What we do

#

COBSEA aims at the sustainable development and protection of the marine environment and coastal areas of East Asian Seas. The Strategic Directions 2018-2022COBSEA Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP MALI), and COBSEA Marine and Coastal Ecosystems (MCE) Framework provide regional frameworks for cooperation and identify regional priorities to guide action.

Find past strategies in the context of the East Asian Seas Action Plan in resources.

COBSEA Strategic Directions 2018-2022

Strategic DirectionsThe Strategic Directions guide participating countries and the COBSEA Secretariat to address regional priorities and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with a focus on two substantive themes: Land-based marine pollution; and Marine and coastal planning and management; as well as an over-arching Governance theme. The Strategic Directions leverage COBSEA as an intergovernmental policy mechanism towards planning, implementation and tracking of delivery of ocean-related Sustainable Development Goals, in line with the global the Regional Seas Directions 2017-2020.

The substantive themes identify priority issues relevant to the region’s marine and coastal environment and sustainable development, where COBSEA has a particular mandate or comparative advantage to catalyse and deliver policy development, projects and other activities. The governance theme addresses COBSEA as a regional policy mechanism and identifies priorities in creating the necessary conditions for COBSEA and its Secretariat to efficiently deliver their mandates.

 

Land-based Marine Pollution

RAP MALIHuman activities on land and at sea are a major threat to the health, productivity and biodiversity of the marine environment in East Asian Seas. Approximately 80 per cent of all marine pollution is caused by human activities on land in the form of solid waste leakage including plastic from inadequate waste management; sewage disposal in rivers and coastal waters; urban storm-water run-off; sediment mobilization; inadequately treated waters from industries; discharges of phosphorus and nitrogen used in agriculture; and dumping of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants. Sea-based sources of marine litter include waste from port facilities and shipping; pollution from damaged gear used in aquaculture; and abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear.

Marine pollution is a transboundary issue, requiring regional approaches in diagnosing as well as designing and prioritizing coherent, effective policy and management responses. In addressing land-based pollution, COBSEA will focus on a) Nutrients, sediments and wastewater; as well as b) Marine litter and microplastics. The Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter provides a framework for action related to marine litter from land-based and sea-based sources, better monitoring of marine litter, and enabling conditions. Read more

 

Marine and Coastal Planning and Management

#The East Asian Seas region has the richest marine biodiversity in the world. It contains one of the greatest concentrations of coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass, coastal wetlands and other important habitats. Human activities in the region threaten reef health and other ecosystems and jeopardize the benefits that flow from the services and goods.

To address biodiversity challenges, COBSEA is guided by the MCE Framework which has an overarching theme of Blue Economy to strengthen efforts on Marine and Coastal Spatial Planning, Marine Protected Areas (including Other Effective Conservation Measures/OECM), and Marine and Coastal Habitat Conservation and Restoration towards achievement of relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (K-M GBF). Read more

 

 

Governance, Resource Mobilization and Partnerships

CoastlineCOBSEA’s role as a catalyst of actions that support regional delivery of the SDGs and in particular Goal 14 is reinforced through the governance theme. This includes aligning regional marine and coastal ecological objectives and actions with the 2030 Agenda, and using the regional mechanism to support planning, tracking and reporting on relevant SDGs, in line with United Nations Environment Assembly resolutions. By serving as a forum for exchange of experiences, policy and practice related to the two substantive themes, COBSEA facilitates regional policy making and catalyses project activities to address regional priorities for marine and coastal governance. Activities under the governance theme include the preparation of a regional SDG Implementation Outlook to support achievement and follow up and reporting of ocean-related Goals. Read more