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E-mailA new United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report urges the Philippines and other East Asian nations to take urgent action to conserve and safeguard our seas’ coastal habitats and ecosystems from pollution, alien invasive species, and other factors that could negatively impact the region’s poverty levels, according to inquirer.net.
The East Asian Seas State of the Marine Environment report states that 40 percent of coral reefs and half of the mangrove population have already been lost, putting pressure on the region’s economically important coastal habitats and ecosystems, according to mb.com.ph.
“These ocean ecosystems are a critical lifeline for the region’s economies and people. You can say that the health of these oceans and their ecosystems is very much tied to the economic health of these countries and well-being of their citizens,” report author and National University of Singapore professor Dr. Chou Loke Ming said.
Ming adds that these ecosystems also constitute 30% of the world’s sea space, and that governments in the region have a major role in their stewardship.
The report recommends that governments in the region find a balance between development and the protection of coastal resources, applying a systematic and integrated approach to managing coastal and ocean issues, improved data collection and management, and economic incentives to the private sector for environment protection efforts.
“With nearly three quarters of the region’s population depending directly or indirectly on coastal areas, and with 80 percent of the region’s GDP linked to the coastal natural resources, the time must be right for factoring the marine environment into the center of economic planning,” said UNEP executive director Achim Steiner.
The East Asian region includes Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the region between China, South Korea and Australia.
The region accounts for half of global fisheries production and 80 percent of global aquaculture production- some of the world’s highest concentration of shipping and fishing vessel activity.
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