24 Jan 2014 Story Oceans & seas

NOWPAP Developments

By the end of 2013, several reports have been developed and published by NOWPAP Regional Activity Centers and partners.

With the generous support from the Global Programme of Action (GPA) for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, three reports related to marine litter management were prepared: a) National Report of China’s Environmental NGOs role in Marine Litter Control; b) Promotion of Best Practices for Minimizing Marine Litter in Fisheries, Aquaculture and Shipping; and c) Best Practices for Prevention of Marine Litter Input from Land-based Sources in the NOWPAP Region. Based on the last two reports, brochures for general public were prepared and translated into four NOWPAP languages in addition to English (for wide dissemination and use of best practices). 

Under the leadership of Dr. Konstantin A. Lutaenko, experts from NOWPAP member countries collected information on marine invasive species (MIS) in the region and compiled an atlas of MIS. The recently completed Atlas contains information about taxonomic and common names, maps of regional distribution, possible origins and ways of introduction, and bibliographies related to 79 species of marine organisms, including 15 species of plants (macroalgae, vascular plants and phytoplankton) and 64 species of animals in the NOWPAP region.