The POMRAC Focal Points Meeting (FPM) has been held in Kanazawa, Japan, on 11-12 September 2009. The meeting discussed and agreed on new POMRAC activities for 2009 and for 2010-2011. The POMRAC activities in 2010-2011 biennium will be focusing on two major issues:
• Preparing the next edition of the “State of Marine Environment Report” (SOMER) for the NOWPAP region.
• Integrated Coastal and River Basin Management (ICARM).
Within SOMER, two POMRAC working groups (on atmospheric deposition and on river and direct inputs of contaminants) are expected to contribute, as well as other NOWPAP RACs. Within ICARM, many different issues might be covered (pending availability of additional funds and decisions of NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting): climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation, marine spatial planning, ecosystem valuation, applying ecosystem based management, etc.
Implementation of NOWPAP contributes to the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA) in the Northwest Pacific region.