Overview
Dr. Kazumi Wakita is a Professor at Tokai University in Japan. Drawing on a career that includes roles as a Programme Officer at the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and at the Ocean Policy Research Institute of Japan, she has focused primarily on integrated coastal management in collaboration with national and local governments and stakeholders, particularly fishing communities.
Her research interests center on socio-ecological systems, particularly the dynamic interplay between people and nature.
Internationally, Kazumi serves as a member of the UN Group of Experts for the fourth cycle of the Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects (the “Regular Process”), covering the period 2026–2030. She is also a member of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Working Group on Sustainable Ocean Planning and Management. At the regional level, she serves as Technical Session Co-Chair of the East Asian Seas Partnership Council. Nationally, she chairs the Seto Inland Sea Fisheries Coordinating Committee.