Global & Institutional/Southeast Asia/2021

Resolution and Plan of Action for Sustainable Fisheries for the ASEAN Region Towards 2030

ASEAN-SEAFDEC

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Description

The Resolution and Plan of Action on Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security for the ASEAN Region Towards 2030, adopted in 2021 by ASEAN and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), is a regional commitment framework for the sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture. It updates earlier ASEAN-SEAFDEC resolutions and sets out shared goals and actions for member states for the period to 2030. The document addresses a wide range of issues, including fisheries management, aquaculture development, post-harvest and trade, and regional cooperation. It explicitly recognises the impacts of climate change and natural disasters on regional fisheries and aquaculture, and commits members to monitoring these impacts and adjusting fisheries and aquaculture programmes accordingly. It also promotes the integration of adaptation and mitigation planning into sector policies and management. Classed as direct and policy evidence under Policy, Governance and Institutions, the resolution provides a regional commitment framework that complements the ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action on Fisheries. It is useful for policymakers aligning national plans with regional commitments, for researchers examining regional governance of climate risks in fisheries, and for development partners seeking to support SEAFDEC and ASEAN priorities on climate-resilient aquaculture.

Additional Details

Author(s)
ASEAN-SEAFDEC
Type
Regional resolution
Aquaculture / Fisheries Dimension
Regional fisheries and aquaculture management across ASEAN member states
Relevance to Climate Aquaculture
Direct
Thematic Area
Policy, Governance & Institutions
Climate Issue
Climate change and natural-disaster impacts on regional fisheries and aquaculture
Adaptation / Key Contribution
Commits members to monitor climate impacts and adjust fisheries/aquaculture programmes, integrating adaptation and mitigation planning
How to Use / Notes
Regional commitment framework

Metadata

Scope, methodology and country-coverage documentation behind the Master Matrix consolidated from the source workbook's Scope & Notes, Research Guide and Southeast Asia Country Coverage sheets.

Scope & notes

Purpose

Consolidated inventory of SEARCA publications/projects and AJAD articles relevant to climate change and aquaculture/fisheries, extended with FAO, peer-reviewed and country-level evidence.

Search scope — SEARCA

SEARCA publications, Discussion Papers, Briefs/Notes, Case Story Series, projects, and AJAD articles found through SEARCA/AJAD pages.

Search scope — CChAM

Aquaculture/fisheries/coastal-climate outputs explicitly listed on SEARCA’s former Umbrella Program on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation for Southeast Asia page, including CChAM-supported dissertations, learning events, SFRT projects, AJAD articles and Agriculture and Development Notes.

Search scope — FAO

FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture; FAO Climate Change; Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture; COFI/Sub-Committee on Aquaculture; and official FAO Open Knowledge resources.

Search scope — peer-reviewed

Recent peer-reviewed literature prioritising Southeast Asia and the Philippines, plus systematic and global reviews useful for the conceptual and evidence framework.

Relevance: Direct

Explicitly addresses aquaculture/fisheries and climate change, climate adaptation, or climate resilience.

Relevance: Adjacent

Addresses coastal climate risks, salinity, integrated rice–aquaculture, or aquatic livelihoods with strong relevance to aquaculture adaptation.

Relevance: Contextual

Useful for ecosystem-based fisheries governance, broader climate-resilience framing or sector baselines, but not specifically climate–aquaculture.

Important note

This is a curated, evidence-based inventory rather than a claim that every publication containing a climate/fisheries keyword has been captured.

SEARCA aquaculture projects

Aquaculture Adaptation to Climate Change in Southeast Asia (2024-152) is completed; AquASEAN (2025-180) is active through November 2027.

Regional coverage update

Twenty further resources were added to target the country-coverage gaps flagged in Section 3 (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Timor-Leste), plus two additional Indonesia entries and two ASEAN/SEAFDEC regional policy resources.

Consolidation (Master Matrix)

Seven inventory sheets — SEARCA Climate-Aquaculture, CChAM Inventory, FAO Inventory, Expanded Resource Matrix, Peer-Reviewed Matrix, SEA Country Publications and Regional Coverage Additions — were merged into the Master Matrix: 145 source rows reduced to 107 unique records, grouped as Global & Institutional (26), SEARCA & CChAM (24), Regional & Comparative Research (9) and Country Evidence (48). Source sheets are retained unchanged for reference.

Circular aquaculture addition

Twenty-three resources on circular aquaculture innovation in Southeast Asia were added as a new Master Matrix category, Circular Aquaculture Innovation (rows 109-131): regional partnerships and projects (AquASEAN, CIRAD, WorldFish CAINA, EU SAFE), peer-reviewed research on circular economy, IMTA, nutrient and sediment recycling, integrated rice-shrimp and mangrove-shrimp silvofishery, insect and alternative aquafeeds, FAO policy instruments (SOFIA 2024, Blue Transformation Roadmap 2022-2030), open datasets (WorldFish Dataverse, 30 m coastal aquaculture pond dataset) and learning materials (SEAFDEC/AQD training courses, WAS and Global Seafood Alliance primers). Total records: 130. Each entry carries a source note on its Publication cell.

Research Guide

Purpose

Master resource matrix for climate change and aquaculture, with emphasis on Southeast Asia and policy-relevant evidence.

Priority 1 — global frameworks

FAO Aqua-Adapt; FAO climate-policy/NDC resources; FAO fisheries and aquaculture climate syntheses.

Priority 2 — regional evidence

SEARCA/CChAM and SEARCA aquaculture projects for Southeast Asian empirical and policy evidence.

Priority 3 — applied technical

WorldFish/CGIAR and NACA for applied aquaculture adaptation, technology, health, biosecurity and decision support.

Climate science

Use IPCC for authoritative evidence on warming, extreme events, ocean/coastal change, vulnerability and adaptation.

Finance and policy

Use ADB and World Bank for investment, climate finance, blue economy and resilience economics; ASEAN and ASEAN-SEAFDEC for regional policy alignment.

Suggested literature-review structure

1) Climate hazards; 2) impacts on aquaculture; 3) adaptation; 4) mitigation; 5) socioeconomic resilience; 6) policy and governance; 7) gaps and research priorities.

Suggested search terms

climate-resilient aquaculture; climate-smart aquaculture; aquaculture adaptation; aquaculture climate risk; salinity aquaculture; rice-shrimp climate; Mekong aquaculture; blue foods climate change; aquaculture NDC; aquaculture NAP; aquaculture climate finance.

Evidence classification

Direct = explicitly links aquaculture/fisheries and climate change/adaptation. Adjacent = strong relevance through coastal, salinity, aquatic-food or ecosystem systems. Contextual = broader scientific or policy foundation.

Geographic scope

The master matrix should cover all 11 Southeast Asian countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam. The Philippines should not dominate the evidence base.

Current evidence gap

Country coverage is uneven. Viet Nam and the Philippines have the strongest climate–aquaculture evidence; Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Timor-Leste require deeper targeted searches.

Regional baseline

SEARCA’s 2013 review explicitly covers all 11 Southeast Asian countries and provides a useful regional climate/agriculture baseline. SEAFDEC’s 2023 fisheries statistics also cover the 11-country region, although Timor-Leste did not submit statistics.

Country-specific coverage

Country-specific resources were compiled across all 11 Southeast Asian countries. Where direct climate–aquaculture literature is sparse (especially Brunei Darussalam and Timor-Leste), national/sector baseline resources are included and clearly classified as contextual rather than direct.

Southeast Asia Country Coverage

Brunei Darussalam

Evidence strength: Limited–Moderate

Key resources: Brunei Climate Change Secretariat (climate impacts on fisheries/aquaculture); SEAFDEC regional statistics; Shams (2023); Sukri & Wah (2022); Sulaiman & Lawrey (2013)

Priority: Medium

Notes: Official source identifies ocean warming, acidification, drought/flooding and saltwater intrusion risks. Added: Shams (2023) direct aquaculture–salinity evidence and Sukri & Wah (2022) national adaptation chapter. Still thin on farm-level studies.

Cambodia

Evidence strength: Moderate

Key resources: SEARCA regional climate review; FAO/SEAFDEC resources; Chin Leakhena et al. (2021); WorldFish homestead ponds (2024); Fiorella et al. (2023); CDRI Tonle Sap; FAO coastal resilience project

Priority: Medium

Notes: Needs more targeted country-level aquaculture adaptation studies. Added: Allison et al. (2009) vulnerability ranking, Fiorella et al. (2023) Tonle Sap study, CDRI vulnerability report and the FAO coastal-resilience project.

Indonesia

Evidence strength: Moderate–Strong

Key resources: SEARCA/CChAM coastal and fisheries work; WorldFish/CGIAR; Daluta & Dingi (2024); La Ode Geo et al. (2020); FAO Indonesia country report; SEAFDEC statistics

Priority: Medium

Notes: Expand with shrimp, mangrove-aquaculture and small-scale aquaculture studies. Added: La Ode Geo et al. (2020) seaweed-farmer climate-perception study and an FAO Indonesia country climate report.

Lao PDR

Evidence strength: Moderate

Key resources: FAO Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture case study on integrated agriculture-aquaculture; Li et al. (2023); SUMERNET policy brief; SEAFDEC resources

Priority: Medium

Notes: Strong opportunity to add inland aquaculture, rice-fish and disaster-resilience studies. Added: Li et al. (2023) rice-fish study (Northern Laos) and a SUMERNET climate-risk policy brief.

Malaysia

Evidence strength: Moderate–Strong

Key resources: Hamdan et al. (2015) aquaculture performance study; 2025 sector review; SEARCA/CChAM islander fishers study; NACA/WorldFish

Priority: Medium

Notes: Good country-specific evidence. Expand shrimp, cage culture and coastal systems.

Myanmar

Evidence strength: Moderate–Strong

Key resources: National Aquaculture Development Plan 2020; Aung et al. (2021); WWF mangrove-friendly aquaculture project; Quo Vadis review (2025); WorldFish

Priority: Medium

Notes: Strong policy evidence. Added: Aung et al. (2021) technical-efficiency study and the WWF/Global EbA Fund mangrove-aquaculture resilience project.

Philippines

Evidence strength: Strong

Key resources: SEARCA/CChAM; AJAD; multiple peer-reviewed studies; SEAFDEC; FAO

Priority: Medium

Notes: Already well represented. Maintain coverage but avoid a Philippines-heavy bias.

Singapore

Evidence strength: Moderate

Key resources: Singapore Aquaculture Plan (2020); SFA climate-resilience materials; Aquaculture 532 technology/feed study (2021)

Priority: Medium

Notes: More policy and industry evidence than peer-reviewed climate-adaptation studies.

Thailand

Evidence strength: Moderate

Key resources: Lebel et al. (2018 ×2); Uppanunchai et al. (2015); Janmaimool et al. (2025); Embke et al. (2024); SEAFDEC resources

Priority: Medium

Notes: Needs targeted shrimp, tilapia and coastal aquaculture climate studies. Added: Janmaimool et al. (2025) Bang Khun Thian livelihoods study and Embke et al. (2024) Mekong Basin adaptation study.

Timor-Leste

Evidence strength: Limited

Key resources: WorldFish sector reports (2019, 2025); FAO/WorldFish IkanAdapt; Johnson et al. (2023); CTSP/WorldFish (2011); ACIAR TR103 (2025)

Priority: High

Notes: SEAFDEC regional statistics exclude Timor-Leste. Country-specific climate–aquaculture literature is sparse. Added: the FAO/WorldFish IkanAdapt project, Johnson et al. (2023) Arafura–Timor Seas vulnerability assessment and the 2011 CTSP/WorldFish fisheries-dependence report.

Vietnam

Evidence strength: Strong

Key resources: Multiple peer-reviewed Mekong studies; FAO; SEARCA/CChAM discussion papers; WorldFish foresight study

Priority: Medium

Notes: Strongest country evidence after the Philippines, especially shrimp, pangasius, rice-shrimp and salinity.

Thematic Area Taxonomy

Policy, Governance & Institutions

Records: 21

Climate policy instruments, NDCs/NAPs, national and regional plans, fisheries governance and ecosystem-approach management, institutional mandates and climate finance.

Climate Science & Projections

Records: 10

Hazard characterisation, warming and ocean-change science, model projections and syntheses of physical impacts on aquatic systems.

Vulnerability & Risk Assessment

Records: 16

Assessments of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity of farms, stocks, ecosystems, communities or national economies, including climate risk screening.

Adaptation Practices & Technology

Records: 23

Farm- and system-level adaptation options: species and site selection, integrated and mangrove-friendly systems, water and feed management, biosecurity, rice-fish and salinity-tolerant production.

Adaptation Frameworks & Planning Tools

Records: 3

Structured frameworks, planning methods and decision protocols for designing and sequencing adaptation, rather than individual practices.

Livelihoods, Gender & Socioeconomics

Records: 11

Household livelihoods, well-being, food security, gender and participation, perceptions, adaptive behaviour and the social determinants of adaptation.

Ecosystems, Mangroves & Blue Carbon

Records: 5

Coastal habitat function, mangrove conservation and restoration, blue carbon governance and ecosystem-based adaptation.

Value Chains & Markets

Records: 5

Post-harvest handling and processing, market incentives, bioeconomic systems and climate impacts transmitted along aquatic value chains.

Sector Baselines & Statistics

Records: 11

Sector status reports, national and regional production statistics, and country sector overviews used as baselines rather than climate analyses.

Knowledge, Capacity & Decision Support

Records: 9

Research portals and publication databases, decision-support systems, partnerships, learning events, capacity building and evidence syntheses.

Total records

130

Counted live from the published resources in the Open Repository.