Management Analysis of an Internationally Shared Waterbody: The Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem

Abstract

Internationally shared waterbodies face a difficult set of managemment challenges, and many are being exploited at unsustainable rates. This report looks at the United Nations Environment Program’s Regional Seas program and the Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) concept, which have been developed as management tools for improving the sustainability of transboundary marine ecosystems. The Yellow Sea LME is possibly the most intensively exploited and degraded LME worldwide. Six management options were reviewed using criteria developed to discover the best path towards sustainable marine resource use. The most promising option is to combine an expanded version of the current programs with a community-based management component to ensure quicker implementation of programs and to increase community involvement. International management plans of shared areas are extremely difficult to put in place in a way that satisfies all constituents as well as meets all goals, combining the use of tools such as ecosystem and community based management may be most effective at achieving project goals.