The priority frameworks for implementation by the MRCWG are the Seoul Ocean Declaration (2002), the Revised MRCWG Strategic Framework (2005) and the Bali Plan of Action (2005).

The 2nd Ocean-Related Ministerial Meeting (AOMM 2) held in Bali from 16-17 September 2005 provided an opportunity for APEC Ministers to give a more focused level of commitment to marine issues. The resulting Bali Plan of Action (BPA) has served as the key document for both the MRCWG and the Fisheries Working Group (FWG) in framing the work of their work for the period of 2005-2009 in the lead-up to the planned 2010 APEC Oceans Ministerial Meeting.

Specifically, the BPA identified the following concrete activities and deliverables for the MRCWG in the near to medium-term:

• Ensuring the sustainable management of the marine environment and its resources;

• Understanding oceans, seas and coasts - through better observation and data collection, as well as developing a clearer understanding of the value of the marine sector;

• Managing the marine environment sustainably - through priority initiatives on ecosystem-based management, marine pollution, marine invasive species, and coral reefs and other vulnerable areas;

• Enabling Sustainable Development of Coastal Communities

• Enabling integrated management - through the development of outreach tools that would increase the awareness and involvement of coastal communities;

• Hazard mitigation - through increasing coordination, expansion and maintenance of multi-hazard capabilities for disaster reduction at the domestic, regional and international levels.

• Post-natural disaster rehabilitation and planning - through increased coordination with related APEC fora and established warning systems and the development of integrated plans and income-generating programs for coastal zone rehabilitation.

The 21st Annual Meeting of the APEC Marine Resource Conservation Working Group (MRCWG) was held on 15-16 April 2008, in Piura, Peru. The meeting noted the Report on the Stock-take Workshop on the Bali Plan of Action (BPA) held in Manado (Indonesia) and reiterated the important guiding role played by the Bali Plan of Action in framing the work of the MRCWG for the period of 2005-2009. Thirteen economies submitted reports highlighting national programs, policies and activities to develop, manage, protect and conserve marine and coastal life and resources as well as small island environments. Economies also shared their experiences in the challenges, limitations, as well as opportunities they encountered in the process.

Six potential projects were also discussed. These included:

• The US project to identify best practices in ecosystem-based management practices;

• Australia's initiative to develop a practical framework for trans-boundary marine conservation;

• Peru's proposal to develop indices to examine the impact of Climate Change on marine resources in the Pacific Basin;

• Chinese Taipei's follow-on capacity building project to assist economies to use satellite images to interpret the impact of oil spills on coral health;

• Indonesia's capacity building initiative to share best practices on how small islands could adapt and mitigate the impact of a rise in sea level due to climate change; and

• Chinese Taipei's initiative to host the 10th Roundtable Meeting to share experiences and develop strategies against the negative impact of climate change marine and chemical pollution.

The MRCWG identified the priority issues for 2008/2009 which include the adoption of an integrated ecosystem-based approach (EBA) towards the management of marine activities as well as examining ways to mitigate the impact of climate change.

The 7th Joint session of the APEC Fisheries Working Group (FWG) and Marine Resource Conservation Working Group (MRCWG) was held on 18 April 2008. During the meeting, participants updated one another on developments and discussed areas for further collaboration. This included Peru's project proposal for a joint MRCWG-FWG project to develop tools for an EBA towards marine management.

Projects

In an acknowledgement of the importance of this area, the 2008 APEC Senior Officials ranked the protection of marine and coastal resources highly in the 2008-2009 ECOTECH priorities.

There are currently seven ongoing projects from the MRCWG for 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 which have been endorsed for APEC funding:

• Understanding the Economic Benefits and Costs of Controlling Marine Debris in the APEC Region - Proposed and overseen by Australia And co-sponsored by Indonesia and Chile, and with inputs from the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), this project will involve the collation and analysis of existing data to create an economic model which accurately assesses the direct and indirect impact of marine debris on communities, governments, and specific industry groups.
• Marine Eco-system Identification and Mapping in the Asia-Pacific Region - Proposed and overseen by USA and co-sponsored by Korea, Mexico, Philippines and China, this two-part project aims to provide economies with an accurate, up-to-date understanding of the marine ecosystems and resources as well as the necessary legal and administrative support so as to ensure a sustained production potential.
• Tsunami Preparedness and Resilience through research, extension, education and training - Proposed and overseen by Indonesia And co-sponsored by the USA and Thailand, this project aims to review: 1) Mangrove rehabilitation; 2) coastal vegetation planting; 3) livelihood activities of coastal women; and 4) coastal community education in Indonesia.
• Satellite Application in Knowledge-based economies Parts I and II - Proposed and overseen by Chinese Taipei and co-sponsored by Indonesia and Viet Nam, this project aims at building up the capacity of developing APEC economies to use high-resolution satellite images to study the local bio-system so as to better plan and monitor marine-related ecotourism, coastal developments; near-shore marine-culture industries; as well as marine parks in remote areas.
• Development of an APEC Strategy on Sustainable Aquaculture - Proposed and overseen by Chile and co-sponsored by Indonesia, Peru and Australia, this project involves two workshops to identify the environmental principles and policies used in sustainable aquaculture administration.
• Capacity building workshop on Petroleum-based Organic Chemicals and Marine Environmental Safety - Proposed and overseen by Korea and co-sponsored by Australia and Canada, this workshop aims to assess, adapt and develop suitable analytical methodology for marine environmental studies so as to effectively address marine environmental problems.