Filling the gaps: The Case of the Yellow Sea Sinjae Yoo KORDI, South Korea 1. Background 2. Knowledge gaps 3. YSLME
Acknowledgements Details of the YSLME plan is an outcome of joint efforts by many members of the four working groups (Ecosystem, Fisheries, Biodiversity, and Pollution) of YSLME (Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem project). Thanks are also due to Project Management Office.
Ecosystem Sustaining dense human population Services by the YS Ecosystem 41 million in Chinese coastal region 30 million in Korean coastal region > 300 million in the watershed Rapid on-going urbanization and industrialization Providing employment opportunities, and income generation food security Natural sewage treatment system Transportation and recreation
Value of the YS Ecosystem 1,600 species are known 400 phytoplankton 300 macroalgae 500 invertebrates 389 vertebrates 50 halophytes ~100 commercial species Demersal fish (66%), pelagics (18%), cephalopods (7%), and crustaceans (7%)
Importance of the YS in bird migration Yellow Sea support more than 2,000,000 shore birds during their northward migration About 40% of the all migratory shorebirds in the East Asian- Australasian Flyway (Barter, 2002).
Threats to the ecosystem Intense human activities Intense human activities Fishing, Mariculture Industrial waste, sewage, and atmospheric deposits Transport Dumping Land reclamation loss of approximately 25% of the total tidal flats in Korea.
Fishing intensity in PICES regions (PICES, 2004)
Pollution Industrial wastewater 710 million tons from China in 1999 180,000 tons of COD from China in 1999 Heavy metals and synthetic organics non-point source contaminants of agricultural origin Fertilizers Production of fertilizers doubled between 1975 and 1995 in Korea. Annual riverine load of N, P from China and Korea almost doubled in ten years as of 1997. pesticides Pesticide production in Korea increased more than four times in 1995 compared with that in 1970, while since 1995 the production began to decrease (MOMAF, 1999). oil discharged from vessels and ports oil and oily mixtures from oil exploration
Fishing-down the food web? (adapted from Zhang, 2003)
Endangered species in the YS (Korea Association for the Conservation of Nature) 179 species listed as extinct, endangered and protected species Among them are 2 mollusks, 23 waterfowls, and 4 mammals including spotted seal Phoca largha. Many invertebrates might be endangered, but the exact status is unknown. A total of 16 species, two mammals and 14 birds, are protected as natural monument species. The bird group includes cranes, spoonbills, swans and oystercatcher.
The current status of YS ecosystem status assessment The The picture is fragmentary Spatially Temporally Thematically Problems Problems in synthesizing data Differences in sampling and analysis methods QA/QC
Knowledge gaps (1) Lack of basin-scale scale picture Material cycles Fish species biomass and population dynamics Pollutants and their ecological impacts Biodiversity Relative importance in the forcing Global Regional Local Causal mechanisms are not clearly understood.
Persistent Organochlorine Pollutants (Oh et al., 2005) Among the 8 groups of POPs investigated, only PCBs, DDTs, HCHs and HCBs occurred at measurable concentrations. POPs levels at some stations were similar to those in the Baltic Sea, where severe impact of POPs to biota has been previously documented.
Knowledge gaps (2) Uncertainties in the nutrient budget due to huge seasonal and spatial variations Lack of sufficient data of organic pollutants: PCBs, organochlorine pesticides, and PAHs. Aquaculture and its impact on natural ecosystem
Knowledge gaps (3) Uncertainty in biodiversity Synonymy Same species are given different scientific names (20~50%) Benthos Biodiversity of benthos, in particular in the central YS Cold Water region, is poorly known and the species there might be most vulnerable to environmental changes.
Causes of poor understanding Data mining was inadequate. Not all the existing data were searched and utilized. No basin-scale scale scientific surveys since 1992 EEZ No monitoring system covering the basin QA/QC problems were not addressed.
Reducing Environmental Stress In The Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem
Project Brief Information Project Title: Reducing Environment Stress in the Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem. Project Objective: Ecosystem-based Environmentally- Sustainable management and Use of the YSLME and its Watershed: Reducing Development Stress and Promoting sustainable Development of the Ecosystem from a Densely Populated, Heavily Urbanised, Industrialised Semi-Enclosed Shelf Sea Participating countries: People s Republic of China, Republic Of Korea Duration: 5 years Funding: GEF (Global environment Facility), Chinese Gov., Korean Gov., UNDP, YSEPP (WWF), NOAA
Immediate Objectives 1. Develop Regional Strategies for Sustainable Management of Fisheries and Mariculture 2. Propose and Implement Effective Regional Initiatives for Biodiversity Protection 3. Propose and Implement Actions to Reduce Stress to the Ecosystem, Improve Water Quality and Protect Human Health 4. Develop and Pilot Regional Institutional and Capacity Building Initiatives
Expected Major Outcomes 1. Scientifically & Environmentally Sound Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) 2. Approved Regional Strategic Action Plan (SAP) & National Yellow Sea Action Plan (NYSAP) 3. Established Regional Framework for Co- operation 4. Upgraded Capacities of Participating Countries
Process of the Project Project Development Implementation Planning the TDA/SAP TDA development SAP formulation SAP implementation Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) GEF Scientific and technical process of fact-finding (or diagnosing) the state of, or threats to, international waters. Strategic Action Plan (SAP) Activities related to the intervention of threats
Project Focal Areas Investment Fisheries Ecosystem Biodiversity Pollution
Future contribution of YSLME to the Ecosystem Status Report Long-term trend Systematic data mining for existing/not-utilized data New data Basin-scale surveys Scientific trawls, productivity, and pollution Assessment of carrying capacity Impacts of aquaculture on natural ecosystems
Timeline (relevant activities) ~2005 Data requirement Identification of indicator variables Availability QA/QC, intercalibration Historical data gathering ~2006 Two basin-scale surveys Transboundary diagnostic analysis Causal chain analysis ~2009 Hopefully, more basin-scale surveys establishment of monitoring network
Indicators and data availability Change in ecosystem structure (YSLME WG-E Report, 2005)
HAB
40 31 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 39 38 A1 A2 A3 B1 B2 B3 C1 C2 C3 C4 D1 D2 D3 D4 Draft plan of basinscale survey in YSLME 37 36 35 E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8 H9 H10 I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8 I9 J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 J7 J8 Bottom Trawl 97 St. Pelagic trawl ca.25 Lower trophic level Benthos Pollutants 34 K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 L7 L8 L9 33 M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9 N1 N2 N3 N4 N5 N6 N7 N8 N9 32
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