ABOUT PEMSEA> PROGRAMME COMPONENTS
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Objective

To advance scientific inputs in support of decision-making for coastal and marine environmental management.
 

PEMSEA's research activities are designed to provide the scientific basis for policy and management decisions, and are focused on:

• the use of science and indigenous and emerging technologies;

• making scientific advice available to decision makers especially at the local level;

• policy support especially transboundary environmental issues of regional implication; and

• institutional arrangements to strengthen the role of science in the planning and management of the coastal and marine environment at the local, national, subregional and regional levels.

Component Activities

1. Establish a Multidisciplinary Expert Group (MEG) with the following immediate responsibility:

• Act as an advisory body to PEMSEA on major policy issues requiring scientific interpretation of expert's advice
  Evaluate reports on five specific management-related case-studies

• Provide advice and guidance to the technical groups at PEMSEA's project sites

• Review or provide expert advice on PEMSEA's publications or project proposals requiring expert opinion.

2. Case studies will be undertaken by scientific working groups under the guidance of the MEG. The five key research areas for policy support include:

• Ecosystem carrying capacity

• Tradeoffs between economic development and ecological benefits

• Impacts of maritime trade on endangered species

• Transboundary impacts of national economic activities

• Socioeconomic benefits of ICM

The reports and policy briefs generated will be packaged and disseminated to concerned governments, for use in the government decision-making mechanisms. The advice of the expert groups will be transferred to ICM demonstration and parallel sites and subregional sea areas/pollution hot spots for inclusion in the development of institutional arrangements for environmental management.

3. Areas of Excellence

• Features research and academic institutions in the region that show clear evidence of emerging excellence in specific disciplines

• Enhances the collaboration among institutions by providing a venue where they can work together in addressing common issues, hence optimizing research outputs