage problem.

Various stakeholders strengthened their commitments to better manage the coastal and marine environment and resources as the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2018 ended on a high note in Iloilo City on November 30.

Imagine being with a flock of thousands of migratory birds in a wetland and nature park. It would surely give one a natural high, and relieve the body and soul of stress from daily chores. And Instagram-perfect photos. The park is the City of Balanga Wetland and Nature Park that is fast-becoming Bataan’s popular tourist destination.

A SMALL fishing community in Lobo, Batangas is putting a lot of investment in mining the so-called white gold in Lobo, Batangas. A third-class municipality, Lobo is a coastal town known for its pristine environment and rich natural resources.

ELEVEN countries have affirmed their commitment for the conservation and sustainable development of shared coastal and marine resources, capping a four-day international confab focusing on the Seas of East Asia in Iloilo City.

Ministers and senior government officials from 11 countries in the East Asian Seas region arrived at the 2018 East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress to attend the closing ceremony of the international conference, hearing the final conclusions and recommendations delivered during the various sessions of the 3-day event.

All roads lead to the Iloilo Convention Center in Iloilo City as environment ministers, marine experts, ocean advocates, regional partners, and other stakeholders gather for the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2018 which kicks off today, November 27.

Some 1,000 local and international delegates attended the 2018 East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress, a triennial event widely recognized as a platform for dialogue, knowledge-exchange, strategic action, partnership building and cooperation in support of the region’s common vision of sustainable development of the Seas of East Asia.

‘Marine turtles are important. Why do we need them? Because they help maintain ecological balance. Do you know that marine turtles eat jellyfish?  Without marine turtles, there will be plenty of jellyfish, and you cannot swim in the ocean because the jellyfish will get to you and sting you,” a jolly Manolo Ibias told a group of young students on November 15.

Strong collaboration between government and the private sector is critical for achieving the SDGs and ensuring the long-term health of coastal ecosystems and economies. Along with partnerships, investment from the private sector will play an increasingly important role in ensuring that the many good plans for the region are translated into action.

Blue economy as a key to economic development and in safeguarding the health of marine and coastal ecosystems and communities, continuously gain attention in the international stage. The East Asian Seas Region, for one, recognizes the critical role of developing blue economy to the sustainable development of the oceans and coasts.

Sustainable development of coasts and oceans relies on using the best available tools, latest scientific researches, and innovative platforms for prioritizing, setting goals and targets, and making sound decisions. Advances in these aspect of sustainable ocean and coastal management are expected to grow steadily.  

Illegal garbage shipments, overtourism and ocean pollution are major challenges for Philippine environment officials. The government will address these issues with foreign partners at the East Asian Seas Congress from November 27 to 30 at the Iloilo Convention Center.

The East Asian Region has taken substantial steps forward in improving the governance of coasts and oceans but there is much more work to be done. To achieve the goal of sustainable development, the region has placed considerable emphasis in the management of coastal and marine habitats, such as mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds and other wetlands.

Through “watershed approach,” the Cavite State University (CvSU) is finding a “holistic solution” to the environmental problems besetting the coastal and marine areas in Cavite province. One of the most industrialized and fastest-growing provinces in the Philippines, Cavite is besieged with a looming water crisis.

Comprising some seven million square kilometers of shared seas and bordered by some 235,000 km of coastlines, the East Asian Seas (EAS) region is home to the highest concentrations of the world’s coastal and marine biodiversity.  Found in the EAS region are 35% of the world’s mangrove, 33% of seagrass beds, and 33% of the world’s coral reefs which support a widely diverse species. These account for a wide array of ecosystem services including 80% of global aquaculture and 60% of global fisheries capture.

Marine pollution is a growing global concern that poses a serious threat to the health of marine biodiversity and environment. It remains one of the biggest risks to our oceans. As such, it is among the top priorities in the current global agenda and is included in several other global initiatives.

As we celebrate "25 Years of Partnerships for Healthy Oceans, People and Economies: Moving as One with the Global Ocean Agenda", this year's Congress aims to be part of this continuing movement. Much like on land, resource management is an important theme of developing healthy oceans, and so in order to “go blue”, everything you need to know will be available in your pockets! The East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2018 will be delivering all event information including the schedules, speakers, announcements and logistical needs through a mobile application, rather than through individual leaflets.

The EAS Congress 2018 is happening on 27-30 November! It is being co-hosted by the Government of the Philippines through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), who prepared this teaser. #SeasAsOne

Boracay is reopening for tourists 6 months after it was closed, following intensive rehabilitation work by the Boracay Inter-agency Task Force. During an interview with ABS-CBN, PEMSEA’s Knowledge Management and Certification Services Specialist Renato Cardinal spoke about how integrated coastal management (ICM) methodology is useful in ensuring the sustainability of coastal communities.

Join global and regional experts on November 28th at the EAS Congress 2018 in Iloilo City, Philippines as they explore emerging investment models and opportunities to catalyze both public and private financing to build a pipeline of opportunities unlocking the ocean investment potential in the region.

When one mentions Guimaras, an island province in Western Visayas, the first thing that would enter one’s mind is its sweet mangoes. However, besides the fruit, the province also boasts of its other “hidden treasure,” the Taklong Island National Marine Reserve (TINMR), where one’s visit to it would be best defined by the phrase “communing with nature.”

The EAS region hosts the world's largest coastal carbon stocks which play a vital role on the global carbon cycle. Mangroves, seagrass meadows, and tidal marshes are tagged as blue carbon ecosystems. These ecosystems can remove 10 times more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and can hold 3 to 5 times more carbon for long periods of time than a tropical rainforest.

There is more to Guimaras province than sweet mangoes. A biodiversity-rich island, Guimaras is home to a wide range of flora and fauna. It has a good number of endemic species, plus a diverse marine wildlife, including commercially viable fish, which has sustainably supported life not only on the island-province but in the entire Western Visayas.

With only 80 days to go before the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2018, a few booths remain up for grabs at the 2018 EAS Congress Environmental Exhibition to be held at the Iloilo Convention Center, Iloilo City, Philippines from 27-29 November 2018.

There are plenty of fish in the sea – but not for long, if we continue to fish unsustainably.

Youth around the globe are celebrating the upcoming International Youth Day on 12 August.

We are pleased to announce that applications are now accepted for a Training Course on Accessing and working with state-of-the-art satellite data for marine applications, to be held at the University of the Philippines Visayas from 25-26 November 2018.

The Philippines remains fully committed to sustainable coastal development as it continues to support regional effort towards the sustainable use of coastal and marine ecosystems, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Sip PH, together with PEMSEA, CORA, Clean Seas Pilipinas, and The Sustainable Planet, support a campaign known as “The Last Straw Katipunan”, which focuses on establishments on the busy Katipunan Avenue.

PEMSEA has a strong relationship with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which together with UNDP has provided generous support for PEMSEA since its beginning and shares a common vision of a sustainable future for the East Asian seas.

Plastics were first conceived as an alternative material to scarce natural resources, such as ivory from wild elephants. Only a century later, this amazing breakthrough solution has become a tremendous problem, and nowhere is it as damaging as in our oceans.

On June 8, international celebrations will mark World Oceans Day, an annual commemoration to honor, protect, conserve and sustain the world’s oceans.

June 5th is World Environment Day and PEMSEA (11 country partners, 22 non-country partners and secretariat) is proud to have been working for 25 years towards a shared vision of a healthy coastal and marine environment in the Seas of East Asia!

Iloilo City has been chosen as the venue of the upcoming 2018 East Asian Seas Congress to be held on November 27 to 30 at the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC).

PEMSEA recently joined UNDP, DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau, CORA and the National Park Development Committee during the launch of Clean Seas Pilipinas, a year-long campaign to reduce ocean plastics and raise awareness about marine pollution in the Philippines.

Themed  “Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity”, today’s International Day for Biological Diversity highlights progress made...

Calling all youth! We need all hands on deck to collectively achieve the global ocean targets, and youth have a critical part to play.

From its humble beginnings as a marine pollution demonstration project in 1993 to its current status as a leading international organization...

Preparations for the East Asian Seas Congress 2018 is now in full swing with the collaboration of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)...