Establishment

November, 1994 The International EMECS Center is established.
April 1, 2000 (approved by the Prime Minister of Japan)
May 7, 2001 (approved by the Ministry of Foreign Aﬀairs and theMinistry of the Environment)
March 1, 2012 (certiﬁed as a Public Interest Incorporated Foundationby the Prime Minister of Japan)

President

Motoyuki Suzuki

Chairman of Board

Motohiko Saito

Basic Property
Location

EMECS

1Approximately 1.2 billion yen (as of April, 2012)DRI East Bldg. 5F, 1-5-2, Wakinohama-kaigandori,Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 6510073 Japan

Objectives

The Center’s objectives shall be to construct an organized network
linking governments, researchers, companies, private citizens and otherentities to promote academic exchanges on an international level andconduct research, training and support activities, in order to conserve
existing enclosed coastal sea environments and create new ones andhelp create a society capable of sustainable development in whichhuman beings can coexist with the tremendous diversity of nature.

Activities

1. Gather and make available information relating to enclosed coastalseas
2. Conduct research into the conservation of existing enclosed coastal
sea environments and the creation of new environments
3. Implement training relating to the conservation of existing enclosed
coastal sea environments and the creation of new environments
4. Support activities relating to the conservation of existing enclosed
coastal sea environments and the creation of new environments
5. Collaborate and cooperate on activities of international organizations
relating to the conservation of existing enclosed coastal sea
environments and the creation of new environments
6. Promote international exchanges relating to the conservation ofexisting enclosed coastal sea environments and the creation of newenvironments, including organizing international conferences
7. Carry out other activities necessary to achieve the Center’s objectives

Message from the President【The Oceans and Humanity】
Life on earth had once arisen from non-living matter in the sea over 4
billion years ago. Seawater contains diverse substances essential for thegrowth of almost all organisms on earth. The oceans nurture marine life,
eventually providing us with food and a wide range of other beneﬁts that
we call “ecosystem services”, while serving as our spiritual home, andat the same time reminding us of the ﬁerceness of nature. Standing infront of the oceans that stretch out to the distant horizon, we often allow
our thoughts to roam. We ponder the signiﬁcance of the oceans and arevery much inspired by our close link to them. Almost unnoticed, theoceans as a large body of water play a vital role in regulating climate on
earth. Through the process of evaporation, the oceans generate water
vapor that becomes the source of fresh water on the land, which allland-based living beings depend on.

International EMECS Center
President Motoyuki Suzuki【Importance of Coastal Zones】
Oceans cover 70.8% of the total surface area of the earth with their average depth reaching 3,800
meters. In the oceans, phytoplankton and algae propagated by solar energy serve as a nursery forvarious marine organisms. They multiply mainly in shallow seas bordered by land, supporting
complex ecosystems in the waters.
The coastal zones that serve such an important function are estimated to occupy as little as 0.1%of the total ocean surface area. Given that human activities on land are performed mostly in areasadjoining the seas, they obviously have a powerful impact on the coastal zones.
How we maintain healthy ecosystems in the coastal zones in consonance with ever-growing humanactivities is a serious challenge faced by humanity. For the last 30 years since 1990, the world’s
population has grown by nearly 1.4 times and world economic activity (Gross World Product) has
quadrupled. The trend of exploding human activities is not likely to stabilize in the near future.
By 1990 we had already witnessed a marked deterioration in water quality and water environment
in coastal zones, particularly in enclosed coastal seas where the impact of human activities isnoticeable. Against this backdrop, environmental management of enclosed coastal seas including
the Seto Inland Sea has attracted increasing attention as a common problem in the world, which
indeed led to the establishment of the International EMECS Center, where EMECS stands forenvironmental management of enclosed coastal seas.
【The Center’s Roles】
For almost 30 years since its establishment, the International EMECS Center has organized
EMECS Conferences around the world every 2 or 3 years, thereby promoting information sharing
on an international level, mainly regarding environmental issues for and methods for environmental
management of the world’s typical enclosed coastal seas.
While eﬀorts are well underway to improve the environment in a considerable section of theworld’s water areas, along with the creation of an international network, the world has recognized
one pressing challenge after another involving marine environments, and these challenges are
becoming increasingly important to address, such as global warming and ocean acidiﬁcation,
which will in the future have the impact of a body blow on marine ecosystems.
In addition, marine plastic waste has become an issue of particular concern in recent years. Plastic
debris already discharged into and accumulated in waters is not easy to deal with.
In 2015, the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, of which Goal 14 is to"Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable
development". Functioning as the nucleus of eﬀorts to envisage a sustainable relationship between
sea areas and human activities, establish realistic, speciﬁc and quantitative goals, and examine
measures to realize such goals, the International EMECS Center will no doubt see its future roles
evolve. We count on the continued support of everyone interested in the Center’s activities.
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2

Organization
Striving to conserve enclosed coastal sea environments and tobuild a sustainable and co-existing society with diversity of nature.

History
1971 The Governors and Mayors’ Conference on the Environmental Conservation of the Seto Inland Sea is established to work for conservation of the environmentof the Seto Inland Sea. “The charter of the Seto Inland Sea Charter on Environmental Protection” is adopted.
1973 “Law Concerning Provisional Measures for Conservation of the Environment of the Seto Inland Sea” is enacted and promulgated.
1976 The Association for the Environmental Conservation of the Seto Inland Sea is established to promote both public and private activities to conserve theenvironment of the Seto Inland Sea.
1978 “Law Concerning Special Measures for Conservation of the Environment of the Seto Inland Sea” is enacted and promulgated.
1987 The researching group, including Dr. Ian Morris from the University of Maryland, visits Japan to study enclosed coastal seas. Exchange of views and discussions
are held with relevant domestic organizations. The Governors and Mayors’ Conference on the Environmental Conservation of the Seto Inland Sea adopts thestatement “Appeal ’87 for the Creation of a New Seto Inland Sea”.
August, 1990 The 1st International Conference on the Environmental Management of Enclosed Coastal Seas (EMECS ’90) is held in Kobe through the co-sponsorship of the Environment
Agency, the Governors and Mayors’ Conference on the Environmental Conservation of the Seto Inland Sea, the Association for the Environmental Conservation of the Seto
Inland Sea, Hyogo Prefecture, Kobe City and the Nippon Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA). Training course “System of Environmental Management of Enclosed
Coastal Seas” is organized to train persons of developing countries. EMECS newsletter is published as a forum for the exchange of information.
1992 An interdisciplinary research team “The Research Institute of the Seto Inland Sea (RISIS)” is established based on “The Seto Inland Sea Declaration (EMECS
90 Declaration)”.
November, 1993 EMECS‘93 in Baltimore, USA. Establishment of “International EMECS Center” is adopted in this conference.
1994 Articles of the Association for Environmental Conservation of the Seto Inland Sea are revised to include international activities pertaining to the environmental
management of enclosed coastal seas. International Fund for Environmental Management of Enclosed Coastal Seas is established for this purpose. The
preparatory committee for the establishment of international organization dealing with the environmental management of enclosed coastal seas is formed.
November, 1994 “International EMECS Center” is established. The 1st Meetings of Board of Directors, Board of Trustees and Scientiﬁc and Policy Committee are held.
August, 1997 EMECS’97 as a joint conference with the 7th Stockholm Water Symposium in Stockholm, Sweden.
November, 1999 EMECS’99 as a joint conference with the 4th International Conference on the Mediterranean Coastal Environment in Antalya, Turkey.
March, 2000 At the 14th Meeting of Board of Directors, the dissolution of International EMECS Center as a voluntary organization and the establishment of new juridical
foundation are resolved. The application for juridical foundation is submitted to the Environment Agency.
April, 2000 The new juridical foundation “International EMECS Center” is granted approval of public corporation by the Prime Minister of Japan.
May, 2001 The Center is granted approval of public corporation by the Ministry of Foreign Aﬀairs and the Ministry of the Environment.
November, 2001 EMECS 2001 in Kobe / Awaji, Japan.
November, 2003 EMECS 2003 in Bangkok, Thailand.
May, 2006 EMECS 7 in Caen, France.
October, 2008 EMECS 8 in Shanghai, China.
November, 2009 Sato-umi Workshop is held as a special session at the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2009 in Manila, the Philippines.
August, 2011 EMECS 9 in Baltimore, USA.
March, 2012 International EMECS Center is certiﬁed as a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation.
October November, 2013 EMECS 10 as a joint conference with the 11th International Conference on the Mediterranean Coastal Environment in Marmaris, Turkey
August, 2016 EMECS 11 as a joint conference with the Sea Coasts XXVI Conference in St. Petersburg, Russia
November, 2018 EMECS 12 in Pattaya, Thailand.
September, 2020 EMECS 13 as a joint conference with ECSA 58 in Kingston upon Hull, UK.

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Objectives
Working towards conservation of beautiful nature
for the next generation
Bays, inland seas, archipelagos and other ocean areas that are substantiallyclosed oﬀ by land regions have outstanding natural attributes that havecaused them to become centers for ﬁshing, industry, maritime transportand recreation since ancient times. These regions have nurtured a varietyof cultures and have ensured rich and fulﬁlling lives for their inhabitants.
Ensuring that the bounties of these enclosed coastal seas, which are atreasure for all of humanity, are passed on to future generations in thenext century is a tremendous responsibility.
Accordingly, the International EMECS Center was established in November
1994 in Kobe Japan through the cooperation of concerned persons andorganizations. Its purpose is to create new prospects for the conservationof the environments of the Seto Inland Sea and other enclosed coastal
seas throughout the world.
Since its establishment, the Center has sponsored the Third International
Conference on the Environmental Management of Enclosed Coastal Seas
(EMECS) in Stockholm, Sweden (August 1997) and the Fourth EMECS
conference in Antalya, Turkey in November 1999. The Center issues
newsletters and has been building a database to gather and makeavailable general information pertaining to the environmental managementof enclosed coastal seas. It also conducts training in environmental
management techniques for government oﬃcials from developing countries
and holds an International Seminar on environmental conservation of
enclosed coastal seas.
However, although the environment is improving in some enclosed coastal
seas throughout the world, in most areas habitat environments areworsening; both species and populations are declining, and ﬁsh catches arediminishing. If these trends continue, enclosed coastal sea environments
will continue to deteriorate, and this may even have a major adverse
impact on the global environment as a whole. As a result, increasingly
there are calls for the Center to implement more aggressive measures,making enhancement of its information-providing and research functions
necessary.
It is for these reasons that the International EMECS Center was reorganized
as an organization that is authorized by the Japanese government in April
2000. The new Center will form a solid base for the creation of anorganized network linking governments, researchers, companies, private
citizens and other entities for enhanced academic exchanges on aninternational level, as well as conducting research and training andproviding support activities, in order to preserve existing enclosed coastal
sea environments and create new ones, and to help establish a society
capable of sustainable development in which human beings can coexist
with the tremendous diversity of nature.
From the prospectus of the International EMECS Center(In 2012, the Center was certiﬁed as a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation.)

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Enclosed Coastal Seas
Enclosed coastal seas such as bays and inland seas are diﬃcult places to conserve and improvewater quality because pollutants tend to accumulate easily due to poor exchange of water with open
seas. Blessed with abundant nature, enclosed coastal seas have been used as ﬁsheries since ancient
times and developed as spatial resources to serve more varied purposes such as industry andtransport. As a result, these areas are densely populated and overdeveloped therefore natural
puriﬁcation capacity is decreased which easily leads to environmental degradation.

Water Pollution Process in Enclosed Coastal Sea

Domestic, Industrial,
Agricultural etc.

Reclamation decreases biodiversity
including bacteria in shallow areas.

《Major Enclosed Coastal Seas of the World》＊Note that not all enclosed coastal seas in the world are coveredin this brochure.

6
13
5
9

11
4

19

7
16

18

17

21

12
1

2
10
20

14

3

15

8

１．Chesapeake Bay（11,603km2，6.4m）
2
２．San Francisco Bay（1,040km ，6m）
2
2
３．Gulf of Mexico（1,592,800km ，1,486m） 11．Black Sea（508,000km ，1,240m）
2
2４．Mediterranean Sea（2,536,000km ，>5,150m） 12．Puget Sound（2,600km ，>300m）
2
2
2
13．Hudson Bay（1,232,300km ，128m） 19．Yellow Sea（466,200km ，40m）
５．North Sea（575,200km ，94m）
2
2
2
６．Baltic Sea（422,200km ，55m）
14．Gulf of California（153,000km ，1,200m） 20．East China Sea（735,800km ，175m）
2
2
2
７．Persian Gulf（233,000km ，35m）
15．Caribbean Sea（2,718,200km ，2,647m） 21．Sea of Japan（978,000km ，1,752m）
８．Gulf of Thailand（320,000km2，45m） 16．Red Sea（438,000km2，491m）
17．Bay of Bengal（2,173,000km2，2,600m）
９．Bohai Sea（77,284km2，26m）
2
10．Seto Inland Sea（23,203km ，38m） 18．South China Sea（2,319,000km2，1,652m）※area, average depth > maximum depth

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GOAL
GOAL

The International EMECS Center registers a voluntary commitment
for implementation of Goal 14 (SDG14) of the UN Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs)
Developing networks on the environmental management of enclosed
coastal seas (EMECS)
The International EMECS Center proclaimed the registry of a voluntary commitment for implementation of
Goal 14 "Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development"(SDG 14)” through Pattaya Declaration at 12th International Conference on the Environmental Managementof Enclosed Coastal Seas (EMECS12) in Pattaya, Thailand on 8 November 2018.
The International EMECS Center contributes achievement of SDG14 as our commitment, “Developing
networks on the environmental management of enclosed coastal seas (EMECS)”by organizing conferencewith the participation of researchers, government oﬃcers, business persons, citizens and students.
(#OceanAction29103, #SDG Action29103)
We also provide data access and share scientiﬁc knowledge of integrated coastal management andconservation of marine and coastal ecosystem for achievement of SDG14.

EMECS12 Pattaya Declaration（Excerpt）
Cooperative Stewardship for Integrated Management Toward Resilient Coastal Sea
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
To show its leadership, EMECS shall voluntarily register its commitments to the UN Sustainable
Development Goals on the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas, and marine
resources (SDG14).

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Projects

Projects to Promote the Conservation of
Enclosed Coastal Sea Environments

International Conference and Seminar
EMECS Conference
Aiming to establish an international and interdisciplinary
network to solve the environmental problems of enclosed
coastal seas in an integrated way, the 1st International
Conference on the Environmental Management of
Enclosed Coastal Seas (EMECS1) was held in Kobe,
Japan in 1990.
Afterward, the EMECS Conference has been held aroundthe world every 2 or 3 years. Based on presentations anddiscussions in a wide range of ﬁelds held by participants
such as researchers, government oﬃcials, enterprises,
citizens, etc., the importance of the integrated
management of enclosed coastal seas and their hinterlands and“Shared Responsibility”has
been transmitted to the world as“EMECS Conference Declaration”at each conference.

EMECS International Seminars
By inviting academic experts from home and abroad as
speakers, the International EMECS Center hosts seminars
and symposiums where participants including researchers,
government oﬃcials, citizens, and companies exchange
information on a wide range of themes such as the current
status of and challenges facing the world’ s enclosed coastalseas, integrated environmental management, Sato-Umi andenvironmental learning.

Database and Information Dissemination
EMECS Database on World Enclosed Coastal Sea
Information Dissemination through Newsletter, Website and Facebook

Newsletter
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WebsiteResearch
The Environment Research and Technology Development Fund
administered by the Minitry of the Environment provides funding for
research and development in virtually all environmental domains. As one
part of this eﬀort, form FY 2014 to FY 2018 the International EMECS
Center conducted a 5-year project, “S-13 Development of Coastal
Management Method to Realize the Sustainable Coastal Sea”

Seaweed beds
（ Ikushima Bay）

Environment Research and Technology Development Fund

S -13

Development of
Coastal Management Method
to Realize the Sustainable
Coastal Sea

Water sampling（ Shizugawa Bay）

Environmental Education and Training for Human Resource Development
Students and Schools Partnership (SSP) Session
Since EMECS6 held in Bangkok, Thailand in 2003, EMECS
conference has featured a Students and Schools
Partnership (SSP) session intended for senior high school
and university students with the aim of fostering the
growth of future leaders in environmental conservation andpromoting environmental education in other ways.
During the session, participating students from Japan andother countries give presentations and exchange views
regarding environmental conservation, and produce a
Students & Schools Partnership Declaration (SSP
Declaration) for adoption at the closing session. The participants also join a ﬁeld trip to learn about themarine environment in the local area.

Environmental Education and Training ProgramU s i n g e x p e r i m e n t a l f a c i l i t i e s l o c a t e d oﬀ t h e c o a s t o f
Amagasaki Port owned by the International EMECS Center,hands-on educational programs are provided for students
and the public to learn about the function and role of theocean, the current state of Osaka Bay and the Seto Inlandsea, and the living creatures that inhabit the ocean. Throughthese programs, people have the opportunity to build theirknowledge of costal issue.

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EMECS Conferences

1st EMECS Conference（EMECS ’90）

Dates: August 3 (Fri) ‒ 6 (Mon), 1990
Venue: Kobe, Japan
Theme: Environmental Management and Appropriate Use of Enclosed Coastal Seas

■Participating countries: 42 (including Japan, the U.S., China, and Korea)■Number of participants: 1,200

2nd EMECS Conference（EMECS ’93）

Dates: November 10 (Wed) ‒13 (Sat), 1993
Venue: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Theme: Toward Eﬀective Governance ‒ employing science, policy andmanagement to preserve the environment in coastal areas■Participating countries: 46 (including Japan, the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.)■Number of participants: 2,300

3rd EMECS Conference（EMECS ’97）

(EMECS ’97 / 7th Stockholm Water Symposium Joint Conference)
Dates: August 11 (Mon) ‒14 (Thu), 1997
Venue: Stockholm, Sweden
Theme: With Rivers to the Sea: Interaction of Land Activities,
Fresh Water and Enclosed Coastal Seas
■Participating countries: 80 (including Japan, Sweden, the U.S., and France)■Number of participants: 1,000

4th EMECS Conference（EMECS ’99）

(EMECS ’99 / 4th MEDCOAST Joint Conference)
Dates: November 9 (Tue) ‒ 12 (Fri), 1999
Venue: Antalya, Turkey
Theme: Land Ocean Interactions: Managing Coastal Ecosystems■Participating countries: 50 (including Japan, Turkey, the U.S., and Croatia)■Number of participants: 500

5th EMECS Conference (EMECS 2001)

Dates: November 19 (Mon) ‒ 22 (Thu), 2001
Venue: Kobe and Awaji Island, Japan
Theme: Toward Coastal Zone Management that Ensures Coexistence
between People and Nature in the 21st Century■Participating countries: 41 (including Japan, the U.S., Thailand, and India)■Number of participants: 1,100

6th EMECS Conference (EMECS 2003)

Dates: November 18 (Tue) ‒ 21 (Fri), 2003
Venue: Bangkok, Thailand
Theme: Comprehensive and Responsible Coastal Zone Management
for Sustainable and Friendly Coexistence between Nature and People■Participating countries: 23 (including Japan, Thailand, India and China)■Number of participants: 600

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9

7th EMECS Conference（EMECS7）（EMECS7 ‒ ECSA40 Joint Conferene）
Dates: May 9 (Tue) ‒ 12 (Fri), 2006
Venue: Caen, France

Theme: Sustainable Co-development of Enclosed Coastal Seas:
Our Shared Responsibility■Participating countries: 25 (including Japan, France, the U.S., and the U.K.)■Number of participants: 350

8th EMECS Conference（EMECS8）
Dates: October 27 (Mon) ‒ 30 (Thu), 2008
Venue: Shanghai, China
Theme: Harmonizing River Catchment and Estuary■Participating countries: 35 (including Japan, China, the U.S., and India)■Number of participants: 470

9th EMECS Conference（EMECS9）

Dates: August 28 (Sun) ‒ 31 (Wed), 2011
Venue: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Theme: Ensuring Accountability and Eﬀective Communication for Successful
Integrated Management of Enclosed Coastal Seas
■Participating countries: 25 (including Japan, the U.S., Canada, and Korea)■Number of participants: 300

10th EMECS Conference（EMECS10）(EMECS 10 / MEDCOAST 2013 Joint Conference)
Dates: October 30 (Wed) ‒ November 3 (Sun), 2013
Venue: Grand Yazici Club Turban Hotel, Marmaris, Turkey
Theme: Global Congress on Integrated Coastal Management:
Lessons Learned to Address New Challenges■Participating countries: 40 (including Japan, Turkey, Russia, and Italy)■Number of participants: 300

11th EMECS Conference（EMECS11）(EMECS 11 / Sea Coasts XXVI Joint Conference)
Dates: August 22 (Mon) ‒ 27 (Sat), 2016
Venue: St. Petersburg, Russia
Theme: Managing Risks to Coastal Regions and Communities in a Changing World■Participating countries: 21 (including Japan, Russia, the U.S., Thailand and China)■Number of participants: 360

12th EMECS Conference（EMECS12）

Dates: November 4 (Sun) ‒ 8 (Thu), 2018
Venue: Pattaya, Thailand
Theme: Cooperative Stewardship for Integrated Management Toward Resilient Coastal Seas
■Participating countries: 17 (including Japan, Thailand, China, Korea, and the U.S.)■Number of participants: 300

13th EMECS Conference (EMECS 13)
Dates: September 7 (Mon)-11(Fri), 2020

(EMECS13-ECSA58 Joint Conference)

Venue: Kingston upon Hull, UK

EMECS

10

International EMECS Center

DRI East 5F 5-2 Wakinohama-kaigandori 1-chome,
Chuo-ku Kobe 6510073 Japan
TEL +81-78-252- 0234 FAX +81-78-252- 04 04
URL http：//www.emecs.or. jp/en
E-mail secret @ emecs. or. jp

2020.03