UNDP/GEF is providing assistance
through UNOPS to countries bordering Yellow Sea...
UNDP/GEF is providing assistance
through UNOPS to countries bordering Yellow Sea in support of their efforts to
address among others the increasing trends of depleting fishery stocks, loss of
coastal wetland, land and sea-based pollution and implementation of the Yellow
Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Strategic Action Programme (YSLME SAP) adopted by
China and RO Korea with support of DPR Korea. One of the assistance programs to
implement the SAP is the UNDP/GEF/UNOPS project entitled Implementing the Strategic Action Programme for the Yellow
Sea Large Marine Ecosystem: Restoring Ecosystem Goods and Services and
Consolidation of a Long-term Regional Environmental Governance Framework, or
the UNDP/GEF YSLME Phase II Project. The project was launched in July 2017.
The
objective of this regional project is to achieve adaptive ecosystem-based
management of the Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem bordered by China, RO Korea
and DPR Korea by fostering long-term sustainable institutional, policy and
financial arrangements for effective ecosystem-based management of the Yellow
Sea in accordance with the YSLME SAP.
There are four components of the project:
- Sustainable
national and regional cooperation for ecosystem based management.
- Improved
Ecosystem Carrying Capacity with respect to provisioning services.
- Improved
Ecosystem Carrying Capacity with respect to regulating and cultural
services.
- Improved
Ecosystem Carrying Capacity with respect to supporting services.
The key outcomes sought are:
- Establishment
of a self-sustaining cooperative mechanism for ecosystem-based management.
- Recovery
of depleted fish stocks and improved mariculture production and quality.
- Improved
ecosystem health;
- improved
inter-sectoral coordination and mainstreaming of ecosystem based
management principles at the national level, maintenance of habitat areas,
strengthened stakeholder participation in management and improved policy
making.
- Skills
and capacity significantly developed for region-wide ecosystem-based
management.
In Component 1 of the Project,
the project seeks to improve the compliance with regional and international
treaties, agreements and guidelines by participating countries in Yellow Sea.
During the governance analysis stage, it is recognized that lack of adequate
legal instruments, and weak or non-existing enforcement of existing rules and
laws with a lack of compliance among stakeholders constitute the major legal
challenges to restoring the ecosystem carrying capacity of the Yellow Sea. In
response, the YSLME SAP has identified the following actions to strengthen the
legal framework and successful enforcement of laws and regulation:
- Development a protocol to control dumping at sea
(Action 4.2);
- Effectiveness implementation of MARPOL 1973/78
for control of oil pollution (Action 4-3);
In the proposed actions to
improve effectiveness of legal instruments of the YSLME SAP, it is suggested to
improve the implementation of international and regional treaties and guidelines
and improve the scope of coverage and enforcement of legal instrument. In the
regard, the following additional actions are proposed:
- Ensure full ratification of the treaties;
- Developing regional guidelines to incorporate suggested
guidelines of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries into YSLME’s
context;
- Developing regional guidelines on matters not
covered by UNCLOS, CBD, RMSAR, including reducing pollution discharge from
sea-based (e.g. mariculture) and atmospheric deposition of pollutants, and
marine litter (in particular microplastics).
In the GEF Global International
Waters Assessment conducted in 2005, the following legal reforms are suggested
to be included in the YSLME SAP:
- Enhancement of laws and enforcement mechanisms
related to pollution prevention and wastewater treatment practices;
- Development, harmonization and enforcement of a
legal framework to control the use and disposal of fertilizers and pesticides;
- Development and enforcement of suitable laws and
regulations to promote good practices in agriculture and to restrict the
introduction of alien and invasive species for aquaculture;
- Development and implementation of policy and law
enforcement mechanisms to restrict destructive fishing practices;
- Enhancement of laws, regulations and enforcement
mechanisms to restrict the entry of excessive fishing fleets and fishermen into
the fishing industry
In the governance analysis, the
following are also highlighted as critical to improvement enforcement:
- Enhance the skills and qualifications of managers
and technical through adequate training.
With
regards to the scope of implementation and enforcement, the Project Documents
defines the scope of the assessment as the following:
- UNCLOS
- CBD
- 1972 Convention on the Prevention and of Marine Pollution by Dumping of
Wastes and Other Matter
- 1973 International Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution
from Ships and its 1978 Protocol
- RAMSAR
- FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries
- UNFCCC