Environment advocates gather in Iloilo to discuss protection of marine resources

ILOILO CITY — Experts and marine environment advocates from 19 countries are in this city to discuss ways to protect and manage marine resources in the East Asian region.

About 1,000 local and international delegates are attending the triennial East Asian Sea Congress (EAS) which will run until November 29 at the Iloilo Convention Center.

The participants include environment ministers from 11 nations who will meet at the 6th Ministerial Forum and come up with a declaration on its plans and actions.

Among the key issues to be deliberated are climate and blue carbon, marine pollution and clean water, biodiversity and coastal management, governance and partnerships, research and tools, ocean industry and finance, and blue economy, according to a conference briefer.

In his welcome remarks, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu stressed the importance of strengthening measures in conserving coastal and marine ecosystems and its resources “to ensure food security and improve poverty reduction.”

He cited the importance of the region as the center of marine shore fish biodiversity due to its rich marine diversity.

Antonio La Viña, chair of the EAS Partnership Council, said that among the main issues are the impact of climate, overfishing, marine litter, especially plastics, and land conversion including reclamation.

He said the region is among the worst among developing regions concerning marine and coastal resources because of intense pressure from urbanization and development activities.

But he said there had been successes in bringing united efforts.

“We are making progress, but we still need to do a lot more,” he told the INQUIRER.

He said two provinces in the entire region were involved in Integrated Coastal Management 25 years ago. It has grown to 18 percent of the region’s coastal areas today.

“It should be 25 to 50 percent… It’s slow, and we might not succeed. We need to accelerate our response,” he said.

In his speech, Cimatu cited the six-month closure of Boracay Island, the country’s prime tourist destination, to undergo rehabilitation.

He said the closure and rehabilitation of the island exemplify “political will that targets to rectify the abuse and mismanagement of the environment.”

The Pemsea member-countries include Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, Laos, South Korea, Singapore, Timor Leste, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

A parallel youth forum from Pemsea member countries, Thailand, and Malaysia is also being held. /ee