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Political style: communism, strict government control.
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China has established legal management system for marine resource protection. It's general principle is "conservation first, appropriate exploitation and sustaintable development". "Procedures for the administration of marine reserves" is the policy for marine reserve. [Xue,1]
2. Problems
a. The efficiency of the management system constraints protection.
The system is devided into national level, provincial level and municipal level, and above each level, there are many departments in charge of the management. Various departments have their own management structure and funding sources. Each department is only actively developing part of the department's protected areas, which leads to competition between departments, redundant construction, fragmentation and overall inefficiency. Whether at the national level or in the provincial and municipal levels, it is difficult to achieve the unity of the construction of protected areas planning.
b. The contradictions between Protection and Development
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 conflict to exploitation somewhat.
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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:
1. Information Office of the State Council Of the People's Republic of China, The Development of China's Marine Programs ,May 1998, Beijing
2. Liu Yan, Qiu Jun, Problems and possible solutions of our country's marine reserves, National Oceanic Administration Institute of Marine Development Strategy
3. Xinhua General News Service, China opens marine life biodiversity pretection center, October 11, 2006
4. Guifang Xue, China And International Fisheries Law And Policy, 2005
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