Applying Knowledge

Management to Scale up
Partnership Investments
for Sustainable Development of Large Marine
Ecosystems of East Asia and Their Coasts
The Problem/Issue
While GEF and partners have made substantial
investments in the EAS Region, there is no regional
agency that collates information and conducts
harmonized monitoring of results gathered by the
countries, which impedes the sharing of information
and lessons from past experiences among Large Marine
Ecosystems (LMEs) and adaptive management within
an LME. A review of available regional knowledge
sharing platforms indicated that there are numerous
e-portals focused on specifc sectors (e.g., forestry;
river basins; climate change; disaster risk reduction;
etc.) providing information, capacity development
opportunities, communities of practice and networking
facilities. However, it is apparent that no single platform
has the scope and coverage for enabling, capturing,
integrating and sharing knowledge across multiple sectors
and among countries for improved governance and
sustainable development of coasts and oceans of the EAS
region.
There is an urgent need to fll this gap, to enable
countries to more effectively respond to coastal and ocean
governance and management challenges that cut across
interventions on climate change adaptation, marine
pollution, fsheries recovery, habitat improvement and
others.

New policies are being developed to meet transboundary
issues, such as climate change, biodiversity conservation,
sustainable fsheries, blue economy development, etc.,
and these require fscal allocations and investment at the
national and local levels. Improved networking among
the regional and national initiatives and knowledge
platforms is also necessary in order to package, promote,
facilitate, monitor and assess innovative policies and good
practices in integrated, ecosystem-based management,
and resulting improvements and benefts to coastal
communities, sub-regional sea areas and LMEs in the East
Asian Seas.
The convergence of monitoring of results, sharing of
knowledge and information, mobilizing Communities of
Practice (COPs) and building awareness and strengthening
investments is a key step in support of protecting and
enhancing coastal and marine ecosystem services in the
EAS region.
Project Title Applying Knowledge Management
to Scale up Partnership
Investments for Sustainable
Development of Large Marine
Ecosystems of East Asia and Their
Coasts
Duration 2014-2016
Countries China, Indonesia, Philippines,
Vietnam, Regional
Project Objective The project objective is to enhance
the capacity and performance of
investments in the sustainable
development of large marine
ecosystems (LMEs) and coasts in the
East Asian Seas (EAS) region through
knowledge and experience sharing,
portfolio learning and networking.
About the Project
The KM project addresses the need for the
conversion and integration of new information and
knowledge into innovative policies and development
programs, scaling up and replicating initiatives,
and increased commitments of resources and new
investments by the public and private sectors.
The project will facilitate interaction among
policymakers, implementers, networks and investors,
as well as address gaps in necessary skills and
services to move from policy and planning into
actions and investments through intergovernmental
arrangements and communities of practice at the
regional, national and local levels.
Integration of investments in sustaining
ecosystem services into national and regional
development policies, processes and plans;
Strengthened linkages to the sustainable
development agenda adopted by countries
of the region (e.g., the Sustainable
Development Strategy for the Seas of East
Asia or SDS-SEA); and
Enhanced capacities and services of central
and local governments for developing and
implementing investment projects.
Indonesia Coral Reef Management Project Phase 3
(Indonesia Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management
Program-Coral Triangle Initiative (COREMAP-CTI),
The World Bank, Indonesia)
Philippines Manila Bay Integrated Water Quality Project
(The World Bank, Philippines)
Vietnam Coastal Resources for Sustainable
Development Project (The World Bank, Vietnam)
Guangdong Agricultural Pollution Control Project
(The World Bank, China)
Philippine Rural Development Project
(The World Bank, Philippines)
Targeted Learning and Innovation: Capturing Coral
Reef Ecosystem Services in East Asia (CCRES)
(Global Change Institute, The University of
Queensland, Australia)
The immediate goal of this MSP is to establish a
regional knowledge platform that facilitates:
World Bank investment projects involved in the
development of the knowledge management
platform:
Project Components
1. A regional coastal and ocean ecosystem
governance e-Library and knowledge
sharing portal: The purpose of the portal
will be to promote dialogue and improve
the exchange of knowledge, information
and methods within and among countries
and concerned stakeholders on investments
in sustaining marine and coastal ecosystem
services. The portal will also serve as a
connection to existing and emerging knowledge
management networks and initiatives across the
region (e.g., CCRES) and globally (e.g., GEF IW
Learn).
PEMSEAs aspiration is to function as a regional
knowledge center in coastal and ocean
governance, and to advocate and facilitate
increased commitments and investments in
protecting and sustaining ecosystem services
locally, nationally and regionally, and to share
this experience globally.
The development of a regional knowledge
platform would ensure that the knowledge, tools
and lessons learned under World Bank/GEF
investment projects as well as other projects in
the region will be refected in the action plans
of countries for the implementation of the
Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of
East Asia (SDS-SEA). It would further ensure that
the pool of capacity and knowledge developed
will be accessible beyond the life of the projects.
2. Innovative tools and best practices:
Identifying, packaging and transferring new and
innovative approaches and best practices to
policymakers and practitioners will be the focus
of this component. The project will also promote
mainstreaming time-bound priority targets and projects
under the brown and blue agenda into national and
local government medium-term development and
investment plans. Some priority products and services
being planned and developed include:
CSR network focused on coasts and oceans and blue
economy development;
Directory of impact investing frms ready to
collaborate in creating scaleable investments that
deliver on the triple bottom line;
Pilot support service for local governments to facilitate
their preparation of bankable ICM project proposals,
supported by a network of technology providers,
resource economists, and ICM investment specialists to
draw from to prepare project feasibility studies;
Annual roundtable/investors marketplace in
conjunction with the PEMSEA Network of Local
Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development
(PNLG), Xiamen World Ocean Week (XWOW), etc.;
Online investment clearing house;
Exemplar agreements, fnancing and investment
arrangements, guidelines and operatingmodalities;
Directory and referral services to providers of technical
assistance in risk assessment and risk management;
Directory and referral services to providers of legal and
technical advice; and
Client-investor meetings and negotiations on mature
project proposals.
3. Communities of practice and support services:
The MSP will facilitate, organize and conduct
leadership seminars/forums in partnership with the
PNLG, PEMSEAs Twinning Network for IRBCAM,
XWOW, the triennial EAS Congress, the biennial GEF
IW conference, as well as other national and regional
partners in East Asia. The purpose of the seminars/
forums will be to engage local chief executives and
policymakers in the application of knowledge products
and innovative tools to better appreciate the value
of ecosystem services, the analysis of trade-offs,
approaches to reducing threats, scientifc input to
decision-making, and facilitation of investments.
A second phase of the knowledge transfer and
application effort will focus on promoting investment
projects that replicate good practices and engaging
key stakeholders (e.g., economic development and
fnance agencies; investors; donors; etc.) through an
on-line investment forum. In addition, this component
will establish functional inter-governmental COPs,
as may be needed, e.g., among local government
investment planners and fnance/budget programming
offcers in the national government, ICM project
development offces, etc., in order to build awareness
and encourage national government priorities and
commitments to local needs and project initiatives.
In support of COP strengthening and
operationalization of this support service, a frst edition
of web-ready directories of policy, technical and
fnancial experts, fnancing programs, and technical
assistance and donor programs, will be prepared.
The KM Framework for Scaling up and
Replication of Good Practices and Investments
Knowledge management (KM) refers to the effective
utilization of knowledge to achieve desired results.
Knowledge assets consist of three types of intangible
assets namely human capital, structural capital, and
stakeholder or relationship capital, and technology.
Human capital pertains to knowledge in people. It
includes skills, expertise, talent and personality traits.
Structural capital refers to knowledge embedded in
processes, products or services. It is embedded in
manuals, templates and guidelines, standard operating
procedures, and user guides, among others. Stakeholder
capital relates to knowledge built in stakeholder
relationships. Building and sustaining relationships with
stakeholders require developing trust and improving
knowledge fows with customers, suppliers, employees,
shareholders, community, etc. and using this knowledge
to enhance organizational performance.
In the broader context, the work of PEMSEA involves
assisting and enabling its stakeholders, mainly the
national and local governments of its member countries,
in producing desired development results, namely,
sustainable development and governance of the Seas of
East Asia.
PEMSEAs knowledge management framework entails
harnessing information and knowledge resources to
develop knowledge products and services (KPS) that
enable partners and stakeholders across the region to
effect on-the-ground actions in support of the regional
marine strategy, the SDS-SEA, with the desired political,
socioeconomic and ecological impacts.
THE WORLD BANK
A World Bank/GEF Medium-sized Project
implemented by PEMSEA (2014-2016)