Publisher :
Place of publication :
Publication year : 2006
Thematic : Environmental Education
Language : English
Note
The legacy of overfishing, destruction of coastal habitats, and accelerated pollution loading has
dramatically reduced the biomass and diversity of marine waters in East Asia. Coasts can no longer
support the numbers of people migrating to them, thus risking future economic benefits and social
stability. Some countries are adopting needed reforms while, in others, less priority is given to
reforms. National budgets for the environment, as well as international financial flows for
environmental sustainability, remain disappointing. In the water sector alone, a global shortfall of
US$100 billion annually will frustrate the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The paper argues that reforms are essential in the North and the South in order to reverse the gloomy
outlook for East Asia, including global trade reforms and reduction of agricultural/fisheries subsidies
in the North. Reforms to facilitate creation of public–private partnerships and their international
support may be the only viable options for improving water service delivery, sewage/industrial
effluent treatment, fisheries, and maritime transport to reduce impacts on coastal and marine waters
to meet MDGs. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has supported a series of projects since
1991, totaling US$657 million for East Asia, with an emphasis on practical application of integrated
coastal management for the large marine ecosystems. Among reforms identified to mobilize the
private sector are revolving funds, reinsurance facilities, sub-sovereign lending, risk mitigation,
partnerships, and corporate responsibility. GEF advocated these reforms in the run-up to the World
Summit on Sustainable Development and is supporting a new generation of projects for countries
desiring to pursue them.
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Keywords : Maxomys musschenbroekii
Encoded by : Pauline Carmel Joy Eje
