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Turning marine science into regional policy is one of the hardest challenges, but from Mexico to Ecuador, the Pacific Central American Coastal Large Marine Ecosystem (PACA LME) is making it happen.

Through the Sustainable Pacific project, funded by Global Environment Facility, implemented by United Nations Development Programme - UNDP, and executed by WWF Mesoamerica, seven nations are shaping a shared Strategic Action Programme (SAP) to protect water quality, fish stocks, and marine biodiversity across their shared borders.

With national feedback workshops now kicking off across Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador, local stakeholders are taking true ownership of this strategy before seeking ministerial endorsement.

A lasting regional vision is built in every dialogue, technical agreement, and shared decision! 🤝

🔗 Read the full story and learn more: https://loom.ly/VRn5sjM

📢📢 Merín Lagoon Project is !

Are you passionate about sustainable water resources management and transboundary basin governance? Merín Project is looking for qualified experts to join their ongoing regional projects!

They are currently recruiting for three key positions:

📍 National Specialist in River Basin Governance (Brazil, Remote) | 11 months | 🗓️ Deadline: 07 August 2026
📍 Remote Sensing Specialist (Uruguay) | 5 months | 🗓️ Deadline: 11 August 2026
📍 National Specialist in River Basin Governance (Montevideo, Uruguay) | 11 months | 🗓️ Deadline: 19 August 2026

Check out the full job descriptions, selection criteria, and application details for each position here: https://loom.ly/FmAhPvQ

Don't miss out on these great opportunities!

"It's not too late to save reefs, but we have to amp up our engagement..."

We are delighted to celebrate Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, who was awarded the prestigious Darwin Medal at the 16th International Coral Reef Symposium in Auckland!

This lifetime achievement award recognizes his decades of pioneering science warning of climate impacts on ocean ecosystems.

His 50 Reefs study laid the foundation for the GEF Coral Reef Rescue Project, an initiative supported across the GEF International Waters community. Today, the project is actively working in 6 nations to safeguard climate-resilient coral reefs and the communities that depend on them.

As part of this effort, free online training courses and an interactive data portal are now available to ocean managers and practitioners worldwide!

👉 Read the full article here: https://loom.ly/w32ovs8

Yesterday, July 26, marked World Mangrove Day - a day to celebrate one of our planet’s ocean guardians.

Here's some good news: Recent satellite research reveals that decades of net mangrove loss have begun to reverse, shifting toward net gains. Protecting over 15 million people against storm surges and averting $65B+ in flood damage annually, mangroves are unequaled blue carbon powerhouses—storing up to 5x more carbon than terrestrial forests.

Global progress starts with local roots.

Take Barangay Bogtong in Palawan, Philippines, where over 1,200 residents rely on their local mangrove canopy as a "bioshield," nursery, and supermarket. After Typhoon Haiyan severely damaged local ecosystems, the community took action.

Supported by the GEF/UNEP/UNOPS South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand (SCS SAP) project, together with the Tagbanua indigenous community and local authorities, residents planted 30,000 mangrove seedlings. This effort fortified the Sagrada-Bogtong-Concepcion Marine Protected Area - safeguarding local fisheries, livelihoods, and endangered species like dugongs.

It’s community action like this that turns global conservation targets into real-world impact.

(Source: EarthDay)
📷 Nandhu Kumar on Unsplash

SCS SAP Project

And that's a wrap! We recently finalized the MSP Regional Training Workshop for the East Asian Seas in Bangkok, Thailand.

With escalating pressures on marine resources across East Asia, balancing sustainable economic growth with ecosystem conservation is critical, and strengthening regional capacity and collaboration remains essential to ensuring ocean planning is informed, inclusive, and resilient.

Co-organized by IW:LEARN, MSPglobal, and the SCS SAP Project, in collaboration with UNEP COBSEA, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, and GRID-Arendal, this three-day workshop brought together marine spatial planning practitioners, government representatives, regional organizations, academia, and GEF IW project partners.

💡 Key Highlights:

✅ Hands-on tools - especially the MSP Challenge board game - were a clear crowd favorite, giving participants a realistic platform to negotiate spatial allocations and simulate complex ocean management decisions.

✅ Discussions emphasized that successful MSP relies on strong cross-sectoral collaboration, showcasing practical methods for integrating MSP and sustainable blue economy approaches directly into the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis / Strategic Action Programme (TDA/SAP) process across Large Marine Ecosystems.

✅ Participants explored technical approaches to align national and regional MSP initiatives with broader frameworks, including the Action Framework for Accelerating Marine Spatial Planning in the Western Pacific (2025–2030).

Moving forward, participant feedback underscored a clear demand for expanding interactive formats, incorporating real-world field case practice, and continuing to build practical bridges between planning theory and implementation.

A huge thank you to all participants, facilitators, and partner organizations who contributed to the success of this workshop and to advancing Marine Spatial Planning across the East Asian Seas! 🌊

That’s a wrap on Day 1 of the Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) Training Workshop in Bangkok! Today, participants from across the East Asian Seas gathered to dive deep into the fundamentals of MSP to help safeguard the region’s rich marine biodiversity, foster sustainable blue economies, and address escalating pressures on ocean space.

Here's what we did today:
✅ Interactive learning and strategic decision-making using the MSP Challenge board game, tailored to regional needs.
✅ Exploring ecosystem-based management and integrating climate resilience and biodiversity into planning practices.
✅ Connecting with project leads, government authorities, and regional experts to share valuable national insights.

A huge thank you to all the participants for their energy, ideas, and active participation!
Looking forward to Day 2 as we explore practical approaches for integrating MSP and the sustainable blue economy into transboundary action.

Co-organized by IW:LEARN, MSPglobal, and the SCS SAP Project, in collaboration with UNEP COBSEA and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO WESTPAC.

📣📣 Register to an online course on Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus 📣📣
Developed under the GEF/UNEP-MAP MedProgramme by GWP-Med, Cap-Net, and UNEP-DHI, this self-paced training helps you break down sector silos and build climate-resilient solutions.

Course highlights:

✅100% Free and self-paced: 4 flexible modules (~4 hours each).
✅ Real-world Mediterranean case studies on governance, climate adaptation, and financing.
✅ Download your official completion certificate at zero cost.

🔗 Start learning today: https://loom.ly/VbVWPRA

Day 3 kicks off with the 2nd Data and Information Management (DIM) Workshop!

Today, Large Marine Ecosystem ( ) and Area Beyond National Jurisdiction ( ) project managers are coming together with global partners to talk about the future of ocean data. The goal of this meeting is to streamline, improve, and sustain data across the entire marine portfolio.

Key focus areas today:
🔵 Scaling up regional data systems (featuring insights from MedProgramme, PROCARIBE+, and SEA:LEARN)
🔵 Navigating the future and ethical use of AI tools in ocean data
🔵 Developing a core set of portfolio-wide DIM recommendations

Stay tuned for more key outcomes frrom this intense meeting!