On 29-30 August, over 20 delegates from the NOWPAP member states (China, Japan, Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation) including CEARAC Focal Points, experts and representatives of the four Regional Activity Centres (RACs), met in Toyama, Japan to review CEARAC activities for the 2016-2017 biennium and discussed the Centre’s workplan and budget for the 2018-2019 biennium.
The 15th NOWPAP CEARAC Focal Points Meeting also adopted the outline of the report on major pressures on marine biodiversity in the NOWPAP region and invited CEARAC Focal Points and partners to review the report’s first draft at a workshop that was to be held in Tokyo in Oct. 2017. Participants also adopted the activity report on a feasibility study to assess seagrass distribution in the NOWPAP region.
Participants also agreed to provide topics for inclusion in the CEARAC Medium-term Strategy (CEARAC MTS) on marine biodiversity. The revised CEARAC MTS workplan will be reviewed by the CEARAC Focal Points and submitted for approval at the 22nd intergovernmental meeting (IGM) in December 2017. The meeting then proposed a workplan and budget for the development of a tool to map seagrass distribution in the NOWPAP region, including explanations on the potential use of remote sensing.
A highlight of the meeting was the final attendance of a NOWPAP event by Dr. Yasuwo Fukuyo before his retirement. Delegates expressed appreciation for his many years of contribution to NOWPAP with a round of applause as he closed this meeting.
The 16th NOWPAP CEARAC Focal Points Meeting will be held in spring 2018 in Toyama.
