NATIONS
United Nations
Envionment
Programme
UNEP/NOWPAP/POMRAC/
WG2 1/6
12 May 2004
Original: ENGLISH
Northwest Pacific Action Plan
Pollution Monitoring
Regional Activity Center
The First Meeting of NOWPAP POMRAC Working Group 2
(River and Direct Inputs)
Vladivostok, Russian Federation, 24-25 May 2004
WORKPLAN FOR NOWPAP WORKING GROUP 2
(RIVER AND DIRECT INPUTS)
1. Background
1.1. The Action Plan for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Northwest Pacific Region (NOWPAP) and three Resolutions were adopted at the First Intergovernmental Meeting (Seoul, Republic of Korea, 14 September 1994: UNEP(OCA)/NOWPAP/IG.1/5). Resolution 1 identified five areas of priority for implementation of the Action Plan, one of which was NOWPAP/3: Establishment of a collaborative, regional monitoring programme.
Following the decision of the 3rd NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting, the responsibility for NOWPAP/3 (Regional Monitoring Programme) was jointly shared by the Special Monitoring and Coastal Environmental Assessment Regional Activity Center (CEARAC) and the Pollution Monitoring Regional Activity Center (POMRAC) to carry out regional activities.
Following the results of discussions at the First NOWPAP/3 Meeting (Beijing, China, 21-22 May 2001), the 7th NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting (Vladivostok, 20-22 March 2002) approved the resolution 3 Para.6, “the demarcation of the responsibilities and activities between CEARAC and POMRAC as presented by the secretariat in document UNEP/NOWPAP IG.7/8”. Subsequently POMRAC was allocated with the responsibility to implement activities related to Working Group (WG) 1 - Atmospheric Deposition and WG 2 - Rivers and direct inputs.
The 1st Focal Points Meeting of POMRAC NOWPAP (Vladivostok, Russia, 9-11 April 2003) proposed that the main goal of WG 2 should be the assessment of river inputs to the seas in NOWPAP Region. Its activities were grouped as follows:
Assessment:
• Exchange of detailed national reports with the description of parameters measured, methods used, data formats, quality criteria, national policies, etc.;
• Review and evaluation of existing monitoring programs related to river inputs of contaminants into the coastal and marine environment;
• Identification of needs for improvement of existing programs and possible needs for new techniques;
• Preparation of the regional overview using data submitted by countries;
• Final products: regional assessment of river inputs to the seas and recommendations regarding future works.Prioritization:
• Identification and prioritization of required activities under this working group;
• Regional prioritization of parameters to be measured;Capacity Building:
• Inter-calibration exercise (using external funds as well)
• Training courses (using existing training centers/courses)
• Exchange of experts (back-to-back with WG meetings)Public Outreach:
Preparation of public awareness materials (e.g., for website, newsletter, or booklet).
2. Scientific substantiation related to the international program on monitoring for assessment of river and direct inputs of contaminants into the coastal and marine environment
River and direct inputs of contaminants is one of the basic ways of receipt of pollutants into the marine and coastal environment. Pollutants, in particular nutrients, trace metals and organochlorines negatively influence on human health, change chemical composition of hydrobiontes, disturb the functioning of ecosystem and reduce biodiversity.
In the countries of the NOWPAP region national systems of monitoring for assessment of river and direct inputs of contaminants into the marine and coastal environment are developed and operate. The integrated assessment of volumes of receipt of pollutants into to marine and coastal environment in the region as a whole is complicated with a number of factors, such as distinctions in analyzed parameters, methods of definition of concentration of substances, quality criteria, etc. In the various countries the majority of materials on river and direct inputs of contaminants is submitted in national languages (Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Russian) and has not been translated into English that also considerably complicates an exchange of the available information.
Assessment of the present state of the environment in the NOWPAP region and the forecast of its change under conditions of economic development of the countries of the Japan/East Sea and Yellow Sea basins are actual and necessary for the purposes of sustainable development of the region. In this connection organization of the international program on monitoring for assessment of the river and direct inputs of contaminants into the marine and coastal environment is an important direction of work within the framework of the NOWPAP program.
3. Objectives and functions WG2
(1) Objectives
Expert Workshop on Establishment of a Collaborative, Regional Monitoring Programme (NOWPAP/3) (Vladivostok, Russia, 1-3 July 1998) in Proposal for NOWPAP/3 Phase II recommended as the main task for WG 2 the practical establishment of a regional monitoring network for River inputs of contaminants (nutrients, trace metals, pesticides etc.).
The First NOWPAP/3 Coordinating Committee Meeting (Beijing, 21-22 May 2001) and the 7th Intergovernmental Meeting (Vladivostok, 20-22 March 2002) determined that t he objectives of WG 2 would be to promote smooth and effective coordination of activities related to the monitoring of river and direct inputs in the NOWPAP region .
The 1st FPM POMRAC proposed that the main task of WG 2 should be to establish a regional assessment program to evaluate the River and Direct Inputs of contaminants into the marine and coastal environment in the NOWPAP region.
The main objectives of the WG 2 are to:
(a) Exchange information to ensure practical implementation of activities related to the monitoring of River and Direct Inputs in the NOWPAP region.
(b) Promote, coordinate and harmonize regional cooperation in the NOWPAP region related to the monitoring of River and Direct Inputs into the coastal and marine environment .
(2). Functions
The functions of the WG 2 as an advisory body to POMRAC are to:
• Identify and carry out the cooperative actions in the NOWPAP region related to the m onitoring of the River and Direct Inputs.
• Promote information exchange and technical cooperation, including education, training and technology transfer in the fields related to m onitoring of the River and Direct Inputs.
• Review ongoing regional and national activities and advise POMRAC on necessary follow-up actions related to the m onitoring of the River and Direct Inputs.
• Advise POMRAC on necessary activities related to the goals and objectives of NOWPAP in the field of marine and coastal monitoring.
4. Workplan for the Working Group 2
(1) To estimate the present state of national monitoring networks, to generalize the data on the list of analyzed parameters and methods of assessment of the river and direct inputs of contaminants into the marine and coastal environment. For this purpose it is necessary to carry out the work on preparation and publication of national reports on systems of monitoring for assessment of river and direct inputs of contaminants.
(2) To carry out comparative estimation of monitoring systems for assessment of river and direct inputs of contaminants which operate in the countries of the NOWPAP region and to reveal the problems resulting from integrated assessment of river inputs of contaminants into the seas in the NOWPAP region which are caused by distinctions in analyzed parameters, methods of definition of contaminants concentrations, quality criteria, etc. Results of comparative estimation should be presented as the general/regional overview on monitoring of river and direct inputs of contaminants in the NOWPAP region. In the overview recommendations on decision making of the revealed problems should be given.
(3) T o develop the program of activities on decision making of the problems revealed in conducting integrated assessment of river and direct inputs of contaminants in the NOWPAP region. The basic directions of such a program should be as follows:
- improvement of the existing monitoring systems (including the capacity building and training activities);
- inter-calibration exercise, etc.
(4) Development of POMRAC website:
- Operative work of POMRAC and WG2;
- Database on publications devoted to monitoring of river and direct inputs of contaminants in the NOWPAP region;
- National programs of monitoring for assessment of river and direct inputs of contaminants (it is planned to develop on the basis of national reports);
- Basic methods of monitoring for assessment of river and direct inputs of contaminants (it is planned to develop on the basis of the regional overview);
- Modern data on river and direct inputs of contaminants in the NOWPAP region and the tendencies of their changes (it is planned to develop on the basis of the regional overview);
- Presentation of public awareness materials related to the results of monitoring in the NOWPAP region (it is planned to develop on the basis of the regional overview)
- Other international programs in the Asian - Pacific region devoted to assessment of environmental quality, including the programs organizing training-courses
(5) Together with MERRAC, CEARAC and DINRAC to prepare and publish general overview on assessment of the environment in the NOWPAP region. One of the sections of this overview should be devoted to the tendencies of changing of the environment which are planned to reveal on the basis of comparison of the modern data with those of the last decades.
The offered workplan is designed for four years from 2004 to 2007 and assumes the further development of the basic directions of activities