IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC)
Advancing knowledge and cooperation for a healthy ocean and prosperous society
UN39: Ocean Solutions in the East Asian Seas
Why is it important?
Coastal ecosystems in the Western Pacific are facing unprecedented challenges due to multiple environmental stressors. These include climate change, ocean acidification, hypoxia, eutrophication, sea-level rise, and additional stressors such as pollution and unregulated local coastal development. The negative impacts of these stressors are exacerbated by anthropogenic influences, such as overexploitation of marine resources and poor water quality from land-based activities.
Traditional approaches, which often focus on individual stressors, have proven inadequate in addressing the complexity of these challenges. Therefore, a novel strategy is required, one that considers the full range of stressors affecting coastal ecosystems and integrates multidisciplinary research with stakeholder engagement.
This UN39 Ocean Solution seeks to fill that gap by adopting a holistic approach that accounts for multiple stressors simultaneously and involves key local stakeholders in both research and solution development.
What we do?
The Sub-Commission has been dedicated to fostering collaboration tackling pressing ocean issues (e.g. ocean acidification, ocean hypoxia, eutrophication, sea-level rise, ocean pollution) for decades in the Western Pacific region. To advance multidisciplinary research and regional collaboration on addressing multiple environmental stressors to coastal communities, a Decade Action incubator entitled “Ocean solutions: Understand the multiple stressors on coastal ecosystems and provide solutions that benefit people, nature and economy” was organized during the UN Ocean Decade Kickoff Conference for the Western Pacific and its adjacent Areas (Online, 2021). This workshop paved the way for the co-design and co-development of this project.
The project was further incubated by organizing a second UN Decade Incubator workshop during the 2nd UN Ocean Decade Regional Conference & 11th WESTPAC International Marine Science Conference (Thailand, 2024), where experts were gathered to explore and share the multidisciplinary approaches, practices and findings on the research and monitoring of multiple stressors and their impacts in the coasts. As the situation varies in each country in addressing issues related to coastal ecosystem protection, this workshop provided an opportunity for members to achieve understanding of the needs and capabilities of the local communities in different countries, suggest and identify demonstration sites, and synergize future efforts.
The aim of the UN 39 is to:
- Understand the impacts of multiple stressors and their impacts on natural ecosystems and coastal communities;
- Explore and share the multidisciplinary approaches, findings and practices on the research and monitoring of multiple stressors and their impacts;
- Develop a regional network to advance multidisciplinary research and engagement with coastal communities and provide workable science-based solutions to benefit people, nature and livelihoods.