Collaborative Research and Education Project in Southeast Asia for Sustainable Use of Marine Ecosystems (CREPSUM)

Summary of the project

Marine ecosystems in Southeast Asia (SEA) are characterized by high biodiversity and high productivity. More than 60% of the population in SEA live 60 km from sea, and human society has benefited from marine ecosystem services such as food supply, water purification, preventing tsunami damage and storms, aesthetic and spiritual services. Many different cultures are nurtured by services from healthy ecosystems. However, marine ecosystems have been degraded by regional human activities and global climate change. Impacts of anthropogenic perturbations are now obvious in various ways, such as marine heat waves, coral bleaching, plastic pollution, decreasing fishery production, and harmful algal blooms. These are looming threats for the sustainability of our society. Scientific community is requested from society to prepare best scientific knowledge in appropriate timing to make it possible science-based decision making for sustainable use of marine ecosystem services. However, our understanding of the status of the Southeast Asia marine ecosystem is still limited. To respond to the request from society, it is essential to progress marine science studies under international science collaboration and to advance capacity building including the transfer of marine science technology.

Scientists have been discussed and developed recommendation*,** on emergent scientific issues for sustainable use of marine ecosystem services in SEA. Based on the recommendation, we proposed a new project “CREPSUM” to the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), and the proposal was accepted to start the activity form April 2020 for 3-years. The project team was developed based on long-term collaboration of member countries, and more than 200 scientists join the CREPSUM from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam.

*: https://www.ws-seasdg14.com/

**:https://7273821a-594b-485a-a713-d3ef5661cfe0.filesusr.com/ugd/529df4_ae38a3fbb3774c97bccdc875a2539d58.pdf