BOBLME Project Regional Workshop

Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Project

DRAFT agenda

Prepared by the RCU

BOBLME Project Regional Workshop

to develop an action program for SAP theme:

“Pollution and water quality”

6-7 June 2012

Phuket Graceland Resort & Spa

190 Thaweewong Road, Patong, Kathu , Phuket, Thailand

Background

The Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME) Project is a five year, $31 million collaboration involving Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand. These eight countries are working together to develop a plan of action to improve the lives of the coastal populations through improved regional management of the Bay of Bengal environment and its fisheries. The BOBLME Project is principally supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the USA (NOAA), and the World Bank. FAO is the executing agency. More information can be found on

A major output of the BOBLME Project is a Strategic Action Programme (SAP) which will be the blue print to address and mitigate priority environmental issues affecting the health of the Bay of Bengal and it resources.

A main part of the SAP refers to objectives (what we want to achieve), indicators (how do we know if we are achieving the objective) and actions (what needs to be done to reach the objective. These objectives, indicators and actions need to be developed by the BOBLME countries so that they reflect the region’s priorities, and at the same time, are realistic in terms of being able to be implemented.

The Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) document that forms the basis for the SAP identified an agreed set of environmental issues that were grouped under three themes:

1. Overexploitation of marine living resources;
2. Degradation of critical habitats; and
3. Pollution and water quality.

Objective

This workshop focuses on theme 3. In the BOBLME SAP Process Development Meeting held in Phuket Thailand, 15-17 February, it was agreed that the overall objective for this theme (Ecosystem Quality Objective or EcoQO) would be:

Coastal and marine pollution and water quality are controlled to meet agreed

standards for human and ecosystem health

The aim of the workshop is to develop objectives, targets, indicators and actions that address seven major issues identified in the TDA:

1.Sewage-borne pathogens and organic load

2.Solid waste/marine litter

3.Increasing nutrient inputs

4. Oil pollution

5.Persistent organic pollutants (POPS) and Persistent toxic substances (PTSs)

6.Sedimentation

7.Heavy metals

Outputs

The main outputs of the workshop will be

1. Workshop report
2. Objectives, targets, actions and indicators that will be included in the final BOBLME SAP.

1. Welcome and workshop purpose
2. Introduction to the SAP – content, process and timetable for completion
3. Setting objectives/targets/information needs based on TDA issues

1. Agreeing on actions for the SAP

1. Final document for the SAP
2. Closing

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