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PROJECT #2002-IEM
APEIS Capacity Building Workshop on Integrated Environmental Monitoring in the Asia-Pacific Region

Project Leader	Prof. M. WATANABE Water and Soil Environment Division National Institute for Environmental Studies  16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba Ibaraki, 301-8506 JAPAN Tel: +81-29-850-2338 Fax: +81-29-850-2576 Email: masawata@nies.gp.jp
Funding	US$ 12,500
Participating countries	Participants from the following countries were funded: Kazakhstan, Mongolia, P.R. China, Russia, Republic of Korea, and Viet Nam. Participants from Australia, Japan, Singapore and USA received funding from other APEIS funding sources.

Brief introduction and background
Rapid economic developments in the Asia-Pacific region have caused serious environmental degradation, such as deforestation, desertification, salinisation, water resource depletion, and soil loss. They become serious constricting factors to balanced and sustainable economic development in the region. Under this situation, it is necessary to scientifically grasp the present condition and changes in natural resources in order to take countermeasures for their depletion and degradation. The Asia-Pacific Environmental Innovation Strategy (APEIS) project, which was launched with the endorsement of Asia-Pacific Environmental Ministers and senior officials at the 10th Environment Congress for Asia and the Pacific (ECO ASIA) in October 2001, aims to develop scientific knowledge-based tools such as integrated environmental monitoring systems and innovative strategy options to promote informed decision-making for sustainable development, to promote environmental co-operation and capacity building in the Asia-Pacific region, and to propose an "Asia-Pacific model" for sustainable development.

Outline of activities conducted
The APEIS Capacity Building Workshop was held in Beijing from 20-21 September 2002. The first day of the APEIS Capacity Building Workshop provided the importance of capacity building in the development of integrated monitoring systems for the Asia-Pacific Region.  In the first session, several kinds of advantages of satellite-based monitoring on the basis of MODIS were presented and discussed. P. R. China and Japan reported the current situation and problems encountered at the MODIS data receiving stations, while NASA responded to these problems. In the second session, for the purpose of making efficient use of MODIS data sets, it was discussed how one could advance the MODIS Processing System and construct a user-friendly system.
 
On the second day, presentations that focussed on the necessity of ground-based monitoring and the importance of satellite-based and ground-based systems were provided. The topics were as follows:

• Current situation and maintenance of ground-truth observation sites for various ecosystems;
• Data use policy for both MODIS data and ground-truth observation data. Furthermore, in order to develop a scientific knowledge-based tool, the methodology for integrated monitoring of environmental degradation and disasters was emphasised; and
• Several interesting topics about integrated modelling of land-surface processes and ecological functions at the watershed scale were reported.

In the final session, workshop participants discussed exploring the expansion of the monitoring network.

Outcomes and products

• Developed a MODIS processing system and provided a scientific tool for integrated environmental monitoring;
• Emphasised the integration of satellite-based and ground-based systems;
• Provided the methodology for integrated monitoring of environments on the basis of ecosystems;
• Explored the monitoring networks expansion in the Asia-Pacific region; and
• Provided participants with a CD-ROM containing all workshop Power Point presentations.