UNEP/GEF South China Sea Project

The Belitung Coral Reef Habitat Demonstration Site has recently launched a new website highlighting project activities and achievements. The site is currently available in Bahasa only, and the English language version will be available. Please support the Belitung site by forwarding the link to the website site http://www.selatnasik.org to interested colleagues and friends.

The reports from recent bilateral and regional meetings of the UNEP/GEF South China Sea Project can be accessed by following the links below: * Third Joint Meeting of the Peam Krasop (Cambodia) and Trat (Thailand) Habitat Demonstration Sites * Third Joint Meeting of the Kampot (Cambodia) and Phu Quoc (Vietnam) Habitat Demonstration Sites * Ninth Meeting of the Regional Working Group on Seagrass * Eighth Meeting of the Regional Task Force on Economic Valuation * Ninth Meeting of the Regional Working Group on Mangroves * Ninth Meeting of the Regional Working Group on Coral Reefs * Ninth Meeting of the Regional Working Group on Wetlands * Seventh Meeting of the Regional Task Force on Legal Matters

The Tenth Meeting of the UNEP/GEF Regional Working Group on Fisheries will be convened in Busuanga, Palawan, Philippines from 2nd – 5th June 2008. The key item of business requiring the attention of the RWG-F is the finalisation of the GEF Project Identification Form for the project concept entitled “Establishment and Operation of a Regional System of Fisheries Refugia in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand” for submission to the GEF. Other items of business include a review of outputs from regional training initiatives on fisheries refugia, and an update of the inventory of known spawning and nursery areas for economically important fish species in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand. The group will visit the Busuanga fisheries refugia on the final day of the meeting.

The Seventh Meeting of the Regional Task Force on Legal Matters will be convened in Ninh Hai, Viet Nam from 12th-14th May 2008. The meeting will follow up the work of the previous meetings of the Task Force, and will review any further outcomes resulting from national consultations regarding alternative instruments and mechanisms for regional marine environmental cooperation in the South China Sea.

The ninth meeting of the UNEP/GEF Regional Working Group on Wetlands will be convened in Taytay, Palawan, Philippines from 6th – 8th May 2008. Important items of business for the Regional Working Group on Fisheries include inter alia: administrative reports and procedures for closure of the Memoranda of Understanding; substantive outputs including publications; adoption and implementation of the National Action Plans; achievements, lessons learnt and plans for completion of demonstration site activities; review of outputs of the wetlands training course and echo-seminars; discussion on implementing SAP and NAPs; and maintenance of the wetlands network beyond the conclusion of the South China Sea Project.

The ninth meeting of the Regional Working Group on Coral Reefs will be convened in Belitung, Indonesia, 22nd – 24th April 2008 inclusive. Substantive items of business include: consideration of substantive outputs, including publication, adoption and implementation of National Action Plans; achievement, lessons learnt and plans for completion of demonstration site activities; review of outputs from the coral reef and seagrass training courses and echo-seminars; the implementation of the Strategic Action Programme and National Action Plans on coral reefs; and maintenance of the coral reef network beyond the conclusion of the South China Sea Project.

Signing of a Memorandum of Agreement to strengthen environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and welfare in the transboundary water area of Cambodia and Viet Nam A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was entered into between the People ’ s Committee of Kien Giang Province (Viet Nam) and the Governor of Kampot Province (Cambodia) on Saturday 29th March 2008 in Kampot, Cambodia. Under

The ninth meeting of the Regional Working Group on Mangroves will be convened in Beihai, China, 2nd – 4th April 2008 inclusive. Substantive items of business include: consideration of substantive outputs, including publication, adoption and implementation of National Action Plans; achievement, lessons learnt and plans for completion of demonstration site activities; review of outputs from mangrove training courses and echo-seminars; the implementation of the Strategic Action Programme and National Action Plans on mangroves; and maintenance of the mangrove network beyond the conclusion of the South China Sea Project.

Finalising Inputs to the seagrass component of the regional Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea The 9th Meeting of the Regional Working Group on Seagrass was convened in Phu Quoc, Vietnam from 3rd-5th May 2007. The main items of business considered by the group included: the status of finalisation, adoption, and implementation of National Action Plans; review of outputs from the

Developing a Co-operation Framework for the Management of Transboundary Waters of Cambodia and Vietnam The Third Joint Meeting between the Management Teams of the Kampot and Phu Quoc Habitat Demonstration Sites was convened in Phu Quoc, Vietnam from 28th February – 1st March 2008. T he meeting was aimed at reviewing the implementation of actions agreed during the second joint meeting of t

The Project Director, Dr. John Pernetta, and the Regional Expert, Dr. Vo Si Tuan, were recently awarded by the People’s Committee of Viet Nam’s Kien Giang Province "for technical support and co-ordination in executing the demonstration site for Coral Reef and Seagrass in Phu Quoc". The award ceremony was featured in the Kien Giang Provincial News.

Enhancing Access to Outputs and Information Resources of the UNEP/GEF South China Sea Project   The Project Co-ordinating Unit has recently produced a DVD of outputs from the UNEP/GEF South China Sea Project. This DVD contains more than 1,500 project documents, including South China Sea technical reports and knowledge documents; in excess of 4 hrs of video from TV news coverage of project meetin