Our seas and oceans of today are not as safe and secure as before. In addition to the threats to food security, loss of livelihoods, increased risks to public and ecosystem health which resulted in economic loss and social disorders, the upsurge of sea piracy and recent maritime terrorism threaten human lives, and created political and social instability in many parts of the world. These threats are brought about by severe degradation of the environmental conditions, loss of habitats, diminishing biodiversity, frequent occurrence of red tides, oil and chemical spills, and accidents and crimes at sea. In many ways, these threats are interlinked and closely associated with the political, social, and economic conditions of the world today.

　

 The seas and oceans are interconnected and so are the people and the countries they represent, underscoring their political, socioeconomic, cultural and ecological connectivity. Our seas and oceans cover 70% of our planet Earth. It is the physical, chemical and biological interactions that maintain the primary productivity of the marine ecosystems which in turn generate and sustain the goods and services that benefited human beings from time immemorial. Such benefits would soon be depleted or lost if our seas and oceans are not safe and secure.

　

 Securing the ocean requires a holistic and integrated management approach and should take on emerging challenges including changing consumption and use patterns, globalization of maritime trades, changing perceptions and values and new political and military initiatives after the Cold War ended. The need for a holistic approach is even greater today than before as world attention on sea piracy and maritime terrorism overshadow the even more severe day-to-day pollution of our seas and oceans.

　

 Whilst stressing the concept of one planet and one ocean, efforts to securing the ocean need to take a regional perspective in order to increase the effectiveness of ocean governance. Our ocean is made up of several regional seas, each has its own political, socioeconomic and ecological characteristics requiring specific or a common management regime. This paper focuses on the East Asian region where the seas, long been a source of human needs and inspiration, are now vulnerable to the rising threats of unscrupulous human activities.

　

 The Seas of East Asia pose strong challenges to the maintenance of ocean security. The semi-enclosed seas, surrounded by countries with diverse but interconnected political and cultural practices, socioeconomic conditions and ecological characteristics, have become a global hotspot wherein the life support systems are influenced by various political, social and economic vulnerabilities. The region is not only subjected to differences in political practices but also conflicting claims of national sovereign rights over the use of the natural resources and territories. The boundary disputes in the South China Sea, the shared-fish stock issues of the Gulf of Tongkin, the conflicting claims issues of the East China Sea and the rampant sea piracy and changing maritime terrorism in the Straits of Malacca (Valencia, 2004), coupled with the increasing military tensions in the Taiwan Straits, underscore the significant political and military vulnerability of the region.

　

 Economic disparity amongst countries in the region also has a strong bearing on the security of the oceans. The countries bordering the Seas of East Asia are in different stages of economic development with total GDP ranging from 4 Billion to 4 Trillion US Dollars (World Bank, 2004). Their economic and social dependence on the seas also vary, ranging from production of food and livelihood opportunities for most of the poorer nations to offshore exploration of oils and minerals, maritime trades and deep sea exploration amongst the richer ones.

　

 The region has a large human population of no less than 1.9 million people, 77% of them are estimated to live within 100 km from the coasts. Many coastal settlements have grown and some developed into major cities, now counted amongst the most populated in the world. Two more megacities (>10 million people) are expected to join the existing 6 cities within the next 15 years or so.

　

 The region's population certainly has created a substantial human ecological footprint but the PEMSEA's Report (in press) stressed that other factors have also come into play. The "East Asian economic miracle" was sustained for over three decades, dramatically changing the region's consumption and use patterns. Rising global demand for fishery and aquaculture products has been largely met by exports from the East Asian Seas, despite major adverse environmental impacts through overfishing, deforestation of mangroves, and the destruction of the coral reefs, seagrass beds and other habitats.

　

 The financial crisis in 1997-1999 aggravated the social vulnerabilities in many countries of the region. The Report explained that "the economic contraction affected the lives of millions through falling incomes, rising absolute poverty and malnutrition, declining public services, threats to educational and health status, increased pressures on women, and increased crimes. Nevertheless, links between improved environmental management and economic development are still not well appreciated by policy-makers and decision-takers in both the public and the private sectors. This reflects the political climate of the region, as competitiveness and conflicts among countries and their economic sectors have tended to overshadow the uncertainties regarding environmental impact and sustainability."

　

 With the current rate of habitat degradation, the region's coral reefs face total collapse within 20 years while mangroves could be totally depleted in 30 years. The pressures are further exacerbated by the rising population especially when it combines with persistent poverty, inadequate capacity and lack of political will to manage the situation.

　

 The future looks bleak as the Report added that "if current trends in resource depletion are not reversed, the social fabric of many countries could dramatically deteriorate over the next 50 years. Food security would be undermined as fish stock decline and supply of marine products crash due to unsustainable take, destructive practices and habitat degradation; economic dislocation would result for those whose jobs are related to the coastal and marine environment when the environment is no longer able to generate sustainable livelihoods; public health would be compromised by toxins in edible marine products and by the increased contamination of fresh and marine waters; and the overall vulnerability of the people, especially the poor, who rely on natural resources for food and subsistence, would be worsened."

　

 The task of securing the Seas of East Asia requires a balanced approach in addressing the political, economic and social vulnerabilities in order to protect and preserve the life-support systems therein. Securing the Seas of East Asia calls for a concerted efforts of the peoples and countries and those of the user economies to minimize the above vulnerabilities.

　

 However, the main challenge though is the large disparity in capacities between countries of the region. It is challenging indeed to demand the poorer nations to comply with international instruments related to ocean security issues when they are not in the same level of playing field with their more affluent neighbors.

　

 Some isolated and uncoordinated national and international efforts to improve coastal and ocean governance of the Seas of East Asia have been initiated in the past with varying results. Many focused on sector management while concerted regional efforts to address transboundary issues remain unattended until a decade ago.

　

 National awareness and international initiatives in recent years have led to the development of a comprehensive Sustainable Development Strategies for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA; PEMSEA, 2003). The regional strategy was developed over a decade of collaborative efforts and consultation with concerned government and non-government sectors. All the twelve countries bordering the Seas of East Asia adopted the regional strategy and pledged their commitments to implement the strategy through the Putrajaya Declaration in 2003. The SDS-SEA has in fact provided a common framework and collaborative platform for securing the Seas of East Asia from further environmental, safety and security risks.

　

 Whilst the SDS-SEA is by far the most comprehensive and integrated regional plan of actions to implement the various provisions on Chapter 17 of Agenda 21, the Law of the Seas, the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), the challenge remains on how well the 6 strategies, 20 objectives and the 228 actions programmes are being implemented.

　

 The SDS-SEA is largely the product of the efforts of the countries of the region. It is spear-headed by the Partnership in Environmental Management of the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), which is a regional initiative supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). For the last decade, PEMSEA has evolved and played a crucial role in developing intergovernmental, interagency and intersectoral partnerships, forging synergies and linkages, promoting policy reforms and creating financing opportunities to improve the capacity of the region to collectively manage their common seas.

　

 To strengthen and sustain implementation of the SDS-SEA, the countries realized the need for a strengthened partnerships not only between the governments of the region but also the stakeholders as well, including those from the business sector, the media, the academe, the communities and members of the civil society. A Partnership Council will be established to enable a regular meeting of the concerned governments and with concerned partners from the non-government sectors to collectively review the progress, suggest improvements and solicit further support for the implementation of the SDS-SEA. A regular EAS Congress will be organized every three years to provide a regular forum for all partners to assess progress, monitor achievements and identify constraints relating to the governance of the regional seas.

　

 The regional stage is now set for actions. However, there are constraints as well.

　

 Firstly, there is a need to narrow the capacity gaps between central and local level of the government as well as between countries. Extensive national and regional efforts are necessary in capacity building to improve the technical capability in coastal and ocean governance.

　

 Secondly, there is a need to identify alternative sources of finance to fund the much needed environmental improvement infrastructures. Much of these financial resources are available with the private sector. Thus the involvement of the private sector in financing environmental investments is very critical especially in cleaning up the polluted seas.

　

 Thirdly, there is a need to create an informed public not only on the status of the regional seas but also on the root causes of threats including those of sea piracy and maritime terrorism.

　

 Fourthly, there is a need to maintain regular forum of experts / eminent people of the region to serve as the regional think tank to frequently assess existing or emerging issues that might affect the security of the Seas of East Asia, identify root causes, areas of conflicts, possible areas of consensus and ways and means to reduce regional conflicts which threaten the security of the region.

　

 Finally, there is a need for intensifying and sustaining advocacy efforts of the citizens of the region towards sustainable and peaceful use of the goods and services from their regional seas.

　

 PEMSEA and the Ship and Ocean Foundation (SOF) are already partners in the development of the SDS-SEA. The leadership role of SOF in promoting the new concept of ocean security is commendable and well appreciated. There are many areas of activities that PEMSEA and SOF could collaborate or undertake complementarily such as joint organization and conduct of the EAS Congresses.

　

 Some proposed activities described below could contribute and add value to the regional efforts towards securing the Seas of East Asia.

　

 The political, economical, social and environmental vulnerabilities of the Seas of East Asia argue for the need to ensure that regional dialogues between countries and stakeholders either formally or informally be maintained or strengthened. There are already several regional platforms where formal regional dialogues could be used. These include the various forums available under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) or ASEAN and its dialogue partners. Although issues related to specific environment, safety of navigation and maritime transport are being addressed, the ocean security agenda as defined under the new concept of Ocean Security has not yet been taken up.

　

 PEMSEA on the other hand provides a regional intergovernmental platform with special reference on coastal and ocean governance; it does not include national security issues in its current agenda. The Partnership Council concept proposed for the follow-on phase of PEMSEA shall provide a broad-based consultative framework for governments and the stakeholders of the region.

　

 Despite the above efforts, ocean agenda seldom reach the priority agenda of the governments. There is a need, therefore to maximize the power of advocacy to influence public opinion and mobilize public support for the protection and sustainable development of the regional seas.

　

　

 In the light of the above situation, it is proposed that an informal dialogue framework be established, composed of eminent people - men and women of East Asia who believe in the importance of the ocean and who are willing to champion and navigate the course for peaceful and sustainable use of the oceans for mankind. The dialogue framework is in the form of a regular forum for discussing existing and emerging issues that affects the security of the ocean with a purpose of improving better understanding and commitments between countries of the region thereby reducing conflicts and lessening emerging tensions that threaten the security of the ocean.

　

 The term "ocean" is used in its broad sense to cover all coastal seas. The term "ocean ambassadors" is used to stress the ambassadorial role in promoting friendship, understanding and collaboration between people and countries of the region. As water in the ocean has no physical boundary, ocean ambassadors play an important role in promoting cooperation across borders.

　

 The designation of the title not only connotes the relative significance of the role but also underscores the importance of the major constituent of our mother nature that deserves the accordance with the highest human esteem.

　

 The group will be made up of leading national political leaders, legislators, academe, business leaders and leaders of advocacy groups and other eminent personalities who are interested in the welfare of the oceans. These personalities will be decorated as ocean ambassadors in their personal capacities.

　

　

 A non-governmental ocean think tank is also proposed for promoting exchanges of ideas and views amongst key strategists and experts on ocean affairs on current and emerging issues related to security of the Seas of East Asia.

　

 It will be a small group of experts who will meet regularly to brainstorm on the changing political, economic, social and environmental conditions on ocean security of the region. A case in point is the emerging issues that may arise from the realization of the construction of a canal (Yazhou Zhoukan, 2004) or an energy land bridge (Crispin, 2004) across the Kra Penisula in Thailand. The proposed projects, if implemented might have strong political, military, economic, social and ecological implications. These controversial projects might lead to political and economic realignments and could result in regional and international disputes. Certainly, this is a subject requiring extensive consultation and advice. The Regional Ocean Think Tank can therefore be an appropriate informal forum for deliberations and debates.

　

 The success of the proposed informal forum depends very much on the ability to bring together a group of eminent persons of the region who are knowledgeable about ocean security and who care for protecting the ocean heritage. Equally important is the availability of financial resources to sustain the functions of the Regional Think Tank as well as the dissemination of experts' opinion to the policy makers.

　

　

 An ocean award scheme is also proposed to recognize the contributions of men and women who have made significant contributions in securing our oceans. Such an award scheme should be developed with the view of encouraging more champions from all walks of life to promote the security of the oceans and work towards their sustainable development.

　

 For years, there are many unknown people around the world who have been working silently and conscientiously in the sustainable development and preservation of the remaining ocean heritage. Such people deserve to be recognized for their work and sacrifices.

　

 The Ocean Award Scheme should be developed into a permanent feature and a set of selection criteria be developed.

　

　

 PEMSEA has successfully organized the EAS congress 2003 in Putrajaya, Malaysia in collaboration with several partners including the Ship and Ocean Foundation. The Congress is made up of a ministerial forum, several technical workshops, poster session, exhibits, and field visits. The success of the EAS Congress 2003 has lead to a commitment of the participating countries of PEMSEA to organize congresses at three years interval. The next congress, EAS Congress 2006, will be hosted by the People's Republic of China.

　

 The main features of the EAS Congresses are:

　

 The EAS Congress represent a major regular regional forum to maintain not only dialogues amongst policymakers of the littoral and user states but also amongst policymakers and business and scientific communities, media and other stakeholders of the region.

　

 However, for the Congress to be successful, both the voice of the governments and that of the stakeholders must be heard. Whilst policy forum are essentially formal and exclusive, there is a need to have a stronger advocacy group on ocean security at future congresses. It is therefore proposed that efforts should be made to use the EAS Congress as a regular forum to champion the cause for Ocean Security. The Ocean Ambassador Forum could then be organized as part of the Congress so that the views of stakeholders and advocacy groups could be fed to the policymakers in a timely manner.

　

 The battle to secure the Seas of East Asia is just the beginning given the management complexities and the changing political, socioeconomic, and environmental conditions. There is no quick and easy solution. But the common denominators for ocean governance remain the same everywhere, viz: political will, national capacity, wise use of financial resources, good science, stakeholder participation and most importantly, an informed public. Both national and regional dialogue frameworks are essential to enable the interaction and communication between stakeholders and to promote a stronger willingness of various sectors to work together.