The aim of this study is to make a suggestion for enhancing protected areas management system in korea that based on the understanding of PA policies at international level and comprehensive analysis of current management status of PAs in korea.
Glob...
The aim of this study is to make a suggestion for enhancing protected areas management system in korea that based on the understanding of PA policies at international level and comprehensive analysis of current management status of PAs in korea.
Global issues on protected areas, the management system of PAs, and the targets of PAs were analysed. Main findings of the analysis are followings:
First, there is a need of applying international standard that differentiates the categories of protected areas. IUCN protected areas category system was adopted as a global standard for classifying PAs by the 7th CBD Conference of Parties in 2004. And World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) requests to include the information on IUCN category for PAs upon submitting the PAs data. It requires that IUCN category system be applied to the PAs in korea promptly and widely.
Second, there is a growing need for extending the range of PAs and strengthening the networks of PAs. The CBD PoWPA requires establishment of comprehensive network of PAs with a consideration of ecological network from terrestrial landscape to sea scape for maintaining the ecological structure and its function. Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 establishes a conservation target of 17% of terrestrial and inland water areas and 10% of marine and coastal areas. These issues are one of the key issues for implementing PoWPA and achieving Aichi target in each countries and it needs to be carrying forward actively.
Third, institutional framework of PAs is required to be strengthened in line with international agreements and regulations. Some of the PAs in korea are designated and managed based on international agreements and regulations such as Biosphere Reserve, World Natural Heritage, and Ramsar Wetlands, etc. However, organizational structure and legal foothold for designating and managing the PAs are relatively weak and inappropriate. Thus, implementation of necessary works and tasks are not coordinated effectively. Establishment of legal and institutional framework at national level needs to be precede to the designation and management systems of PAs in accordance with global criteria.
Forth, Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of PAs should be expanded and reinforced. PoWPA of CBD elucidates the development of PA management standard and evaluation of management effectiveness of PAs. Decision on PAs (Decision X/31) made by the COP 10 of CBD demands member states to perform MEE over 60% of total protected areas by 2015. At present, 35.7% (39 PAs, 6,964㎢) of the PAs are evaluated in korea. Government supports are definitely needed to fulfill the target by 2015.
Fifth, evaluating the value of PAs, governance, and capacity building is important in PAs management. There is a growing awareness on the value and benefits of the PAs including ecosystem services with an adoption of the ABS (Access and Benefit Sharing to genetic resources) protocol and Decision X/31 at the 10th CBD Conference of the Parties. It is also essential to establish governance type that ensure the participation of the stakeholder including local communities for effective management of PAs. There have to be more concerns for issues on strengthening the effect of PAs designation and its' management effectiveness.
Sixth, it is necessary to update the WDPA continuously. WDPA is utilized as the reference of national/global environment assessment as well as used as the UN list of protected areas. As of October 2011, data on 302 PAs are submitted and data on 291 PAs are registered which accounts for only 21.5% of total PAs (1,401 PAs) in korea. There should be more concerns on this matter from relevant agencies.
Seventh, a national implementation plan of PoWPA has to be established. The COP 10 of CBD decides detailed targets of the PAs. It also stipulates each member state build an implementation plan at the national level and reflect the targets into the national strategy for biodiversity and its implementation plan. In order to achieve these targets, in-depth review on the status of implementation in korea and devising an implementation plan to fulfill a national PoWPA has to be carried forward. Furthermore, Indices that reflect PAs status need to be incorporated into a national level plan.
Current status of PAs in korea are comprehensively reviewed and analysed including the history of PAs, designation goals and criteria, management systems, national level plans, PA designation, overlapping issues, national territory, and ecological networks in national level, etc. Main findings are follows;
First, each types of PAs is needs to be differentiated. Analysis on 10 laws and regulations related to PAs shows that designation goals and criteria of PAs are not clearly addressed and redundant terminology are frequent. To improve the situation, types of PAs and criteria of its' designation needs to be redefined and reclassified.
Second, establishment of integrated system is required for PAs management. PAs management system in korea has authorized to diversified 4 governmental agencies (Ministry of Environment (MOE), Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTMA), Cultural Properties Administration (CPA), and Korea Forestry Service (KFS)). And there remains a continuing cause for concern of overlapping designation and management conflicts. The networks among PAs are not sufficient and the agencies are competing for securing the management authorities that causes overlapped investment of administrative capabilities. Moreover, there governmental agencies take rather individual actions to international requirements at times, so it's difficult to manage a nation-wide system. Analysis show that 3,519.6㎢(34.9%) of terrestrial PAs and 528.2㎢(9.8%) of marine PAs are overlapped in designation. When the figures are looked at by the agencies, 1,498.4㎢ is overlapped between MOE and KFS, 533.5㎢ between MOE and CPA, 291.5㎢ between CPA and KFS, and 236.8㎢ between MOE and MLTMA.
Third, more protected areas need to be designated. As of 2011, 1,401 PAs with 18 types (19,533.2㎢) are designated as PAs in korea.
Among those, 1,379 with 15 types (17,124.3㎢) are designated based on national laws and 22 PAs with 3 types (2,408.9㎢) are designated based on international agreements and conventions. With a simple arithmetic sum up of the areas of PAs, the areas of terrestrial PAs is 13,606.8㎢ (accounting for 13.6% of total terrestrial territory (100,033㎢), and the areas of marine PAs stands at 5,926.4㎢ (accounting for 6.8 % of territorial waters (86,891㎢), and 1.3% of exclusive economic zone (443,838㎢)). However, when the removal of overlapping areas, the areas of terrestrial PAs amounts to 10,087.1㎢ (10.1% of terrestrial territory), and the areas of marine PAs reaches 5,398.8㎢ (6.2% of terrestrial waters, and 1.2% of EEZ).
The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 demands each member state to expand its terrestrial PAs up to 17% of terrestrial/inland water ecosystems, and marine PAs up to 10% of marine/coastal ecosystems. To achieve this target, 6.9% (7,000㎢) of the terrestrial territory area and 8.8% (39,000㎢) of the terrestrial waters area needs to be designated as PAs additionally and the national strategy has to be revised to meet this requirement. Meanwhile, 50.4% of Grade 1 area according to according the Ecological Nature Status Map and 81.9% of Grade 1 area according to Environmental Conservation Value Assessment Map is not designated as PAs, thus the priority for potential PAs may be given to those areas.
For those areas that are not in the category of PAs but are under the protection by relevant law have to be considered to be included in the category of PAs concurrently.
Forth, PAs for marine and freshwater ecosystems conservation need to be expanded. Only 1.2 % of EEZ is designated as PAs. In order to achieve the global target which aims to expand marine PAs up to 10% of marine/coastal ecosystems, efforts for ecosystem survey and marine PAs designation should be focused on EEZ. Protection of Freshwater ecosystem through designation of PAs should be increased as it is one of the essential elements for maintaining terrestrial ecosystem service. Currently, only 2.6% of those ecosystem is protected as PAs.
Fifth, the networks among the PAs have to be reinforced. In the designation of the PAs, it tends to give consideration more on specific areas or habitats than on the networks among PAs in landscape level in korea. On carrying forward a expansion and connecting PAs, a nation-wide ecological networks in landscape level should be considered for reinforcing the functions and roles of PAs. A strategy for this network should be established and implemented from a landscape ecological perspective in accordance with the functions of three major ecological axis in korea.
Based on comprehensive review and analysis of international PAs policies and current status of PAs in korea, I suggested to consider followings to make a enhancement of management system of the PAs in korea.
First, it is suggested to apply IUCN category system for classifying and differentiating the PAs in korea. Key items were chosen for each category with a consideration of environment of korea. 15 key items were chosen for 6 category and the guidelines for applying these category system was delivered. I suggested to reclassify 15 types of present PAs into 6 types of PAs.
Second, it is suggested to establish an integrated management system of PAs. CBD PoWPA stipulates that each member state sets and consolidates a management system to integrate PAs into a global network. I propose alternative approaches to enhance the management system of PAs in korea. One is establishment of new authority for integrated management and the other is building up an integrated management system while optimizing the existing system of PAs.
Third, it is suggested to expand the range of PAs and establish networks. The CBD PoWPA requires integration of PAs with a consideration of ecological networks. Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 sets up a detailed target to expand the PAs up to 17% of terrestrial and inland water areas and up to 10% of marine and coastal areas.
I presented 4 strategies for expanding and networking of the PAs; expansion of PAs along 3 major ecological-axis, extension of category for natural protected areas, setting up database of potential PAs, and securing connection with the national plan. It is also suggested that expansion of terrestrial PAs from 10,087㎢(10.1%) to 15,000㎢(15%) by 2015 and 18,000㎢(18%) by 2020, and marine PAs from 5,398.2㎢(1.2%) to 22,200㎢(5%) by 2015 and 44,400㎢(10%) by 2020.