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Case study
China
1. The status quo
A quoA developing country with long coastline (18,000 km) and large fish demand.
Freshwater resources rank 6 in the world, but the resources per capita is only one four of the world's average due to large population.(1) GDP*:* $10.17 trillion (2006 est.)
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As a developing country with large fish demand, the contradiction is notable. Unlike inland nature reserves, marine reserves are divided into different areas for protection and exploitation. Though the main goal is protection, it is confliction conflict to exploitation somewhat.
c. Most protected areas has not got adequate funding, so protection and management is difficult to implement.
The central government only supports national level reserves. Funding for other reserves comes from local government. Because of this, some of the underdevelopment region is not capable to operate effective management. Most of the funds are only for basic facilitates, but rarely for scientific research. Independent scientific research in these areas is very limited. Due to the lack of operational funds, the hard conditions and the high cost of management, the effectiveness of the management of marine reserves is therefore greatly reduced.
d. The overall layout of marine reserves stays to be improved
China's state-level distribution of marine nature reserve is extremely uneven; concentrated distribution is a very prominent phenomenon: There are seven national level marine reserves in the northeast side of the Bohai Strait; eight in the southwest of the Beibu Bay and Hainan Island; but only nine along the long coastline from Shandong to Guangdong.
3. Respond from China's Oceanic Administration Institute of Marine Development Strategy---an official department doing research and supplying suggestions and strategies to the government
Based on the country's problems about marine reserves and the necessity of setting up more reserves, the institute worked out following strategies:
a. Adjustment of management system of marine reserves
The system needs to be changed in future. All of the reserves must be under the central government's control, not the local government's. But for short period, it is not that applicable. The temporary solution would be: setting up a team with members from all the departments in charge of marine reserves now. Its goal is connecting all the departments to make the management more effective and practical.
b. The overall objective of development of marine nature reserve should explicitly include conservation and development. The goal must be clear in the regulations and policies. Both the local people and the region's economic interests and the natural ecological protection should be taken into consideration.
Possible solutions: (1) As to China's rapid tourism development, the institute proposes to research to develop the marine nature reserves into eco-tourism spots and improve the development of tourism management capacity.
(2) Utilizing the research within the reserves to help develop ecological aquaculture of surrounding communities.
c. The sources of funding can be both government budget and private sources. As to reserves especially for endangered species, the government is responsible for the full cost of the reserves' operation; for reserves under local government's control, the government departments at all levels should actively encourage various ways to raise operating funds, and offer necessary assistance, guidance and management. For example, allowing private investment protection on the premise of abidance to the government policy.
d. Setting up more marine reserves
As a developing country, it is hard to manage marine reserves. So the main point is developing reserves in areas with high species diversity and endangered species. Other possible solutions may be developing provincial level reserves into national ones.
Citation:
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