Progress report for
Developing networks on the environmental management of enclosed coastal seas (EMECS)
Achievement at a glance
The International EMECS Center (EMECS), in collaboration with a UK-based organization, Estuarine and Coastal Science Association (ECSA), co-hosted the 13th International Conference on the Environmental Management of Enclosed Coastal Seas (EMECS13) as the “ECSA58-EMECS13 Conference”, which was held online for four days from September 6 to September 9, 2021. (The conference was scheduled to take place in Hull, UK in 2020, but was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was held online.)The conference was held under the theme of “Estuaries and coastal seas in the Anthropocene: Structure, functions, services, and management” and was attended by 450 researchers and government officials etc. from 47 countries. 58 people from Japan including researchers related to enclosed seas, coastal areas, and estuaries, participated in the conference.
The three special sessions organized by the EMECS Center, “ICM (Integrated Coastal Management) and Satoumi Session,” “Plastics in the sea session” and “Students and Schools Partnership Session,” were held in hybrid format (online and onsite) at the Kobe Portopia Hotel. The speakers in Japan gave their presentations at the hotel and the general public was able to view them there.
The participating researchers used the chat function of the online conference platform to interact, and discussed on conducting joint research in the future.
In addition, high school students involved in marine environmental conservation research from Japan, the UK, and Germany participated in the "Students and Schools Partnership Session”, one of the EMECS Special Sessions, and it provided an opportunity to learn what kind of research activities the students from other countries are engaged in.
Challenges faced in implementation
- The conference was co-hosted by the UK-based organization, but there is an eight-hour time difference between Japan and the UK, and the conference was held from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.( Japan time), so it was sometimes late at night when contacting the conference staff in the UK.- The three special sessions organized by EMECS were held in a hybrid format, but the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to attract participants to the venue where the face-to-face sessions were held.
Next Steps
For the next EMECS Conference (EMECS14), EMECS will proceed to determine its date and venue, announce the event, and call for abstracts.Beneficiaries
Researchers, administrative officials, educators, students, citizens
Actions
The recorded presentations were made available to watch on the conference online platform for a period of six months after the conference ended so that participants could view the presentations that could not be viewed in real time.In addition, even in the case of recorded presentations, questions and comments could be sent to the presenters via the online platform, allowing speakers and viewers to interact with each other.