WESTPAC consists of 22 Member States mainly in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Pacific and the eastern Indian Ocean. WESTPAC defines its strategic direction based on priority interests of the Member States in the region, and implements its programmes and activities through strong partnerships with national competent agencies, marine scientific institutes, universities and other international organizations or programmes in the region.

The Western Pacific and its adjacent regions are among the richest and most productive in the world as they are home to more than 600 coral species (more than 75% of all known coral species) and ~53% of the world’s coral reefs. Most Southeast Asian coastal communities are socially and economically dependent upon coral reef ecosystems with an estimated 70-90% of fish caught dependent on coral reefs. Globally, it has been estimated that coral reefs support greater than 25% of all known marine species.