A new study by an international team of scientists led by Ellen Pikitch, Ph.D., of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), provides the first comprehensive and publicly available database of area-based marine conservation in China’s waters.
Published in Science Advances, the study provides insight into the country’s progress toward meeting global commitments to protect marine waters. Because of China’s global economic and political influence and its status as the world’s top producer and consumer of seafood, the findings could serve to inform broader international dialog around management of marine biodiversity.
According to this paper, China has a six-decade history of protecting marine resources within its own borders, but up to this point few details have been available. The researchers developed a comprehensive dataset that includes 326 marine and coastal sites around China, and have made this publicly available.
They found that, overall, nearly 13 percent of China’s seas are protected by a network of MPAs and potential OECMs that address 142 conservation objectives including a variety of species and ecosystems.
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https://phys.org/news/2021-11-reveals-first-time-china-marine-habitats.html