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Title: |
Seeking an Effective Ocean and Coastal Management Pattern in China: the Combination of ICM and EBM |
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Source: |
Conference on Environmental Pollution and Public Health (CEPPH 2010 E-BOOK)
(pp 590-593)
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Author(s): |
Xin Zhao, Coastal and Ocean Management Institute (COMI), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
Xiongzhi Xue, Coastal and Ocean Management Institute (COMI), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China |
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Abstract: |
An effective ocean and coastal management system is critical to marine ecosystem health, people’s well-being and sustainable development, and a suitable ocean management pattern is the key of this management system. This paper takes the environmental problems of Jiulong River-Xiamen bay as an example to analyse the prevalent environmental problems of river basin-estuary-ocean ecosystem in China, it shows that local integrated coastal management (ICM) can not be completely successful without taking the river basin into account, and an ecosystem approach rather than artificial political boundaries should be applied to identify environmental problems. By analysing the theories and practices of the main ocean management approaches, i.e. ICM and ecosytem-based management (EBM), this paper advances a possibly effective management pattern that combining elements of ICM and EBM frameworks at different administrative levels. The coastal management framework in China should use a top-down, ecosystem-based approach at national and provincial levels with the goal of ensuring functional sustainability, together with local ICM where the emphasis is on meeting social needs and improving living standards. EBM should be seen to provide complementary guidelines at higher levels, rather than being a rival paradigm to replace ICM at the local governmental level. In addition, the indicator system, especially the ecological indicator system made by national and provincial governments would be the key measure to combine EBM and ICM in China.
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