Information
  • Overall status: On track
  • Published: 13 December 2018
Achievements at a glance

05/2018: Annual meeting of the NOWPAP Special Monitoring and Coastal Environmental Assessment Regional Activity Centre agreed on the preparation of a Regional Action Plan on Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Conservation.

06/2018: NOWPAP launches a special project: Monitoring and Assessment Methods for Microplastics Pollution led by the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences.

On World Environment Day, NOWPAP and Tripartite Environmental Ministers Meeting share progress tackling abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear, support Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine Litter and conduct beach cleanup campaign with local communities.
NOWPAP Data and Information Regional Activity Centre assessment finds more endangered species are living in the NOWPAP region than those listed in the IUCN Red List of Species: up to 143 species were evaluated as endangered and 10 species, including hawksbill sea turtle, were ranked as critically endangered.

NOWPAP members adopt Medium-Term Strategy 2018-2023 meeting the first milestone of the Voluntary Commitment. The major focus of the NOWPAP Strategy is on the coordination of the regional implementation of the ocean-related SDGs using NOWPAP mechanism and thus marks a historic step in the NOWPAP evolution.

07/2018: The January 2018 sinking of the oil tanker Sanchi was the worlds largest marine pollution incident since 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska. An online Pollution Reporting System set up by the NOWPAP Marine Environmental Emergency Preparedness and Response Regional Activity Centre enabled members share effectively information and coordinate response.

Experts of the NOWPAP Pollution Monitoring Regional Activity Centre made progress in defining good environmental status by agreeing on six common Ecological Quality Objective indicators.

10/2018: 23rd NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting launched a special project led by the Russian National Scientific Center of Marine Biology to identify key species and habitats of transboundary concern to be used as indicators of biodiversity change in the region.

Challenges faced in implementation (if any)

N/a

Next steps

N/a

Beneficaries & Actions

Who are the beneficaries?

Governments, public and private sector entities, and public at large in NOWPAP member states: China, Japan, Republic of Korea, and Russia, involved in marine and coastal protection issues in the Northwest Pacific region

What specific actions have been taken to positively impact beneficaries?

In the section: Achievement at glance

Information
  • Overall status: On track
  • Published: 26 January 2018
Achievements at a glance

Toyama, Japan, 2 January 2017 Four northwest Pacific nations meeting here for a yearly review of over two-decade-old joint efforts tackling environmental threats to their seas and shores, have agreed on the principles of an updated marine and coastal conservation strategy for one of the worlds most populous regions. Representatives of Japan, Peoples Republic of China, Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation attending the Twenty-second Intergovernmental Meeting of the Action Plan for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Northwest Pacific Region (NOWPAP) held from 19 to 21 December, endorsed the vision and principles of a new six-year strategy to align the 23-year-old Action Plan with the global sustainable development agenda. The proposed NOWPAP Medium Term Strategy (MTS) 2018-2023 envisions "a resilient Northwest Pacific marine and coastal environment, supporting sustainable development for the long-term benefit of present and future generations". This is to be promoted by leveraging the best scientific knowledge to inform policy- and decision-making and promoting intra-regional cooperation and synergy among project activities. Member countries will integrate the MTS vision in national marine coastal and marine conservation strategies.

The Meeting approved a significant step up in funding to US$1,300,000 for NOWPAP activities for the 2018-2019 period, to be implemented by four Regional Activity Centres that focus on assessing the state of the coastal environment, monitoring pollution levels and developing marine disaster preparedness and response capacities of member states. Acknowledging the importance of ensuring that NOWPAP activities support national and regional progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Meeting called on member states to finalize MTS 2018-2023 by mid-2018, drawing on lessons learned during implementation of the MTS 2012-2017.

Challenges faced in implementation (if any)

N/a

Next steps

N/a

Beneficaries & Actions

Who are the beneficaries?

N/a

What specific actions have been taken to positively impact beneficaries?

N/a