NOWPAP Quarterly January-march 2023

NOWPAP Progress

Catalysing Local and National Action on Plastic Pollution to Achieve Regional Priorities and Global Goals in South-East and East Asia

Meeting of the Heads and Coordinators of the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans with UNEP Executive Director

Global Eutrophication Watch: a cost-effective interactive assessment of coastal eutrophication on the cloud

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Catalysing Local and National Action on Plastic Pollution to Achieve Regional Priorities and Global Goals in South-East and East Asia

Bangkok, Thailand, 29 March 2023 – The Secretariats of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) and the Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP), the United Nations Environment Programme, UN-Habitat, and the Government of the Republic of Korea co-organised a side event titled ‘Catalysing Local and National Action on Plastic Pollution to Achieve Regional Priorities and Global Goals in South-East and East Asia’ within the framework of the 10th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development ((APFSD).

Bringing together representatives from various levels, including governments, international organisations and academia, to share their experiences and explore ways to replicate good practices. During the event, the panel emphasised the key role of local and national governments, civil society organisations, the private sector, and consumers in addressing plastic pollution. They also stressed the importance of working together, sharing best practices, and supporting each other to develop and implement effective policies and practices.

Meeting of the Heads and Coordinators of the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans with UNEP Executive Director

On Tue, 21 February 2023, the Heads and Coordinators of the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans had the privilege to meet with UNEP Executive Director, Ms Inger Anderson. UNEP ED set up the tradition of meeting with the entire team of the Regional Seas Programmes back in 2019 during an annual meeting of the Regional Seas Programmes. Such meetings are vital to ensure effective feedback from the regional intergovernmental mechanisms coordinated by UNEP and the strategic guidance to them by the senior management of UNEP.

This meeting was one of the most important for setting the scene for UNEP's presence. Strategic support to the Member States was meant to be ensured through the Secretariats of the Regional Seas Programmes. Specific attention was paid to the positioning of UNEP to effectively implement the key strategic developments within the global environmental agenda.

Global Eutrophication Watch: a cost-effective interactive assessment of coastal eutrophication on the cloud

Human activities are increasingly contributing to the proliferation of eutrophication, which results in significant negative impacts on coastal ecosystems. The appearance of red tides and dead zones or the decline in fishery products can be a manifestation of the effects of eutrophication. Therefore, eutrophication monitoring activities can provide valuable information for preventive eutrophication management efforts. Since eutrophication is an emerging global issue, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has introduced an index of coastal eutrophication through Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.1.1a. This index links the global reporting system to each country’s national eutrophication monitoring programme.

In 2021, an international team consisting of scientists from the Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP) member states, Google, JAXA, and UNEP, and led by Dr. Joji Ishizaka of Nagoya University, Dr. Elígio de Raús Maúre and Dr. Genki Terauchi of the Northwest Pacific Region Environment Cooperation Centre (NPEC), Japan, worked on the development of the first global tool for interactive assessment of coastal eutrophication potential (CEP), the Global Eutrophication Watch, using Google Earth Engine (GEE). The tool uses a regional eutrophication assessment methodology, the NOWPAP Eutrophication Assessment Tool (NEAT), designed for coastal eutrophication assessment based on satellite-derived chlorophyll-a. Thus, the Global Eutrophication Watch provides the means for any user worldwide to conduct a cost-effective assessment of CEP using remotely sensed data on the cloud.

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