ABOUT PEMSEA> PROGRAMME COMPONENTS
MANAGING SUBREGIONAL SEA AREAS & POLLUTION HOTSPOTS

Objective

To apply the environmental risk assessment and risk management process to address transboundary environmental issues in subregional sea areas under stress.

The East Asian Seas face serious national and transboundary environmental challenges. Globalization of the economy and changes in production and consumption patterns have not only had an impact on the growth of the region but also have emphasized the interdependency of countries of the region on the wealth and health of the people and their environment. The protection and management of the coastal and marine environment is at a crossroads of many disciplines, themes, and sub-themes. Any environmental problem within any part of the East Asian Seas, because of its semi-enclosed nature, whether a subregion or a subsystem, can no longer be considered an isolated or localized concern, but a matter with potentially far-reaching implications.

With experience and lessons learned from the GEF Pilot Phase (1994-1999), particularly from the Straits of Malacca demonstration site, the Regional Programme on Building Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) will apply and verify an innovative approach to the environmental management of subregional sea areas under stress, and within multi-jurisdictional administrative settings, including the Bohai Sea (China), Manila Bay (Philippines), and the Gulf of Thailand. The aim is to manifest risk assessment/risk management as a systematic process for States (or various levels of government) bordering semi-enclosed sea areas to create a common vision for their shared waterbody, and to develop and implement a collective strategy and environmental management program to achieve that vision. A project of this nature requires the creation of themes and approaches that forge co-operation and participation among concerned groups to develop and implement a management program in which responsibility and ownership are key characteristics.

Environmental risk assessment involves estimating the likelihood of harm being done to human health and/or ecosystems through factors emanating from human activities that reach their targets via the natural environment. The assessment is carried out to provide a basis for making risk management decisions. Environmental risk management involves the identification, selection and implementation of appropriate actions to control the identified risks.

Environmental Risk Assessment/Risk Management Framework

Visit the
Subregional Sea Areas and Pollution Hot Spots
Demonstration Sites:
Bohai Sea |  Manila Bay | Malacca Straits