PROJECT BRIEF

1.  Identifiers
Project Number	[Implementing Agency Project Number not yet assigned]
Project Title	Regional - (Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand & Vietnam): Reversing Degradation Trends in the South China Sea.
Implementing Agency	United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Executing Agencies	Secretariat for the Action Plan for the Seas of East Asia (EAS/RCU); South China Sea Informal Working Group (SCS-IWG); FAO; IOC-WESTPAC; Wetlands International Asia-Pacific; SARCS; SWOL; Ministries of Environment in each country.
	Requesting Countries	Regional: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand & Vietnam
Eligibility	The countries are eligible under paragraph 9(b) of the GEF Instrument. The Strategic Action Programme is consistent with the relevant provisions of regional and global Conventions relating to International Waters to which the countries are signatories and/or contracting parties.
GEF Focal Areas	International Waters with relevance to Biological Diversity
GEF Programming Framework	Waterbody-based Operational Program # 8
2.  Summary:
Major outcomes will include an approved Strategic Action Programme that will include, a targeted and costed programme of action and a recommended legal framework for improved regional co-operation in the management of the environment of the South China Sea; a series of national and regional management plans for specific habitats and issues; 9 demonstration management activities at priority transboundary sites; a regional management plan for maintenance of transboundary fish stocks; pilot activities relating to alternative remedial actions to address priority pollutants and adopted water quality objectives and standards. Activities include national level analyses and reviews and management of demonstration activities and regional harmonisation and co-ordination of national level actions.
3.  Costs and Financing (Million US $)
GEF:	Project					:	US$ 	18.25  million
	[of which Adm. costs & contingency	:	US$	  0.75  million]
	PDF - B					:	US$	  0.34  million
	Subtotal GEF				:	US$	18.59 million

Co-financing:	PDF-B (all sources)			:	US$	  0.25  million
	UNEP (in cash & kind)			:	US$	  0.63  million
	Governments (in cash & kind)	:	:	US$	  9.28  million
	SCS-IWG				:		US$	  0.69  million
	Other (estimated)			:	US$	  6.42  million
	Subtotal Co-financing			:	US$	17.27  million
Total Project Cost	:	US$	35.86  million

4.  Associated Financing (Million US $)
		SCS-IWG	:	US$	  0.75  million
		DANIDA-IOC	:	DKr	  2.27  million
		IOC-WESTPAC	:	US$	  1.89  million
		HKUST	:	HK$	18.00  million
		SWOL	:	US$	  2.00  million

5.  Operational Focal Point Endorsement(s)
Mok Mareth, Honourable Minister, Ministry of Environment, Kingdom of Cambodia, 15 March 1999
Chen Huan, Deputy Division Chief, Department of International Co-operation, Ministry of Finance, Beijing, China. endorsement sought 4th March 1999
Sudarsono, Executive Secretary, State Ministry of the Environment, Jakarta, Indonesia 16 March 1999.
K. Nagulendran, pp Secretary General, Ministry of Science, Technology & Environment, Malaysia 25 March 1999.
Ramon J.P. Paje, Undersecretary for environment & programs development, Department of Environment & Natural Resources, Manila, Philippines, 23 March 1999.
Chartree Chueyprasit,Secretary General, Office of Environmental Policy & Planning, Bangkok, Thailand 19 March 1999.
Nguyen Ngoo Sinh, Director general, Vietnam National Environment Agency, Hanoi, Vietnam. 23 March 1999.
6.  IA Contact:	Mr Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Co-ordinator, UNEP/GEF Co-ordination Office, UNEP, Nairobi, Tel: 254-2-624166; Fax: 254-2-624041; Email: Ahmed.Djoghlaf@unep.org

LIST OF ACRONYMS

ASEAN	Association of South East Asian Nations
EA	Executing Agency (for a GEF Project)
EAS/RCU 	Secretariat (Regional Co-ordinating Unit) for the Action Plan for the Seas of East Asia
CBD	The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
COBSEA	Co-ordinating Body for the Seas of East Asia
FAO 	Food & Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (Regional Commission for Asia and the Pacific)
GDP	Gross Domestic Product
GEF	Global Environment Facility
GPA	Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land Based Activities.
IA	Implementing Agency (of the GEF)
IGBP	International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
IMO	International Maritime Organisation
IOC-WESTPAC	Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (Western Pacific Regional Office)
LOICZ	Land Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone core project of the IGBP
MARPOL	International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships.
PDF-B	Project Preparation and Development Facility Grant Block-B
SARCS	Southeast Asian Regional Centre for START
SAP	Strategic Action Programme
START	System for Analysis Research and Training (of the IGBP, WCRP and IHDP)
SCS-IWG	South China Sea Informal Working Group
SWOL	SARCS/WOTRO/LOICZ Core Project of LOICZ
TDA	Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis
UNDP	United Nations Development Programme
UNCLOS	United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
UNEP	United Nations Environment Programme
UNFCC	United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
WOTRO	Netherlands Foundation for Tropical Research

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Background & Context - Baseline course of Action.

1.	The South China Sea represents an area of globally significant biological diversity. The Indo-west Pacific marine biogeographic province has long been recognised as the global centre of marine shallow-water, tropical biodiversity. Forty five species of mangrove from the global total of fifty seven; fifty of seventy coral genera; twenty of fifty species of seagrass; and, seven of nine giant clam species are found in the nearshore areas of the South China Sea. Compared to the Atlantic, the tropical Indo-west Pacific is highly diverse. Only five species of mangrove and some 35 coral species are found in the Atlantic compared with fifty one mangrove and over seven hundred coral species in the Indo-west Pacific. Over 400 species of corals are recorded from the Philippines compared with 200 species from the Red Sea, 117 from South East India and fifty seven from the Persian Gulf.

2	This high biological diversity is not merely threatened by continuation of current unsustainable patterns of use, but has also been seriously degraded in the recent past. Recent estimates suggest that approximately 2 million hectares of mangrove forest or 12% of the world total are located in the countries bordering the South China Sea. This represents only 31% of the estimated total found in these countries at the start of this century. Estimated rates of loss in each country range from around 0.5 to 3.5% of total area per annum and continuation of these present trends could result in total loss of this habitat in the region by around 2030. Eighty two percent of the coral reefs surveyed under collaborative ASEAN projects in the South China Sea display evidence of degradation while other estimates suggest that 50% of Philippines and 85% of Indonesian reefs can be considered as being at high risk. The high species diversity of the shallow water habitats in this region combined with the variation in geomorphic and geological setting and formation type, contribute to the global significance of these habitats in this region.

3	In addition to its significance as a global centre of shallow water marine biological diversity the South China Sea supports a significant world fishery of importance to the food security, and as a source of export income, for the countries bordering this sea. Capture fisheries from the South China Sea contributes 10% of the world’s landed catch at around five million tons per year and five of the eight top shrimp producers in the world are border states of the South China Sea (Indonesia, first; Vietnam, second; China, third; Thailand, sixth;  and the Philippines, eighth.). The countries of the region produce 23% of the world tuna catch and almost three quarters of the world’s canned tuna. The share of world production of aquaculture products including shrimp rose from 46% in 1984, to 66% in 1994. The proportion of shrimp produced through extensive culture is high, contributing significantly to the loss of mangroves and other coastal habitats bordering the South China Sea. 

4	The fisheries sector is significant in the context of domestic food security for the participating countries. Fish consumption is highest in the Philippines and least in Cambodia. Demersal fisheries within the South China Sea are fully exploited with evidence showing that the landings of many species are currently declining. The decline in fish availability in the subsistence sector has led to the adoption of destructive fishing practices such as blast fishing. Based on present consumption patterns and population growth rates Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam will have to produce significantly more fish by 2005 just to meet domestic demand. Pressure on the coastal resources is therefore likely to increase significantly in the immediate future. Despite nutritional requirements and current population growth rates, the countries surrounding the South China Sea are generally net exporters of fishery products. Since the need to generate foreign exchange to buy capital inputs for industrialisation is a higher priority than food security, this trade pattern is likely to continue, unless policy shifts occur that result in food security becoming a higher priority in the national agendas of participating countries.

5	The programming context of this project is the GEF Operational Programme #8 which states: “the GEF will play a catalytic role in assisting a group of countries to leverage co-financing....... for necessary elements of a comprehensive approach for sustainably managing the international waters environment” [para 8.2]. In addition this operational programme further states that: “Projects in this Operational program focus mainly on seriously threatened water-bodies and the most imminent transboundary threats to their ecosystems. [para 8.3]” The present project proposal meets these requirements and will assist the countries of the region in meeting their obligations under various global conventions relating to biological diversity and the marine environment. In addition, the specific activities proposed under this project are complementary and additional to those supported by the Environment Fund of UNEP as part of its regular mandate and programme within the framework of the Regional Seas Programme.

6	Recognising that actions to date have failed to halt degradation of the environment of the South China Sea the countries of the region sought the assistance of UNEP and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the XIIth intergovernmental meeting of the Co-ordinating Body for the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) which in December 1996 endorsed a request for grant assistance from the GEF. The GEF made available a project preparation and development facility grant (PDF-B) to enable countries to prepare the necessary analyses and reviews. In accordance with the GEF Operational Strategy a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and Framework Strategic Action Programme were prepared.

7	National committees were formed in each participating country to prepare a comprehensive, country-based analysis of water-related environmental problems and concerns. The first drafts of the national reports  were submitted and evaluated prior to a second meeting of national co-ordinators in June, 1998 which, prepared a comparative weighting of all identified major issues. On the basis of the national reports a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) was prepared which provides the scientific and technical basis for the choice of priority actions proposed in this project and which served as the basis for development of a framework Strategic Action Programme (SAP). The TDA identifies the regional priorities among water-related problems and concerns, their socio-economic and sectorial root causes, and the extent to which the problems are transboundary in either origin or effect. The process of developing the Framework Strategic Action Programme has involved a comprehensive and exhaustive analysis of existing national and international agreements, intergovernmental and regional declarations, past and ongoing projects, actions and programmes relevant to the environment of the South China Sea.

8	The National reports, the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis, and the Framework Strategic Action Programme were all submitted to the XIIIth intergovernmental meeting of COBSEA which endorsed the framework SAP that contains an outline of this proposed GEF project, and requested UNEP to formulate a GEF project brief (this document) to address the priority actions identified in the SAP, for submission to the GEF. A key element of this project is actions that will lead to the further elaboration and development of the present Framework Strategic Action Programme. It is the intention of participating governments that this process of elaboration be undertaken over the next three years with a view to their endorsing and adopting a final draft during an intergovernmental meeting to be held in December 2002.

9	The TDA suggests that a major cause of coastal environmental degradation results from the present density and growth of coastal populations. A total of 270 million people live in the coastal sub-regions of the seven countries covered by this project. The population is concentrated in 93 cities with over 100,000 inhabitants and the weighted mean population growth rate in the coastal zone is 2.17%, indicative of doubling of populations in 32 years. In Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia, growth rates in the coastal sub-regions are 1.5 to 2.0 times the national growth rates. Population densities are highest for the coastal sub-regions of China and the Philippines at 471 and 472 people km-2; Malaysia and Cambodia are least dense at 31 and 49 persons km-2. In Vietnam, higher densities of between 500 and 1,000 people km-2 are found along the northern part of the Gulf of Tonkin. Tourism, increasing fisheries development, and oil exploration and exploitation, are among the major economic driving forces behind this dramatic increase in coastal populations.

10	The participating countries are at various stages of industrialisation. Cambodia, with the lowest national GDP of US $ 0.12 million earns 45% of  this from agriculture, and 20% from industry. In contrast, Indonesia relies on the industrial sector for 57% of its GDP. On the basis of national data, for per capita GDP the countries can be ranked as follows: Malaysia > Thailand > China > Philippines > Indonesia > Vietnam > Cambodia. The rapid economic development that has occurred in this region over the last decade has taken place largely at the expense of the environment. A significant barrier to planning for more environmentally sustainable modes of development has been the absence of adequate economic evaluation of habitats and the goods and services they provide, resulting in development decisions being made on the basis of short-term economic gains.

11	Numerous actions are taking place at the national and regional levels to address the environmental problems that have resulted from the rapid pace of development and industrialisation which has occurred over the last decade. Thailand for example, has an extensive national mangrove reforestation programme, Philippines has several localised programmes of coastal zone management, including examples of community based approaches to management, and all countries have activities and programmes related to the conservation of significant biological diversity including wetlands. Many of the actions at national level are undertaken outside the framework of co-ordinated programmes resulting in significant duplication and overlap.

12	The UNDP/IMO/GEF East Asian Seas pollution project funded by the GEF, is directly relevant to the objectives of this project but the approach, modalities of execution and the geographic coverage of the two projects are significantly different. The East Asian Seas project focuses on issues of pollution and contamination through the application of the tool of integrated coastal zone management. These issues are addressed through a series of national level demonstration sites, of which existing demonstration sites in China and the Philippines provide valuable lessons, data and information, that can be built upon in the present project. The approach of these two projects is complementary with the EAS focusing on discrete, selected sites within the South China Sea which it is hoped will, through replication, ultimately result in improved environmental conditions in the South China Sea. The project also covers a geographic area that is considerably more extensive than the basin of the South China Sea, ranging from the Bohai Sea in the Northwest Pacific to the Indonesian Seas in the South. As such the present proposal is complementary since it addresses pollution only at the level of the South China Sea, only through the medium of harmonisation of national actions, and only in the context of a wider framework of regionally co-ordinated actions addressing biodiversity and overfishing which are not considered by the East Asian Seas GEF intervention.

13	The lack of a regionally co-ordinated approach to remedial actions significantly reduces their effectiveness and recognising the need for a greater degree of co-operation the countries bordering the South China Sea have initiated a number of joint programmes involving two or more countries within the region, such as the major oceanographic and fisheries study of the Gulf of Thailand. In the absence of a GEF intervention it is probable that the present types of intervention, which have been demonstrated over the last twenty years as being ineffective in halting the pace of environmental degradation, will continue. Without a concerted regional approach to environmental management it is unlikely that the present rates of habitat degradation will be slowed. The likely consequence of such a scenario is the loss of globally significant biological diversity over the next century and increased political tension in the region.

Rational and Objective (Alternative)

14	The actions proposed in the framework Strategic Action Programme are wide ranging in both context and proposed areas for action.  Successful implementation of the Programme will depend upon co-ordination of actions by diverse organisations, agencies, non-governmental organisations, private sector, government entities and stakeholder groups at both the national and regional levels.  Such regional co-ordination of actions entails significant transaction costs but can potentially generate significant benefits in reducing duplication of effort and improving the effectiveness of individual uncoordinated actions. 

15	The overall goals of this project are, to create an environment at the regional level in which collaboration and partnership in addressing environmental problems of the South China Sea, between all stakeholders and at all levels is fostered and encouraged; and to enhance the capacity of the participating governments to integrate environmental considerations into national development planning. 

Table 1	Workplan & Timetable - Overall duration of the project 69 months including the appraisal phase.
Component	Appraisal 
Phase	GEF Project Implementation		
	Sub-component	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	
1.  Habitat Conversion & Loss																												
1.1 Mangroves
1.1.1 National Mangrove Committees; data reviews.(N)																												
1.1.2 Development & adoption of national management plans (including legislation) (N)																												
1.1.3 Regional expert meetings; criteria; priority areas & actions; Intergovernmental meetings (R)			X				X				X				X								X					
1.1.5 Implementation of 3 demonstration projects																												
1.2 Coral Reefs
1.2.1 national coral reef working groups; data reviews (N)																												
1.2.2a Prepare & adopt national legislation and management plans (N).																												
1.2.3 Regional task team; regional data man.; criteria; priority areas and actions (R) .																												
1.2.4 Intergovernmental meetings 																												
1.2.5 Implementation of 3 demonstration projects (N & R).																												
1.3 Seagrasses
1.3.1 National seagrass working groups; data reviews (N)																												
1.3.2 Prepare & adopt national management plans (N).																												
1.3.3 Regional task team; criteria; priority areas and actions (R).																												
1.3.4 Inter-governmental meetings (R).																												
1.3.5 Implementation of 3 demonstration projects (N & R).																												
1.4 Wetlands
1.4.1 National wetlands working groups (N)																												
1.4.2 Review, & implement management regimes & legislation (N)																												
 1.4.3 Regional expert task team (R); regional review; criteria, guidelines; priority areas and actions, portfolio (R)																												
1.4.4 Intergovernmental meetings (R).																												

Table 1 continued 	Workplan & Timetable - Overall duration of the project 69 months including the appraisal phase.
Component	Appraisal 
Phase	GEF Project Implementation		
	Sub-component
	Activities	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	
2.  Over Exploitation of fisheries																												
2.1 Regional determination of priorities for action
2.1.1 Regional Task Force; regional fisheries overview (R)				E		E		E			E			E														
2.1.2 Criteria for stocks and areas & priority actions (R)																												
2.2 Develop regional and national management plans															C													
2.3 Evaluation of a prototype blast fishing detection system																												
2.4 Information and public awareness
2.4.1 Provide info. to artisanal fishers in the priority areas;									T			T			T			T										
2.4.2 Workshops on Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries									T			T			T			T										
3.  Land-Based Pollution																												
3.1 Regional Water Quality standards (2005)
3.1.1 working groups; review data (N & R)					M		M		M		M			M				M										
3.1.2 Prepare & adopt regional water quality objectives & standards																												
3.1.3 National and Regional management plans (N & R)																												
3.1.4 Capacity building & demonstration activities (N & R)																												
3.2 Determination of Regional Priority Hot Spots (2005)
3.2.1 Criteria; priority actions and areas																												
3.2.2 Evaluation of costs & benefits & pre-feasibility studies																												
3.2.3 Adopt a strategic approach to priority transboundary hot spots for inclusion in the SAP for the SCS																												
4. Regional Co-operation																												
4.1 Regional Co-ordination of the finalisation of the Strategic Action Programme																												
4.2 Regional Collaboration on the development of a legal framework for action																												

16	The medium term objective of the project is to elaborate and agree at an intergovernmental level Strategic Action Programme encompassing specific targeted and costed actions for the longer-term to address the priority issues and concerns. More specifically the proposed activities (Table 1) are designed to assist countries in meeting the environmental targets specified in the framework SAP that has been developed over the last two years (Annex D).

17	Some of the specific environmental targets set within the framework SAP extend beyond the projected life of the present project. These targets are summarised in Annex D whilst the logical framework matrix presented in Annex B outlines the milestones and indicators that can be used to measure progress towards achieving these targets over the life of the project. 

Project Activities/Components and Expected Results

18	The project is divided into four major components, namely:
a)	Habitat Conversion & Loss
b)	Over Exploitation of fisheries
c)	Land-based Pollution
d)	Regional Co-operation 

19	These components reflect the priority ranking determined at a regional level (Annex D) in which habitats and biodiversity related concerns and over-exploitation of marine resources ranked higher than either pollution or freshwater related concerns. Within the comparative ranking of importance of the habitats in the region, mangroves and coral reefs ranked significantly higher than seagrasses and estuaries/wetlands. Over-exploitation of marine resources ranked almost as high as coral reef degradation whilst from among the pollution related issues land-based pollution and in particular sewage was considered the most important pollution issue in the region. Overall, pollution was considered less important than either, habitat conversion and loss or, over-exploitation of marine resources.

20	Actions at the national level, proposed within component 1 relating to habitat conversion and loss are detailed under four sub-components addressing the four priority habitats in the region. Activities within each sub-component include: establishment or re-vitalisation of National Committees or technical working groups, to review national data on biodiversity; management; restoration and development activities impacting each habitat; research and publications; economic evaluation; institutions and legislation; and development of compatible, inter-linked national systems for regional data management. These preparatory actions will provide the background against which to develop or update national management plans, including required legislation, in order to maintain nationally important habitat areas. National public meetings will be convened for presentation and review of the plans prior to their adoption by Governments.

21	At the regional level regional task teams will be formed and meetings convened to: develop guidelines for national management plans to maintain regionally significant habitat areas of transboundary significance; draft and finalise for adoption by governments the criteria for the selection of priority transboundary habitat areas; apply the criteria to identify and prioritise areas for future management, protection/restoration and select 3 regional priority sites within each habitat class for initiation of demonstration projects; develop and adopt regional priority actions for inclusion in the revised SAP designed to meet the agreed targets of the framework SAP. The outputs from these activities will be reviewed and adopted at high level intergovernmental meetings which will also adopt a regional portfolio of priority management projects and approve the selection of the sites for initiation of the demonstration projects.

22	Component 2 on overfishing will be executed by the regional commission of the FAO and encompasses activities grouped into four sub-components the first of which is designed to secure regional level agreement on the nature of joint actions required to address identified problems. A regional task team will be formed to: review existing data regarding fish stock size, exploitation rate and economic returns, stock distribution including location of significant spawning and nursery areas; determine the level of optimal catch and effort for different fishing stocks in the region; review the extent and impacts of destructive fishing activities with the aim of removing and replacing them; review existing fisheries management systems at national and regional levels; and to review national compliance with international fisheries agreements and conventions. The task team will be responsible for development of criteria for determining the national, regional and transboundary significance of individual stocks, spawning and nursery areas;  and for the application of the criteria to the identified areas to determine regional priorities for management action for adoption and subsequent inclusion in the Strategic Action Programme.

23	This component includes required actions to develop regional, and national management plans for the priority areas of regional and transboundary significance that will result in the establishment of  a regional system of refugia to maintain important transboundary fish stocks; establish marine protected areas in areas identified as critical habitats for fish stock conservation and protection of endangered species; the evaluation of a prototype blast fishing detection system; development and implementation of programmes to provide information on fish stock conservation and sustainable fishery practices among small and artisanal fishing communities in the priority areas; and promote the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries through national and regional workshops.

24	Component 3 addresses the major problem of land-based pollution through an initial review of national standards and controls and an examination of actions required to: harmonise such standards at a regional level; review and assess existing knowledge of regional water quality, determine information gaps, evaluate carrying/assimilation capacity of sub-regions and sensitive ecosystems and transboundary movements of contaminants within the South China Sea; produce guidelines/action programmes for implementation of the GPA at the national and regional level; and prepare guidelines for the development of national management plans, including capacity building; legislation, and other appropriate components to achieve the agreed water quality objectives; review national capacity to test, monitor, control and enforce water quality and effluent standards and to develop and finalise national and regional management plans to reach specified objectives within defined time frames that will be incorporated into the Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea; and to initiate capacity building activities and demonstration projects addressing specific pollutants of regional and transboundary significance

25	Once agreement has been reached on regional water quality objectives and standards, criteria will be developed and adopted for evaluating the regional and transboundary importance of pollution "hot spots" identified in the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (severity of pollution, feasibility/ease of mitigation, transboundary effect). The criteria will be applied to all nationally identified hot spots in order to agree on a regional priority listing for investment. A preliminary evaluation of the costs and benefits of alternative mitigation measures for selected priority hot spots will be undertaken together with pre-feasibility studies for appropriate mitigation measures for priority pollution sources. A South China Sea strategic approach to mitigating priority regional hot spots (including priority investment portfolio, co-financing arrangements, national and regional actions) will be developed and agreed for inclusion in the Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea

26	Component 4 regional co-operation is composed of two sub-components of which the first is concerned with regional co-ordination of the project and related activities. The second includes a review of existing legal mechanisms and obligations of the member states under global conventions that have regional implications. Initial actions include appointment of project staff; convening of a meeting of COBSEA National Focal Points and partner organisations and institutions to prepare the framework master plan for project management and execution and to determine and agree the membership of the Regional Co-ordinating Committee for the project; appointment of National Focal Points to Chair the National Inter-ministry Steering Committees and initial country visits by the regional co-ordination staff to meet with the National Steering Committees and prepare national workplans and budgets. Four regional scientific and technical conferences are planned during the course of the project that will be convened in close association with the meetings of the COBSEA to review results and recommendations of the national and regional working groups & to establish & re-reinforce the linkages between the sectoral working groups. In addition particular attention will be paid to establishing strong linkages with the World Bank/GEF Mekong River Project and the UNDP/IMO/GEF East Asian Seas project.

27	The second sub-component will be undertaken in collaboration with the South China Sea Workshop on managing potential conflicts in the South China Sea and involves the formation of national and regional working groups of legal experts to undertake reviews of national legislation relating to the marine environment of the South China Sea with a view to identifying commonalities and mechanisms for harmonising legislation in line with regional goals and objectives. The regional expert working group will review the current obligations of countries under Global Conventions including inter alia the UNFCC, the CBD, the UNCLOS, and MARPOL; will review the similarities and differences between national legislation and consider ways in which such legislation might be harmonised to achieve the common objectives of the countries as expressed in the Strategic Action Programme; prepare recommendations concerning the optimum mode of countries meeting their obligations under the global conventions and to protecting the environment of the South China Sea. It is anticipated that a high level intergovernmental meeting will consider recommendations from the expert group and a draft legal framework for regional co-operation in the protection and sustainable management of the marine and coastal environment of the South China Sea.

Risks and Sustainability

28	The Logframe matrix presented in Annex B details the project related risks and assumptions however, two external risks may affect the operation of this project:

a)	The region is one of high political tension with a number of unresolved territorial disputes which potentially could disrupt the smooth operation of this project. Over the last several years the countries have demonstrated a willingness to co-operate in matters relating to the environment of the South China Sea both through bilateral programmes involving two or more countries of the region; through active participation in regional programmes including the East Asian Seas Action Plan of UNEP, the Regional work of the FAO, and through participation in the South China Sea Informal Working Group. There is increasing recognition that the benefits resulting from co-operative actions in managing the environment of the South China Sea are not dependent on a resolution of the unresolved issues, hence the risks of potential disruption to the project seem likely to be small.

b)	The recent economic crisis in the region may: adversely affect the ability of the countries to contribute significantly to the co-financing of the project; significantly impact the budget of the project should the currencies of the countries in the region recover significantly during the life of the project. The impacts of the economic crisis in the region have been taken into account in the calculation of the baseline contributions of the countries to this project. In the event that currencies recover all, or some of the 30-40 % devaluation that has occurred over the last two years, adjustments to the activities in the latter half of the project will be made or additional co-financing sought. A small contingency fund is included in the Implementing Agency Overheads to facilitate solving this problem should it significantly affect activities. A partnership conference with potential donors is planned prior to the initiation of demonstration projects and it is at this time that adjustments to the overall project budget may be made depending upon the extent of recovery of currency values.

29	A substantial proportion of the assured co-financing by governments is derived from the existing staff and recurrent budgets of the involved ministries and government departments. It is anticipated that project activities will strengthen the influence of these ministries at a national level and hence encourage substantial increases in the recurrent budgets of the departments concerned in the future. The countries already contribute financially to regionally co-ordinated actions and such contributions are anticipated to increase as a consequence of this project.

30	Regarding the sustainability of activities and components beyond the life of the project it should be noted that a number of the proposed activities during the first three years of the project are preparatory in nature with a defined life span. The need for such actions reflects the inadequacy of the present data and information available to asses priorities in an totally objective manner. In elaborating the data and information in parallel with refining the SAP, mechanisms will be put in place that require minimal recurrent inputs at the national level to ensure their continued operation beyond the life of the project. It is anticipated that the regional framework for co-operation will be strengthened through undertaking this project, such that the recurrent costs of subsequent regional co-ordination will be met from within the region. 

31	Of greater importance from the perspective of sustainability is a consideration of the demonstration activities and their impacts region wide. Approximately 9 demonstration sites are to be selected during the first two years of project initiation. An important consideration in the selection of these sites, other than their transboundary importance, will be the willingness of Governments to maintain the actions and activities beyond the life of the project. To some extent this will be assured through selection of initial sites that are considered to be of both national and transboundary significance and are already the subject of management intervention at a national level - i.e. a “win-win” criterion will be applied during selection. 

32	It should be recognised however that 9 demonstration sites will not guarantee that the SAP targets are met, hence considerable additional inputs will be required to ensure that the lessons learned are transferred from these nine sites to others in the region that will require government commitment of manpower and financial resources. Recognising the economic crisis that the countries of the region are currently suffering, this project specifically seeks to convene two partnership conferences to assist the governments in seeking bilateral and multi-lateral financing for such activities.
Stakeholder Participation and Implementation Arrangements

33	The primary stakeholders in this project are the Ministries of Environment, of Agriculture (Fisheries) and Forestry of the participating countries. Through establishment of inter-ministry dialogue it is anticipated that wide involvement of other ministries and government departments will be assured, resulting in high level government acceptance of the outcomes of the preparatory activities and hence approval of the Strategic Action Programme. Governments will retain oversight through the annual meetings of the Co-ordinating Body for the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) which will also serve as a forum for regional approval and endorsement of the anticipated outputs, including the Strategic Action Programme.

34	A number of activities involve community based stakeholders in the fishery sector although precisely which ones cannot be stated until such time as the demonstration sites have been selected. The process of selection will of necessity involve consultations with local community groups since their active participation will be essential to the success of these activities. A number of scientific and environmental NGO’s at national and regional levels have been involved in the PDF-B phase of the project and this participation will be extended during the execution of the project, with NGO groups being involved in the execution of activities at both the national and regional level. 

35	The project will be executed through a consortium of entities having responsibilities for major components or sets of activities. Thus the FAO Regional Commission for Asia and the Pacific will execute component 2 and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission WESTPAC Office will take responsibility for executing component 3. Wetlands International will take lead responsibility for sub-component 1.4, whilst the Regional Co-ordinating Unit for the East Asian Seas Action Plan will be responsible for sub-components 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 4.1. Sub-component 4.2 will be jointly managed in association with the relevant activities of the South China Sea Informal Working Group. The Regional Office of START (SARCS) will co-ordinate activities in the region relating to data and information management and exchange, whilst the IGBP/LOICZ regional project (SWOL) will, through the participating institutions in Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, actively contribute to the economic evaluation studies planned in the framework of Component 1.

36	Such regional co-ordination of actions entails significant transaction costs but can potentially generate even greater benefits in reducing duplication of effort and improving the effectiveness of individual uncoordinated actions.  Recognising the mandate of the United Nations Environment Programme to co-ordinate environmental actions across the United Nations System, the widest possible range of appropriate partners at national and regional levels will be encouraged and assisted to participate in the elaboration of the SAP.  It is the intention of the participating countries that all actions be undertaken in a spirit of collaboration and partnership, to enhance synergy between on going initiatives at national and regional levels, and to eliminate duplicative and conflicting actions.

37	As noted above, oversight on behalf of the Governments will be the responsibility of COBSEA which will convene joint meetings with the Project Steering Committee comprised of UNEP, EAS/RCU, START, UNDP, World Bank, and representatives of FAO, Wetlands International, IOC/WESTPAC, SCS-IWG, SWOL and other major co-financing partners. The Steering Groups primary responsibility will be to ensure synergy and integration in the planning and execution of the project sub-components. At the national level the national co-ordinators will be responsible for convening regular meetings of the national inter-ministry committees which should include within their membership, the chairs of the various national technical and expert committees created in support of each component and/or sub-component. Regional Technical expert groups will be convened to prepare reviews and recommendations and their membership will be drawn from the national committees and working groups and other regional experts. In the case of Component 1, the number of regional expert groups (4) will necessitate the creation of a regional “aquatic biodiversity advisory group” comprised of senior experts from the region to provide oversight and advise the Steering Group on matters relating to the execution of the mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass and wetlands components.

38	Co-ordination with the work of the Mekong River, World Bank/GEF project will be assured through convening of joint expert group meetings, and through participation of experts from each project in meetings of the other as appropriate. Similar arrangements will be made with the UNDP/IMO/GEF, East Asian Seas Project. The work of the South China Sea Informal Working Group, will be co-ordinated with project activities through participation of a representative of the SCS-IWG on the Steering Committee of this project, together with joint planning of workshops and groups of expert meetings to ensure complimentarity and provide mutual support to the activities undertaken by each project. Similar arrangements will be negotiated during the appraisal phase with other major regional projects and programmes.

Incremental Costs and Project Financing

39	Table 2 presents an incremental cost table based on the component costs presented in Table 3 and the more detailed analysis contained in Annex A. As noted in that Annex, benefits under this project accrue at the global, regional and national levels. Direct environmental benefits that accrue as a consequence of project activities will be small since much of the project is concerned with establishing the regional framework for future concerted and co-ordinated action. Considerable environmental benefits are anticipated to arise through enhancement of the capacity of participating governments to manage their environment in a regionally harmonised manner.

Table 2 Baseline and Incremental Costs and global and domestic environmental benefits.

	Baseline	Alternate	Increment	
Global Environmental Benefits	11.455	30.044	18.589	
PDF-B Phase	0.252	0.587	0.335	
Component 1 - Habitat degradation & loss				
Sub-Component 1.1 - Mangrove management	2.068	4.776	2.708	
Sub-Component 1.2 - Coral reef management	2.006	4.568	2.562	
Sub-Component 1.3 - Seagrass management	2.020	4.524	2.504	
Sub-Component 1.4 - Wetland management	0.412	1.362	0.950	
Component 2 - Over-exploitation of fisheries	2.036	4.066	2.030	
Component 3 - Land-Based Pollution	0.777	2.687	1.910	
Component 4 - Regional Co-operation	1.690	5.780	4.090	
Monitoring & Evaluation Costs	0.194	0.344	0.150	
Executing Agency Overheads	0	0.600	0.600	
Implementing Agency Overheads & Contingency	0	0.750	0.750	
Domestic Environmental benefits	5.820	5.820	0	
PDF-B Phase	0	0	0	
Component 1 - Habitat degradation & loss				
Sub-Component 1.1 - Mangrove management	1.891	1.891	0	
Sub-Component 1.2 - Coral reef management	1.905	1.905	0	
Sub-Component 1.3 - Seagrass management	1.870	1.870	0	
Sub-Component 1.4 - Wetland management	0.070	0.070	0	
Component 2 - Over-exploitation of fisheries	0.084	0.084	0	
Component 3 - Land-Based Pollution	0	0	0	
Component 4 - Regional Co-operation	0	0	0	
Monitoring & Evaluation Costs	0	0	0	
Executing Agency Overheads	0	0	0	
Implementing Agency Overheads & Contingency	0	0	0	

40	Adopting a regional approach to concerted action carries with it transaction costs associated with networking the regional institutions and organisations, and the national governments. Whilst not all of these costs are strictly incremental since national benefits derive from sharing of regional experiences, it is certainly the case that without a GEF intervention such costs will not be met since they result in little direct national benefit. The countries of the region are clearly committed to a regional approach as evidenced by their commitment to the PDF-B process and their adoption of the framework SAP and its associated targets. The costs of actions that result in direct national benefit are those associated with the demonstration activities where the countries concerned will undoubtedly derive national benefit from the interventions. This has been accounted for in the incremental cost table, however precise calculation of the proportion of benefits accruing at each level is not possible until such time (year 3) as the precise locations for the demonstration activities are selected (Annex A).

41	Table 3 presents the project budget and component financing. The total cost of the project (including the PDF-B phase) is 35.9 million dollars of which 9.5 million is the anticipated costs to the government in cash and in kind of the present project. Of this sum 5.8 million dollars is expected in cash inputs to the demonstration activities in years 4 and 5 of the project. The bulk of the remaining government co-financing is in kind during the preparatory years leading up to execution of these demonstration activities. Significant co-financing is assured in principle from a number of agencies, foundations and other organisations subject to the approval of the core funding by the GEF.

Table 3 Project budget summary and component financing in million US $ 

		Co-financing	Grand	
Project Activities	GEF	Governments	Other Sources	Total	
	1. Habitat Conversion & Loss					
1.1	Mangroves	2.708	2.374	1.585	6.667	
1.2	Coral Reefs	2.562	2.326	1.585	6.473	
1.3	Seagrass	2.504	2.305	1.585	6.394	
1.4	Wetlands	0.950	0.400	0.082	1.432	
2. Over-exploitation of fisheries	2.030	0.735	1.385	4.150	
3. Land-based Pollution	1.760	0.462	0.315	2.687	
4. Regional Co-operation	4.090	0.665	1.025	5.780	
Monitoring & Evaluation	0.150	0.014	0.180	0.344	
EA Overheads	0.600			0.600	
IA Overheads & Contingency	0.750			0.750	
Project Total	18.254	9.267	7.562	33.583	
PDF-B	0.335	0.176	0.076	0.587	
Grand Total	18.589	9.457	7.818	35.864	

Monitoring Evaluation and Dissemination

42	Monitoring of the progress in executing the components and activities will be undertaken in accordance with UNEP’s internal guidelines for project monitoring and evaluation. In addition the GEF Co-ordination Office will, in consultation with the Executing Agencies develop process indicators during the appraisal phase of the project that will serve as evaluation benchmarks during project execution. The various executing agencies will be responsible for developing stress reduction indicators and environmental status indicators as integral components of activities within the individual components of the project.

43	An interagency Steering Committee will monitor progress on an annual basis and will advise the project manager and executing agencies on the overall progress and any necessary adjustments to the subsequent years workplan and timetable that may be necessary as a consequence of unplanned contingencies. The Project manager and the Steering Group will report on an annual basis to the intergovernmental meetings of COBSEA that shall serve as an oversight mechanism on behalf of the participating governments.

44	A terminal desk evaluation will be undertaken by UNEP as the lead Implementing Agency in accordance with internal agency procedures. In addition an independent evaluation process will be commissioned by the GEF Co-ordination Office of UNEP. This will involve a mid-term evaluation to be completed prior to the COBSEA meeting in December 2003 and a terminal evaluation to be completed within three months of the completion of the project activities. A post hoc evaluation will be undertaken two years following closure of project activities to ascertain the longer-term impacts of the project on regional collaboration in the management of the environment of the South China Sea.

45	Dissemination of results will take place via the regional conferences planned periodically throughout the project, via periodic meetings between project staff and the government ministries and via the public media where appropriate.

List of Annexes

A.	Incremental Cost Annex (4 pages)

B.	Logframe Matrix (3 pages)

C.	STAP Roster Technical Review (2 pages)

C.1	Implementing Agency Response to STAP/Council/Implementing Agency Comments (1 page)

D.	Root Cause Analysis (6 pages)

E	List of Publications prepared under the PDF BLOCK-B grant (1 page)

Annex A

Incremental Costs and benefits of the Project
Reversing Degradation Trends in the South China Sea

Background

The GEF Incremental Costs analysis requires a consideration of the baseline and additional costs associated with achieving ‘domestic’ and global environmental benefits (Table 2). The regional scope of this project presents methodological difficulties in assessing these costs which are normally calculated in a purely national context. In the present case the benefits arising from this project may be seen as accruing at the global, regional and national scales.

Global benefits

Assessing the global benefits of a GEF project necessitates in the first instance a consideration of the comparative environmental importance, from a global perspective, of the region or area covered by the project, together with an understanding of the extent to which the project reduces environmental loss or degradation. This reduction in environmental degradation represents the total environmental benefits of the project at all scales. Partitioning the benefits at global, regional and national scales poses problems in the context of incremental cost calculations since the benefit itself cannot be valued in purely monetary terms. In the context of international waters therefore, interventions addressing transboundary environmental issues and concerns are considered wholly incremental.

The global importance of the South China Sea is unquestionable, since it has long been recognised as the centre of the Indo-West Pacific Biogeographic Province which is itself recognised as the global centre of shallow water marine biodiversity. In addition, the South China Sea provides 10% of the world’s fish catch and the countries supply 66% (in 1994) of world aquaculture production. These resources are currently under stress with most finfish resources being exploited at or above the levels of sustainability. The growth in aquaculture production, from 46% in 1984 to 66% in 1994 has taken place at the expense of coastal habitats of global significance such as mangroves, whilst intense fishing pressure and the use of destructive techniques are altering the stability and productivity of marine ecosystems and habitats. Conserving such habitats provides global environmental benefits in terms of protecting the high biological diversity found in this region.

Quantifying the environmental benefits in dollar terms is difficult, however the framework Strategic Action Programme developed during the PDF-B phase makes such an attempt based on an analysis of the consequences of a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario in which it is assumed, for example, that the current rate of habitat loss will be maintained. It is estimated that if the targets of the SAP are met then the economic value of the mangroves saved by intervention will be 0.9 billion US $, by 2010. Without intervention all mangrove is likely to be lost from the margins of the South China Sea by 2025. 

The figure of 0.9 billion dollars however does not reflect the economic value of the global environmental benefits, rather the regional, transboundary and national economic benefits. Three major difficulties were encountered in valuing the environmental benefits, firstly individual species conserved cannot be assigned a monetary value; the determination of economic values of ecological functions of natural systems is contentious and in many instances derived values cannot be transferred; and the data available are inadequate. For example current estimates of the extent of mangroves on the margins of the South China Sea vary by as much as 30% reflecting inadequate survey data and differences at the national level, in definition of this habitat.

Regional & National (domestic) benefits

National Benefits from this activity are of two types: those that relate to the improvement in the condition of the environment under national jurisdiction; and those that relate to improvement in the national capacity to manage and control the adverse environmental impacts of economic activities.

Regional benefits are also of two distinct types: those relating to the mitigation of transboundary environmental impacts such as loss of fish spawning and nursery habitats that serve as a source of propagules for fisheries elsewhere in the region or as habitat for endangered species; and those resulting from adoption of an harmonised regional approach to action. 

This duality of benefits at both the national and regional level is reflected in the activities proposed under the SAP that focus on development of regionally agreed frameworks for action to address the priority regional and transboundary environmental issues and concerns, and the implementation of demonstration projects in selected sites throughout the region. The activities under each habitat sub-component will result in an agreed priority listing of areas for management intervention. In total 9 habitat related demonstration activities will be initiated, together with a few selected demonstration activities of alternative courses of action to mitigate selected land-based sources of pollution. The total costs for all demonstration activities is 16 million dollars or 48% of the total project costs. Of this total 6.1 million or 38% is derived from the GEF based on an estimation of the direct regional and transboundary environmental value of the 9 interventions. The ‘demonstration’ value of these activities has not been evaluated at this time since they  can only be fully estimated once the activities have been completed and their self replication without GEF intervention demonstrated.

The value of a regional approach to harmonisation of actions is demonstrated in part by the following example from the case of pollution. All countries have some form of water quality, and discharge standards, often reflecting in part the comparative importance of pollution as a problem within the national context. Where a country of low importance from the perspective of the total pollutant loading of the South China Sea imposes stricter standards than a major polluter they place themselves at an economic disadvantage whilst contributing little to the maintenance of the health of the South China Sea marine environment. 

For some countries marine pollution is not a major problem, for others it is, and from the perspective of the South China Sea as a whole the TDA would suggest that transboundary pollution issues are of lesser importance that habitat loss and over-fishing. The marine discharge from countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and peninsular Malaysia, occurs along coastlines with little or no continental shelf and high flushing rates. In contrast discharges to areas such as the Bay of Tonkin and the Gulf of Thailand which are semi-enclosed have a significant transboundary component and pollution impacts are measurable in these areas at this time.  It is not possible to state categorically whether the total pollutant loading in the South China Sea as a whole is having an environmental impact at the basin scale. Past experience in the case of the Black Sea and Mediterranean suggests that such basin scale effects may well occur in the future, hence the actions proposed to address marine pollution are predicated on the need to establish harmonised preventative approaches to discharges that will provide future protection of the basin, in line with the internationally accepted ‘precautionary principle’. 

Baseline actions

All participating countries have initiated actions at the national level to address environmental problems of national importance and have collaborated in, and contributed to, various regional endeavours including the work of the FAO, UNEP and the IOC at a regional level. Over the last five years the number of collaborative programmes involving two or more countries within the region has increased significantly, demonstrating the recognition by participating countries of the need for a more concerted approach to environmental management within the region. 

At a national level all countries have sought over the last decade to strengthen their national capacity for sound and sustainable management of the marine environment. Following the past emphasis on assessment of problems, significant experience has been built up at a national level. In some instances however, countries have been unable to devote sufficient resources internally to developing such capacity hence the stage of development varies widely from country to country. Assessing the national baseline for all 7 countries is therefore a task requiring more extensive analysis of current investment patterns than has been possible during the PDF-B phase. 

Valuing such past, baseline activities at the national level, is a difficult if not impossible task, however, contributions to specific regional activities provide an indicator of commitment to regionally co-ordinated action. Whilst not considered part of the baseline for this project both the World Bank/GEF project on the Mekong River and the UNDP/IMO/GEF Project on the East Asian Seas receive substantial baseline support from the countries involved in the present project demonstrating the nature of countries commitment to concerted and co-ordinated action. In the case of the countries participating in COBSEA, contributions to the costs of regional co-ordination, discounting activities and actions, total around a quarter of a million dollars annually. Part of the project appraisal phase will involve a more detailed analysis of the national level actions that can be directly integrated into the proposed project hence the level of baseline funding by the countries concerned can be expected to be increased in the final project document.

Important on-going regional initiatives such as the work of the Informal Working Group on the South China Sea, to which the countries all contribute directly and indirectly, can be considered as baseline for the project. These are listed in this proposal as co-financing and associated financing since the objectives of the two activities are coincident in the objective of strengthening regional co-operation in the management of the environment of the South China Sea.

Incremental actions

The present project adds significantly to the ‘regional baseline’ enabling the countries to accelerate the time-line for finalisation of a costed and targeted programme of action, the Strategic Action programme. Completion of the SAP is unlikely to occur in the absence of a GEF intervention, since the level of funding currently available for regional co-ordinated action is insufficient to deal with immediate environmental issues and crises, let alone longer term planning and management. 

The question arises however, as to whether the costs of the regional activities proposed in this project (Components 1, 2 & 3 in part and 4 in full) represent additional baseline or, truly incremental costs. Since these regional components build on existing national and regional actions, both past and ongoing they may be considered complementary and therefore from a GEF perspective entirely incremental.

Components 1, 2 and 3 include actions at the national level and it is for these components that the largest national contributions in terms of co-financing are expected since these actions are anticipated to bring significant national benefits. In the case of selection of demonstration sites only those identified as being of transboundary significance will be considered to be eligible to receive the GEF funding allocation under this project.

The development of national action plans under each component for the implementation of the SAP when finalised, will involve significant co-financing from participating countries in terms of the commitment of inter-ministry teams to their development, and the required detailed analysis of current government investment and spending patterns. The development of such plans is seen as a legitimate incremental cost in that they must be developed in such a manner as to conform to the regional requirements of the Strategic Action Programme.

Annex B
Logical Framework Matrix
Project Planning Matrix	
Summary	Objectively Verifiable Indicators	Means of Verification	Critical Assumptions and Risks	
Overall Objectives				
	Improved regional co-ordination of the management of the South China Sea marine and coastal environment	
Finalised Strategic Action Programme (SAP)	Adoption by an Intergovernmental meeting of COBSEA (Mtg. Rpt.). 	Elaborated SAP will be accepted by the participating Governments. This assumption seems likely to be met since agreement was reached on the framework during the XIII th meeting of COBSEA.	
	Improved national management of the marine and coastal habitats	Development and Adoption of up to 7 National Action Plans in support of the regional SAP	Adoption of NAPs by National Governments and integration into sustainable development planning. 	That governments will develop and adopt NAPs. This assumption is likely to be met since the approved framework SAP contains specified actions for development of such plans.	
	Improved integration of fisheries and biodiversity management in the South China Sea	Agreement on joint priorities for regional action between the government representatives attending COBSEA and an appropriate meeting of the FAO regional commission.	Adoption by Governments of goals and objectives relating to fisheries and environment (Mtg. Rpts.).  	That governments support more integrated approaches at national level to management of fisheries and environmental issues. This assumption presents a higher risk than those outlined above due to inherent sectorial approaches at the national level. The inter-ministry committees will play a critical role in reducing this risk.	
Outcomes				
	Adoption of improved mechanisms for regional co-operation in the management of the environment of the South China Sea	Finalisation of agreements on mechanisms for improving regional co-operation at an intergovernmental level. Increased support for regional co-operative mechanisms.	Adoption by a high level intergovernmental meeting of an agreed legal framework for co-operation. Increased government contributions to regional trust funds.	That political & unresolved territorial claims may distract from the primary target of achieving improved regional co-operation. The extent of this risk cannot be fully evaluated however it is considered to be low to medium and subject to events outside the control of the project.	
	Jointly agreed actions relating to fisheries and environment	Development of regional management plans to establish a system of refugia to maintain important transboundary fish stocks.	Adoption by appropriate intergovernmental fora of a regional management plan (Mtg Rpts of EAS/RCU & FAO)	That joint agreement can be reached between environment and fisheries ministries at the national level. This assumption presents a higher risk than the others given the sectorial approach to fisheries and environment at national government level.	
	Adoption of the SAP at a regional level	Finalisation of the SAP through the work of regional task forces of experts	Adoption of the SAP by a meeting of COBSEA (Mtg. Rpt.)
Publication of the SAP by the EAS/RCU	That the SAP can be finalised in a manner acceptable to the Governments. This assumption seems likely to be met since the framework for the SAP has already been approved by governments.	
	Acceptance of the TDA and SAP at a National level	Inclusion of transboundary and regional considerations in the National Action Plans	Adoption of NAP’s containing such elements (Nationally Published NAPs)	That governments will include regional considerations in their assessment of National priorities for action. This assumption seems likely to be met given existing national commitments to regional action under the East Asian Seas Action Plan.	
	Implementation of components of the SAP	Development & adoption of regional guidelines and standards for various sources of pollution. Development of criteria for selection and adoption of priority areas for: habitat management; protection as refugia for fish stocks; Hot Spots of regional & transboundary significance.	Endorsement by appropriate meetings of COBSEA (Mtg. Rpt.)
Endorsement of the criteria by regional expert meetings and adoption of the priority listing at national and regional level (Mtg Rpts.)	Governments will agree and adopt the priority listing of pollution hot spots at national and regional level. This assumption will likely be met since the TDA has identified the 36 regional hot spots through the national reports prepared as part of the TDA preparation process.
Governments will agree and adopt the priority listing of habitat areas fro improved management at national and regional level. This assumption presents a slightly higher risk in that discussion of specific areas fro protection and sustainable management has not yet commenced.	

Logical Framework Matrix continued
	Regional database for planning and management	Development of comparable national data and information sets by each participating country	Publication of meta-data catalogues and inclusion of plans for data management as a component of national management plans	Limitations of capacity at a national level pose a significant risk in some countries. The project is designed to maximise inter-country exchange of expertise and to support the work at national level.	
Results				
	7 sets of national management plans for 4 specific habitats	Preparation and publication of 7 sets of national management plans.	Adoption of the management plans by national governments (Mtg. Rpts. Publication by the EAS/RCU)	That management plans can be drafted that are acceptable to national governments. This assumption is likely to be met since the development of such guidelines plans was agreed as a component of the SAP	
	7 national databases for 4 specific habitats	Establishment of operational capacity for data management	Adoption of the data management function by department of environment	That insufficient support will be provided by governments. This risk is low since in a number of cases such capacity already exists	
	Adopted portfolio of priority habitat projects within the region	Preparation of a draft portfolio by task teams and expert groups	Presentation to and adoption by a meeting of COBSEA	That agreement can be reached between governments on the regional priorities. This risk seems low since the framework SAP calls for development and adoption of such regional priorities	
	7 national and one regional management plan to establish a system of refugia to maintain important transboundary fish stocks 	Preparation and publication of 7 national and 1 regional management plan	Adoption of the regional plan by appropriate expert group and intergovernmental meetings of environment and fisheries ministries (Mtg. Rpts. plus publication by the EAS/RCU)	That a regional plan can be drafted that are acceptable to national governments. This assumption is likely to be met since the development of such a regional plan was agreed as a component of the SAP	
	Educational and Public awareness materials on sustainable fisheries practices and fish stock conservation.	Preparation and publication of materials in local languages	Use of the materials in workshops with local communities	That such materials can be disseminated in the mutliplicity of languages involved. This assumption is dependent upon governments active participation and past practice suggests that this presents a minimal risk.	
	Evaluation of a blast fishing detection devise	Published report of field test results of the effectiveness of a prototype as a deterrent 	Presentation of the results to a meeting of COBSEA	That Fisheries officers will be reluctant to participate in field testing. This is a low risk since blast fishing is a regional problem, banned in all countries.	
	Agreed regional priority listing of transboundary pollution hot spots 	Preparation of criteria, analysis and listing of priorities from among the 36 identified hotspots. Completion by countries of national evaluations of water quality objectives and standards. Priority portfolio of projects for investment studies or remedial action and preliminary cost benefit analyses.	Adoption of the priority listing of hot-spots at a regional expert and subsequent COBSEA (Mtg. Rpts). 
Adoption at national level of water quality objectives and standards.
Presentation of preliminary evaluation of costs and benefits of alternative actions to a partnership conference.	That agreed criteria can be developed and the resulting priorities accepted at a regional level. This assumption is likely to be met since the initial listing has been presented to COBSEA in the TDA.

That countries will agree to adopt water quality objectives and standards. This seems likely to be met since this is a target of the framework SAP adopted by COBSEA.	
	Regionally adopted water quality objectives, water quality and effluent standards 	Review of water quality data for the SCS sensitivity analysis of critical habitats and regional overview of transboundary movement of pollutants	Adoption at the regional level of water quality objectives and standards (Mtg Rpts & publications)	That countries can agree on common water quality standards for the South China Sea. The extent of the risk of non-agreement cannot be evaluated although agreement does exist to initiate such a process in the framework SAP.	
	Meta-database of national legislation relating to the environment of the South China Sea	Preparation of national reviews and presentation to relevant expert working group meetings	Publication of a metadatabse	That translations of appropriate legislation can be compiled according to the workplan and timetable. The extent of this risk depends in part on the volume of legislation involved but seems low.	

Logical Framework Matrix continued

	Regional review of countries obligations under global conventions	Preparation of a draft review and presentation to a relevant expert meeting	Publication of the review	None	
Components/Activities				
	Establishment of National working groups and preparation of 4 habitat specific data and information reviews; national reviews of restoration activities;  and national management plans	National data and info. management plans
National reports
Draft national management plans	Presentation of national reports to regional Task Force meetings	That governments will be slow to respond and that reviews and plans are not produced according to the workplan and timetable. Based on experiences in the PDF-B phase the timetable has been prepared to allow adequate time.	
	Establishment of regional task forces and preparation of regional management plans	Preparation of draft national guidelines regional plans and convening of expert and COBSEA meetings.
	Publication of regional outputs;
Mtg Rpts & publications	None	
	Determination of criteria, preparation of priority actions and investment portfolios	Preparation of drafts and convening of regional expert and subsequent COBSEA meetings according to the agreed workplan	Publication of regional outputs;
Mtg Rpts & publications	That countries will agree to select priority demonstration sites is an assumption likely to be met since this is an action approved in the framework SAP.	
	Implementation of 9 demonstration activities	9 Management plans for selected priority transboundary sites	Adoption of the priority listing and endorsement of the management plans for selected sites	As above	
	Prioritisation of regional and transboundary pollution Hot spots for management intervention	Development of criteria & impact analysis
Selection of priority hotspots & determination of management actions	Publication of criteria and listing of selected priorities	As above	
	Fisheries and Environment: identification of areas for protection and management for maintenance of stocks of transboundary importance.	Detailed Analysis of issues relating to transboundary stocks and joint resolution of priority areas for action	Publication of Analysis and priority areas for action	As above	
	Sustainability and implementation of the SAP	Development of economic evaluations; priority investment portfolios	Adoption of a regional approach to economic evaluation of environmental goods and services and priority investment portfolios.	An assumption is that national governments will take action at a national level to implement the recommendations. The risk associated with this assumption cannot be evaluated since this will depend on other national development and investment priorities. However through careful integration of the regional priorities into national action plans it is hoped that this assumption will be met.	
	Establishment of the Management Framework	Hiring of staff
Meetings of the Steering Committee
Donors Consultations	Issuance of contracts
Publication of Meeting reports
Mtg reports and donor investment	That staff can hired within three months of completion of the internal project document. 	
	Drafting of National Action Plans for the 4 critical habitats	Preparation of drafts according to an agreed timetable.	Adoption of National Action Plans by governments	It is assumed that governments will be willing to adopt such national plans an assumption which is likely to be met since this is an action specified in the framework SAP	

Annex C
STAP Roster Expert Review of the GEF Project Proposal:
Reversing Degradation Trends in the South China Sea

Professor Su Jilan
(Second Institute of Oceanography, SOA, Hangzhou, China)

Basis for the Proposal

	The South China Sea, as a part of the marine biodiversity rich Indo-West Pacific, is an area of global significance in shallow water biological diversity, which in turn supports an important world fishery.  At the same time the countries along its periphery are among the fast growing areas of the world, both economically and population-wise, with increasing pollutant discharges.  Unlimited fishing for demersal fish has resulted in the decline of the landings of many species and in the use of fishing practices destructive to the reefs.  Intensive shrimp-farm activities have resulted in rapid loss of mangroves and wetlands.  All these have exerted strong pressure on the marine environment and threatened the high biological diversity of the south China Sea.

	There are also a number of unresolved territorial disputes in this region which have hindered a basin-wide coordinated approach to deal with these issues effectively.  However there is also an increasing recognition among the countries in this region that cooperation in managing the marine environment is urgently needed and can proceed before the settlement of these disputes.

Goals and Expected Outcomes

	This project proposal aims to build at the regional level an environment of collaboration and partnership, in which stakeholders at all levels can join hands to address environmental problems of the South China Sea.  An important outcome of this project proposal is a strategic Action Programme (SAP) to be agreed on at an intergovernmental level.  The framework SAP has been developed over the last two years and will further elaborated in this project.  It shall encompassing targeted and costed action programmes, as well as recommended legal framework for improved regional cooperation in managing environmental concerns.

	The actions proposed in SAP are wide ranging in both context and areas.  The project is divided into four major components, namely, Habitat Conversion and Loss, Over Exploitation of Fisheries, Land-Based Pollution, and Regional cooperation.  In the first three components there will be both national and regional activities, resulting in management plans for specific issues.  Demonstration projects for these three components will be implemented at priority transboundary sites.

Comments

	Along with the rapid economic growth both the governments and the public in this region have become acutely aware of issues related to marine environment problems and sustainable development.  Many national projects have been undertaken to address these concerns.  Furthermore, with the help of both intergovernmental organizations and NGOs, bilateral and non-basinwide regional collaborative projects for related issues have also been embarked.  A good example is the IOC/WESTPAC Cooperative Study in the Gulf of Thailand which I myself was involved in its initial stage.  This study was initially promoted in 1993 at the Second Session of the IOC/WESTPAC but was not readily embraced by all parties concerned.  Subsequent efforts by local scientists, with related projects supported by SEAFDEC, SEAPOL and SIDA/SAREC, moved the study steadily along.  The study was adopted by IOC/WESTPAC in 1996 and is being implemented by active participation of the four countries bordering the Gulf.

	The above-mentioned example illustrates the existence of important on-going national and regional initiatives.  It also illustrates the awareness by the countries of the need for collaboration in addressing marine environment issues.  At the same time, as the preparatory works for this project proposal have found out, not all countries have collected data and information in a comparative manner, both in the amount of data and in the techniques and protocols of data collection.  Therefore, the project proposal comes in at the right time.  By building on and expanding from existing projects the proposal will bring together a number of stakeholders towards a common goal of addressing the basinwide environmental concerns for sustainable development.  A consortium of entities, both inter- and non-governmental, will be involved in its execution and thus ensuring quality outputs.  The collaborative actions initiated by this proposal should be able to be sustained once the stakeholders realize the significant benefit from such incremental actions.

	The only minor suggestions that I have on possible modification of the project proposal concern the clarification of a few of its definitions and statements.  I believe the proposal is focusing on basinwide environmental issues of the South China Sea, rather than limits itself to environmental issues of the South China Sea basin.  In other words, regions such as the Gulf of Thailand and Tonkin Gulf are included in this proposal's consideration.  Otherwise, for example, large parts of both the mangroves and wetlands around the South China Sea would be excluded from the proposal.  It would also be difficult to deal with transboundary fish stocks, most of which spend part of their life history in shallow water habitats.  If this understanding is correct, then the statement in Annex I about most countries' marine discharge occurring along coastlines with either or no continental shelf is not accurate.  In this connection I am also not sure that pollution is of less importance as stated in Section 3, since excessive nutrient discharge from both the agriculture and aquaculture are universal problems in estuaries and shallow waters nearshore.

 	Finally, the SAP to be elaborated in this proposal is certainly quite comprehensive and effective.  However, other than the transboundary fish stocks and the protection of coral reefs in the disputed waters, this does not mean that basinwide efforts are far more effective, although certainly more desirable, than sub-regional cooperation in pollution control or in the prevention of  habitat loss with respect to destruction of mangroves and wetlands, as seemingly implied in Section 3.

Annex C1

Implementing Agency Response to STAP/Council/Implementing Agency Comments

Council & Implementing Agency Comments:

Council comments are anticipated following the submission of the document to the May 1999 meeting of the Council. By the time of the bilateral and GEF Operations Committee meeting of 30th March 1999 no comments had been received from either UNDP or the World Bank. A few suggestions for amendment mad by the GEF Secretariat have been incorporated in the present document.

STAP Reviewers Comments:

Overall the STAP Roster Expert’s comments are strongly supportive of this project in terms of both the rationale and objectives, providing added examples in support of the need for this project.

UNEP agrees with the comments of the reviewer with respect to the nature of the area covered by the project as being basinwide environmental issues and has clarified the statements accordingly. UNEP further accepts the statements made by the reviewer regarding the importance of pollution in estuaries and shallow waters nearshore and has amended the text to accord with this view. In this context however it should be noted that much of the pollution impacts occur in near field (national) waters and consequently the project focuses on the identification of pollution ‘hot spots’ of regional  and transboundary significance.

Annex D

Root Cause Analysis:
Causes of Degradation of the marine environment 
of the South China Sea

Background:

The Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis for the South China Sea, was developed on the basis of National Reports prepared by inter-ministry committees and working groups in each country. The individual country reports were prepared from a national perspective and detail the national water-related environmental concerns and issues, together with an analysis of their causes and priorities for action at a national level. These priorities reflect a wide diversity of sectoral reviews and plans in each country and the reports in turn reflect this diversity of perspectives.

The transboundary Diagnostic Analysis, whilst it reflects the national perspectives as outlined in the national reports, attempts to provide a more regional and transboundary perspective by placing the countries of the South China Sea region into a global context, and by focusing on those issues of concern that were clearly of a transboundary nature or, of such widespread concern around the margins of the South China Sea that they constitute a regionally important source of environmental degradation.

Difficulties experienced in conducting the analysis

A number of generic problems arose during the course of this analysis. Firstly it was found that not all countries had collected data and information in a comparable manner, not only did the data reflect different monitoring protocols and analytical techniques but in some instances no data had apparently been collected for some parameters at a national level and in others it had been aggregated in a form that made it unsuitable for analysis. This was not unexpected since population data for example, are generally aggregated at a national level on the basis of administrative region or entity rather than on proximity to the coastline. 

Some more fundamental problems arose when it was discovered for example that regional estimates of the extent of major habitats varied by as much as 30%. The comparative importance between habitats, of rates of loss, is difficult to determine where the estimates of areal extent of the habitats vary to this extent. The final estimates used in establishing targets for the SAP are therefore a ‘best estimate’ by a group of experts from the region.

Root causes of environmental change in the South China Sea region

The analyses contained in the national reports and TDA identify a series of root causes of which the most important were identified as being:

•	the rapid growth in coastal populations, up to twice the national average in some cases;
•	the rapid economic growth experienced over the last decade;
•	the pace of industrialisation; and,
•	the influence of the globalisation of trade.

Accepting that the first of these causes is beyond the scope of a project of limited financing and short duration, and that the remaining three are likely to increase rather than decrease due to other political and social pressures the focus of attention in the analysis lies at a level above these ultimate causes. Thus for example, the major cause of mangrove loss in the region appears to be clearance for extensive shrimp farming that is driven by the world price of shrimp which encourages countries to increase production for export income. This constitutes a short term economic incentive at both the level of the individual producer and of the country itself, which ignores the longer term economic impacts that result from loss of mangrove ecological functions and productivity. The analyses could demonstrate no examples where environmental ‘externalities’ had been taken into consideration in decisions relating to development. In a number of instances it was noted however that development of extensive shrimp farms had occurred without any form of government intervention, regulation or control.

This example, serves to illustrate the nature of associated or secondary causes such as the failure to understand the environmental or economic consequences of mangrove clearance, combined with an inability at the national level to ‘value’ such impacts in a manner that would support more rationale planning and management of mangrove area development.

Major concerns and principal issues:

It is important to recognise that not all issues and concerns are of equal importance to all countries of the region hence the regional and transboundary focus of the TDA which highlights four major areas of concern namely:

•	Habitat Loss and Degradation;
•	Over-exploitation of living marine resources;
•	Pollution
•	Freshwater concerns.

Habitat loss and degradation

The principal habitats of concern in the South China Sea were identified as being mangroves, coral reefs seagrass beds and estuaries/wetlands all of which are of global significance both in terms of the biological diversity they support and their extent within the region. The driving forces for change and the immediate causes of loss and degradation in these habitats are quite different and are summarised below in order of importance.

Mangroves: Major causes of loss and degradation were identified as being: clearance for shrimp farming; clearance for wood chip and pulp; urban development and human settlement; and for domestic use in construction and for fuel.

Coral reefs: Major causes of degradation include: over-exploitation by the subsistence fisheries sector; use of destructive fishing practices; increased sedimentation; and pollution associated with coastal urban centres and coastal development including for international tourism. Associated issues include the exploitation of reef fish for the international aquarium trade and export of corals.

Seagrasses: Major causes of degradation include: over-exploitation by the fisheries sector; land reclamation and coastal development; and increased sedimentation. A number of specific issues associated with this habitat were also identified including exploitation of sea horses for traditional medicine (all countries except Cambodia) and direct exploitation for animal feed, an issue confined to Vietnam.

Estuaries and wetlands: Major problems associated with degradation of estuaries result from pollution since many estuarine areas are also centres of population. In contrast the primary cause of loss and degradation of coastal wetlands appears to be their conversion to alternative uses within the subsistence sector and over-exploitation of their associated living resources.

The transboundary consequences of habitat loss and degradation are numerous but the two most important include:

•	loss of globally significant biological diversity; and,
•	loss of spawning and nursery areas for fish and shellfish stocks and endangered and threatened species.

The transboundary driving forces include international tourism, and the world demand for marine products resulting in short-term economic incentives to convert coastal habitats for aquaculture.

Over-exploitation of living marine resources

The ultimate causes of over-fishing are of course the demand which exceeds the supply, both in the large scale commercial and subsistence sectors often resulting in conflict between these sectors. The use of inappropriate or destructive techniques and patterns of fishing exacerbates the problem but in the subsistence sector a high proportion of fishing communities are driven to over-exploitation in the absence of alternative livelihoods. Issues associated with over-fishing include losses due to by-catch particularly in the shrimp trawl sector, post harvest losses and degradation of the coastal environment, contributing to declining stock sizes for many demersal species.

The transboundary consequences include political conflict over access to the resources; impacts of the dominant fishing fleets on smaller national fishing fleets and conflicts between the subsistence and commercial sectors; loss and decline in biological diversity

Pollution

The ultimate causes of pollution include increases in coastal population density; increased food production in the agricultural sector; and increasing industrialisation. The proximate causes include inadequate waste water treatment whilst intermediate causes include inadequate standards and lack of capacity to monitor, regulate and control pollution discharge. A major contributing factor is the lack of financial resources to invest in actions addressing the causes at all levels. In analysing national information it was apparent that sources of waste ranked as follows: domestic; agricultural; industrial; poor land-use practices resulting in enhanced sedimentation; urban solid waste; hydrocarbons and ship-based sources; atmospheric inputs. It should be noted that data regarding the extent of these problems and their magnitude is of variable quality and generally inadequate for an objective, quantitative, ranking of importance.

A significant, though restricted transboundary issue related to pollution includes the trade in waste for disposal and/or recycling in the countries of the region with substantial tonnage of waste being imported to the countries of the region from developed nations.

A total of 35 pollution hot spots and 26 sensitive areas were identified from data contained in the national reports however the quality of the data precluded the development of a priority ranking from the regional and transboundary perspective. In the latter case a major constraint was the absence of adequate data regarding the fate, or impacts of present discharges in the marine environment. 

It seems likely on the basis of existing information that transboundary pollution related issues occur only in the case of those countries (primarily China and Vietnam) that share a common continental shelf and those surrounding the Gulf of Thailand. For all other regions of the South China Sea pollution problems are likely to be of purely national concern since pollutants and contaminants are discharged along generally open coastlines with little or no continental shelf. 

There exists no evidence at the present time to indicate that pollution is currently a basin wide problem in terms of the total load, although past experience in the Black, Mediterranean, North and Baltic Seas, suggests that basin scale problems may occur in the future if discharges continue unabated. There is clearly a need to assess the capacity of the South China Sea with respect to pollutant loading (particularly, nutrients) in order to develop an appropriate precautionary approach to discharges in the area. Present pollutant and contaminant discharges may have transboundary consequences in some of the identified “hot spots” and sensitive areas in terms of increasing the rate of habitat degradation in those habitats identified by the TDA as being of transboundary, global significance.

The data, information and evidence assembled during the preparation of the national reports and TDA were reviewed by experts from the region who ranked the importance of the concerns and issues as tabulated below.

Table 1 Ranking of water related environmental concerns and principal issues in the South China Sea.

Major Concerns	Score	Rank	Principal Issues	Score	Rank	
Habitat loss & degradation	18.5	1	Mangroves	21	1	
			Coral Reef	20	2	
			Seagrasses	17	6	
			Wetlands & Estuaries	16	7	
Over exploitation	17.5	2	Marine	19	3	
			Freshwater	16	7	
Pollution	14	3	Sewage	19	3	
			Freshwater Contamination	17.5	5	
			Agricultural loading	15	9	
			Industrial Waste	15	9	
			Sedimentation	14	11	
			Solid Waste	13	12	
			Hydrocarbons	12	13	
			Ship-based sources	12	13	
			Atmospheric	8.5	16	
Freshwater concerns	9	4		9	15	

Table 2	Summary of Proposed Targets taken from the Draft Framework Strategic Action Programme Dates in bold fall within the time frame for the completion of the GEF project
SAP Component
Sub-Component	Date	Target	
1.	Habitat Conversion and Loss	
1.1 Mangrove	2010	maintain 90% of the present (1998) area	
1.2 Coral Reefs	2010	maintain the area of coral reef with more than 50% live cover at the present (1998) level	
1.3 Seagrasses	2010	maintain at least 80% of the present (1998) area of seagrass in good condition	
1.4 Wetlands	2005	adopt management plans for all wetlands, excluding mangroves, with emphasis on wetlands in the coastal zone of the region.	
2.	Over Exploitation of fisheries	
	2005	determine regional catch levels of key economically important species according to levels that are economically welfare maximising, while still preserving the resource base	
	2005	establish a regional system of marine protected areas for fishery stock conservation and protection of endangered species	
	2005	prepare and implement at selected sites, a management system that will sustain the exploited resources	
3.	Land-based Pollution	
	2003	adopt regional water quality objectives, water quality standards, effluent standards for use in the region; prepare appropriate recommendations for mitigation measures for municipal, industrial and agricultural (including aqua-culture) activities	
	2003	develop guidelines for monitoring for coastal waters, taking into account already published guidelines	
	2003	determine principal pollutants in the region, estimate the carrying/assimilative capacity of relevant ecosystems for relevant pollutants - BOD, Nutrients, metals, sediments etc	
		Establish a regional contingency plan for SCS to handle incidents of oil and chemical or hazardous waste spillage	
	2004	develop a regional SCS Plan of Action for LBAs to meet regional water quality objectives	
	2005	identify 10 Priority Discharge Sites for action and develop appropriate mitigation activities	
	2005	develop regional funding mechanisms for mitigation activities	
	2006	initiate mitigation activities on the Priority Discharge Sites;	
	2008	review  recommended water quality standards in national legislation	
4.	Regional Co-operation	
	2001	further develop the SAP by holding national expert and intergovernmental consultation	
	2002	convene a high level meeting of government officials and experts to formulate a legal framework for regional cooperation for the protection and sustainable management of the marine and coastal environment of the South China Sea	
	2005	complete a draft agreement on the legal framework for regional cooperation for the protection and sustainable management of the marine and coastal environment of the South China Sea	

Annex E
List of Publications prepared under the PDF block-B grant entitled:
Preparation of a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and preliminary Framework of a Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea.

1.	Report of the First Meeting of National Co-ordinators for the Formulation of a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and preliminary Framework of a Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea, Bangkok, Thailand, 31 March – 4 April 1997 [UNEP(WATER)/EAS/SOUTH CHINA SEA/NCM.1/3]
2.	Report of the Second Meeting of National Co-ordinators for the Formulation of a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and preliminary Framework of a Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea, Bangkok, Thailand, 23-29 June 1998 [UNEP(WATER)/EAS/SOUTH CHINA SEA/NCM.2/3]
3.	Report of the Third Meeting of National Co-ordinators for the Formulation of a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and preliminary Framework of a Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-17 November 1998 [UNEP(WATER)/EAS/SOUTH CHINA SEA/NCM.3/3]
4.	Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis for the South China Sea, version 4 [UNEP South China Sea/TDA Version. 4]
5.	Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea, version 3 [UNEP South China Sea/SAP Version. 3]
6.	National Report for the Formulation of a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis for the South China Sea – Cambodia
7.	National Report for the Formulation of a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis for the South China Sea – China
8.	National Report for the Formulation of a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis for the South China Sea – Indonesia
9.	National Report for the Formulation of a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis for the South China Sea  –  Malaysia
10.	National Report for the Formulation of a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis for the South China Sea – Philippines
11.	National Report for the Formulation of a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis for the South China Sea – Thailand
12.	National Report for the Formulation of a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis for the South China Sea – Vietnam
13.	Report on Thirteenth Meeting of the Co-ordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) on the East Asian Seas Action Plan, Bangkok, Thailand, 18-19 November 1998 [UNEP(OCA)/EAS IG.]