ACB showcases marine conservation leadership at the East Asian Seas Congress 2024
XIAMEN, China — Championing regional cooperation and innovative approaches to marine conservation, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) leads this year’s ASEAN contingent at the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress from 6 to 8 November 2024.
Through an interactive forum titled Achieving Sustainability through Connectivity for Resilient ASEAN Seas, the ACB invites ASEAN Member States (AMS) to share success stories and diverse strategies in conservation connectivity—showcasing real-world initiatives driving resilience across ASEAN’s rich marine ecosystems. The forum likewise showcases the ACB’s marine conservation project Effectively Managing Networks of Marine Protected Areas in Large Marine Ecosystems in the ASEAN Region (ASEAN ENMAPS) and its goal of building a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) to safeguard biodiversity and enhance resilience across the region’s coasts. Through this, the ACB hopes to advance discussions on the ASEAN ENMAPS Project’s crucial role in achieving sustainable fisheries through science-based MPA networks design and enabling coastal communities to act as drivers of local solutions with meaningful impacts
The ACB’s participation in the event serves as a valuable platform for facilitating knowledge exchange between the AMS and East Asian counterparts on effective marine conservation strategies and sustainable practices. “Our participation in the EAS Congress reinforces ASEAN’s collaborative approach to marine biodiversity conservation. By working together, we can strengthen our efforts to achieve a resilient and sustainable future for the seas of ASEAN and East Asia,” said ACB Executive Director Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim. “We are committed to engaging youth representatives, empowering them to champion sustainable marine practices and conservation awareness among future leaders,” Dr. Lim adds.
EAS Congress is a premier triennial forum on sustainable coastal and marine development that brings together thought leaders, environmental experts, and key stakeholders to advance collective actions toward the sustainability and resilience of our shared ocean resources. This year’s theme focuses on Blue Synergy for a Shared Future: One Sustainable and Resilient Ocean. The event is organised under the framework of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia and emphasises collaborative synergy across governments, organisations, and communities to achieve resilient oceans. As part of this regional commitment, the Congress assesses East Asia’s progress towards global and regional marine targets, addressing challenges and exploring future pathways to build stronger cooperation for sustainable oceans.
This year’s EAS Congress 2024 is co-hosted by the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), Ministry of Natural Resources of China, and the Xiamen Municipal People’s Government, in collaboration with World Ocean Week in Xiamen.
About the ACB
The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), established in 2005, is ASEAN’s response to the challenge of biodiversity loss. It is an intergovernmental organisation that facilitates cooperation and coordination among the 10 ASEAN Member States, with regional and international organisations on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, as well as the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of such natural treasures.
