Category: News

WESTPAC Convenes Experts to Accelerate Seagrass Research, Conservation, and Restoration

Seagrass_Field Trip_2025

Seagrass meadows play a vital role in keeping our coasts healthy. They support rich marine life, sustain fisheries and food security, store large amounts of blue carbon, protect coastlines, and… Continue reading WESTPAC Convenes Experts to Accelerate Seagrass Research, Conservation, and Restoration

Countries and Partners Unite to Advance the Regional Action Framework for Marine Spatial Planning (2025-2030)

Chonburi, Thailand, 14-16 October 2025Representatives from ten Member States and regional partners convened in Chonburi, Thailand, to advance the implementation of the Regional Action Framework for Marine Spatial Planning (2025–2030).… Continue reading Countries and Partners Unite to Advance the Regional Action Framework for Marine Spatial Planning (2025-2030)

From Understanding to Action: Fostering an Ocean-literate Society in the Western Pacific

“In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.” -Baba Dioum, Senegalese poet and… Continue reading From Understanding to Action: Fostering an Ocean-literate Society in the Western Pacific

Advancing Collaborative Research and Adaptive Governance for Small-Island Sustainability in the Western Pacific

Thirty-five researchers, policymakers, and conservation experts from across the Western Pacific gathered in Malang, Indonesia, for the Second International Workshop on Small Island Research and Development (SIRaD). Hosted by the… Continue reading Advancing Collaborative Research and Adaptive Governance for Small-Island Sustainability in the Western Pacific

Call for Ocean Literacy Experts

In light of the decision made at the Fifteenth Intergovernmental Session of the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC-XV, 11-13 March 2025, Tokyo, Japan), the Sub-Commission has established the… Continue reading Call for Ocean Literacy Experts

A Milestone for Marine Spatial Planning in the Western Pacific

On 12 March 2025, a major step forward in sustainable ocean management was taken as Member States across the Western Pacific adopted the Regional Action Framework for Marine Spatial Planning… Continue reading A Milestone for Marine Spatial Planning in the Western Pacific

Western Pacific Nations Unite to Champion Ocean Science and Sustainability

From March 11-13, 2025, nearly 100 delegates from 13 nations across the Western Pacific convened in Tokyo for the Fifteenth Intergovernmental Session of the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific… Continue reading Western Pacific Nations Unite to Champion Ocean Science and Sustainability

Obituary of Prof. Dato’ Dr. Zulfigar Yasin (1959–2025)

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Prof. Dato’ Dr. Zulfigar Yasin, a distinguished marine biologist at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and an internationally renowned scholar. For over three… Continue reading Obituary of Prof. Dato’ Dr. Zulfigar Yasin (1959–2025)

Ocean Decade in the Western Pacific — Interview with Denmark Decade Committee

This article was originally written by Uffe Wilken and published on the website of the Denmark National Decade Committee. From coral reefs with the sea’s highest biodiversity to the globe’s… Continue reading Ocean Decade in the Western Pacific — Interview with Denmark Decade Committee

WESTPAC Strategic Consultative Meeting Charts the Path Forward

The ocean plays a pivotal role in the sustainable development of this densely populated and rapid developing region. From 5-7 November 2024, the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC)… Continue reading WESTPAC Strategic Consultative Meeting Charts the Path Forward