International Conference

Conveners

Plymouth Marine Laboratory – PML

Florida International University

Venue

TBC

Background

In this engaging workshop, we shall critically reflect on the impacts of large-scale coastal land reclamation in East Asia, building on the discussions and findings from the Session “A critical review of 25 years of land reclamation in East Asia” held at the 2018 EAS Congress Partnership Hub, co-organized by Florida International University, Xiamen University, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership and the UNDP/GEF Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Phase II Project.

This workshop sets the stage to evaluate the impact of three decades of land reclamation in the region, bringing together scientists and experts working towards understanding the socio-environmental consequences of land reclamation in nations of the East Asian Sea.

Various drivers lead to land reclamation, including economic, social and political progress. New land provision is often seen to benefit a country’s development potential. It has however also been widely reported that land reclamation can bring irreversibly-detrimental impacts such as to the livelihoods of local fishing communities, globally-migrating shorebird populations and a range of impacts on the marine environment, including causing loss or damage to coastal habitats and changes to the physical nature of the seabed. 

Coastal land reclamation has been widely implemented in many East Asian countries, especially over the three past decades with technological advances enabling faster, larger-scale reclamation often transforming the marine environment to an unprecedented degree. Experts on the impacts of large-scale coastal land reclamation in East Asia will share their latest findings and pose key challenges through presentations and engagement workshop respectively. The proposed experts include those working towards understanding the environmental consequences of land reclamation in the developing nations of the East Asian Sea as well as those covering various aspects related to the impact of land reclamation from political economy and legal and institutional developments to sociocultural and ecological and environmental impacts. 

The session aims to cover the entire East Asian seas region, trace the trajectories of major reclamation projects in the region, and attend to the major challenges in evaluating the many impacts of reclamation. 

This session will conclude with a comprehensive summary and list of priority areas concerning understanding the state of East Asia’s land reclamation with recommendations moving forward.

Program

14.00-14.05  Welcome and brief session intro (5 minutes)

Moderator: Dhritiraj Sengupta, Physical Geographer and Earth Observation Scientist , Plymouth Marine Laboratory

14.05 – 14.41 Setting the stage presentations 

Shifting rationales for coastal reclamation: From A Need to a Prestige (online presentation)

Young Rae Choi, Assistant Professor, Global and Sociocultural Studies Florida International University.

Mr. Ranjeet Singh (TBC), PEMSEA National Focal Point and Deputy Director of the International Policy Division at the Ministry of Sustainability, Singapore and permanent Representative of Singapore to UNEP.

The transformation of 40-year coastal wetland policies in China: network analysis and text analysis

Qinhua Fang, Professor of Coastal Management Science, Xiamen University.

Role of  Earth Observation and big data science in analyzing environmental impact of land reclamation

Abhishek Banerjee, Post-doctoral Fellow, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

14.41 – 15.23 Engagement workshop with experts

Facilitator: Dr. Dhritiraj Sengupta

35 min + 6 min 

Each expert will provide a brief 5 min intro and then followed by a challenge. 

Information regarding this session and the suggested challenges is proposed to be shared with all participants in advance.

1. Su Yin Chee (remote), Coastal and Marine Scientist and Senior Lecturer, Centre for Global Sustainability Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia.
2. Didit Eko Prasetyo, Deputy Director for controlling of Marine Spatial Planning, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia.
   
3. Dr. Qinhua Fang, Professor of Environmental Management Science, Xiamen University.
   
4. Dhritiraj Sengupta, Earth Observation Scientist, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK.
5. TBC.
6. Moon Suk Lee, Senior Research Scientist, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST).

The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) is proposed to be used to prioritize future initiatives and best practice on planning for minimal reclamation impacts in the East Asian region. 

This NGT workshop on impact of coastal land reclamation will engage diverse array of stakeholders, including scientists, policymakers, community leaders, and industry experts. Through structured brainstorming sessions, participants generated innovative ideas spanning environmental conservation, political scenarios, economic viability, community engagement, and technological innovation. Each idea will be meticulously documented and prioritized through transparent voting processes, fostering a sense of ownership and collaboration among participants. Facilitated discussions delved into the nuances of the top-ranked ideas, elucidating potential challenges and synergies to inform actionable strategies. By harnessing collective expertise and fostering consensus, the NGT workshop will lay the groundwork for coordinated efforts towards sustainable coastal land reclamation, ensuring a harmonious balance between ecological integrity and socio-economic development. This process is broken down into:

Provision is being made for a Padlet board for online participants for their contribution (TBC)

15.23 – 16.22

60 Min (6 challenges; 10 min open per challenge) 

1. After their brief introduction, each expert will provide one key challenge which will be visible on a power point slide for 5 mins (each single challenge will be open for 5 minutes).
2. These challenges are proposed for the audience to brainstorm on in groups and to provide their feedback or perhaps even proposed solutions/ways forward via physical post-it notes. 

16.22 – 16.45 

1. The facilitator will collect these notes and paste them into a white board/wall after each presentation.
2. The expertise of the panellists will be used to prioritise and sort the ideas provided by the audience.
3. A list of priority areas will be shared with the audience and in the final recommendations. 

16.45 – 16.55 Closing session 

The Moderator will summarize the lessons learned and recommendations going forward. Information generated in this workshop is also proposed to be shared with the participants of the workshop afterwards and to be made available online. 

16.55/17.00 End