Deal signed to protect S. China Sea

Deal signed to protect S. China Sea

BANGKOK (AFP): The United Nations said on Wednesday the seven nations bordering the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand had signed their first agreement to protect the region's marine resources.

The nations have agreed to take action on environmental degradation along the coastlines and after an extensive study of sensitive sites, they hope to enact national legislation to prevent further damage.

United National Environment Program executive director Klaus Toepfer said that the preservation of the coastlines was vital for the protection of the region's rich fisheries industry.

"It is one of the most important programs we have for international seas," he said after unveiling the agreement between the governments of Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Toepfer said 80 percent of the region's coral reefs were at risk from climate change, coastal development, pollution, overexploitation and cyanide and dynamite fishing.

"Tuna and shrimp are outstanding products earning a lot of money for people. Therefore it is very difficult and there are a lot of economic pressures that make it difficult to stop or change (these practices)."

He said only a third of the region's mangrove forests remain, with around 65 percent lost to settlements, industrialization, tourism, or conversion into shrimp farms.

The effects of increased sedimentation and nutrients as well as destructive fishing practices were also being felt in the region's other major habitat, sea grass communities, of which 20- 25 percent is thought to be degraded.

Another major concern is the pressure exerted by the 270 million people living along the coastlines, a population expected to double within the next three decades.

Toepfer said the new agreement would produce a program of action and a recommended network for regional cooperation in the management of the environment of the South China Sea.

Under a five-year, 32 million dollar project, committees will be set up in each country to select nine areas for extensive pilot studies, particularly on the coral reefs, mangrove forests and sea grass fields.

"We want to stimulate governments to be aware and to develop capacities. I believe this is a problem not just of the private sector but of parliament and people responsible for rules and regulations," he said.