Ecoregion conservation is an emerging approach that operates beyond national boundaries. Ecoregions are relatively large scale and sometimes encompass several countries. The need for ecoregion conservation arose from the recognition that despite many good conservation projects that have been carried out at many sites globally, the world’s biodiversity has continued to decline. In order to be truly successful in conserving the planet’s biodiversity, a collection of areas that are representative of global biodiversity first needs to be identified. The root causes of major threats that affect long-term sustainability within identified areas needs to be addressed at an appropriate, often large, scale.

WWF’s Global 200 is a list of areas that are representative of different assemblages of biodiversity and ecological processes. There are at present 238 ecoregions in total that have been identified as representing the terrestrial, freshwater and marine realms. The Yellow Sea Ecoregion has been selected as an outstanding example of coastal marine ecosystems and is one of WWF’s focal ecoregions in the Asia Pacific.

Bordered by three countries (China, North Korea, and South Korea), there is a growing recognition of the Yellow Sea at the international level as a single unit that needs coordinated management. In July 2002, WWF-Japan and China, Wetlands & Birds Korea, and the Wetlands International-China Programme launched a joint project to conserve biodiversity in the Yellow Sea. The project encompasses two major areas – the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea [click for map].

Objectives

• To develop a biodiversity vision of the Yellow Sea Ecoregion to determine priority areas for conservation intervention.
• To develop environmental education in primary and middle schools and raise public awareness of conservation issues in the Yellow Sea region. To help design and implement educational references and activities at schools and communities in the program areas of the three countries.

To develop the biodiversity vision, a WWF team of ecological, biological, geograghic, oceanic as well as socio-economic scientists and experts will lay the groundwork for conducting biodiversity surveys, analyzing information gaps and establishing a GIS team. The biodiversity vision will be completed by June 30, 2005.

On October 1-6, 2002, the CEPA (Communication, Education and Public awareness) training workshop for the Yellow Sea Ecoregion Program was held in Kashima City, Saga Prefecture, Japan. Yellow Sea Ecoregion Program staff members from WWF China, WWF Japan and KORDI (Korean Ocean Research and Development Institute) attended the workshop. As a result of the workshop, detailed action plans were developed. Together with government in preferential areas, the plans will be carried out amongst nature reserve, local communities, fishermen, schools and related enterprises and will emphasize the protection and sustainable use of the region’s biodiversity.

Partners

Chongmingdongtan Nature Reserve; project area schools; various project area enterprises.

Donor

Japan Fund for Global Environment (JFGE)

Related information

Wetlands & Birds Korea website: Working for the conservation of wetlands and birds in Korea and the broader Yellow Sea eco-region