SMART-C LC/LP : SMART-C Projects

The SMART-C LC/LP Project aims to promote the implementation of a marine pollution prevention treaty called the London Protocol through sustained partnerships, collaborative marine environmental research and education, with a focus on Mongolia, the Caribbean, and other developing countries.

Supporting the Implementation of the London Protocol

Capacity-Building for Sustainable Seas: Supporting the Implementation of the London Protocol through Education and Collaborative Research

The IMO–Republic of Korea SMART-C Framework, the SMART-C LC/LP Project—formally titled “Capacity-building for Sustainable Seas: Supporting Implementation of the London Protocol through Education and Collaborative Research”—supports developing countries, in particular LDCs and SIDS, as well as Mongolia and the Caribbean region, in strengthening their capacity to implement the London Protocol (LP).

The project focuses on delivering scientific, technical and administrative training opportunities for government officials and stakeholders, addressing existing capacity gaps and fostering the development of LP expertise. Through these efforts, participating countries are better equipped to apply the provisions of the London Protocol effectively, thereby enhancing the protection and sustainable management of the marine environment.

Contributing to the UN SDGs:

Our Activities Aim to...

Provide scholarships for maritime officials from developing countries to gain in-depth, hands-on experience in implementing the London Protocol through the two-year LP Engineering Master of Project Administration programme at the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology.

Support Mongolia’s efforts to implement the LP by training officials, conducting a baseline environmental survey of Khuvsgul Lake, and strengthening the country’s scientific and administrative capacity to prevent pollution in its inland waters.

Strengthen LP implementation in the Caribbean by helping countries work together through scientific and administrative training, collaborative research, and baseline environmental surveys.

SMART-C LC/LP in Mongolia

Why Mongolia?

The SMART C LC/LP Project aims to support Mongolia in strengthening its pollution prevention capacity, using Khuvsgul Lake as a model case study. Although Mongolia is land locked, its inland water challenges resemble those faced by LP Parties in the marine environment.

Project Approach

The SMART-C LC/LP Project in Mongolia involves three key elements:

Needs Assessment

Evaluate Mongolia’s scientific, technical, infrastructure, and administrative capacities for LP implementation.

Training Programme

Provide targeted training to Mongolian officials based on the needs assessment findings

Baseline Environmental Survey

Conduct a field survey with Mongolian officials that will:

Characterise baseline conditions and environmental pressures
Transfer technology
Build scientific and research capacity
Apply the LP assessment and monitoring framework to generate recommendations to protect Khuvsgul Lake.

Together, these activities will build Mongolia’s long-term capacity to implement the LP, and support national conservation goals for Mongolia’s other inland water bodies.

Mongolia’s successful implementation of the LP in a lake environment will demonstrate the effectiveness of LP measures beyond marine settings. This success will encourage Mongolia to join the LP and provide a model for neighbouring countries with limited experience in LP implementation.

About Khuvsgul Lake:

Khuvsgul Lake sits in a UNESCO biosphere reserve at the northernmost tip of Mongolia, close to the Russian border. Lake Khuvsgul is 136 km long, ~ 36 km wide, and ~ 262 m deep with a total surface area of 2,760 km2 and a total volume of 9.6 km3 at an altitude of 1645 m above sea level. The coastline measures 414 km in length. It was tectonically formed by seismic and faulting activities within the Baikal Rift Zone and is situated in permafrost terrain.

The Mongolian Maritime Authority is leading Mongolia’s efforts to voluntarily implement the London Protocol framework to prevent pollution of the Lake, and be able to become a Party to the London Protocol. One of the first steps in this process will be to characterize the current or ‘baseline’ condition of the lake. The information collected will help inform future actions to reduce or eliminate sources of pollution and preserve the lake.

Because the Lake is so large and there is so little information currently available about its environmental quality, the SMART-C LC/LP Project is coordinating a joint international project to collect baseline information about the lake and supplement direct efforts to build Mongolia’s research capacity under the Project.

Environmental Pressures on the Lake

Khuvsgul Lake is facing pressure from an increasing number of visitors who come to experience the biodiversity and unique culture within the National Park that surrounds the lake. The growing number of visitors are exceeding the capacity for existing infrastructure to manage wastewater, and there are now signs of eutrophication in what is otherwise a low-nutrient environment. The lake also faces a poorly researched threat from trucks that sank through the ice over the past several decades before new safety regulations for ice roads were imposed.

Project achievements to date

To date, the project has completed a preliminary needs assessment and developed draft recommendations for training, improvements to scientific and technical infrastructure, and research gaps related to the Lake and the pressures it is facing. The next project phase will focus on validating recommendations with Mongolian officials and planning detailed training and field survey activities.

SMART-C LC/LP in the Caribbean

Beneficiary Countries

Antigua and Barbuda

Bahamas

Barbados

Belize

Colombia

Costa Rica

Cuba

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Grenada

Guatemala

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Jamaica

Mexico

Panama

Saint Lucia

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Suriname

Trinidad and Tobago

Dredging of sediment to create and maintain navigable waterways is the main source of material that is dumped at sea in the Caribbean. This challenge also presents an opportunity: countries can manage dredged sediments in ways that prevent pollution, protect sensitive marine areas, and support reuse of the material for habitat creation, coastal armouring, and other benefits.
To address these challenges and support sustainable sediment management across the region, the SMART C LC/LP Project is working with Caribbean countries to build the technical and administrative capacity needed for effective LP implementation.

The SMART-C LC/LP Project will work with all interested Caribbean countries to build local capacity for LP implementation and foster ongoing knowledge exchanges and research collaborations that will make it easier to sustain this implementation beyond the end of the project.

A regional needs assessment is guiding the Projects training and research activities. This assessment will help to identify the support Caribbean states require to assess, permit, and monitor ocean dumping and other marine pollution sources, which are core components of LP implementation.

The SMART-C LC/LP Project will undertake: the following activities in the Caribbean region:

Deliver training

Build scientific and administrative capacity for LP implementation

Facilitate cooperation

Promote data exchanges among Caribbean countries

Hold workshops

Develop a roadmap for LP implementation and ratification by Caribbean states

Design and deliver

Baseline surveys and collaborative scientific research

Other Facts

The Caribbean region includes both Parties and non-Parties to the London Protocol and Convention.

Project achievements to date

The project has completed a preliminary needs assessment and established a strategic partnership with the Cartagena Convention Secretariat. Caribbean countries have also been contacted to evaluate the types and quantities of material they are dumping at sea, and several have now confirmed their participation in the Project.

Strategic Partner

Cartagena Convention Secretariat

SMART-C LC/LP and the KIOST LPEM

The London Protocol Engineering Master of Project Administration Program (LPEM) is hosted by the Korean Institute for Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) in Busan, Republic of Korea. The LPEM is a model capacity building initiative that comprises a two-year degree program for Maritime officials from developing countries and offers a comprehensive education touching on all aspects of LP implementation from oceanography and coastal engineering to relevant international governance and emerging marine pollution issues. All students attend the LPEM on full scholarship.

In collaboration with the KIOST, the SMART-C LC/LP Project will enable a greater number of students from developing countries to benefit from LPEM scholarships. It will also enable all LPEM graduates to experience enhanced learning opportunities involving hands-on exercises and experiences. For example, with support from the Project, LPEM students will be able to join marine environmental sampling aboard research vessels, participate in marine field experiments, join field trips to various marine facilities, attend a greater number of conferences, and benefit from the expertise of guest lecturers from inside Korea and abroad.