FISHERIES REFUGIA PROJECT SITES (Fisheries Linkages)
About the South China Sea
SCS Strategic Action Programme
Project Document
Harnessing science for the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand: Special Forum highlights solutions for improved management
BANGKOK, 22 April 2024 — A critical forum kicks off today at the 2nd UN Ocean Decade Regional Conference and 11th WESTPAC International Marine Science Conference focusing on science-driven strategies for managing and preserving the rich ecosystems of the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand and will run until 24 April at the Berkeley Hotel Pratunam in Bangkok, Thailand. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), will convene the Special Forum that explores how scientific knowledge can translate into tangible environmental improvements.
Scientists and representatives from the governments of Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, who are key stakeholders of the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, as well as lead conservation experts from across the Asia Pacific region will gather to discuss sustainable development in the South China Sea. Over the course of three-days, they will share observations from multiple initiatives that have been conceived to boost the ‘blue economy' in the region’s most affected areas. Discussions will also cover the different challenges being faced by communities and ecosystems along Thailand’s coast, including the impact of tourism on the coral reef ecosystem around Koh Mak Island. Additionally, reports from fishermen operating in overlapping fishing areas and coastal dolphin habitats in the Middle Gulf of Southern Thailand will be presented. Attendees will also learn about reef coral decline and adaptive solutions for coral reef conservation in Nui Chua National Park in Vietnam.
The South China Sea is a biodiversity hotspot under increasing pressure from overexploitation, habitat degradation, and pollution. The Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea are interconnected large marine ecosystems, sharing water, marine life, and even environmental threats. Their connection means that pollution or habitat loss in one can impact the other, underscoring the need for a unified management approach.
China Organizes Expert Consultation Meeting to Discuss Execution of Site Level Activities
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South China Institute of Environmental Sciences (SCIES), Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China has organized an expert consultation meeting on SCS SAP Project PCA (Project Cooperation Agreement) on 14 July 2022 as part of the UNEP/GEF “Implementing the Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand (SCS SAP Project). The objectives of this meeting were to discuss activities of habitats including mangroves, seagrass and coastal wetland to be implemented during 2022-2023 in China. The meeting took the form of combination of online and offline. Participated by about 40 participants, the meeting was chaired by Dr. Xiangbin Pei, who is China’s national coordinator of the UNEP/GEF SCS SAP Project.
Cambodia Finalizes National and Site Level Activities for Execution
The Ministry of Environment of Cambodia has organized a national consultation workshop from 24-25 February 2022 in Kampot Province as part of the UNEP/GEF “Implementing the Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand (SCS SAP Project).
Participated in by 32 participants, the workshop discussed and finalized the project activities and budget for national and site level execution, which will form part of the agreements between MOE and UNOPS that will support the execution of project activities in Cambodia. A total of 12 sites (three sites for each habitat) were identified for the restoration and management of mangrove, coral reef, seagrass and wetland habitats in the four coastal provinces in Cambodia. It is expected to achieve the targets of 33,978 has of mangroves, 1,080 has of coral reefs, 3,231 has of seagrasses and 21,052 has of wetlands under sustainable use and management.
Launching the SCS SAP with countries and partners
The Inception Workshop was held on the 1 July 2021 in order to present and launch the project and discuss key partnerships. In the opening statements it was noted that this is a “monumental event” to launch the project and coordinate with partners and stakeholders, with over 200 participants, including participating country national teams, and other relevant national stakeholders, and key regional and global partners and projects.
The SCS SAP overall vision, objectives, outputs as well as planned activities for 2021 were presented by the Senior Project Manager, as well as the projects executing arrangements and national and regional level working groups and committees to ensure full engagement of all stakeholders in project execution. This was followed by national presentations from National Technical Working Group chairs from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam.
Countries agree on next steps to implement the SCS SAP
The 1st Steering Committee Meeting of the SCS SAP project was held online on the 29 and 30 of June, 2021 with official representatives from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam and the UNEP Task Manager for the project, with the support of SEAFDEC, UNOPS and the Project Coordination Unit staff. National teams also participated as observers with a total of 51 participants in total. Over the course of one year, three regional meetings and over 30 national meetings and bilateral have been held in preparation. Regret was expressed that the meeting could not meet in person due to COVID-19 but it was stressed that “This project will not be stopped by the pandemic!”
South China Sea Discusses Implementation Plan for Execution at National and Site Levels
National agencies from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand as well as the Project Implementation Unit met on 15 March 2021 online to discuss and elaborate further the preparation of the National Implementation Report (NIR) for adoption at the First PSC meeting. A total of forty-three (43) participants attended the meeting.
The meeting was organized to provide support and guidance to the national teams in order to have a common and clear understanding on how to develop and complete the NIR, which is considered as the National Project Document that will be the basis for execution of the project and its activities at national and site levels. All participants expressed appreciation on the timely organization of the meeting as it provided them guidance and clarification in addressing issues and concerns encountered in developing and completing the NIR.
For further details of the meeting, see the project website at https://www.scssap.org/events.
South China Sea discusses key actions to implement the Strategic Action Programme for the marine and coastal environment
Sixty-five (65) participants from national agencies from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam as well as from UN agencies UNEP and UNOPS and regional organizations SEAFDEC and COBSEA met on 4 December 2020 online to further discuss the elaboration of national and regional activities for the UNEP/GEF South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand project to implement the Strategic Action Programme for the marine and coastal environment.
As part of the inception phase of the project, participating countries have organized their respective internal coordination and consultations with concerned agencies and institutions to discuss the project, identify key national focal points, experts and stakeholders, elaborate the activities for the key mangrove, seagrass, coral reef and wetland habitat sites in each country.
Implementing and Aligning the Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand (SCS SAP) with recent global, regional and national priorities including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
The UNEP GEF Implementing the Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand (SCS SAP) Project held its first Inception Phase online meeting on Thursday 30th July 2020, with forty-five (45) participants from national lead agencies from Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam as well as implementing and executing agencies, UNEP, UNOPS, and the Inception Phase consultants. China was unable to participate due to technical issues, which will be resolved for future meetings.
Project Implementation Progress
A Project Inception Team has been engaged by UNEP since April 2020 to work on the preparation and documentation for the SCS-SAP Project inception phase. The team, composed of Dr. Virginie Hart and Mr. Reynaldo Molina, aims to elaborate the regional and national activities of the project, in close consultation with national and regional partners, and in preparation for an Inception Phase meeting. This Inception Phase gives opportunity for countries and project partners to collectively review and discuss the project design and activities to ensure that the project is fully in line with recent and current national initiatives and priorities, given the period of time between the SAP adoption in 2008, the CEO endorsement in 2016 and the present.
Based on the SSC SAP Project document endorsed by the GEF Secretariat, the team is currently drafting the Regional Implementation Report and the National Implementation Reports for each country detailing the information on the execution of regional and national activities, including the documentation for the project inception meeting to be organized possibly in late 2020 or early 2021.
