A call to action significant areas, various stakeholders need to take concerted Coastal Mollusks of the Yellow Sea The results provided key data for developing a regional actions. Community-based organisations, the scientific conservation strategy and monitoring its successes. In particular, community, national and local government agencies, legislative the results will help to: bodies, non-government organisations including religious groups, Ecoregion and their habitats 1) Establish a network of representative marine protected areas the general public, the media, donor communities, industries, at the ecoregional scale; consumers, and youth groups all have important roles to play. For 2) Evaluate effectiveness of existing protected areas; example, national and local government agencies can contribute 3) Monitor status of biodiversity. by strengthening cross-sectoral coordination in the establishment and improvement of the management of marine protected areas In order to conserve coastal mollusk biodiversity, in particular, (MPAs). Filling major knowledge gaps in ecology and human these sets of globally significant species and their globally impacts on indicator species is also an important action to take. Globally Signifi cant Coastal Mollusks in Yellow Sea Ecoregion Table of coastal mollusk indicator species and their global signifi cance

Criteria for habitat and vulnerable species of Indicator Species global signifi cance Scientifi c names Common English names Criterion 1: Criterion 2: Criterion 3: Endemism Vulnerable Commercially Species Important Species © Image provided by GeoEye and NASA SeaWiFS Project. © JE, Jonggeel Cuva Mactra veneriformis Surf clam Kvo Kuva Satellite photo of Yellow Sea Ecoregion Ruditapes philippinarum Shortnecked clam Cvo Cva Cuva Ruditapes philippinarum Shortnecked clam © JE, Jonggeel Kvo Kva, K Meretrix spp. Hard clams Kuva, K Shortnecked clam Coastal Mollusks of the Yellow Sea Ecoregion Rapana venosa Top shell Kvo Kva Kuva Cuva About the area Mactra chinensis Hen clam ’ Kvo Kva Kuva The Yellow Sea Ecoregion is one of the world s largest areas In the South Korean of continental shelf. The Yellow Sea Ecoregion encompasses part of the Yellow Sea, Cvo Cva Cuva Haliotidae spp Abalones Kva Kuva the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea. It is a about 500 species of transboundary area, and extends from the coastlines of China, marine invertebrate Atrina pectinata Fun musse Kva Kuva North Korea, and South Korea to a depth of 200m. species have been Fulvia mutica Cockle shell Kva Kuva Valuable nutrients flow from the Yangtze and Yellow rivers and recorded. There are 135 Cyclina sinensis Ciclina clam Kuva © JE, Jonggeel combine with sunlight and shallow waters to create an area that species of Mollusks, Notes to the table Surf clam teems with abundant marine life. 106 Arthropoda Each indicator species were assessed against Criterion 1, 2 and 3. When an indicator species (crustaceans), 87 meets Criterion 1 according to data available in China, then it is indicated by C (China). Diversity of coastal invertebrates including mollusk species Annelida (marine In the Yellow Sea Ecoregion, major taxonomic groups among worms), 24 Note 1:In Criterion 1,2 and 3 columns, C indicates that a criterion is applicable to the the marine invertebrate species are Polychaeta (marine worms), Echinoderms, 34 corresponding species according to data from China, K: South Korea. Mollusca (clams, oysters, squids, octopus), Crustacea (shrimp Cnidaria (sea anemones, Note 2:Kvo: commercially important by volume in South Korea, Kva: commercially important by and crabs), Echinodermata (sea urchins, sea stars, and sea corals, jellyfi sh, and value in South Korea, and Kuva: commercially important by unit value in South Korea cucumbers). hydroids), and 7 Porifera (sponges). Mollusks 200 m In the Chinese part of the intertidal area, species group depth line compositions of invertebrates are 9 species of Cnidaria (sea are one of the most anemones, corals, jellyfish, and hydroids), 100 Plychaeta, 171 dominant taxonomic

© SHIN, Sangho Mollusca, 107 Crustacea, and 22 Echinodermata. Mollusks form groups in terms of the most dominant taxonomic group in both the Bohai Sea and biomass in subtidal and Borders of the Yellow Sea Ecoregion Hen clam the Yellow Sea by accounting for about 50% of biomass among intertidal areas. benthic biomass.

What is an ecoregion? Photos by: Biodiversity is not spread evenly across the Earth but follows complex patterns determined by climate, geology and the evolutionary history of the planet. These patterns are called ecoregions. WWF defi nes an ecoregion as a large unit of land or water containing a geographically distinct assemblage of species, natural communities, and JE, Jonggeel, SHIN, Sangho, GeoEye and NASA SeaWiFS Project environmental conditions. The boundaries of an ecoregion are not fi xed and sharp, but rather encompass an area within which important ecological and evolutionary processes most strongly interact. Publishers: WWF, Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI), Korea Environment Institute (KEI)

© JE, Jonggeel Coastal Mollusks and People Threats to Coastal Mollusks Hard clam Date of publication: March 2006 Coastal mollusks provide a signifi cant source of income and food Expansion of mariculture, reclamation and loss of wetlands, and About the Yellow Sea Ecoregion Planning Programme: The Yellow Sea Ecoregion supply for local communities and regional economies both in marine pollution are affecting coastal habitat on which coastal Planning Programme is an international partnership between WWF, KORDI, and KEI China and South Korea. mollusks depend for their survival. for conservation of biodiversity of the Yellow Sea Ecoregion. In China, mariculture of coastal mollusks occupies a large portion In China, mariculture has brought negative impacts as well as of coastal area. The shellfi sh mariculture area in fi ve provinces in economic achievements, including polluted discharge from shrimp Contact: the Yellow Sea Ecoregion was 371,100 ha in 1997, which accounts and fi shponds. WWF China: Li Lifeng, WWF China, Telephone:+86 10 65227100, for about 70% of mariculture areas. The volume of shellfish Telefax:+86 10 65227300, lfl[email protected], www.wwfchina.org Reclamation poses a serious threat to coastal mollusks in South mariculture production from the Yellow Sea Ecoregion is equally Korea. Estuarine tidal fl ats are the preferred habitat for the hard WWF Japan:Tobai Sadayosi, WWF Japan, tel +81 3 3769 1713 fax +81 3 3769 1717, signifi cant at 3 million tons in 1997, which accounts for about 80% clam. Most of the production of this mollusk species comes from [email protected], www.wwf.or.jp of the total mariculture production and also nearly 50% of the the Saemangeum estuary area on the Yellow Sea coast. However, KORDI: Pae Seonghwan, KORDI, tel +82 31 400 7752, [email protected], www.kordi.re.kr China’s national shellfish production. In South Korea, a major the area is the site of the Saemangeum reclamation project and KEI: Lee Changhee, KEI, [email protected], www.kei.re.kr part of fi shing activities on tidal fl ats are for mollusks. Each year, with the completion of this project, most of the hard clams will about 50,000-90,000 tons of clams are harvested, and another disappear from this area. This pamphlet was funded by the Japan Fund for Global Environment. 1,000 tons of mud octopus and 500 tons of polychaetes are UNDP/GEFYellow Sea Project is a sponsor of this pamphlet. caught as main products from mud fl ats. 5 The Yellow Sea Ecoregion - a Global Treasure, a Global Concern

Global Treasure The Yellow Sea Ecoregion (203) has been Meanwhile, in 2002, WWF and other © WWF Conservation Science Programme selected by WWF as one of the Global 200 research institutes in China, South Korea Yellow Sea Ecoregion (203) ecoregions, areas that are key to global and Japan began an assessment of Yellow biodiversity conservation. This marine Sea Ecoregion biodiversity. The objective of ecosystem is also one of the Large Marine this regional partnership was to prioritise Ecosystems (LME) of the world. conservation actions based on scientific data. Global Concern The global importance of the Yellow An urgent need: Identifying conservation Sea Ecoregion has been recognised priorities at a transboundary ecoregional by governments and the international scale community in recent years. Starting in In order to conserve the full array of LME #48 Yellow Sea in Large Marine Ecosystem 1992, the Chinese and South Korean biodiversity and ensure the use of its governments together developed services by people are sustainable, it is a transboundary approach to the necessary to conduct assessments beyond management of the Yellow Sea area with political boundaries and at an ecoregional the assistance of UNDP, UNEP, the World scale. Bank, and NOAA. In 2005, a UNDP/GEF An ecoregional approach helps ensure that project, the Yellow Sea Large Marine we do not overlook areas that are particularly Ecosystem project, was offi cially launched unique or threatened, allowing for smarter UNDP/GEF Yellow Sea Project with participation of the Chinese and trade-offs and greater positive impacts that South Korean governments. are more likely to endure over time.

Methodology - fi nding priority WWF/KORDI/KEI Yellow Sea Ecoregion Planning Programme coastal mollusk species and their Ecologically Important Areas

Cooperation among scientific experts Priority Area Analysis from China and South Korea Using a further set of criteria, experts then Scientists from universities and ocean prioritised the previously selected indicator research institutes in China and South species and their habitat. Scientists Korea have worked together to review and adopted endemism, threatened status, and identify priority coastal mollusk species commercial importance as a set of criteria and their habitats of global significance. for the Priority Area Analysis. Together they have set a common Scientific experts from China, South Korea, Thirdly, the scientists overlaid important Japan and other countries cooperate to methodology and reached an agreement areas for each indicator species. This analyse priority areas on priorities. allowed scientists to visualise overlapping areas that are important for more than one Biological Assessment species. Using a set of mutually agreed criteria, scientists developed a set of criteria Results for indicator species that are key for Coastal Mollusk Ecologically Important biodiversity conservation. Among many of Areas (CMEIAs) are the areas that are the marine invertebrate species groups, important for coastal mollusk species. the scientists selected coastal mollusks, Twelve indicator species were assessed and more specifically coastal Bivalvia under the Priority Area Analysis criteria and Gastropoda groups (clams and sea to identify globally significant species snails groups) as indicator species. The and their habitat. Of these indicator scientists chose representative habitat species, no species met the endemism types, endemism, species richness, criterion and venerable species criterion, threatened status, and commercial and nine species were applicable under Distribution of hard clams in South Korea importance as a set of criteria. According the commercial importance criterion. to these common criteria, each scientist Those indicator species that met any of has analysed nationally available data to these criteria were identified as globally select appropriate indicator species and significant species. Then habitat areas of ecologically important areas and they these globally significant species, where compiled national Biological Assessment those areas are critical for the survial of papers for China and South Korea. the species, were identified as indicator species ecologically important areas. In total, 20 Coastal CMEIAs were identifi ed. The Yellow Sea Ecoregion Planning Programme will publish the full results of biodiversity assessment and priority area analysis, so that they become accessible by scientists and government agencies in the future. High mollusk and other species diversity (>60 species) sites in South Korea