Development of a Regional Programme on Marine & Coastal Invasive Species in the East Asian Seas Region

Presentation at the 12th Global Meeting of the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans. This document presents a concept by the COBSEA Secretariat for a regional programme on marine and coastal invasive species in the East Asian Seas Region. It explains invasive alien species, outlines their ecological, economic and health impacts, and illustrates pathways and losses through regional case studies. It describes the vulnerability of the COBSEA Region and the outcomes of a training and review workshop in Bangkok. The document sets a goal, objectives and three programme elements on enabling environments, information bases and best practice implementation, and lists potential partners to effectively support co-operative action and capacity building within the COBSEA Region.