A total of 23 potential priority areas for biodiversity conservation have been identified by scientists from China, ROK, and Japan after their extensive assessment and analysis. Chinanews, Haikou, Dec. 13 - The conservation of the Yellow Sea Eco-region (YSE) poised a hot issue at the East Asian Seas Congress held in Haikou, Hainan Province from December 12 to 16, when WWF disclosed on Wednesday a Map of Potential Priority Areas for Biodiversity Conservation of the Yellow Sea Eco-region to the public, calling on the governments of China and Republic of Korea (ROK) to jointly establish a comprehensive protection network to conserve and safeguard the biodiversity and sustainability of fishery in this much-valued eco-region shared by both countries.
The map, disclosed for the first time, summarizes the planning outcomes of Yellow Sea Eco-region Planning Programme (YSEPP) jointly launched in 2002 by WWF, Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI) and Korea Environment Institute (KEI). A total of 23 potential priority areas for biodiversity conservation have been identified by scientists from China, ROK, and Japan after they had conducted extensive assessment and analysis on the habitat needs of six taxonomic groups varying from marine mammal to algae.
The outcomes are expected to provide key data to assess the effectiveness of the regional biodiversity protection strategy and monitoring. In addition, the outcomes are of particular help to the establishment of a representative network of Marine Protected Area (MPA) and evaluation of the existing effectiveness and biodiversity monitoring in this eco-region.
By presenting the map at the congress, WWF depicted the pending threats facing the eco-region and the need for both governments to jointly establish a well-managed, representative network, citing such action will help conserve the shared biodiversity and the fishery resources. It is the first time in the history of YSE conservation that such a network being advocated on the basis of the international programme that combined unprecedented interdisciplinary, comprehensive, and trans-boundary efforts to evaluate and prioritize critical habitats in the eco-region.
