Coral Reef Conservation and Management in China1 Qiaomin Zhang Abstract This paper summarizes the status of coral reef conservation and management in China. Coral reefs in China include fringing reefs found in southern China’s coastal waters and associated with 128 atolls in the South China Sea Islands. These atolls have a combined area of about 30 000 km2. As a result of rapid socioeconomic development and population growth in the coastal region of South China over the last several decades, many coral reefs have been seriously damaged or degraded, largely by inappropriate human activities and consequent pollution. Until now, even though the government has taken some measures to protect and manage the reefs – including issuing relevant laws, establishing natural reserves, creating marine zones – the condition of the reefs has continued to worsen. Surveying, monitoring, assessment and research of coral reefs in China needs to be strengthened in order to meet the changing needs for protection, management, restoration, reconstruction and sustainable development of the coral reef ecosystems. Distribution of coral reefs in China Status of coral reefs in China Coral reefs in China include fringing reefs found Because of rapid economic development and in southern China’s continental coastal waters population growth in the coastal regions of South and around offshore islands, and as atolls in the China over the last several decades, many coral South China Sea (Zhao et al. 1999). Typical reefs have been seriously damaged or degraded. fringing reefs occur mainly on parts of the coasts This damage and degradation can be traced to of Hainan Island and Taiwan Island. Owing to human-induced causes, such as coral mining, the high latitude and low winter temperature, over-fishing, destructive fishing, and pollution only limited and scattered, sub-tidal coral (Zou 1995; Liu 1998; Zhang 2000, 2001a). It has communities and locally fringing reefs occur been estimated that as much as 80 per cent of the along the southern coastline of continental fringing reefs along the coasts of Hainan Island China. These fringing reefs stretch from Dongshan are damaged or degraded (State Oceanic Bay (23°45’N), the western-most bay of Fujian Administration 1996). In the 1960s, hermatypic Province, to the western coast of Luizhou corals of the Luhuitou coastlines around Sanya Peninsula, and from around the Diaoyudao City on Hainan Island consisted of 12 families, 24 Islands (25°45’N), to the north of Taiwan Island, genera and 83 species (Zou et al. 1975). They to Weizhou Island in Guangxi. Within the vast formed approximately 70 per cent of all species waters of the South China Sea there are about on Hainan Island. By the 1990s, these corals had 128 atolls, or platform reefs, (with a total area of been reduced to only 10 families, 21 genera and about 30 000 km2) forming the South China Sea 58 species. About one third of hermatypic coral Islands. About half of the atolls (covering an area species have become extinct and more than 70 per of only about 5 000 km2) are emerged atolls, cent of coral colonies are less than 30 years old while the remainder are drowned atolls (Zhang (Yu and Zhou, 1996). In the area near Sanya Port 2000, 2001a). The total areas of all reef flats and and Sanya River inlet, the hermatypic corals are limesand islets (of which there are about 53) on almost completely destroyed and cannot be emerged atolls of the South China Sea Islands are restored (Zhang 2001b, 2001c). only 907.1 km2 and 11.41 km,2 respectively (Zhao et al. 1999). 1 Projects No. 49776303 and 39970143 supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and key project B supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 198 WorldFish Center | Economic Valuation and Policy Priorities for Sustainable Management of Coral Reefs Coral Reef Conservation and Management in China 199 The threats to coral reefs in China vary from place putting more emphasis on coral reef protection, to place. The threats to fringing reefs in Hainan restoration of damaged reefs and establishment Island arise mainly from extractive activities, such of marine reserves. as coral mining for building materials and limestone; corals and shell collections for the The State Environmental Protection Adminis- curio trade; over-fishing and destructive fishing tration of China conducted the China Biodiversity etc. Such activities usually have direct and Protection Action Program in cooperation with immediate detrimental effects on the biological nine other government departments with the and ecological conditions of the reefs. In July support of UNDP/GEF. The “China Biodiversity 1994, in the northeastern embayment of Hong Protection Action Program” was published in Kong (Bay of Hong Kong), a strong hypoxia event 1994). The protection of the coral reef ecosystem caused massive mortality of benthic organisms. was listed as one of the priorities of the program. In that event, the damage to hermatypic corals caused up to 80 per cent mortality on some reefs The “Hainan Province Regulation of Coral Reef (Hodgson and Yau 1997). This hypoxia event Protection” issued in 1998 prohibits coral mining may have been related to a 100-year record for building materials and limestones; blast freshwater discharge from the Pearl River fishing and cyanide fishing; coral and shell combined with calm weather; the combination of collection for the curio trade; and the establish- the two possibly created the stratified condition ment of waste outfalls into coral reef marine (Hodgson and Yau 1997). Higher temperature reserves. discharge from the third nuclear power plant at Kenting in southern Taiwan has caused coral In 1996, a program called “Restoration of Coral degradation and summer bleaching (Zou 1995; Reef Ecosystem and Protection and Management Dai 1991) and become an important local threat. of its Biodiversity in South China Sea of China” In the South China Sea Islands, the greatest was included as one of the priority programs of pressures on coral reefs come mainly from over- the “21st Century Ocean Agenda of China” (State fishing in reef waters and from climate change, Oceanic Administration 1996). The “State Law of with high sea surface temperatures causing coral Ocean Use Management” issued in 2001 requires bleaching. that all coastal development programs accord with the division of marine functional zones The general condition of coral reefs in China is declared by the government. The State Oceanic still deteriorating. Human impacts are continuing Administration issued the State Regulation of in some coral reef regions, while the rapidly Natural Reserves in 1994, and the Rules of Marine developing coastal tourism industry is expected Natural Reserves Management in 1995. In 1990, to seriously increase the pressures on China’s the State Council of China approved the first five coral reefs. national marine protected areas managed by the State Oceanic Administration. A further two were Coral reef conservation and approved in 1991. In 1990, the government management in China established the Sanya National Coral Reefs Nature Reserve (5 568 ha) in Hainan Province, The general situation and, in 1998, the Dongshan Bay Provincial Coral Reefs Nature Reserve (11 070 ha) in Fujian In 1984, the Chinese government declared Province. The reserves implement a policy of “environment protection” to be a fundamental “prioritize conservation, appropriate utilization, national policy; in 1997 “sustainable develop- and sustainable development” (Zhang 2001a). In ment” was adopted as a national development addition, since 1996, several marine parks or strategy. The government has also promulgated a marine protected areas, with the sole aim of series of laws or regulations related to the conserving coral reefs, have been established in protection and management of coral reefs. For Hong Kong (e.g. Hoi Ha Wan Bay, 260 ha, 1996; example, the State Law of Marine Environment Cape d’Aguilar, 18 ha, 1996; and Ping Zhau Protection, and the State Management Regulation Island, 270 ha, 2000) (Morton 2000). Preventing Coastal Engineering Projects from Marine Environmental Damage and Pollution, A series of studies have been completed on coral both laws issued in 1983 strictly prohibit coral reefs associated with fringing reefs and atolls in destruction by any coastal engineering activities the South China Sea Islands. These have focused (Chen 1993). The former was revised in 2000, on the resources, environment and ecology of 198 WorldFish Center | Economic Valuation and Policy Priorities for Sustainable Management of Coral Reefs Coral Reef Conservation and Management in China 199 coral reef ecosystems, with some emphasis on the the income from the Yalong Bay tourism protection and management of coral reef enterprise has been used in the construction of ecosystems (for example, Zou 1995; Zhao 1996; Yalong Bay sub-stations of Sanya Reserve and for Chen 1997). management activities. The experiment appears to be successful in that alternative sources of Coral reef conservation and livelihood have been established while coral reefs management in Sanya Reserve appear to have been protected (Chen 1997). However, in developing similar projects, the The Sanya Reserve, the only extant national coral authority should closely monitor the carrying reef reserve, is located midway along the coastline capacity of the reef sites to ensure that the reefs of Sanya City, lying between 109°21 to 109°40E are protected. Already, Yalong Bay and Dadonghai and 18°10 to 18°15N. It has a total area of 56 are both subject to increasing pressures from km2, of which about 50 km2 is in coastal waters. It tourism activities, highlighting the need to ensure was established in 1990, and the management that the Reserve and the coastal activities are office was set up in 1992. The Sanya Reserve is sustainably managed. Although tourist operators made up of three different coastal regions or are trained to disseminate environmental sections, namely Luhuitou–Dadonghai coastal messages to visitors, appropriate protection section; Dongmaozhou Island and Ximaozhou cannot be achieved if existing tourist programs Island section (in Sanya Bay); and Yalong Bay are not monitored (WWF Hong Kong 1999).