Hosts

Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), China

National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia

Organizers

First Institute of Oceanography, MNR, China

Research Organization for Earth Sciences and Maritime, BRIN, Indonesia

Institute of Research and Community Services Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, Indonesia

Ocean Decade International Cooperation Center, China

Agency for Marine and Fisheries Extension and Human Resource Development, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), Indonesia

Background

The Southeast Asian countries and China are located in the convergent zone of the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Andaman Sea, and South China Sea. These countries' economies are highly ocean-related, such as fisheries and tourism, and even agriculture which highly depends on the precipitation brought by the Asian monsoon. However, since extreme weather or climate events often cause considerable losses to these countries which pursue the rapid development of economy, this area is facing common and serious problems under the condition of global climate change, such as marine environmental change, marine ecosystem destruction, seawater pollution, coral bleaching, mangrove degradation, and coastal erosion. To effectively solve the above problems and mitigate the resulting damages, the Southeast Asian countries and China have a common interest in collaborating on ocean observation, monitoring and forecasting systems, marine environmental protection and management, sustainable exploitation of marine resources, blue economy development, and early warning of marine disasters.

To strengthen the cooperation between China and the Southeast Asian countries on marine science and technology, seven forums have been held during the past nine years. The 1st Forum was held in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2013; the 2nd in Phuket, Thailand, in November 2014; the 3rd in Qingdao, China, in November 2015; the 4th in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in December 2016; the 5th in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in December 2017; and both the 6th and 7th in Beihai, China, in November 2018 and October 2021, respectively.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has approved the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) to make efforts to reverse the trend of decline in ocean health and gather ocean stakeholders worldwide to develop the ocean science that we need for the ocean we want. This forum will also respond to the principles of the Ocean Decade and welcome experts and officials from the Southeast Asian countries and China to discuss and communicate commonly interested topics related to marine science, technology, and policies, to promote international collaboration for the sustainable development of this region.

Goals

The forum aims to:

1) strengthen cooperation in marine ecosystem protection and restoration, marine disaster prevention and mitigation, marine science and technology research and development, and marine management and policy among the Southeast Asian countries and China.

2) explore joint actions to implement the UN Ocean Decade visions.

Forum Chairs

Prof. Fangli Qiao, Deputy Director-General, First Institute of Oceanography, MNR, China

Prof. Ocky Karna Radjasa, Chairman, Research Organization for Earth Sciences and Maritime, BRIN, Indonesia

Sessions

The forum includes the following five parallel sessions:

Session 1: Ocean and climate observation, forecasting and services

The marine environments have changed significantly in the recent century due to human activities that modulate natural climate variability. Societal demands on future climate projections supported by observational data are increasing to adapt and mitigate climate change. This session aims to update our understanding of the ocean and climate system's past, present, and future, especially in the convergent zone of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, Andaman Sea, and South China Sea. This session discusses various topics related to observations and numerical simulation, and encourages contributions to state-of-the-art prediction and forecasting systems that can provide accurate and timely services to the community and the applications of emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence.

Session 2: Marine ecosystem protection, biodiversity conservation and biotechnology development

Healthy and resilient ocean is fundamental to sustainable development. However, a multitude of pressures has threatened the delicate balance of ecosystem functioning and services in the marine environment. Protection of marine biodiversity and function is critical in the maintenance and persistence of marine life and ecosystem. This session will focus on biodiversity and the function of marine ecosystems to support marine and coastal development. Topics will include strategies to protect marine ecosystems, marine endangered species, degradation and restoration of typical habitats including activities related to capacity development practices, health assessment and protection of marine ecosystem functions, effects of environmental pressures (e.g. ocean acidification, ocean warming, and marine pollution) on marine life and ecosystem and coral reef bleaching.

Session 3: Marine geological processes and disaster mitigation

Marine geological processes are concerned with all geological and dynamic aspects of shelves, slopes and ocean basins, and play an important role in understanding earth evolution, climate change and disaster prevention. This session will focus on sediment source to sink process, environment evolution, disaster prevention and reduction including capacity development practices. Topics will include natural factors and human activities that potentially lead to a series of disasters and marine geological processes, controlling factors and mechanisms, and their future evolutionary trend.

Session 4: Marine policy and management

Carrying out policy making studies on comprehensive coordination of marine affairs and conflicts, and fully participating in ocean governance and management are the keys to achieving the goals of transforming ocean science solutions for sustainable development and connecting people and our ocean. This session will focus on the Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) policy making, Nature Based Solution (NBS) and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) implementation in various marine-related fields with aims to both enhance marine ecosystem conservation and boost Blue Economy sustainable development among China and Southeast Asian countries.

Session 5: East Asian Summit workshop on developing coastal economy

The sustainable ocean economy is a global paradigm on ocean governance for economic development with the principles of effective protection, sustainable production, and equitable prosperity, where benefits from the ocean and coastal areas are distributed equitably. This paradigm is a solution to achieving ecosystem protection, ocean economic development and the welfare of coastal-dependent communities and small scale fishers. The use of marine resources should not sacrifice the necessary quality and quantity needed for future generations, and any use of marine resources whose impact is unknown must be carried out with caution, along with the support of reliable scientific evidence. This session will focus on the strategies on the implementation of a sustainable ocean economy, such as understanding the potential of the coastal economy, adapting coastal communities and livelihoods in strengthening the coastal economy, and enhancing infrastructure for sustainable coastal development and climate resilience for the sustainable coastal economy.

Venue and Time

The Forum will be held on 28-29 November 2024. Plenary session will be held at Auditorium BRIN, B.J. Habibie Building 3rd floor and parallel sessions will be held at Commission Meeting Rooms, B.J. Habibie Building 3rd floor, Jl. M.H. Thamrin 8, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Information

(1) All participants should register through the website http://www.cseamarineforum.org

(2) The deadline for abstract submission (max. 250 words) is 30 September, 2024;

(3) The deadline for online registration is 30 September, 2024;

(4) Contact information: Dr. Lin Zhou, First Institute of Oceanography, China. Email: guojichu@fio.org.cn

Draft Agenda